Liberation of the Baltic states. The difficult path to Tallinn September 22, 1944 Tallinn

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Historian and journalistAlexander Dyukov commentedIA REGNUM the current situation in Estonia in connection with the relocation of the Bronze Soldier monument.

REGNUM news agency: Estonian authorities say that the Soviet soldiers buried on Tõnismägi are drunkards and looters. Is this statement true?

Of course not. In Estonia, all sorts of “black” legends are actively spreading today about the soldiers buried on Tõnismägi. According to one of them, three Red Army soldiers are buried here, who tried to steal vodka from the Liviko alcohol factory and were shot on the orders of the city commandant. However, this legend has no basis.

Let's start with the fact that the documents of the Eighth Estonian Rifle Corps do not contain any information about the looting that allegedly took place during the liberation of Tallinn. This fact is recognized even by Estonian historians. Further, the names of the Soviet soldiers buried on Tõnismägi are well known. This is the deputy commander of the 125th Infantry Division, Colonel Konstantin Kolesnikov, commander of the 1222nd self-propelled artillery regiment of the guard, major Vasily Kuznetsov, party organizer of the same regiment captain Alexey Bryantsev, commander of the 657th Infantry Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Mikhail Kulikov, party organizer of the same regiment, captain Ivan Sysoev, reconnaissance commander of the 79th Light Artillery Brigade, captain Ivan Serkov, commander of the mortar detachment of the 657th Infantry Regiment, lieutenant Vasily Volkov, Ensign Lukanov, Guard Sergeant Vasily Davydov(30th Guards Mortar Regiment), senior sergeant Sergei Khapikalo(26th Tank Regiment of the 152nd Tank Guards Brigade), Guard Sergeant Major Elena Varshavskaya(40th Guards Mortar Regiment) and corporal Dmitry Belov(reconnaissance of the 23rd artillery division). At the very least, it is absurd to assume that the deputy division commander, regiment commanders and party organizers, as well as the reconnaissance commander of the artillery brigade were engaged in looting. Three soldiers actually rest in the grave, but on September 22, only one of them, Sergeant Vasily Davydov, died in Tallinn. A scout from the 23rd division, Corporal Dmitry Belov, died the day before the liberation of Tallinn, and Sergei Khapikalo died five days later.

As for the only woman among those buried, senior medical officer Elena Varshavskaya, rumors are spreading in Estonia today that she was raped and killed by Soviet soldiers. Appeal to funds Central Archive of the Ministry of Defense allows us to refute this myth: in the personal list of casualties of personnel of the 40th Guards Mortar Regiment it appears that on September 22, 1944 at 23:00 Elena Varshavskaya was hit by a car.

So the words of Estonian Prime Minister Ansip that “drunkards and looters” are buried on Tõnismägi are nothing more than a calculated insult to the memory of the fallen soldiers.

REGNUM: You mentioned that some of those buried on Tõnismägi died before the capture of Tallinn. Does it follow from this that Estonian politicians are right and there really were no battles during the liberation of Tallinn?

First of all, we should not forget that Tõnismägi is not the only burial place of Soviet soldiers in Tallinn. According to the Tallinn City Committee, in March 1945, there were 20 graves in the Alexander Nevsky cemetery in which 52 Soviet servicemen were buried. Another soldier was buried in the Jewish city cemetery. The losses of Soviet troops during the liberation of Tallinn were indeed small, but this does not mean that there were no battles during the liberation of the city. Documents stored in the Central Archives of the Ministry of Defense indicate that there were battles. At nine in the evening on September 22, 1944, the headquarters of the 8th Army reported to the military council of the Leningrad Front: “The army troops, through the actions of mobile detachments, infantry landings mounted on tanks, rapidly pursuing the enemy retreating to the west, overcoming obstacles, restoring destroyed crossings, advanced to 80 km and at 14:00 on September 22, 1944, units of the 125th Infantry Division and the 72nd Infantry Division, together with the 27 Tank Troops, 181 Sap, 82 Tank Troops, 152 Tgbr, broke into the city of Tallinn and, having broken the enemy’s resistance, completely captured it.” Three hours later at VGK rate the first approximate data on enemy losses were sent: “During the battle, up to 600 were destroyed and over 400 soldiers and officers were captured.” A few hours later, the captured trophies were counted: “The mobile detachment in Tallinn captured trophies: 25 aircraft, 185 guns, 230 vehicles. 15 ships with Russian prisoners of war and population were captured in the port.” It is possible that the number of killed and captured German soldiers indicated in these documents is somewhat overestimated, but this does not change the essence of the matter. The question arises, where did hundreds of captured and killed German soldiers and officers, 25 aircraft, 185 guns, 230 vehicles, Red Army soldiers freed from German captivity, local residents saved from being hijacked to Germany come from - if, as Estonian politicians tell us today, in Tallinn there were no German troops?

REGNUM news agency: It turns out that in today's Tallinn they deny obvious facts. Why do you think?

It's actually quite simple. Thus, in Estonia they are trying to establish the myth of the “rebirth of national statehood” in the fall of 1944. According to this myth, by the time the Soviet troops arrived, power in the country belonged not to the Germans, but to the national government Otto Tifa, and the symbol of independence was the blue-black-white tricolor on the Long Herman tower, torn down by Soviet soldiers.

But in fact, the government of Otto Tief cannot be considered as “independent”. First of all, it was a structure formed by a man who actively collaborated with the Nazis. We are talking about the former Prime Minister of Estonia Yuri Uluotse. This man is not known at all for his brave operations against the German troops that occupied Estonia, or even for his anti-Nazi appeals. Uluots is famous for his radio speech on February 7, 1944, in which he called on Estonians to join the collaborationist units formed by the Nazis. Not limiting himself to one statement, Uluots toured Southern Estonia, encouraging local residents to go to recruiting stations. Uluots' assistants were campaigning in other districts at that time. As a result of Uluots' activities, the Germans managed to recruit 32 thousand Estonians who were sent to border guard regiments, police and SS units. The German occupation authorities even had the idea of appointing Uluots as the head of Estonian self-government, but the position of the current head of self-government, Dr. Mäe, in the staff of the Reich Commissariat "Ostland" turned out to be stronger and the appointment of Uluots to a high position did not take place. But a little later, it was Uluots who formed the “government of Otto Tief” - and with the knowledge of the occupation authorities. This “government” was formed by Uluots on August 18, and the very next day, on August 19, Uluots addressed the residents of Estonia with a new radio message. He called on Estonians to make every effort to fight the advancing troops of the Red Army and join collaborationist formations. It is impossible to believe that Yuri Uluots went on air without the consent of the occupation authorities, especially since just three days later the text of his speech was published in the Sakala newspaper. The connection between the creation of the “government” of Tifa and Uluots’ radio address can be traced with the naked eye. In anticipation of the great offensive of the Red Army, the Nazis needed new Estonian soldiers and the loyalty of already conscripted Estonians. The government of Otto Tief resolved this issue: the fight against the Red Army was declared by him to be a fight for the independence of the republic. The Nazis, of course, were happy with this way of putting the question.

REGNUM: What about the Estonian flag raised on the Long Herman??

Estonian politicians and historians love to talk about this flag. However, for some reason they forget to mention that the Estonian tricolor hung on the Long Herman more than once. Next to it fluttered a much larger German flag with a swastika. And the Soviet soldiers who liberated Tallinn knocked down both banners from the tower - both the Nazi flag and the flag of their accomplices.

By the way, even in Estonia itself they are well aware of this. The memoirs of an Estonian legionnaire were published in the magazine “Kuultur ja Elu” No. 3, 2004 Evalda Aruvalda with a story about these events.

The undoubted fact is that there was no “revival of the national statehood of Estonia” in the fall of 1944. The “government” of Otto Tief was not “independent.” It was a structure formed by people who collaborated with the Nazis, a structure created with the knowledge of the occupation authorities, a structure whose only real result was the conscription of Estonians into the formations created by the Germans. If this government is considered legitimate in Tallinn, it means that Estonia was an ally of Nazi Germany and must answer for it. If not, then what kind of “Soviet occupation” can we talk about? But the Estonian authorities justify the transfer of the “Bronze Soldier” precisely by the fact that this monument is supposedly a symbol of the occupation...

REGNUM news agency: Estonian politicians claim that the occupation is evidenced by the massive repressions that befell Estonian citizens after the arrival of Soviet troops.

