During the period Estonia had been under Soviet control, arrests, disappearances and deportations had changed the country. Then the war took a new turn. On June 22, 1941, Germany invaded the Soviet Union. The German offensive, called Operation Barbarossa, extended from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. Estonia lay directly in its path.
Only a few weeks earlier Soviet authorities had carried out teir mass deportations throughout Estonia. Against that background, many Estonians initially welcomed the approaching Germans. After a year of Soviet rule, they saw Germany's arrival as a restoration of Estonian independence.
Fighting had already begun inside the country. Thousands of Estonians took up arms against Soviet forces. Many became known as the Forest Brothers. Operating from forests and rural areas, these partisans attacked Soviet units and fought the destruction battalions that were attempting to maintain Soviet control as the Red Army withdrew. In some parts of southern Estonia, Estonian fighters drove out Soviet forces even before German troops arrived.
The German 18th Army entered southern Estonia in July and moved north. Soviet forces retreated toward Tallinn, destroying property and infrastructure as they withdrew. On August 28, 1941, German forces captured Tallinn.
For many Estonians, the departure of the Soviets appeared to be liberation. It would not be that simple. The Soviet occupation was ending. A German occupation was beginning.
In June, when the Soviet army retreated, so too did many of Estonia's Jewish families. Ralph might not have noticed except that a co-worker named Leo failed to show up for his shift at the distillery. The following day his absence began to cause a stir. When Ralph sought details he obtained the curt reply, "He's Jewish"
On another occasion Ralph had made arrangements to meet someone at the railroad yard. It was quite late and he expected everythng to be desolate. To his surprise there were Nazi soldiers ushering long lines of people into cattle cars. Though he initially failed to grasp the significance of what he was seeing, over time it would become increasingly self-evident that the Nazis were not the "good guys" either.
Once again the people of the Baltics were subjugated by a new regime, a new landlord with new rules. The initial response by many was jubilation. The Nazis were liberators. The dark cloud of Soviet oppression had been lifted. But this sentiment was not shared by all.
THE SOVIETS RETURN
Like many Estonians, Ralph had mixed feelings when the Germans drove Soviet forces out of the country in 1941. He did not welcome German occupation, but after a year under Stalin, he considered it preferable to Soviet rule.
Estonia was still occupied, and the war continued around it. Some Estonian men went to Finland to fight alongside the Finns against the Soviet Union. Others remained at home, knowing that if Germany lost the war, the Red Army would probably return.
Ralph joined the Estonian National Guard. Many of the men serving with him had lost family members during the Soviet occupation. Ralph had lost his brother Karl and his closest friend Mutti. He had no desire to see the Soviets return. His damaged leg had never stopped him from bicycling or skiing. He wasn't going to let it keep him from serving.
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| 1944, soldiers strive to block the Red Army's retur. |
In September, Ralph was serving with his unit east of Tallinn when rumors began circulating that the Russians were approaching. Soldiers were accustomed to rumors. Some were true; others were propaganda or simply wrong. Ralph tried not to pay much attention, but the reports kept coming.
The Estonian units had been operating alongside German forces. One morning during the third week of September, Ralph was standing near the German headquarters tent when he overheard a major speaking to his officers. Because Ralph understood German, he learned that the Red Army was indeed approaching. The Germans had been ordered to withdraw, leaving the Estonian units behind to delay the Soviet advance.
Ralph understood what that meant. With the Germans leaving, the Estonians were expected to stay, and die fighting. This was the second time knowing another language saved his life.
When the major and his officers went inside the tent, Ralph saw the major's motorcycle nearby, hopped on it and drove away.
Ralph headed for his mother's home outside Tallinn, avoiding the main roads when he could and following trails through fields and woods. He had made a decision to leave Estonia. But first he wanted to fetch his mother.
Ralph was not alone in his desire to flee. As the Red Army approached in September 1944, tens of thousands of Estonians fled their country. It's been estimated that 10 percent of the people fled that week. Many headed for the coast, hoping to find passage across the Baltic Sea. Others headed south and west, into Latvia and Lithuania.
When Ralph reached home, he told Ida they had to leave.
She refused.
“I'm too old, Ralph,” she said. “I can't start again somewhere new.”
Ralph pleaded with her. Then he went to the barn, brought out a horse and wagon, and pulled it up behind the house. Finally, Ida began packing. They loaded clothing and whatever else they could take into the wagon.
Suddenly Soviet aircraft appeared overhead. The planes began strafing the area. Ralph held the horse while his mother ran back into the house. An explosion nearby shook the building.
“Mother! To the shelter!”
Their shelter was little more than a hole in the backyard with an old door laid across the top. Ida climbed inside. Ralph pulled branches and shrubs over the opening and climbed in after her.
Almost immediately someone began pounding on the door above them.
“Open up! Come out!”
The voice was German.
Ralph climbed out and found a young German soldier pointing a rifle at him. With the sound of more aircraft approaching, the soldier turned and ran.
“Macht schnell!” he shouted as he disappeared.
Ralph went back to the wagon and untied the horse. He helped Ida onto the seat and told her to take the back roads toward Tallinn. They would try to find a boat and get out of Estonia.
Still wearing his uniform, Ralph climbed back onto the German major's motorcycle and rode ahead. He checked the roads, then doubled back periodically to make sure his mother was still coming.
The Red Army was behind them. Ahead was Tallinn and, Ralph hoped, a boat across the Baltic. They didn't know whether there would be one.
CONTINUED
RELATED
UPROOTED: Intro and Part One
UPROOTED: Part Two
UPROOTED: Part Three
UPROOTED: Part Four
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