Atlas of Battles

battle, notable, interwar and Second World War

Battle of Paju

Battle of Paju was a battle fought on 31 January 1919 at Paju, in what is now Estonia. It was part of the Estonian War of Independence, which ran from 1918 to 1920. The recorded result: Estonian victory.

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Paju lahing 31. jaanuaril 1919
Paju lahing 31. jaanuaril 1919. Vabadussõja Ajaloo Komitee, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought31 January 1919
WherePaju, Estonia57.820N, 26.112E
OutcomeEstonian victory
BelligerentsEstonia; Finnish volunteersagainst22px Latvian Socialist Soviet Republic; 22px Soviet Russia
Casualties and losses156and300 dead
Part ofEstonian War of Independence1918 to 1920

Where it sits in the Estonian War of Independence

Battle of Narva, 1918Battle of Joala, 1918Battle of Punapargi, 1918Battle of Tartu, 1919Battle of Utria, 1919Battle of Laagna, 1919Battle of Paju, 1919Revolt of Saaremaa, 1919Battle of Cēsis, 1919Battle of Krivasoo, 191919181919Battle of Paju, 1919
10 placed engagements of the Estonian War of Independence in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date31 January 1919
PlacePaju, Estonia
57.820N, 26.112E
KindBattle, interwar and Second World War
StrengthEstonia: 300 soldiers; 13 machine guns; 2 field guns; Finnish volunteers: 380 soldiers; 9 machine guns; 4 field guns; Total: 683 soldiers; 22 machine guns; 6 field guns1,200 soldiers; 32 machine guns; 4 field guns; 1 armoured train
Casualties and losses156300 dead
Commanders
  • Hans Kalm
  • Julius Kuperjanov
  • Johannes Soodla
Battle of PajuBattle of PajuBattle of WalkBattle of HummelshofBattle of ErgemeBattle of OtepääBattle of ErastferBattle of WalkBattle of ErgemeBattle of OtepääBattle of ErastferRigaPskovTartuPärnuJelgavaViljandiHaapsalu100 km57.820N, 26.112E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1919

Battle of Paju is one of 4,429 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 83 in present-day Estonia.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q1720027, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Paju, revision 1370452632, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.