The scale of these repressions is greatly exaggerated. Despite the fact that a significant part of Estonians collaborated with the Nazis and served in collaborationist formations, after the liberation of the republic, a much smaller number of people were subjected to repression than one might expect. Working with documents Central Archive of the FSB of Russia, I discovered absolutely amazing things. For example, according to the order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR No. 00336 of April 19, 1946, the Balts who retreated with the Germans and then repatriated to the USSR, who served in the German army and police battalions, were actually pardoned. If, for example, the “Vlasovites” received six years of exile, then the Baltic SS men and police officers returned to their homeland. Here's another example. In 1946, the NKVD of the ESSR detained 1,050 German henchmen and collaborators. After verification, 993 people were legalized, that is, left free. Those who took part in punitive operations against civilians, as well as those who continued armed resistance, were subjected to repression. However, if the “forest brothers” surrendered to the authorities and if they did not have the blood of civilians on them, then, as a rule, they were left free. These facts, of course, do not fit into the theory of “occupation” and Estonian politicians prefer to remain silent about them.

Alexander Dyukov finishedHistorical and Archival Institute of the Russian State University for the Humanities . Author of more than 10 scientific articles on the history of the Second World War. Currently, the books “The Myth of Genocide: Repression” are being prepared for publication Soviet authorities in Estonia, 1940 - 1953" and "The Russian Must Die: Nazi Genocide in the Occupied Soviet Lands".

Today, September 22, Tallinn was liberated by Soviet troops. The 8th Estonian Rifle Corps took part in the liberation of the city.

Maxim Reva: Betrayal of the national elite of Estonia and retribution of the people

Once upon a time, the state historian and political figure Mart Laar, a typical representative of the Estonian elite, stated that the Soviet Union was to blame for the fact that Estonia was involved in the Second World War.

Strange statement. Belgium, Denmark, Holland, Norway, Finland and other small European countries that were not part of the USSR were involved in World War II. And Estonia, if not for the Soviet Union, managed to remain neutral, just as Sweden and Switzerland managed to do. Mr. Laar, as a historian, did not notice that both Sweden and Switzerland were then European financial and technological centers, which gave them certain guarantees.

In addition, mountainous Switzerland had excellent armed forces capable of fighting in specific high-mountain conditions, and Sweden, ultimately, in exchange for its imaginary neutrality, agreed to all Hitler’s conditions. It is important to note, especially when comparing these countries with Estonia, that, despite internal problems, both Sweden and Switzerland were models of democracy. But even with all this, the neutrality of these countries was temporary, as long as it was beneficial to Hitler.

What did Estonia have in 1939 that could have ensured its neutrality? Nothing. There was an economic crisis in Estonia (similar to today), low level industrial production, high level private debt, unemployment, social tension, poorly armed army, inconsistency in foreign policy. After the Vaps putsch, the authoritarian regime of President Konstantin Päts was established in Estonia. In 1938, he was formally given a legal and democratic appearance. Economic and social issues were resolved in the style of fascist Italy - by building concentration labor camps, where the unemployed and other undesirable social elements were sent.

However, the main problem of Estonia was the corruption of its national elite. This fact is confirmed even by Estonian historians. The entire top of the Estonian Republic, including the leadership, collaborated with foreign intelligence services armed forces and intelligence services. Under such conditions, it is very difficult to talk about Estonia’s independence, let alone neutrality.

Even with all this, Estonia and its two southern neighbors along the Baltic coast could still maintain a neutral status. But this was not destined to come true either. In April 1939, at trilateral negotiations between the USSR, Great Britain and France, the need to ensure the independence and neutrality of the Baltic countries was stated. The negotiations were unsuccessful due to the militaristic plans of England and France.

After the failure of these negotiations, on April 28, Germany makes a proposal to conclude a non-aggression treaty with Estonia, Latvia, Finland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Norway, Finland and Sweden refused. A similar agreement was concluded with Lithuania in March of the same year. Note: neutral Sweden refused, and Estonia concluded an agreement on June 7, 1939.

German historian Rolf Amann writes about the memorandum dated June 8, 1939, citing secret article, requiring Estonia to coordinate with Germany all defensive measures against the USSR. This fact is indirectly confirmed by the statement of the Estonian Ambassador in Moscow, August Ray, at a meeting with the British Ambassador Seeds, that in the event of a war between Germany and the USSR, Estonia will take the side of Germany. Thus, it can be argued that Estonia's neutrality was buried on June 7, 1939. And Estonia was an ally of Nazi Germany.

According to modern Estonian historians, Stalin is to blame for Estonia’s loss of independence and imaginary neutrality, and partly, just a little, Hitler. The document confirming this is called the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. In Europe, the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and its secret protocols are viewed as a separate agreement between the USSR and Nazi Germany on the division of Eastern Europe, calling the USSR an aggressor and an ally of Germany.

However, bilateral agreements between Latvia, Estonia and Germany implied, as we found out, allied relations between these states and the intentions of the Baltic limitrophes, in the event of a war between the USSR and Germany, to take the side of the Nazis. In this regard, it is worth paying attention to a similar Polish-German agreement of 1934 and the behavior of Poland in 1938, when the Polish Republic, in essence, acted as an aggressor against Czechoslovakia and, together with Germany, annexed part of Czechoslovak territory.

Taking into account the overt and secret agreements, the aggressive behavior of Poland, Latvia and Estonia, it is safe to say that by the summer of 1939, there were allies of Nazi Germany on the borders of the USSR, near its largest cities and industrial centers. These allies could provide the Nazis with their territories for the deployment of operational groups of the German Wehrmacht.

Considering the political and military situation on the borders of the USSR, the non-aggression pact between Germany and the Soviet Union must be assessed with military point vision. The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and its secret protocols were a diplomatic maneuver, the purpose of which was to gain time, neutralize the enemy’s obvious allies without military intervention, move the proposed deployment areas of the enemy’s armed forces away from their vital facilities, and gain operational space.

And even after Hitler’s betrayal of his Baltic limitrophes, Estonia still had a chance to maintain its independence. An example of this is Finland, which at that time had not signed an agreement with either the USSR or Germany. But, on September 28, 1939, Estonia again signed a Mutual Assistance Pact, this time with the Soviet Union. The pact provided for the creation of military bases of the Red Army on the territory of Estonia. Subsequently, to justify this agreement, historians will say that Estonia found itself defenseless against the Soviet Union, because, unlike Finland, Estonia did not mobilize against the USSR. But this, in conditions when part of the Soviet Union worked senior management Estonia could not exist.

It is time for Estonian historians to recognize the Mutual Assistance Pact between the USSR and Estonia, a purchase and sale agreement between the Estonian elite of Estonia.

The whole chain of events that happened in the 30s in Europe led to the Second World War. The corruption of the Estonian elite to the British, German, and Soviet intelligence services, a weak army and economy, and indiscriminate foreign policy made Estonia's neutrality impossible. The difficult social situation of the population, unemployment, debts to German and Swedish banks created the preconditions for Estonia's entry into the Soviet Union.

Plan "Ost", where the Estonian elite led its people

For those who remember the feat of Soviet soldiers, September 22 will always be the date of the liberation of the capital of Soviet Estonia from Nazism. But the modern Estonian elite made this day the “Day of Resistance”. Official Estonian propaganda hypocritically claims that this is a day of remembrance for all who resisted the occupation regimes of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. But is it?

Why was the date chosen September 22, 1944, why was the date of the beginning of the Nazi occupation of Estonia or the Nazi capture of Tallinn not chosen? Why, after 1991, do the Estonian authorities honor exclusively those who swore allegiance to Hitler and those who bear more of the blood of civilian citizens of the Soviet Union, including Estonians, than the blood of Soviet soldiers? The answer is clear, because in the understanding of the modern Estonian elite, only the Soviet Union was the occupier and enemy of the Estonians.

Official propaganda tells us that when Nazi troops left Tallinn in September 1944, the Estonian national tricolor was raised on the Long Hermann Tower, and at that time the government of Otto Tief existed. But what does this event have to do with resistance? It would also be understandable if before September 22, 1944, there was a national liberation underground in Estonia, and national Estonian partisans were resisting in the forests, but no one heard anything, neither about the actions of the Estonian resistance, nor about the Estonian national partisans. So who then formed the sham government, and what were its activities during the Nazi occupation?

The Nazis, realizing that their cause in the Baltic States, after the defeat at Kursk and the final lifting of the blockade of Leningrad, was lost, decided to create puppet governments that were supposed to sacrifice the sons of their peoples in order to cover the retreat of German troops. A national committee was created in Estonia, which in March 1944 supported the mobilization of Estonian boys into the SS. Note that he did not declare a fight against the occupiers, but supported their actions. For this, the committee was supported by Helmar Mäe, the leader of the Estonian civil administration formed by the Nazis. It was this administration that proudly declared Estonia, on January 20, 1942, Judenfrei. This news was loudly disseminated by Nazi propaganda, everyone knew about it, including future members of the government of Otto Tief. But none of them raised a voice of indignation, despite the fact that Jewish citizens of the Republic of Estonia were exterminated.

