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Estonian partisans, also called the Forest Brothers () were partisans who engaged in
guerrilla warfare Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include recruited children, use ambushes, sabotage, terrori ...
against
Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
forces in
Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...
from 1940 to 1941 and 1944 to 1978. When the USSR occupied and annexed Estonia in 1940, former civilians, soldiers, and real and perceived opponents to the
Kremlin The Moscow Kremlin (also the Kremlin) is a fortified complex in Moscow, Russia. Located in the centre of the country's capital city, the Moscow Kremlin (fortification), Kremlin comprises five palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Mosco ...
were threatened with arrest and repression. People sought refuge in the forest after the mass deportation on June 14, 1941. The largest organization of the Forest Brothers was the Armed Combat Union (RVL), which operated from 1946 to 1949. The most important RVL leaders were killed in the summer of 1949. Large battles between the Forest Brothers and
KGB The Committee for State Security (, ), abbreviated as KGB (, ; ) was the main security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 to 1991. It was the direct successor of preceding Soviet secret police agencies including the Cheka, Joint State Polit ...
units ended in Estonia in 1953, although minor conflicts continued until 1957. The last Forest Brothers to be arrested were Hugo and Aksel Mõttus, who were captured in
Võru County Võru County ( or ''Võrumaa''; ) is a county in southern Estonia. It is bordered by Valga and Põlva counties, Latvia's Alūksne and Ape municipalities, and Russia's Pskov Oblast (making it the only Estonian county to border two countries) ...
in the summer of 1967.
August Sabbe August Sabbe (1 September 1909 – 27 or 28 September 1978) was one of the last surviving Estonians, Estonian members of the Forest Brothers, a group of citizens of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania who resisted and fought against the Soviet Union, S ...
remained at large until 1978, when he was either killed in Võru County by the KGB or drowned attempting to escape them.


History

The Soviet Union occupied and annexed Estonia,
Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...
, and
Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
in 1940. From then on, former statesmen and soldiers hid in the forests, as they would otherwise have been executed or deported by the new regime. Many went into hiding after the mass deportation in June 1941.


The Summer War

When war broke out between Germany and the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941, many Estonians escaped into forests to aid the liberation of Estonia from Soviet occupation. During the Summer War, the Forest Brothers liberated various cities and towns in Estonia. The largest battles took place around Timmkanal, as well as
Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 97,759 (as of 2024). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of Riga, Latvia. Tartu lies on the Emajõgi river, which connects the ...
, where the Forest Brothers repelled the Soviet forces on July 10, 1941.


After 1944

By November 25, 1944, the territory of Estonia was completely occupied by the
Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...
. By the autumn of that year, thousands of Estonian soldiers, former
Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...
officers, and members of the Omakaitse had taken refuge in the forest. Former employees of the Soviet administration and people evading
conscription Conscription, also known as the draft in the United States and Israel, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it conti ...
into the Red Army hid alongside them. Their uniforms combined elements of the uniforms of the former Estonian army, the Wehrmacht, and civilian clothing. They were armed mainly with infantry weapons that the Germans left behind when they were pushed back. Groups of Forest Brothers consisted of five to ten people, with whom several dozen accomplices in the local population were associated. The Soviet command and the government of the
Estonian SSR The Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic, (abbreviated Estonian SSR, Soviet Estonia, or simply Estonia ) was an administrative subunit ( union republic) of the former Soviet Union (USSR), covering the occupied and annexed territory of Estonia ...
created forces to fight underground resistance movements. The 5th Infantry Division of the Internal Troops of the
NKVD The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (, ), abbreviated as NKVD (; ), was the interior ministry and secret police of the Soviet Union from 1934 to 1946. The agency was formed to succeed the Joint State Political Directorate (OGPU) se ...
, stationed in Latvia under the command of Major General Pyotr Leontiev, extended its operations to Estonia. Estonian destruction battalions (comprising 5,300 men) were also formed. Arnold Veimer received a petition from the chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the Estonian SSR to evict the families of "traitors to the Motherland, traitors, and other hostile elements". In August 1945, 407 civilians, most of them of German descent, were transferred from Estonia to
Perm Oblast Until 1 December 2005, Perm Oblast () was a federal subject of Russia (an oblast) in Privolzhsky (Volga) Federal District. According to the results of the referendum held in October 2004, Perm Oblast was merged with Komi-Permyak Autonomous Okrug ...
. An additional 18 families (51 persons) were transferred to
Tyumen Oblast Tyumen Oblast () is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject (an oblast) of Russia. It is located in Western Siberia, and is administratively part of the Ural Federal District. The oblast has administrative jurisdiction over two autonomous ...
in October, 37 families (87 persons) in November, and 37 families (91 persons) in December. In 1945, NKVD troops and destruction battalions killed 432 Estonian freedom fighters and arrested 584 people, including 449 supporters of the partisans. At the same time, 56 policemen, soldiers, and officers of the NKVD troops; 86 fighter squad members; and 141 pro-Soviet activists were killed. The anti-Soviet partisan war in Estonia continued until 1953. Up to 30,000 people joined the Forest Brothers.


