Evil Estonians Crack Down on Helpless Russian Minority

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Pekka
No no, our personnel wasn't¨directly attack, just the property. These were most likely some kids who got the place wrong or were just doing stuff. Estonians were, and they have been now evacuated.

I must be getting y'all confused with the Swedes. My deepest apologies


"Sweden said its ambassador also was assaulted as he left the Estonian Embassy after a meeting Wednesday, saying protesters surrounding the compound kicked his car and tore off a Swedish flag."

[BeBMan]

Originally posted by lord of the mark
lets see theirs the Estonian embassy, the attacks on Finnish and Swedish diplo personnel, theres Estonian claims of evidence of Russia organizing the riots in Tallinn, theres Estonian claims of cyber attacks from Russian govt IP addresses, theres now economic measures being taken. It sure seems like ONE side is willing to take several small steps fairly quickly. If the other side doesnt, it will be a clear statement to all concerned which side to be afraid of, and which side is paper promises and hot air.

That depends on the end of this. I'd say the attacks on embassies put them so clearly on the wrong side that they can't "win" here. Sooner or later they have to backtrack and return to "normal" procedures respecting embassies, personnel etc. otherwise it really gets bad.

[Pekka]

right, I mean yeah but they directly didnt' attack the physical presence of the embassador. Of course that can be seen as that, because it was an attack against car that was not empty.

But still, even though that's a cause for sending a request for explanation, the Estonians are the ones who are really getting it, but not much longer since they've been evacuated or some of them.

[BeBMan]

Originally posted by Pekka
right, I mean yeah but they directly didnt' attack the physical presence of the embassador.

I meant also the attack by those nashi (sp?) crowd on the Estonian emb, which wasn't prevented by Russia (which is actually their duty as LOTM wrote).

edit: ahh maybe you were talking to LOTM, evil x-posts

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by BeBro


That depends on the end of this. I'd say the attacks on embassies put them so clearly on the wrong side that they can't "win" here. Sooner or later they have to backtrack and return to "normal" procedures respecting embassies, personnel etc. otherwise it really gets bad.

well of course they'll return, having made their point that they can violate very clear diplomatic conventions and get away with it, with no more consequence than losing German "hearts and minds". They will likely continue to implement economic and diplomatic measures however, just as they have done for quite some time now with other FSU states. But those who were states that had been Soviet territory since 1920, and where there were real territorial disputes. Now they will apply the same measures to an EU and NATO member, and one whose borders are not a matter of dispute. At the same time as they deny the sovereign rights of eastern european states with regard to missile defense bases, bases that in no way threaten Russias nuclear detterent.

The way to boil a frog is slowly.

[Pekka]

Yeah, now they have to 'fix the train tracks' so unfortunately things won't go to Estonia with trains soon. What a coincidence. Another coincidence is that Russia has mentioned that we could give official minority status to Russians as well, mostly meaning, that all the services must be offered in Russian as well. Right and also a statement was made by Manilov, that should Finland join NATO, it would mean Finland's security would be worse and Russia would have to defend herself by any means necessary.

Sounds friendly. I wonder why they think everyone else is so hostile, what are you afraid Russia? NO ONE is attacking you. Not now, not tomorrow. Everyone else is actually afraid of you!

[BeBMan]

Originally posted by lord of the mark


well of course they'll return, having made their point that they can violate very clear diplomatic conventions and get away with it, with no more consequence than losing German "hearts and minds". They will likely continue to implement economic and diplomatic measures however, just as they have done for quite some time now with other FSU states. But those who were states that had been Soviet territory since 1920, and where there were real territorial disputes. Now they will apply the same measures to an EU and NATO member, and one whose borders are not a matter of dispute.

But they would be really dumb to drive the conflict more forward, because at some point the EU has to react more substantially, otherwise it basically leaves its eastern flank open to constant Russian influence.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by BeBro


But they would be really dumb to drive the conflict more forward, because at some point the EU has to react more substantially, otherwise it basically leaves its eastern flank open to constant Russian influence.

Like I said, the way to boil a frog is slowly. Precedents will build, people will get used to things.

[Pekka]

I HAVE to make a correction here, our embassy was not egged, it was Estonian embassy in HERE that was egged. I read it wrong the first time. So... our embassy has been untouched.