In general, it is not clear how one can exaggerate the topic of the government of Otto Tief as a legal and legitimate government of the Republic of Estonia. By all European standards, it was a government of collaborators, collaborating with the Nazis. And, therefore, the Soviet Union had the right to liquidate the structures of collaborators.

During the war, the Estonian elite again betrayed the Estonian people. Instead of carrying out propaganda work, calling on young people who voluntarily entered the service of the Nazis or were mobilized by force, go into the forests with weapons in their hands and start a war of liberation. The Estonian elite silently or actively supported the Nazis, and therefore supported the implementation of the Ost plan.

According to the Ost plan, which was developed even before Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union, Estonians were granted autonomy for the duration of the war. However, the Ost plan assumed that the territories of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Belarus were subject to colonization by the Germans. Latvians, Lithuanians, Estonians, and Belarusians were planned, depending on their racial proximity to the Aryans, either to be deported to Central Russia and Siberia, or to be assimilated.

Estonians who had signs of the “Nordic race” - blond hair and eyes, etc. - were declared racially full-fledged and suitable for marrying German colonists who arrived on their lands. Required condition was the upbringing of children born in such marriages, in the spirit of German culture, they became Germans.

Racially inferior Estonians were doomed to be evicted from the territory of the Reichskommissariat Ostland to the center of Russia, so that, ultimately, after one or two generations they would degenerate and disappear. But before that they were supposed to be used as policemen and petty bosses. As stated in the comments to the Ost plan: “In the vast areas of the East not intended for colonization by the Germans, we will need a large number of people who have been brought up to some extent in the European spirit and have mastered the basic concepts of European culture.”

Thus, during the Great Patriotic War, when part of the Estonian people fought together with the European peoples against the Nazis, the Estonian national elite, taking the path of collaboration and betrayal, led its people along the path of assimilation and extinction.

As you know, history teaches what it teaches nothing. The modern Estonian elite continues to betray its people. By revising history, calling criminals heroes, collaborators resistance fighters, getting involved in new alliances, and continuing the Ost plan regarding the Russian population of Estonia, the current leaders of the Estonian people are leading the nation to degradation. They are putting the Estonian state, on which, according to the constitution of the Republic of Estonia, Estonian culture and language depends, on the brink of extinction.

The national elite is raised by the people, and just as the elite is responsible for its people, so the people are responsible for those they raised. In 1948, more than 20 thousand people were deported from Estonia. Estonian historians and politicians love to talk about the crimes of the Stalinist regime against the Estonian people. But isn’t it time for the Estonian people themselves to look at deportation as retribution for the betrayal and collaboration with the enemy of their national elite, who fled with their Nazi masters abroad, and who continue to betray them today.

Maxim Reva, member of the presidium of the MBN “World without Nazism”

*Extremist and terrorist organizations banned in the Russian Federation: Jehovah's Witnesses, National Bolshevik Party, Right Sector, Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), Islamic State (IS, ISIS, Daesh), Jabhat Fatah al-Sham", "Jabhat al-Nusra", "Al-Qaeda", "UNA-UNSO", "Taliban", "Majlis of the Crimean Tatar People", "Misanthropic Division", "Brotherhood" of Korchinsky, "Trident named after. Stepan Bandera", "Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists" (OUN), "Azov", "Terrorist Community "Network"

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the current situation in Estonia in connection with the relocation of the Bronze Soldier monument.

REGNUM news agency: Estonian authorities say that the Soviet soldiers buried on Tõnismägi are drunkards and looters. Is this statement true?

Of course not. In Estonia, all kinds of “black” legends are actively spreading about the soldiers buried on Tõnismägi. According to one of them, three Red Army soldiers are buried here, who tried to steal vodka from the Liviko alcohol factory and were shot on the orders of the city commandant. However, this legend has no basis.

So the words of Estonian Prime Minister Ansip that “drunkards and looters” are buried on Tõnismägi are nothing more than a calculated insult to the memory of the fallen soldiers.

First of all, we should not forget that Tõnismägi is not the only burial place of Soviet soldiers in Tallinn. According to the Tallinn City Committee, in March 1945, there were 20 graves in the Alexander Nevsky cemetery in which 52 Soviet servicemen were buried. Another soldier was buried in the Jewish city cemetery. The losses of Soviet troops during the liberation of Tallinn were indeed small, but this does not mean that there were no battles during the liberation of the city. Documents stored in the Central Archives of the Ministry of Defense indicate that there were battles. At nine in the evening on September 22, 1944, the headquarters of the 8th Army reported to the military council of the Leningrad Front: “The army troops, through the actions of mobile detachments, infantry landings mounted on tanks, rapidly pursuing the enemy retreating to the west, overcoming obstacles, restoring destroyed crossings, advanced to 80 km and at 14:00 on September 22, 1944, units of the 125th Infantry Division and the 72nd Infantry Division, together with the 27 Tank Troops, 181 Sap, 82 Tank Troops, 152 Tgbr, broke into the city of Tallinn and, having broken the enemy’s resistance, completely captured it.” Three hours later at VGK rate The first approximate data on enemy losses were sent: “During the battle, up to 600 were destroyed and over 400 soldiers and officers were captured.” A few hours later, the captured trophies were counted: “The mobile detachment in Tallinn captured trophies: 25 aircraft, 185 guns, 230 vehicles. 15 ships with Russian prisoners of war and the population were captured in the port.” It is possible that the number of killed and captured German soldiers indicated in these documents is somewhat overestimated, but this does not change the essence of the matter. The question arises: where did hundreds of captured and killed German soldiers and officers, 25 aircraft, 185 guns, 230 vehicles, Red Army soldiers freed from German captivity, local residents saved from being hijacked to Germany come from - if, as Estonian politicians tell us today, in Tallinn there were no German troops?

REGNUM news agency: It turns out that in today's Tallinn they deny obvious facts. Why do you think?

But in fact, the government of Otto Tief cannot be considered as "independent". First of all, it was a structure formed by a man who actively collaborated with the Nazis. We are talking about the former Prime Minister of Estonia Yuri Uluotse. This man is not known at all for his brave operations against the German troops that occupied Estonia, or even for his anti-Nazi appeals. Uluots is famous for his radio speech on February 7, 1944, in which he called on Estonians to join the collaborationist units formed by the Nazis. Not limiting himself to one statement, Uluots toured Southern Estonia, encouraging local residents to go to recruiting stations. Uluots' assistants were campaigning in other districts at that time. As a result of Uluots' activities, the Germans managed to recruit 32 thousand Estonians who were sent to border guard regiments, police and SS units. The German occupation authorities even had the idea of appointing Uluots as the head of Estonian self-government, but the position of the current head of self-government, Dr. Mäe, in the staff of the Reich Commissariat "Ostland" turned out to be stronger and the appointment of Uluots to a high position did not take place. But a little later, it was Uluots who formed the “government of Otto Tief” - and with the knowledge of the occupation authorities. This “government” was formed by Uluots on August 18, and the very next day, on August 19, Uluots addressed the residents of Estonia with a new radio message. He called on Estonians to make every effort to fight the advancing troops of the Red Army and join collaborationist formations. It is impossible to believe that Yuri Uluots went on air without the consent of the occupation authorities, especially since just three days later the text of his speech was published in the Sakala newspaper. The connection between the creation of the "government" of Tifa and Uluots' radio message can be traced with the naked eye. In anticipation of the great offensive of the Red Army, the Nazis needed new Estonian soldiers and the loyalty of already conscripted Estonians. The government of Otto Tief resolved this issue: the fight against the Red Army was declared by him to be a fight for the independence of the republic. The Nazis, of course, were happy with this way of putting the question.

REGNUM news agency: What about the Estonian flag raised on the Long Herman??

By the way, even in Estonia itself they are well aware of this. The memoirs of an Estonian legionnaire were published in the magazine "Kuultur ja Elu" No. 3, 2004 Evalda Aruvalda with a story about these events.

The undoubted fact is that there was no “revival of the national statehood of Estonia” in the fall of 1944. The "government" of Otto Tief was not "independent". It was a structure formed by people who collaborated with the Nazis, a structure created with the knowledge of the occupation authorities, a structure whose only real result was the conscription of Estonians into the formations created by the Germans. If this government is considered legitimate in Tallinn, it means that Estonia was an ally of Nazi Germany and must answer for it. If not, then what kind of “Soviet occupation” can we talk about? But the Estonian authorities justify the transfer of the “Bronze Soldier” precisely by the fact that this monument is supposedly a symbol of the occupation...

