Why did Pavel Bermondt-Avalov’s army attack Riga in 1919?

In 1919, the attack on Riga by the forces of Pavel Bermondt-Avalov was not an independent action but part of a broader strategy orchestrated by the German commander Rüdiger von der Goltz to maintain German influence in the region.12

After the Allies demanded that German troops withdraw from Latvia to East Prussia, Goltz sought to circumvent this order by organizing a "West Russian" army. He systematically reinforced this force with German volunteers and placed it under the command of Bermondt-Avalov, an anti-Bolshevik adventurer.132

The primary motivations for the attack included:
* Establishing Hegemony: Goltz intended to use the force to establish Baltic regimes loyal to imperial Germany and pre-revolutionary Russia, effectively creating a German-controlled base of operations.32
* Strategic Communication: During the assault on October 8, 1919, Bermondt-Avalov’s army simultaneously moved into western Lithuania in an effort to establish direct communications with Germany.1

The attempt to seize Riga ultimately failed when Latvian forces, supported by an Anglo-French naval squadron and Estonian forces, defeated the attackers.13