[Saras]

Vicechairman of our parliament suggested to lauch a Europe-wide "Buy Estonian" campaign in response to Russian government sponsored boycotts (their food safety agency said they're "ready to inspect Estonian products". What a ridiculous excuse of a country.

[Pekka]

It is a joke, especially because the event itself is over. They're just hyping themselves, no one is doing anything to them. How long do you think they'll come up with more excuses and counter those with some measures that of course have nothing to do with anything?

THe only unanswered question is, should the last until 9.5. which is the official victory day in Russia? Will the young nationalist thugs keep circling the embassy tomorrow, because then it'll make a full week and the cops aren't doing anything. They showed video from the spot, they're having a party there, sleeping in tents, waving flags, dancing, chanting and of course, ridiculing Estonia and it's leaders with puppet shows etc. while the cops stand by.

This isn't just a show of not protecting Estonian embassy, this is also showing to these nashi kids, that they can do what ever they want when the time is right. Replace Estonia with any country you want. Oh well... all the brains of these kids are wasted, so I really don't care.

[Serb]

Originally posted by Saras


Haha, in your dreams





Since you apparently can't be bothered with these pesky things called facts, I'll do my international duty and give you an edumacation once and for all:

The Nuremberg Trials, in declaring the Waffen SS a criminal organisation, explicitly excluded conscripts in the following terms:

Tribunal declares to be criminal within the meaning of the Charter the group composed of those persons who had been officially accepted as members of the SS as enumerated in the preceding paragraph who became or remained members of the organisation with knowledge that it was being used for the commission of acts declared criminal by Article 6 of the Charter or who were personally implicated as members of the organisation in the commission of such crimes, excluding, however, those who were drafted into membership by the State in such a way as to give them no choice in the matter, and who had committed no such crimes.

Since you apparently love to substitute facts with these pesky things called lies, I'll do my international duty and give you an education once and for all:

"The criminality of the SS organization as a whole was recognized by the Nuremberg International Military Tribunal, which ruled that "the SS was used for the purposes that, according to the Charter, are criminal and include persecution and extermination of Jews, atrocities and killings in the concentration camps, excessive acts, committed during the administration of the occupied territories, implementation of the program of using slave trade, maltreatment of prisoners of war and their killings. Considering the SS issue, the Tribunal includes here all the persons officially admitted to the SS, including members of the "general troops", SS troops (Waffen-SS), Totenkopf SS units and members of any branch of police services who were SS members"... "The Tribunal declares criminal, according to the definition of the Charter, the group consisting of persons who were officially admitted to the SS, were members of the organization and remained its members, being aware that this organization was used to commit actions defined by the article of the Charter as criminal. The criminal activities were widely known to the members of the organization to justify the recognition of the SS as a criminal organization" .

Estonian units were mostly conscripts, so your point is invalid.

Bullsh!t. They were volunteers.

"As for the creation of the Estonian national SS Unit, the initiative here belongs to H. Mäe, head of the "Estonian autonomy", who in his speech on August 26, 1942 called for the creation of the Estonian SS legion. In a few days K. Litzman, General Commissar of Estonia, publicized A. Hitler’s decree on the creation of the "Voluntary Estonian SS legion" belonging to the German SS troops, subordinate to SS Reichsführer H.Himmler (ÐÃÂÀ. Ô 451, Îï.7 Ä.123. Ë.299).

However the formation of the Legion only started on February 8, 1943 and before that the German authorities and local collaborationists conducted the preparations. Meanwhile, a "Society of the Estonian SS Legion’s friends" was established to recruit and give primary training to the volunteers.

All arrangements, recruiting and supply were placed under the jurisdiction of a special created "General inspection of the SS Estonian legion" headed by Gruppenführer J. Soodla. German occupational authorities suggested that the 15% base of the Legion should consist of manpower of the Estonian East Police battalions (Thomas N. Partisan Warfare 1941-1945. Osprey Publ. Ltd. London, 1983, p.19.)

According to the SS Statute, the Estonian SS legion was manned on a voluntary basis, and the volunteers had to meet the SS requirements for health and ideology. Enlisted personnel who already had their officer and petty officers ranks received the corresponding SS ranks after a probation period. The enlisted men were directed to the Debica training center (Poland), where after a 3-month training took an oath to the Nazi Germany. By March 31, 1943, the Legion had 37 officers, 175 noncoms and 62 privates of the "Ostland" special battalion".