REGNUM news agency: Estonian politicians claim that the occupation is evidenced by the massive repressions that befell Estonian citizens after the arrival of Soviet troops.

Alexander Dyukov finishedHistorical and Archival Institute of the Russian State University for the Humanities . Author of more than 10 scientific articles on the history of the Second World War. The books “The Myth of Genocide: Soviet Repression in Estonia, 1940 - 1953” and “Russian Must Die: Nazi Genocide in Occupied Soviet Lands” are currently being prepared for publication..

A series of offensive operations by Soviet troops in the summer and autumn of 1944, during which Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia were liberated from the German occupiers.

Il-2M3 attack aircraft from the 2nd squadron of the 566th attack air regiment at the airfield.

Women aviation technicians of the 188th Bomber Riga Aviation Division. 2nd Baltic Front.

A 40-mm Bofors anti-aircraft gun abandoned by the Germans in the area of the Tallinn trade port.

Soviet signalmen lay a communication line during street fighting in Tartu (Estonia).

Two Soviet partisans on the street of Vilnius.

Soviet sappers are building a wooden bridge across the river. In the background, a SU-152 self-propelled gun is fording the river.

The commander of the Panzergrenadier Division "Greater Germany", Wehrmacht Lieutenant General Hasso von Manteuffel on an Sd.Kfz armored personnel carrier. 251/3 in the Baltics.

Officers of the 683rd Assault Aviation Regiment N.I. Alabugin, A.N. Eremin, L.P. Rychkov and S.Ya. Astakhov with Il-2 attack aircraft at the airfield.

Soviet soldiers on the square of liberated Riga.

SS soldiers in a trench near Narva.

SS soldiers roll out a 75 mm 7.5 cm PaK 97/38 anti-tank gun to a position in Lithuania.

Loading of Soviet soldiers onto a sailing schooner involved in the landing on the island of Muhu (Moon) in the Moonsund archipelago. End of September 1944.

A sailing schooner with a Soviet landing force goes to the island of Muhu (Moon) in the Moonsund archipelago. End of September 1944.

Grenadiers of the SS Narva battalion on the armor of a captured T-34 tank.

A Soviet soldier holds a submachine gun with a flag attached to it on the tower of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Estonian SSR building in Tallinn.

The Soviet amphibious vehicle Ford GPA "Seep" drives along the Muhu (Moon) - Saaremaa (Ezel) dam in the Moonsund archipelago. October 1944.

The flight technical personnel of the 3rd squadron of the 118th Guards Attack Aviation Regiment of the 2nd Baltic Front listens to political information at an airfield in Latvia.

Deputy commander of the 3rd squadron of the 118th Guards Attack Aviation Regiment, future Hero of the Soviet Union, Guard, senior lieutenant Pyotr Maksimovich Odnobokov (in the foreground, fifth from the right) surrounded by colleagues at the Il-2 aircraft. In the rear cockpit near the machine gun is air gunner P. Poshekhonov. The photo was taken after the return of the P.M. crew. Odnobokova from the hundredth combat mission. On board the attack aircraft is the inscription “For Lyosha Poyushchev.” It is painted in memory of Odnobokov’s friend - the commander of the 2nd squadron of the guard, Captain Alexei Poyushchev, who died on September 22, 1944. 2nd Baltic Front.

Pilots of the 1st squadron of the 118th Guards Attack Aviation Regiment at the airfield near the Il-2 aircraft.

Commander of the 297th Regiment of the 184th Rifle Division, Major Georgy Gubkin.

Funeral of a Soviet front-line poet.

A dead German soldier near a Steyr PCO tracked tractor. Dubysa River area in Lithuania.

Soviet IS-2 tanks with a tank landing force during an attack.

Commander of the 10th Guards Army M.I. Kazakov attaches the Order of Suvorov to the banner of the 8th Guards Division.

Soldiers of the 20th Estonian SS Division Obersturmbannführer Alfons Rebane, Unterscharführer Harald Nugisex and Obersturmbannführer Harald Riipalu in the forest.

Guard machine gunner Private Yefim Kostin, awarded the Order of the Red Star. Leningrad Front.

A column of Soviet 152-mm howitzers ML-20 in liberated Tallinn at the intersection of Kaarli Boulevard and Pärnu Highway.

Soviet intelligence officers of Lieutenant Zanosienko during the assault on Narva.

A crew of an MG-34 machine gun from the SS troops at a position in the Narva area.

Lieutenant General V.T. Obukhov gives an order to the commander of the 35th Guards Tank Brigade A.A. Aslanov to attack the enemy on the approaches to Vilnius.

Soldiers of the 8th Estonian Rifle Corps walk along the street of liberated Orissaare on the island of Saaremaa.

Soviet partisan patrol in Vilnius.

The transfer of Soviet heavy artillery to the island of Saaremaa (Ezel) in the Moonsund archipelago in October 1944 on the Virtsu-Kuivastu ferry crossing.

Parade of Soviet troops on the streets of Riga.

A Soviet soldier helps his comrade wounded in battle to walk.

Commander of the 2nd Baltic Front A.I. Eremenko with officers at the front command post.

A group of headquarters officers of the 143rd separate tank brigade near the T-34-85 tank.

Soldiers of the 249th “Estonian” division next to a destroyed German self-propelled gun based on the Soviet T-26 tank.

A soldier of the 8th Estonian Rifle Corps met his wife on the street of liberated Tallinn.

A rally in Tallinn dedicated to the liberation of Estonia from German troops.

Soviet soldiers on the tower of the building of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Estonian SSR in Tallinn.

Soviet infantrymen are fighting on the southern outskirts of the city of Tartu.

Tiger tank of the German 502nd battalion during the battles near the city of Daugavpils.

Repair of the German tank Pz.Kpfw VI "Tiger" in the Courland forest. End of 1944.

Soviet artillerymen climb Mount Toompea in Tallinn. The photograph shows ZiS-5 trucks and a 76-mm ZiS-3 divisional gun.

The Tartu offensive operation to liberate the Estonian SSR began on August 10 and lasted until September 6, 1944. Troops of the 3rd Baltic Front broke through the defensive line of the 18th German Army "Marienburg" declared by the Germans as insurmountable and liberated the cities: Petseri (Pechory) - I August, Võru - August 13, Antsla - August 14 and Tartu - August 25. On September 6, the operation ended. Some divisions crossed the river. Emajõgi and seized a bridgehead on its northern bank. The troops encircling Tartu from the west advanced 15 kilometers north of the city on August 26.

On August 27 and 29, the Headquarters assigned the Leningrad Front the task of defeating the fascist group of troops “Narva” in Estonia. The transition of troops to the offensive was scheduled for September 17.

In early September 1944, the fascist task force “Narva” occupied defenses west of Narva and south along the Emajõgi River. It included six infantry divisions (11, 200, 87, 207, 205, 300th), the SS tank-grenadier division "Norland", three motorized SS brigades: "Nederland", "Langemarck", "Wollonia". On September 8, the 563rd Infantry Division was delivered from Germany to Tartu.

In accordance with the general plan of the Supreme High Command, General Govorov decided in the second half of September 1944 to conduct an offensive operation in the Tallinn direction with the forces of the 2nd shock and 8th armies. During the first stage of the operation, it was envisaged to strike with the forces of the 2nd Shock Army from the Tartu region in the direction of Rakvere, reach the rear of the main forces of the Narva task force and, together with the 8th Army, destroy the Narva group.

The second stage of the operation included the turn of the main forces of the front to the west and the capture of Tallinn.

On August 30, 1944, General Parn was summoned to report to the front commander. Govorov informed the commander of the Estonian corps that in the coming days the corps would be redeployed to the first region and he would have to carry out a complex maneuver at a distance of up to 400 km. Govorov spent up to five to six days on preparation. From the front reserve, the corps, Govorov said, will be transferred to the 2nd Shock Army, whose commander is Lieutenant General I.I. Fedyuninsky will give Pern specific instructions.

On September 4, by order of the commander of the Leningrad Front, the Estonian Corps was included in the 2nd Shock Army, as one of its four rifle corps (8th Estonian, 30th Guards Red Banner, 108th and 116th Rifle Corps).

The army had to strike in the rear of the main forces of the German task force “Narva” in Southern Estonia and destroy them. After this, the front was planned to turn west, capture Tallinn and reach the Baltic.

According to the plan for the regrouping of troops that began on September 4, the corps, along with other army formations, was redeployed from the Narva sector to the area east of Tartu, to the line of the Emajõgi River. Having begun the redeployment from near Narva in Krootuz - Lämmijärve - Mekhikorma on the night of September 8, the corps units by the dawn of September 14 were completely concentrated in the designated area: Heizri manor, Vana manor - Piigaste - Veski. The corps headquarters, together with units of the 7th division, were located in the Võnu area. The fact that the regrouping took place in very difficult conditions deserves attention. The troops of the 2nd Shock Army with reinforcements had to covertly cover a distance of 300 kilometers in 10 days with only one railway. All this equally applied to the Estonian Corps.

