Файл:Latvian delegation in Warsaw.jpgA delegation of Aizsargi officers in Warsaw, 1933. The distinctive oak-leaf pattern collar patches and headgear of the Aizsargi uniform can be seen here.
The Aizsargi published a newspaper, entitled Шаблон:Lang ("Defender"/"Guard"), and the movement had subsidiary sections for women ("Шаблон:Lang") and youth ("Шаблон:Lang").
By 1 January 1940 the organization had a membership of 60,684: 31,874 guards (aizsargi), 14,810 women members (aizsardzes), and 14,000 youth members (jaunsargu).[2] The organization consisted of 19 infantry regiments and the separate Railroad and Aviation Regiments.[3][4]
On 16 June 1940 the organization was disbanded as a result of the Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940. During the Soviet occupation, the former members of the AO were heavily persecuted.
After the restoration of the independence of Latvia, the Aizsargi organization was not re-established by the government, as the Latvian National Guard was formed in 1991 as the main volunteer defence force of the country. Since then, separate small-scale NGOs have claimed to be the successors of the original AO, which sometimes espoused fringe political views (e.g. the group led by Jānis Rība and others).[5][6]