Moreover:

In April 13, 1950, a message from the U.S. High Commission in Germany (HICOG), signed by John McCloy to the Secretary of State, clarified the US position on the "Baltic Legions": they were not to be seen as "movements", "volunteer", or "SS". In short, they were not given the training, indoctrination, and induction normally given to SS members. Subsequently the US Displaced Persons Commission in September 1950 declared that:

The Baltic Waffen SS Units (Baltic Legions) are to be considered as separate and distinct in purpose, ideology, activities, and qualifications for membership from the German SS, and therefore the Commission holds them not to be a movement hostile to the Government of the United States.

Wow! How surprising is it to see that US in 1950 was a bunch of lying bastards. It's really so surprising, considering that at the same very time the USA was engaged in the Cold War vs. USSR and sposored and supplied remains of nazi SS ****ers operating against the Soviets at Baltic states. It's such a surprise that "Commission holds them not to be a movement hostile to the Government of the United States". Surely, they've massacred Soviet civilians, so they've go to be friendly to the Government of the United States, not hostile.
But all this crap doesn't matter, since the Nurenberg tribunal was pretty clear on that issue:

"Furthermore, the Tribunal determined that "it follows from Article 10 of the Charter that the decision to recognize the criminal nature of the accused organization is final and cannot be contested at any of the subsequent trials of individual members of the organization".

It is clear from the verdict, that the Estonian SS legion was also declared criminal as the Tribunal included Waffen SS and any police service officers into the SS and stressed that "it is impossible to single out any SS unit that took no part in such a criminal activity." Further on, the Court "noted" SS divisions’ actions, stressing that the SS divisions were responsible for numerous murders and atrocities perpetrated in the occupied territories…"224 Íþðíáåðãñêèé ïðîöåññ. Ñáîðíèê äîêóìåíòîâ â 8 òîìàõ. Ò.8, Ìîñêâà, Þðèäè÷åñêàÿ ëèòåðàòóðà, 1997 ã., ñòð. 652 (Nuremberg Trial Proceedings. Ñompilation, 8 Volumes, Vol. 8, Moscow, Yuridicheskaya Literatura, 1997, p. 652)

It is also of interest that under Article 10 of the Charter of the Tribunal "in cases where a group or organization is declared criminal by the Tribunal, the competent national authority of any Signatory shall have the right to bring individual to trial for membership therein… in any such case the criminal nature of the group or organization is considered to be established…" [/B]

[Saras]

[Serb]

The combat value of 20th Estonian SS division was about a zero. When this division faced the Red Army it was destroyed. However Estonian SS *****ers were quite good at massacring children, women and elders. For single massacre of Pskov region any person now praising 20th SS division and erecting monuments in its honor should be considering as neo-nazi bastard.
So, yes. Estonia is the neo-nazi state with a nazi-loving regime in charge.

Brief history of glorious freedom fighters:

"Immediately after Germany occupied the Estonia's territory mass murders of civilians, especially Russians and Jews began. On October 25, 1941 W. Staheecker, SS-Brigadenführer, reported to R. Heydrich, Head of the RMSO, as follows: "Owing to a comparatively small number of Jews in Estonia it seemed impossible to provoke pogroms... Many Jews of 4 500 ones, who had lived in Estonia in the beginning of the offensive in the East had ran away together with the receding units of the Red Army. About 2 000 of them remained. In Tallin alone about 1 000 Jews lived. Practically, all the male Jews over 16 years were arrested. All of them were executed by the self-defense units controlled by the "Einsatzgruppen 1A" (Ìàðòèíñîí Ý. Ñëóãè ñâàñòèêè. Òàëëèí, 1962., ñ.74.).

On September 26-29, 1941 the Estonian "self-defense forces" executed 440 detained Jews (474 - according to other data) Hilberg R. Tater, Opfer, Zuschauer. Die Vernichtung der Juden 1933-145. Frankfurt/Main. 1992. s. 115.. The Germans partially transferred the property of those executed to the "self-defense forces".