During the regrouping of troops, the 8th Estonian Corps was able to transport part of the light artillery by rail through the Kingisepp station to Gdov. Then the 8th Estonian and 30th Guards Corps followed to their destination in marching order. The corps had to make a difficult march: it marched with artillery, motorized units and a horse-drawn train through night marches of more than 200 km in six days along dirt roads washed out by heavy rains. They were transported across the strait between Lake Peipsi and Lake Peipsi by the 25th separate brigade of river boats and the 5th heavy pontoon-bridge regiment.

The Tallinn operation of the Leningrad Front developed dramatically.

Military reconnaissance of Army Group North by September 6 revealed the beginning of the transfer of troops of the 2nd Shock Army from positions near Narva to the Emajõgi River to the south, towards the Tartu direction. Intelligence reported accurately, but the German headquarters did not take these reports into account, not allowing the idea that the 3rd Baltic Front could be preparing an offensive near Valga and Tartu. The German command, not knowing about the transfer of the Tartu sector to the Leningrad Front, until September 9 considered the suspension of the offensive to be a camouflage maneuver to divert German forces from Valga to the north. Following this logic, the German command, not knowing about the transfer of the Turtu sector to the Leningrad Front, withdrew part of the forces from the Narva army group and threw them near Valga when the 3rd Baltic Front began to advance there. Thus, the Tartu section was weakened.

The Estonian corps took part in the Tallinn offensive operation of the 2nd shock and 8th armies of the Leningrad Front, as a result of which the entire mainland of Estonia and its capital, Tallinn, was liberated from September 17 to 26, 1944.

Before the start of the battles for the liberation of Estonia, the personnel of the corps division consisted of: Estonians - 89.5%, Russians - 9.3%, other nationalities - 1%. 82% of the personnel, as of July 1, 1944, previously lived on the territory of the Estonian SSR.

In preparation for the offensive, units and formations received reinforcements. The divisions of the 8th Estonian Corps now numbered up to 9 thousand people.

The soldiers were filled with jubilation upon entering their native land. Rallies took place in the units, the fighters vowed to give all their strength, knowledge and combat skills to expel the enemy as quickly as possible. Trucks, guns - everything was covered with slogans: “Forward to Tallinn!”

On September 10, Army Commander of the 2nd Shock I.I. Fedyuninsky, having gathered the commanders of four army corps, announced at his command post in a grove south of Tartu the decision to advance the Tallinn offensive operation.

The concept of the operation envisaged a meeting of formations of the 8th and 2nd shock armies during the offensive on the Rakvere - Tapa line.

The Estonian corps was given the task of breaking through the enemy’s defenses on the northern bank of the Emajõgi River, in the area of Kastre Manor, Luunya Manor, together with the 30th Guards Corps (commander - Lieutenant General N.P. Simonyak) and advancing on the right flank of the army. The idea of the operation, emphasized Govorov, who was also present, was to defeat the enemy group “Narva”. Only three days were allotted to prepare for the offensive.

In turn, on September 11, the corps commander at his command post in Võnu announced to the headquarters and commanders the idea of his decision to attack. It boiled down to the fact that the enemy’s defense front had broken through on the left wing of the corps’ offensive line, in the Kavastu-Sage sector, with the forces of the 7th Division. The 249th Division was introduced into the battle from behind the left flank of the 7th Division from the Taavetilauri - Taabbri line. By the end of the first day, the main forces of both divisions were supposed to reach the Nina-Vyalga line. To misinform the enemy, false preparations for an attack were demonstrated on the extreme right flank, in the swamp area, along the lake shore. The enemy took the bait and moved part of the reserves there.

On the evening of September 15, front commander Govorov visited the corps command post and checked the progress of preparations for the offensive.

On September 16, the headquarters of the 2nd Shock Army received a directive to launch a decisive offensive tomorrow, September 17.

On the night of September 17, rallies were held in the building, at which the Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (b) E.N. Karotam and members of the government of the republic. At the rallies it was emphasized that a quick offensive would help save the cities and villages of Estonia from destruction and prevent the deportation of the population to Germany.

The strike of the troops of the Leningrad Front from the Tartu region to the north brought the 2nd Shock Army to the rear of the fascist army group “Narva” and cut it off. The subsequent offensive of the Leningrad Front in Estonia was facilitated by the fact that to the south, three Baltic fronts simultaneously broke through German defenses in six places.

The offensive of the 2nd Shock Army turned out to be irresistible for the enemy. Its power was achieved as a result of the tactics of breaking through the front in different time in several areas. Thus, the enemy had to disperse his forces in attempts to defend. In addition, the previously captured bridgehead on the river was not used to deliver the main attack. Emajõgi north of Tartu, where the Germans were just waiting for him. The army went on the offensive from a position east of Tartu, re-crossing Emajõgi. Here the 8th Estonian Corps and the 30th Guards Rifle Corps advanced together.

On September 17, 1944, the German defenses north of Tartu were broken through with a powerful blow by troops of the 2nd Shock Army, which launched a general offensive towards Tallinn. On September 19, troops of the 8th Army went on the offensive from Narva. The Nazis, who offered fierce resistance, had to retreat to the west throughout Estonia.

And then the day came when the corps entered the territory of the Estonian SSR - with battles, as part of the 2nd Shock Army, on its right flank. The corps operated in the first echelon of the army, together with the 30th Guards and 108th Corps (commander - Lieutenant General V.S. Polenov), advancing along the western coast of Lake Peipus.

His task was to cross the Suur - Emajõgi rivers in the Kastre - Kokutai sector with one division, and destroy the enemy forces defending on the northern bank of the river. Then, bringing the second echelon division into battle, seize the Kazepya - Koozy - Alaiye line. Subsequently, develop the offensive in the direction of Kallaste - Järvemõisa, reaching the Omedu - Küti - Odivere line.

The Germans attached great importance to the strong defensive line on Emajõgi. great importance, since it covered the routes to the central part of Estonia. Reinforcements were constantly brought here.

The 7th Division I-13 September 1944 took the starting positions for the offensive on the southern bank of the river. Emajõgi in the Kastre - Kokutai section, the 249th concentrated in the Viira - Terikste - Sootaga - Alli area.

Together with the 7th Emajõgi Division, the 63rd (commander - Major General A.F. Shcheglov) and 45th (commander - Major General S.M. Putilov) Guards Rifle Divisions crossed the Kavastu-Lyynya sector.

On September 17, at 7:30 a.m., the artillery of the Estonian Corps opened fire. The artillery preparation lasted 40 minutes. At the same time, the enemy’s trenches and bunkers on the left bank of the Emajõgi were attacked by aviation with the forces of the assault aviation division. This carefully prepared fire attack turned out to be very effective.

The Soviet command created a high artillery density in this direction - 220–230 guns and mortars per 1 km of front. Enemy artillery fire weakened and then almost completely stopped.

At 8 hours 20 minutes on September 17, the 27th (commander - Colonel Nikolai Trankman) and 354th (commander - Colonel Vasily Vyrk) rifle regiments of the 7th division of General K.A. Allikas began to cross the river. Emajõgi on the site of Kavastu Manor, Saage. Boats, rafts and pontoons for the attackers were launched during artillery preparation.

The first in the 7th division to cross the river was a platoon of Lieutenant X. Haaviste from the 1st company of the 27th regiment. The soldiers immediately burst into the enemy trench. When the company commander was out of action, senior lieutenant Peter Larin took command of the soldiers. He skillfully led the battle, and the company completed its combat mission.

During the first hour of the battle, three pontoon bridges were built, and already at 10 o’clock in the morning artillery and tanks crossed them to the northern bank of the Emajõgi, and immediately joined the battle. Sweeping away the resisting enemy units (units of the 94th Security Regiment, 1st SS Border Regiment, 207th Security Division of the Tartu Omakaitse Battalion), they began to successfully develop an offensive supported by tanks, breaking through the first enemy position by 10 a.m. By 11.00 the main line of enemy defense was overcome. By noon, the Nazi counterattack in the area of the villages of Saya, Kolga and Yatasoo was repulsed by the 300th regiment of Lieutenant Colonel Ilmar Paul, brought into battle from the second echelon. The regiments rushed north. At about twelve o'clock in the afternoon, Pern crossed with the task force to the other bank and, following in the battle formations of the advancing regiments, controlled the course of the fighting.

