TIMERMANIS, ROBERTS DAVIDS

• Born: May 26, 1909,. in Riga (This was according to the old Russian calendar - the date is June 8 by today's calendar).
• His father was an army officer, his mother a teacher.
• Graduated from the Berzaine High School in Cesis
• 1926 - enrolled in military college
• 1929 - graduates with honors from military college and is assigned to a cavalry unit with the rank of Lieutenant.
• Transfers to the Aviation Regiment.
• Graduates from flight school in December, 1931 (rank: Ist Lieutenant)
• Assigned to a Reconnaissance Squadron
• 1933, April 24 - while flying Martinsyde ADC.1 #62 he crashes heavily at Spilve The impact was severe and, although he survived, he suffered many injuries - both legs badly injured, forehead and eyelid lacerations, spilt lip and a puncture wound right through his cheek. He spent eight months in hospital, recovering from his injuries. He eventually returns to flying and continues his studies in the evenings.
• April 1, 1934 - marries Valija Sturma (who had also been an eye-witness to his crash a year earlier).
• August 30, 1935 - took off in DH9A #63 with insufficient speed. The resulting crash was relatively minor, with damage to the propeller.
• October 24, 1935 - passenger in DH9A (flown by N.Vulfs) when the aircraft loses its propeller while in flight and they make a heavy forced landing.
• 1937 - graduates from university, but his law career remained unfulfilled when the war approached.
• July 8, 1937 - passenger in a DH9A which crashes at Spilve, killing a civilian sunbathing at Ratsupite creek.
• August 1, 1938 - transfers from the Aviation Division to the Technical Branch Headquarters, where he serves as an adjutant to General Kurelis.
• 1941 (Soviet occupation) is called into Soviet service, in an aviation unit.
• Released from service, he found employment in a tar factory at Sarkandaugava, and then some heavier work in a raw materials industry.
• Was very active with the Latvian partisans in Vidzeme, then Latgale, in the Madona-Lubana region.
• March 27, 1942 (German occupation) - at the urging of R.Kandis, Timermanis joins the Tukums 26th police batallion, and is later transferred to the 270th Abrene 'pioneer' unit (under the command of Capt. Saulitis), later renamed the 672nd (Latvian), where he commanded the 3rd Company. He received the Iron Cross, 1st and 2nd class.
• He remained active, in an engineering support role, also in direct combat with pro-Soviet partisans, until the end of the war. He was trapped in the Kurzeme encirclement and, while his family was able to evacuate to Germany on December 10, 1944, he remained behind and was in Kurzeme when those forces surrendered to the Soviets on May 9, 1945.
• After Kurzeme fell, went to Vidzeme where be became active with the partisans.
• December 24, 1945 - captured and shot by the Soviets, in the Barkava pagasts. The particulars of his death are quite dramatic, and can be read in greater detail here.