Besides Jews, the Estonian Police and "the self-defense forces" were executing the supporters of the Soviet system (often believed to include any Russian in some towns and villages), Estonians, who were members of the left-wing organizations (including social democrats), and those peasants, who were granted land as a result of the agrarian reform in Estonia in the 1920-s and in 1940 (the so-called new land owners). In summer and autumn of 1941 after the Wehrmacht occupied Tartu, in the antitank ditch near that city (Lemmatsi village) over 12 thousand civilians and Soviet prisoners of war were killed by the "Omakaitse" squads.

After the Nazis troops occupied Tallin by December 19, 1941 the Estonian Political Police have arrested 4 365 people only in the capital of Estonia alone and its suburbs. The inmates of the Tallin prison were shot according to the lists approved by E. Viks, Chief of the Political Police, nicknamed "Estonian Eichmann" (before 1940 he served as the Commissioner of the Estonian Political Police in Kuressaare). Thus, for example, a 74-year-old Estonian Mijna Kuusik was shot in December 1941 on the following charge: "an Estonian Mijna Kuusik supported the Soviet state system and believed that, if only she were younger, she would have been readily cooperating with the Soviet Union".

In October 1942, 243 Roma imprisoned in the Harku concentration camp were shot, in accordance with a list, as an "inferior racial element". E. Viks was proud to report to M. Sandberger that only on 16 April, 1942, 67 persons left the central Tallin prison to be executed.

In January 1942, after the so-called "Wannsee Conference" in Berlin which decided to execute all Jews in Europe, within the Estonian Political Police a special B-IV Gestapo-modelled Department was established headed by J. Ennok to implement the "final solution of the Jewish question". As a result, Walter Stahlecker reported to Berlin on the full implementation of the task as early as February 1942.

Having solved "the Jewish question" in Estonia, the Estonian police units took part in execution of the Jews deported to Estonia over Europe, mainly from Czechia. For example, on 5 September, 1942, a train with 1000 Jews from the Theresienstadt ghetto arrived to the town of Kaasiku. As the Berlin Jews a week after all of them were shot by the Estonian Political Police.

The materials of the Estonian International Commission for the Investigation of Crimes against Humanity note that the Estonian police officers participated directly in escorting Jews deported from Vilnius to the concentration camps in Estonia, guarding the similar camps located in Vaivare, Tartu, Jägala, Tallin, camps for the Soviet prisoners-of-war where numerous executions of prisoners were carried out and in guarding the transit camp for Jews in Izbica (Poland) where a lot of Jews were murdered, as well as the Jewish ghettos in Lodz, Przemysl, Rzeszov and Tarnopol.

In 1943-1944, several thousand Jews from the ghettos in Kaunas and Vilnius, from the concentration camp of Salaspils in Latvia and from Transylvania were deported to the concentration camp of Klooga (guarded by the 287th Estonian police battalion) and later engaged in peat harvesting. According to the report of the Estonian International Commission for the Investigation of Crimes against Humanity, in September 1944, the Estonian police officers participated directly in shooting of 2000 prisoners, when the Wehrmacht was caught unawares by the Red Army units which had advanced to the immediate vicinity of the camp. Virtually some days before the liberation of Tallinn, about thousand of prisoners of the Central Prison were shot by the order of E. Viks.

As for the Estonian regular units to fight alongside the Hitler Germany, they began to be established on 25 August, 1941 when under the order of General-Field Marshall von Leeb, Commander of the "North" Army Group, the Baltic citizens were permitted to be recruited to the Wehrmacht service and grouped into special units and volunteer battalions to fight against partisans (Hoffmann J. Die Ostlegionen 1941-1943. Freiburg, 1976, s.18-19). In this context, Colonel General von Küchler, Commander of the 18th Army, formed 6 Estonian volunteer guard units (numbered 181-186) on the basis of the scattered "Omakaitse" squads (with its members contracted for one year). By the end of the same year, all the 6 units were restructured into 3 Eastern battalions (the 645th, 659th, 660th) and one Eastern company (the 657th).

Since September 1941, the German Command has started to establish the Estonian Auxiliary Police Battalions ("schum") in addition to the aforementioned units to perform the guard duties and to fight against partisans in the rear of the "North" Army Group. During the war, 26 "schum" battalions were formed in Estonia in all numbered from 29th to the 45th, the 50th and from the 286th to 293th. Unlike the similar units deployed in Ukraine and Belarus, and controlled by the Germans the Estonian Police Battalions were made up of national staff and included only one German monitoring officer. Moreover, as a sign of special trust, the Wehrmacht ranking system was introduced in the Estonian Police Battalions. As of 1 October, 1942, the police forces of Estonia comprised 10.4 thousand men in all with 591 Germans attached thereto.