The Nazis also hastily retreated in a northern direction. Many, stunned by the artillery barrage and air attack, surrendered. These minutes decided the success of the offensive that had begun. The divisions of the Estonian Corps, equipped with the latest military equipment, with their warriors who had experienced a lot and knew the value of victories, seeing their native land before them, marched from the shore of the Emajõgi in a decisive, powerful breakthrough. The enemy made an attempt to hold on to the first line of trenches, then to the second. Without allowing him to come to his senses, units of the 7th Division quickly advanced deep into his defenses, inflicting heavy losses on him.

By four o'clock in the afternoon, the 7th Division had marched 20 km in one breath and had completely broken through the main defensive line. But by this time the resistance of the German command, which had come to its senses, began to intensify. It intended, by strengthening the defense with supplied reserves, to stop the Estonian regiments at the border of the Omedu and Kääpa rivers. Nevertheless, during the day the 7th Division covered a total of 30 km and liberated the village and road junction of Alatskivi in a night battle.

The 249th Division began crossing Emajõgi at 10:45 a.m. on September 17 in another sector and completed the crossing by noon.

The 249th Division was brought into the battle in the afternoon to increase efforts and increase the tempo of the offensive. It operated west of Taavetilauri in the direction of Selguze - Kotri.

During the crossing of Emajõgi, about a hundred soldiers of the Estonian units died the death of the brave, and about 300 people were wounded.

During the crossing at 11 o'clock in the morning, the division commander, Colonel Lombak J.Ya. was injured. Deputy Divisional Commander Colonel August Feldman took command of the division.

By 18 o'clock she reached the Taavetilauri - Andressaare area. Then its regiments began pursuing the enemy in the direction of Selguze - Väljaotsa (921st regiment) and Alaiõe - Välga (923rd regiment).

Moving rapidly through wooded areas and without encountering strong resistance, the division reached Selguze by midnight. At 5 o'clock in the morning it gained a foothold at the Välyaotsa - Välga line.

At the end of the day on September 17, the corps commander ordered Feldman to commit his 921st and 925th and rifle regiments, giving them seven artillery regiments. Thus, the plan of the Hitlerite command to hastily organize defense on intermediate lines was thwarted.

With the onset of darkness, the enemy made his last attempts to organize resistance in Alatskivi, but they were thwarted, and the Nazis suffered heavy losses.

Late in the evening, on September 17, units of the 8th Estonian Rifle Corps reached the line Nina - Alatskivi - Savastvere - Nyva - Vesküla - Kogri - Alaijõe - Välgi. The corps headquarters moved to Taavetilauri.

The 8th Corps achieved the greatest success in the army on this day, advancing along the western shore of Lake Peipsi with the active support of the 25th Separate Brigade of River Boats.

During the first day, the corps fought forward 20–25 km. It was a considerable success.

Further, the enemy had no prepared defensive positions, and he could offer resistance only on natural lines. On the second day, the advance of the Estonian Corps and other troops of the 2nd Shock Army to the north began at an even faster pace.

The corps fully secured the right flank of the 2nd Shock Army and eased the position of its left neighbor.

During the day of September 18, 1944, troops of the 2nd Shock Army, knocking the enemy from intermediate lines, expanded the breakthrough front.

Having received information from corps reconnaissance officers that the enemy was hastily preparing defenses in the Rana, Nõmme areas, and then on the Omedu and Kääpa rivers, where the strongholds of Omedu, Ruskavere and Roeda were most heavily prepared, General Pern decided to drive the Nazis out of these positions before how they can firmly gain a foothold there. The divisions were ordered to reach the Omed and Kyaepa rivers during September 18, force them, and break through the defenses on the opposite bank. Fulfilling the order, units of the 7th Division advanced especially quickly along the shore of Lake Peipsi on Mustvee. By noon, the 354th Regiment liberated Kallaste.

On the afternoon of September 18, units of both Estonian divisions fought their way to the shores of Omedu and Kääpa. Here they met hastily organized resistance. The regiments of the 7th Division went into battle, immediately knocking out the enemy from their positions on the river by the end of the day. Omedu. The 249th Division, in cooperation with the 45th Guards Rifle Division, eliminated a strong enemy defense center near the Saare. Then they, together with the mobile group of Colonel A.N. Kovalevsky reached the Odivere - Roela section. Omeda and Kääpa were crossed in the afternoon. This breakthrough forced the German 2nd Army Corps to abandon its positions during the night.

The corps advanced all day on September 18. Enemy attempts to counterattack along the line Ranna - Veskimetsa - Halliku - Vanamõisa - Kose - Küti - r. Kääpa - Tolyase were broken. By the end of the day, the enemy was thrown back to the line Kuti - Veye - Vaskvere - Raele.

By the evening of September 18, the 249th Division advanced ten kilometers and captured the large stronghold of Ninamõisa. During the first two days of the offensive, the corps fought forward more than 50 kilometers. At the same time, the offensive zone in depth expanded more and more.

On September 18, the order of the commander of the 2nd Shock Army about the actions the next day said, in particular: “... the 8th Estonian Rifle Corps - continue to pursue the enemy and by the end of September 19, the main forces of the corps will reach the line: Mustvee - Vytikvere - Lilastvere - Altveski..."

Having concluded that the position of the troops of Task Force Narva was hopeless, the Nazi High Command on September 16 gave the order for their withdrawal from Estonia, starting on September 19. They were ordered to retreat to ports for evacuation by sea. The subsequent breakthrough of the positions along Emajõgi, carried out by the 2nd Shock Army on September 17, forced the Narva to retreat a day earlier - on the night of September 19.

Part of the German troops took the northern route Rakvere - Pärnu - Riga. The other is through Avinurme and Mustavey.

The 3rd SS Panzer Corps moved towards Riga via Rakvere and Pärnu in vehicles.

On September 19, commander of the Leningrad Front L.A. Govorov, having received information about the withdrawal of enemy troops from the Narva bridgehead, gave the order to the commander of the 8th Army to strike at Rakvere in order to cut off the escape route to Riga for the Narva German group. The 8th Army was also ordered to strike at Avinurme and link up with the 2nd Shock Army there.

The 3rd SS Panzer Corps moved towards Riga via Rakvere and Perna in vehicles.

To pursue the retreating enemy, mobile groups were formed in both the 8th and 2nd Shock Army by September 20 with the task of capturing the city of Rakvere by the end of September 20 and then pursuing the enemy in the direction of Tallinn. On the evening of September 20, 1944, Rakvere was completely liberated by the 8th Army after the battle.

The 8th Army switched to frontal pursuit of the retreating German troops on the morning of September 19. The 2nd Shock Army took measures to cut the main escape routes - the roads from the Narva Isthmus through Mustvee and Avinurme, as well as northern communications. The armies pursued the enemy in converging directions.

The sons of Estonia fought in these offensive battles with courage and heroism. The wounded remained in the ranks, fulfilling their duty to the end. One of the sappers walking ahead of his unit, Rudolf Ojalo, while clearing mines in the premises of the former German commandant's office, accidentally discovered a book with the “Top Secret” stamp on the cover. This was the “List of Persons to be Wanted and Arrested.” The sapper opened the book and found his name in it. The Germans wanted to kill him, an oil shale refinery worker, just as they had already killed thousands of other patriotic Estonians.

On September 19, units of the corps reached the Odivere - Karba - Devala area. On the same day, the army commander assigned the 8th Corps the task: by the end of the day to reach the Mustvee - Lilastvere - Altveski line and create a mobile forward detachment.

The corps commander ordered the division commanders to capture the Mustvee-Torma line by the end of the day on September 19. According to enemy aerial reconnaissance, they were hastily erecting fortifications there and concentrating reserves.

At half past one on the night of September 19, near the village of Kazepää, the fighters secretly crossed the Omeda River and fought in the dark. Without unnecessary losses, the village was liberated by the morning. But near the village of Raya, the 354th Regiment met strong resistance and stopped its advance on the approaches to Mustvee. After an hour-long battle and several attacks, Mustvee was taken. By the end of the day, the regiment advanced to the village of Ninazi.

By the morning of September 19, our troops reached the Mustvee-Jõgeva highway and thereby thwarted the plans of the German command to organize a defense front for the troops leaving Narva at the Rakvere-Põltsamaa line.

The 300th regiment, which pursued the Nazis in the direction of Pala - Assikvere - Ruskavere, liberated Vytikvere. By the evening of September 19, he reached the northern bank of the Kääpa River, knocked out the Nazis from the village of Kyuti with an attack and occupied Ruskavere. The capture of Kazepää and Ruskavere broke the German defenses in the lower reaches of the Omedu and Kääpa rivers.

On September 19, the 249th Division, without encountering serious resistance, advanced along the road from Tartu to Torma.