Ants Kaljurand

Forest Brother Ants "The Terrible" Kaljurand served as the local leader of the RVL, a partisan organization founded by Endel Redlich. Kaljurand was arrested in 1949 and executed in March 1951.


Forest Brothers of Võrumaa

The Forest Brothers of Võrumaa were sent to destroy large Soviet KGB units, leading to several battles between the KGB forces and the Forest Brothers. Although losses were borne by both sides, most battles resulted in greater losses for the Soviet forces.


Substantial battles


Battle of Osula

The Battle of Osula (Estonian: ''Osula lahing''), or Battle of Määritsa, took place in the village of
Osula Osula is a village in Võru Parish, Võru County, in southeastern Estonia. As of the 2011 census, the settlement's population was 335. The Battle of Määritsa was held in Osula village between the Estonian partisans Forest Brothers The ...
in Sõmerpalu Parish from March 31 to April 1, 1946. The battle between the Forest Brothers and the Soviet KGB forces on Hendrik Farm was one of the largest in the county. Seven Forest Brothers, five men and two women, took part in the engagement. The exact number of KGB soldiers involved was unknown, but up to 300 participated. The battle lasted seven hours; near the end, the partisans ran out of ammunition and the house caught fire. Two Forest Brothers were killed during the battle and the rest died in the house fire. A letter was found in the
flue A flue is a duct, pipe, or opening in a chimney for conveying exhaust gases from a fireplace, furnace, water heater, boiler, or generator to the outdoors. Historically the term flue meant the chimney itself. In the United States, they a ...
of the house's furnace. It read:


Battle of Saika Bunker

The (Estonian: ''Saika punkrilahing'') occurred in the village's forest on March 7, 1951. Eight Forest Brothers and an unknown number of KGB guards took part in the battle. It was the first major conflict between the Forest Brothers and MGB forces in the Vastseliina region. MGB soldiers came to capture the bunker from two sides: from the village of Mauri towards Saika and from the village of Rebäse towards Saika. Around 10am, gunshots broke out and could be heard from the forest in the nearby villages. The battle lasted around four hours. Five MGB soldiers were killed in the engagement along with six Forest Brothers. August Kuus and Richard Vähi, the two surviving partisans, later died in a 1953 battle in Puutli. A memorial stone was opened in 2007 to honor the six Forest Brothers who died in the engagement.


Battle of Puutlipalu

The (Estonian: ''Puutlipalu lahing'') took place in Puutli,
Võru County Võru County ( or ''Võrumaa''; ) is a county in southern Estonia. It is bordered by Valga and Põlva counties, Latvia's Alūksne and Ape municipalities, and Russia's Pskov Oblast (making it the only Estonian county to border two countries) ...
on March 29, 1953, when KGB officers raided a bunker occupied by Forest Brothers at 9am. The siege lasted almost three hours. When the Forest Brothers were wounded, they set off their grenades to prevent them from being used by KGB forces. Eight Forest Brothers, Richard Vähi, Karl Kaur, August Kuus, August Kurra, Leida Grünthal, Endel Leimann, Lehte-Kai Ojamäe, and Ilse Vähi, were killed in the battle. After the battle, the bunker was burned by security. The bodies of the dead partisans were taken for identification and buried at the edge of the Ristimäe forest.