The police and the Eastern battalions were mostly engaged in carrying out punitive actions against civilian population, fighting against the partisan movement and guarding the concentration camps. Thus, the 36th Estonian Police Battalion took part in mass shooting of Jews in a Byelorussian town of Novogrudki on 7 August, 1942, as corroborated by evidence collected by the Simon Wiesenthal Center (Çóðîôô: ýñòîíöû ó÷àñòâîâàëè â êàçíÿõ åâðååâ // BNS/Interfax, 2002 ã.), 7 àâãóñòà . and by the relevant findings of the Estonian International Commission for the Investigation of Crimes against Humanity (Çóðîôô ðåêîìåíäóåò Ïèõëþ óéòè â îòñòàâêó // BNS// Interfax, 2002 ã.), 25 èþëÿ., as well as in guarding the camps for the prisoners-of-war who were working at coal mines of Stalino and Makeyevka. The 37th and 40th battalions were fighting against the partisan movement in the Pskov region, as was the 38th battalion in the Luga-Pskov-Gdov region. The 286th battalion carried out punitive actions in the Eastern Prussia and Belarus. The 288th battalion was engaged in the suppression of the so-called "Ronson’s Partisan Republic" (Eesti vabadusvoitlejad Teises maailmasjas // Koostja A.Jurs - Tallinn, 1997. p. 146-155 (Ýñòîíñêèå áîðöû çà ñâîáîäó âî Âòîðîé ìèðîâîé âîéíå) // ñîñò. À.Þðñ). The 658th Eastern battalion under the command of A. Rebane conducted punitive operations against civilians near the town of Kingisepp and the village of Kerstovo (the Leningrad region), committed brutal murders and burnt down the whole villages (Babino, Habalovo, Cigirinka, etc.) to intimidate the partisans. As evidenced by the witnesses and participants in these punitive operations, A. Rebane’s unit caught five or six Soviet partisans in the village of Cigirinka in November 1942. In the course of this operation the village was burnt to the ground and three villagers died (ÐÃÂÀ. Ô.451ï. Îï.5 Ä.149. Ë.144-145).

The "Ostland" special battalion established in October 1941 also carried out punitive duties (ÐÃÂÀ. Ô.451ï. Îï.5. Ä.149.Ë. 144-145.) According to a researcher R. Michaelis who is referring to the SS Chief Administration’s document No. 8699/42, in 1941-42 this unit resided in the Ukrainian SSR and took part in the executions of Jews. As reported on May, 1942, a thousand Jews were executed in Minsk; as reported on July 15, 1942 another thousand Jews were executed in the same place; as reported on June 27, 1942 four thousand Jews were executed near the town of Slonim; as reported on July 28, 1942 six thousand Jews were executed in Minsk (Michaelis R. Eestlased Wafeen-SS-is 20 (1 Eesti) - SS relvagrenaderidiviis. Tallinn: Olion, 2001. p. 32). In November 1942 the "Ostland" battalion together with three German Police battalions and an artillery regiment under the command of general Haltermann, took part in a joint anti-partisan operation near Ovruc with over 50 villages burnt down and over 1500 locals executed. In a village 40 locals were burnt alive in revenge for the killing of the SS lieutenant Tyrn (ÖÀ ÔÑÁ. Ô.25. Ùï. 5 Ä.149. Ë.249-258.)

Although today Estonia’s leaders claim that the Estonian Police and the "Omakaitse" brigades were only engaged in "countering Bolshevism", we know that in July 1943 the chiefs of the Estonian Political Police issued an order on the struggle against "Anglophiles". It said in particular: "Along with the Bolsheviks there are some people who in terms of their inclinations and lifestyle pose no less a danger than the former ones. And now, in the wartime, when the whole nation must do its best for its victory, these people are especially dangerous. Those dangerous people, first of al, include the Anglophiles, namely persons who up to 1940 had held to the so-called English orientation…" The Order of June 25, 1942 prescribes the Police to toughen their struggle against paratroopers "whoever sent them: the Russians, the British or somebody else." In January 1943 French POWs in Estonia, who "have often been showing their defiance" were placed in the regime of stronger security. In March 1943, according to a secret order of the Political Police, citizens of the USA, living in Estonia, were put under a strict control (Ìàðòèíñîí Ý. Ñëóãè ñâàñòèêè. Òàëëèí, 1962 ã.).