An officer of the 925th Regiment, a participant in the events, recalled this persecution:

“During the retreat, or rather flight, the Germans left local members of the omakaitse (2-3 people) in high places. But they never dared to fire at us, and surrendered to our scouts. The chief of staff of the regiment, Major Jaan Ristisoo, after talking with the prisoners, ordered them to quickly go home to their families.”

By the end of the day, the 925th regiment captured the Someli area.

In the Torma area, a fierce battle broke out by noon. The 921st Regiment, together with the 307th Anti-Tank Artillery Battalion, took three tanks as trophies. By the end of the day, the 921st Regiment captured the Kyveriku-Konvusaare line.

As a result, the road from Mustvee to Torma was completely in the hands of the 8th Corps. The 7th Division gained a foothold on the Ninazi-Laekannu line. The 249th Division, continuing the pursuit of the Nazis, approached Avinurma and stopped at the Kyveriku - Avijõgi - Aosilla line.

During the Riga offensive operation on September 19, the cities of Valga and Tõrva were liberated in southern Estonia. Twelve formations and units of the 1st Shock Army were given the names Valginsky.

By the evening of September 19, units of the corps fought their way to the Ninazi-Kõrvemetsa-Lilastvere line. More than twenty kilometers of the Mustvee-Jõgeva highway were in their hands. In three days, progress north from the river. Emajõgi was 80 kilometers. At the same time, the army's mobile groups were unable to break through and cut off the retreat routes of the enemy forces retreating from Narva.

On September 19, having received at noon air reconnaissance data about the movement of columns of enemy troops (over 6 thousand people) to the west and southwest and the possibility of their appearing in the zone of the 7th Estonian division already at dawn on September 20 and striking the 7th division in the flank, The commander of the Estonian corps, L. Pern, decided to defeat these columns in a counter battle, east of Avinurme, forestall the enemy, and block the highway leading through Avinurme to the west.

The right-flank 7th Division did not have time to reach this area. The reserve 917th regiment was on the left flank and could not be sent to Avinurme, since it would have to cross the paths of two regiments of the first echelon of his division. It was decided to bring in the 27th Regiment.

By order of the corps commander, the commander of the 7th division, Colonel K. Allikas, immediately formed an advance detachment under the command of Colonel Nikolai Trankman, commander of the 27th regiment, reinforcing it with tanks and vehicles.

The detachment included the 45th separate tank regiment “For Soviet Estonia”, the 952nd self-propelled artillery regiment and the 2nd battalion of the 27th rifle regiment.

Pairn formulated the dilemma as follows:

“If you are late in reaching the west, the enemy will organize a strong defense on the approaches to Tallinn and you will have to break through it again to reach the coast. If you allocate insufficient forces to destroy the enemy approaching from the east, the advance to the west may be delayed.”

The battle between the advance detachment of the corps and the Nazis somewhere in the Avinurme area on the morning of September 20 should have put an end to this problem.

The detachment of Colonel N. Trankman was given the task: to go north, capture Avinurme - an important road junction and railway station, and cut off the Nazis’ escape route to the west. Having received this order, the detachment decisively took the lead late at night and passed the front line. Having been 20 km ahead of the advancing corps, he reached Avinurma, took possession of it on the move and took up a perimeter defense.

Hitler’s troops, united under the command of General R. Hoefer (part of the 3rd SS Panzer Corps, units of the 300th Special Purpose Infantry Division, 20th SS Infantry Division, 285th Security Division) retreated along the roads from Narva. They moved through Mustvee and Avinurme. The 8th Estonian Corps blocked their path.

By the end of September 19 - the third day of the operation - the Estonian corps had advanced another 30–50 km and on September 19–20 advanced detachments reached the Kyveriku - Laekannu - Tulliimurru - Veia line.

On the night of September 20, reconnaissance reported to corps headquarters that German troops were approaching from Narva with forces no smaller than a division.

As a result of a successful offensive, within three days the Estonian corps passed the entire western coast of Lake Peipsi, leaving it behind. Now his right flank became open, and the retreating troops of the southern wing of the Narva group approached it.

Corps commander L. Pairn assumed that the corps would soon be reassigned to the 8th Army, which was already pursuing German troops along the sea coast in the direction of Rakvere - Tallinn. Its command clearly sought to be the first to break into the capital of Estonia. The command of the Estonian Corps, which had been aiming for several years at an active role in the liberation of both the republic and its capital, realized that the corps was still quite far from Tallinn. And now another serious complication of the situation arises: it is necessary to begin to destroy the fascist troops retreating from Narva and threatening the flank and rear of the corps from the east.

On the morning of September 20, 1944, the corps formed the open right flank of the entire 2nd Shock Army. The commander's concern was caused by intelligence reports about the approach of a German division leaving from Narva.

At 3:30 a.m., the advance detachment of the 8th Estonian Corps under the command of Colonel Nikolai Trankman began a battle in the Avinurme area with an enemy column departing from Narva. At about five o'clock in the morning an even larger column of German troops began to approach from Tudulinna.

After three repelled attacks, the detachment was surrounded and its position became critical. The corps commander sent an artillery division and the Katyusha regiment to help him. Having delivered a fire strike, the tanks and self-propelled guns of the detachment with a landing of riflemen on the armor launched a counterattack. The enemy column, over five kilometers long, was completely defeated, and large trophies were captured.

In the battle at Avinurme, the 113th Security Regiment, the 45th Regiment of the 20th SS Infantry Division (Estonian) and the battle group of the 300th Infantry Division, retreating from Narva, were completely defeated by the 46th Regiment of the 20th SS Division and the 2nd Border Regiment managed to escape along forest roads. But in the following days they were also destroyed by corps soldiers.

During September 20, in other areas, parts of the corps were subjected to counterattacks - in the areas of Topastiku, Kyveriku, Veskivyalja, Kubia, but these attacks were quickly repelled with heavy losses for the enemy.

On this day, moving forward, the 2nd battalion of the 27th regiment of Major Oscar Andreev liberated the village of Tudulinna at 16:00. The main forces of the regiment entered Avinurme in the evening. The plans of the German command to create a continuous line of defense at the Kunda - Rakvere - r. line to gain time. The peds were torn off.

By the end of the day on September 20, east of Avinurme, the troops of the 109th Corps of the 8th Army united with the 27th Regiment of the 7th Division of the 8th Estonian Corps. This is how the united front of the two armies of the Leningrad Front closed. They began to pursue the enemy in a western and southwestern direction. On September 20, the occupation of Rakvere ended the first stage of the Tallinn offensive operation. Over four days of fighting, the 2nd Shock Army expanded the breakthrough front to 100 km, united with the troops of the 8th Army and formed a common offensive front with them.

By the end of September 20, the corps reached the line Lohusuu - Avinurme - Muuga - Naovere - Saare - Avanduse - Rahula.

On the evening of September 20, Order No. 190 of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief was broadcast by radio, thanking the troops of the Leningrad Front for the successful breakthrough of the heavily fortified enemy defenses north of Tartu. Among the troops listed in the order, the Estonian Corps was mentioned, and among the distinguished corps commanders, Lembit Pärn was named first, among the distinguished division commanders, Johan Lombak (249th) and Karl Allikas (7th) were listed first.

On this day, in honor of the troops of the Leningrad Front in Moscow, a salute of 20 salvoes from 224 guns was given.

On the night of September 21, 1944, L.A. Govorov set the tasks for the second stage of the Tallinn operation: the 2nd Shock Army attacked Pärnu, the 8th Army went to liberate Tallinn.

The 8th Estonian Rifle Corps was transferred from the 21st Army to the 8th Army (commanded by Lieutenant General F.N. Starikov).

On the morning of September 21, the corps deployed its battle formations to the west and began pursuing the retreating Nazis. In the area of Lake Porkuni - Tamsalu, a column of enemy troops numbering 1,500 people was discovered on the march, retreating from Narva - the remnants of the 20th SS Division and the 209th Infantry Division. The 925th Regiment of the 249th Division surrounded and defeated the group - the Nazis lost up to 500 people killed, about 700 were taken prisoner.

This oncoming battle lasted from 16.00 to 21.00 and became the last serious clash of corps units with the enemy during the operation. These were the remnants of the 20th SS Division, the 209th Infantry Division and the 292nd Border Battalion.

Having defeated the Nazi column, units of the 249th Division liberated Tamsala. By the end of the day, the main forces of the corps reached the Tapa-Tartu railway line.

On September 22, in this area, south of the city of Tapa in the area of the villages of Nõmmküla and Koigi, units of the 249th division took away weapons from 700 Estonians mobilized into the German army.