Aftermath

Eerik-Niiles Kross compiled a list of Forest Brothers who have died since 1944. It contains 1,700 names, including those who died in captivity. Historian Mart Laar claims, based on Kross, that there were more than 2,200 known fatalities. The last Estonian partisan, August Sabbe, died on September 27, 1978, reportedly drowning in a river after being found by KGB officers while he was fishing. Sabbe's body was found lodged under a log. Since 1998, the
Estonian Defence League The Estonian Defence League (, 'Defence League') is a voluntary paramilitary national defence organization of the Republic of Estonia, under management of the Ministry of Defence. Its aim is to guarantee the preservation of the independence and s ...
has organized the Põrgupõhja expedition, an annual
military sports Military sports are sports practiced by the military. They are the subject of international competitions, such as the Military World Games, with an objective relating to the physical training of military. Particular sports may be chosen to improve ...
event in the forests of Vana-Vigala and Eidapere, in honor of the partisans. In 2019, a job was created in the Estonian War Museum to study the Forest Brothers.


In popular culture

*The Canadian film ''Legendi loojad'' (Creators of the Legend) about the Estonian Forest Brothers was released in 1963. The film was funded by donations from exiled Estonians. *The 1997 documentary film '' We Lived for Estonia'' tells the story of the Estonian Forest Brothers from the viewpoint of one of its participants. *The 2007 Estonian film '' Sons of One Forest (
Estonian Estonian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe * Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent * Estonian language * Estonian cuisine * Estonian culture See also

...
: Ühe metsa pojad)'' follows the story of two Forest Brothers in southern Estonia who fight with an Estonian from the
Waffen-SS The (; ) was the military branch, combat branch of the Nazi Party's paramilitary ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscr ...
against the Soviets. *The 2013 novel ''Forest Brothers'' by Geraint Roberts follows a
British Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
officer who returns to Estonia during the ongoing conflict between Germany and the Soviet Union. Many characters who have aided him in the past hide in the forest.


Estimates

According to historians who studied the partisans, there were between 14,000 and 15,000 Forest Brothers in Estonia following the Second World War, along with people simply hiding in the woods. According to a report submitted by Soviet officer Oskar Borelli in June 1953, 1,495 members of the Forest Brothers and other resistance organizations had been killed by KGB forces between 1944 and June 1, 1953, and another 9,870 were arrested (5,471 members of the Forest Brothers and 1,114 members of the secret organization, 1212 citizens). According to Soviet sources, 891 people died between 1946 and 1956 as a result of the Forest Brothers, including 447 Soviet activists; 295 members of extermination battalions; 52 members of the NKVD,
NKGB The People's Commissariat for State Security () or NKGB, was the name of the Soviet secret police, intelligence and counter-intelligence force that existed from 3 February 1941 to 20 July 1941, and again from 1943 to 1946, before being rename ...
, and MGB; and 47 military personnel.


See also

* Anti-Soviet partisans * Guerrilla war in the Baltic states *
Latvian partisans Latvian national partisans () were Latvian pro-independence partisan (military), partisans who Guerrilla war in the Baltic states, waged guerrilla warfare against Soviet Union, Soviet rule during and after the World War II, Second World War. Aft ...
*
Lithuanian partisans Lithuanian partisans () were partisans who waged guerrilla warfare in Lithuania against the Soviet Union in 1944–1953. Similar anti-Soviet resistance groups, also known as Forest Brothers and cursed soldiers, fought against Soviet rule in E ...
* Omakaitse


References

{{Reflist Paramilitary organizations based in Estonia Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic Occupation of the Baltic states Anti-communist guerrilla organizations Anti-Soviet resistance during World War II Insurgent groups in Europe *