Over 25 death camps were set up on the territory of Estonia. During the occupation over 61 thousand citizens (including foreigners) and 64 thousand Soviet POWs were killed (Âåëèêàÿ Îòå÷åñòâåííàÿ âîéíà 1941-1945. Ýíöèêëîïåäèÿ. Ì. 1985, ñ.820.)

As for the creation of the Estonian national SS Unit, the initiative here belongs to H. Mäe, head of the "Estonian autonomy", who in his speech on August 26, 1942 called for the creation of the Estonian SS legion. In a few days K. Litzman, General Commissar of Estonia, publicized A. Hitler’s decree on the creation of the "Voluntary Estonian SS legion" belonging to the German SS troops, subordinate to SS Reichsführer H.Himmler (ÐÃÂÀ. Ô 451, Îï.7 Ä.123. Ë.299).

However the formation of the Legion only started on February 8, 1943 and before that the German authorities and local collaborationists conducted the preparations. Meanwhile, a "Society of the Estonian SS Legion’s friends" was established to recruit and give primary training to the volunteers.

All arrangements, recruiting and supply were placed under the jurisdiction of a special created "General inspection of the SS Estonian legion" headed by Gruppenführer J. Soodla. German occupational authorities suggested that the 15% base of the Legion should consist of manpower of the Estonian East Police battalions (Thomas N. Partisan Warfare 1941-1945. Osprey Publ. Ltd. London, 1983, p.19.)

According to the SS Statute, the Estonian SS legion was manned on a voluntary basis, and the volunteers had to meet the SS requirements for health and ideology. Enlisted personnel who already had their officer and petty officers ranks received the corresponding SS ranks after a probation period. The enlisted men were directed to the Debica training center (Poland), where after a 3-month training took an oath to the Nazi Germany. By March 31, 1943, the Legion had 37 officers, 175 noncoms and 62 privates of the "Ostland" special battalion.

The legionnaires trained at Debica formed 3 battalions, later merged into the first Estonian volunteer grenadier SS regiment. In March 1943 after the oath the 1st battalion of the regiment was sent to the front line near Kursk and incorporated into the 5th panzer-grenadier SS division "Viking" under the name of the Estonian volunteer battalion "Narva" (up to the summer 1944) (Ïàíêðàòîâ È.À. Áèòûå ëþáèìöû ôþðåðà // Âîåííî-èñòîðè÷åñêèé æóðíàë. 2003. ¹4, ñ.34.)

Given that, following the Stalingrad defeat of fascists in the winter of 1942/1943, the inflow of volunteers to the Estonian SS legion drastically decreased, late March 1943 saw the mobilization of all the former Estonian officers, November 3-10, 1943 saw the mobilization of all those liable for military service born in 1925. As a result of the mobilization activities, by May 1943, the Estonian SS legion had been significantly reinforced, thus allowing to deploy a regiment to the 3rd Estonian volunteer brigade under the command of Standartenführer F. Ausberger. Its formation completed by October 23, 1943, it first operated against partisans in the territory of the BSSR (Thomas N. Partisan Warfare 1941-1945. Osprey Publ. Ltd. London, 1983, p. 21-229), and was subsequently sent to the front, to the region of Nevel and Sebezh.

German command’s archive records of the period reveal that the 3rd Estonian volunteer SS brigade, along with other subunits of the German army, was conducting Heinrich and Fritz punitive operations to wipe out the Soviet partisans in the region of Polotsk-Nevel-Idriza-Sebezh in October-December 1943 (ÖÃÀ Ëèòîâñêîé ÑÑÐ, ô. Ð-1399, îï. 1, åä.õ.61, ëè÷íîå äåëî ¹1950). According to the very same archive, police battalions 288, 286, 313 and other Estonian police battalions, which belonged to the Estonian SS brigade, also took part in the Fritz punitive expedition. They took part in the fight against partisans, shootings of civilians, looting, destruction of the whole villages in Belarus and mass deportation of civilians to Germany (Òàì æå, ô.240, îï. 1 ä.7, ëè÷íîå äåëî 52-55)1. Punitive raids of the 3rd Estonian SS brigade continued until late December 1943222 (ÖÀ ÔÑÁ Ô.25 Îï. 1. Ä. 152. Ë.2582).

In early 1944, it was decided to strengthen the Estonian SS troops by incorporating the Wehrmacht battalions and most battle-worthy police units, which would have made it possible to set up a full-fledged division. Ultimately, the two regiments of the Estonian brigade (¹¹ 45 and 46 grenadier voluntary SS regiments) were joined by a third one (¹47), formed on the basis of 658, 659 and 660 Estonian voluntary Wehrmacht battalions. On 24 January 1944, the newly-formed division was named the 20th Estonian voluntary SS division (since May 26, 1944, the 20th grenadier division of the SS troops is the Estonian ¹ 1). In April, the Narva battalion, renamed 20th fusilier SS battalion, was incorporated into it. Additionally, the unit included an artillery regiment and a field engineer battalion, as well as an anti-aircraft company, an anti-tank company and a communications one. The aggregate strength of the division totaled 15 thousand soldiers and officers.

In August 1944, the 20th Estonian SS division was reinforced by the Estonians who previously fled from German mobilization to Finland and formed a separate 200th regiment in the Finish army (1.7 thousand men), which fought against the Soviet troops on the Mannerheim line. Following Finland’s withdrawal from the war against the USSR, the regiment was sent to Estonia and disbanded, its military personnel distributed among the units and sub-units of the division. Estonians also served in the 11th Nordland motorized SS division along with volunteers from the Scandinavian countries.

In September 1944, the 20th SS division took part in the fight against the Red Army units, including the Estonian rifle corps in the region of Rakvere, where it suffered heavy casualties. In September 1944, its remains were sent to the training camp in the German town of Neuhammer, where, in October 1944, the 20th Estonian SS division, consisting of three Estland grenadier SS regiments, was formed anew from the isolated units of the defeated brigade, members of the 13 Estonian police battalions and "Omakaitse" detachments. Until January 1945, units of the division took part in the fighting in the Eastern Prussia. On 13 January 1945, the whole of the division was sent to the front, to the region of the German town of Vittenberg, where, along with other fascist units, it was surrounded by the Red Army units. F. Augsberger, commander of the division, was killed in action, and it was headed by lieutenant colonel A. Rebane.

Fighting its way out, the division broke out from the encirclement and retreated to the territory of Czechoslovakia, where it stayed until the utter crushing defeat of the German fascist troops. On May 11, 1945, near the town of Melnik, not far away from Prague, the bulk of the military personnel was taken prisoner by the Red Army units (Ready J. Lee. The Forgotten Axis. Germany’s Partners and Foreign Volunteers in World War II. Jefferson, North Carolina and London, 1987. p. 491), though some of the Estonian soldiers and officers (including 3 thousand men from the training and reserve regiment of the division) retreated to the West and surrendered to the English-American troops.


At the same time, Estonian authorities assert that the Estonian SS legion was engaged only in the combat operations at the front to defend Estonia's independence and has nothing to do with punitive operations in the territories occupied by the Nazi Germany.

In this regard, Estonian officials actively support awareness-raising measures taken by the "Estonia Freedom Fighters Union", "Estonia’s Eastern Squadron Fighters Club", which are formed by men serving in the SS units during World War II. This is particularly striking when Estonia's executive and legislative authorities assist former SS officers to take awareness-raising measures. For example, the Government appropriated some 400 thousand kroons from its reserve funds to rebury the bones of A. Rebane, a former commander of the 658th Eastern Squadron and then of the 20th Estonian SS Division. Moreover, the ceremony held on 26 July 1999 in the Metsalkamistu cemetery, Tallin, where Estonia's distinguished public figures and politicians are buried, was attended by Lieutenant-General Y. Kert, Defense Forces Commander, other top officials of the Ministry of Defense and representatives of the Estonian Parliament (Riigikogu). "

http://www.denmark.mid.ru/7e9.html

[Lonestar]

Originally posted by Saras


Exactly. Serb, stop being ridiculous and grow up to face the facts.

Which facts are those? That the Estonians are a bunch of Jackasses whose idea of "relocation" is breaking up the statue?