Having come under fire from the forest near Porkuni, during which the battalion commander of the 925th regiment, Captain Rudolf Ernesas, was killed, writes Bernard Homik, on the orders of the regiment commander, the battery of the 779th regiment turned around from the march and opened fire on the forest. After this, moans and screams began to be heard; cursed in Estonian. On his own initiative, the assistant chief of staff, Captain Oscar Vannas, went into the forest alone, telling those around him that he would lead “these fools” out of the forest. In the forest, the captain met enemy officers; these were the remnants of the Estonian SS division retreating from Narva, numbering more than 1,100 people. Vannas told them that if they did not come out themselves, it would be bad. There are also Estonian troops on the road and they are so strong that “they will make a real mess out of them.” The soldiers and officers who were in the forest came out of the forest with white flags. The wounded were placed in a barn, and the battalion medical workers provided first aid to them.

In the conditions of those days, mobile advanced detachments made their way to Tallinn, which formed various army formations, including tank and artillery regiments, riflemen, sapper units and even guards mortar units. Several such powerful detachments marched along different roads towards Tallinn: the 8th Estonian Corps, the 117th Rifle Corps (two detachments), the group of Colonel A.N. Kovalevsky, commander of the 152nd Tank Brigade.

Back on September 10, Pern, returning from a meeting with Fedyuninsky, was very excited. He shared with the commanders of the corps headquarters his concern that the corps would not have to liberate the capital of Estonia. Looking during the meeting at the map of the Tallinn operation on the army commander’s table, he saw that

“The red fat arrow of our corps turns away from Kose to the left, past Tallinn, and the arrows of units of the 8th Army are directed towards Tallinn. It's a shame!

Pairn at that moment most likely placed his hope in military happiness:

“Much depended on the outcome of the first days of battle. If the corps manages to break down the enemy’s defenses on the right bank of the Emajõgi and quickly gain operational space somewhere in the Avinurme area, then the opportunity will even open up to get ahead of the formations of the 8th Army. With such a turn of events, part of the corps’ forces could participate in the liberation of Tallinn.”

Arnold Meri, in one of his post-war interviews, suggested that “the participation of the Estonian Corps in the liberation of Tallinn was not expected at all.” He expressed the idea that the corps “together with the entire 8th Army” had to “turn left about a hundred kilometers before Tallinn and go to Haapsalu and Pärnu.” But when the corps was in the Paidu area, the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Estonian Communist Party, Nikolai Karotamm, came to the troops. He “generally visited the building often.” And, according to Arnold Meri, it was Karotamm who “played a decisive role in the fact that the corps took part in the liberation of Tallinn. It’s as if he foresaw what might happen in 50 years, and knew that it was the Estonians themselves who had to liberate Tallinn.”

At about eight o'clock in the morning on September 21, Pern reported to the commander of the 2nd Shock Army, General Fedyuninsky, about the actions of the corps over the previous night. The army commander informed Pern that in a day the Estonian corps would become part of the 8th Army.

Returning to the corps headquarters, Lembit Pärn, who at that moment did not have a permanent connection with the headquarters of the 8th Army, introduced the chief of staff of the corps, Major General Jaan Lukas, to his plan: by the morning of the next day, September 22, to capture Tallinn, sending there is a strong motorized detachment based on the 354th regiment.

The headquarters of the 8th Army learned about the campaign of Vyrk’s detachment from front-line aviators. When communication with army headquarters was established, late in the evening of September 21, Pairn sent a corresponding report to the commander of Army 8.

On September 21, at his command post, having returned from the troops and waiting for a meeting with N. Karotamm, Pairn announced to the commanders at headquarters: “I decided this evening to send the 354th regiment directly to Tallinn. Tomorrow morning we will join the 8th Army. It's a shame if we don't get to Tallinn! The commander of the 2nd Shock Army approves of this raid.”

By order of the corps commander, on September 21, a mobile advance detachment (“landing force”) was urgently formed in the Ambla area, by 6 p.m. Colonel Vasily Ivanovich Vyrk (Verk) was appointed to command it. The detachment consisted of: part of the forces of the 7th Infantry Division (two rifle battalions, a company of machine gunners, a reconnaissance platoon, a platoon of 45-mm anti-tank guns, a company of machine gunners - all from the 354th regiment), the 952nd self-propelled artillery regiment (commander - Lieutenant Colonel Sergei Denisovich Chesnokov) and the 45th separate tank regiment “Soviet Estonia” (Lieutenant Colonel Eduard Yanovich Kuslapuu). The detachment was put on vehicles, and its commander received the order: “By morning, capture the capital of Soviet Estonia, Tallinn!” The assigned task was: without getting involved in battle, immediately pass through the front line, moving through Mäeri, Väike - Maarja, Ambla, Jägala, Lehtmetsa, Rooküla, Perila, Aruvalla, Lehmja, by the morning of September 22, the first of the attacking troops to reach Tallinn, liberate him and hoist the flag of the Soviet Union on the Long Herman tower.

The mobile advanced detachments of the front played a particularly important role during the Tallinn operation. Their rapid advance in battle disrupted the enemy’s action plans, saved thousands of lives, and had a real help Estonian anti-fascist patriots who rose up to fight the invaders, helped prevent the destruction of villages, cities, and industrial enterprises by fleeing invaders, which had been prepared in advance and in detail by German troops.

The command of the Estonian Corps expected that the Germans would destroy Tallinn during their retreat, blowing it up, as they did with Narva.

On the forest road near Triigi Manor, the column included attached armored units, and a short rally took place. Commander Pairn, turning to the soldiers waiting for the start of the movement, who were not notified of the purpose of the raid, said:

The response was “Hurray!” Nikolai Karotamm said a few words to the soldiers about the political, military and historical meaning of their campaign. And the detachment quickly went west.

When the detachment left, Pern, whose corps was reassigned to the 8th Army at 22:00 on September 21, having informed the army commander about the sending of a mobile detachment of the corps to Tallinn, learned from the commander that he had sent other mobile detachments to Tallinn.

Estonian soldiers and commanders managed to quickly and unnoticed reach Tallinn. At the start of the movement, regiment commander Olav Mullas gave the order: “Turn the caps back with stars, address the officers as ‘Mr.’ and not ‘comrade,’ and disguise yourself as Germans.” The camouflage was successful - not far from Tapa, at one intersection, the detachment’s column was directed by a German traffic controller.

When the detachment passed through the Porkuni-Tamasalu section, a battle waged by the 249th Division had just ended there. In the Koigi forest, a group of Nazi soldiers tried to stop the advance of the detachment with gunfire, but were scattered by the vanguard unit of the detachment. In the ensuing darkness, the detachment continued to move with the headlights turned off. The bridge over the Yagala River in Vetla was destroyed, and we had to lose two hours searching for a ford.

At Peningi Manor, the detachment met a unit of the 152nd Tank Brigade, which had lost contact with its own, and was also moving towards Tallinn. Let's go together.

The first battle took place 10 km from Tallinn, on the Pirita River in the Vaskyala area. The defending enemy forces (up to 200 soldiers with light weapons) were defeated, and the bridge over Pirita was captured.

Having dispersed small groups of the enemy who were trying to impede his advance, units of the Estonian Corps and a company of the 27th separate tank regiment entered Tallinn at 11:30 a.m. on September 22, 1944. The commander's order was carried out.

Almost simultaneously with the mobile group of the Estonian Corps, the advance detachment of the 117th Rifle Corps entered Tallinn, writes L. Pairn.

Units of the Estonian corps and a company of the 27th separate tank regiment were the first to break into Tallinn on September 22.

The city was defended by a strong group of enemy infantry with tanks, which was supposed to ensure the evacuation of the remaining troops and various valuables by sea. The enemy's resistance was broken by the decisive actions of tank and rifle units. At the corps headquarters they received a radiogram from Colonel V. Vyrk: “We are fighting in Tallinn.” It was transmitted in clear text. Then a radiogram: “The station has been occupied.” Next: “The Red Flag is flying on the Long Herman.” And finally: “The fighting has stopped, we are restoring order.”

Rushing through the streets of Tallinn on tanks, the landing soldiers sang: “J?? vabaks Eesti meri, j?? vabaks Eesti pind..."

The red banner of Victory on the ancient tower “Long Herman” of the Tallinn Toompea castle was raised by the platoon commander of the 3rd company of the 354th regiment, Lieutenant Johannes T. Lumiste and Corporal Elmar Nagelman from the 354th regiment. And the soldiers of the 14th regiment of the 72nd Pavlovsk Red Banner Rifle, Order of Suvorov division of the 8th Army V. Voyurkov and N. Golovan strengthened the red flag on the building of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Estonian SSR.

Rifle companies of the corps' forward detachment cleared Niine Street, the Baltic Station, and the harbor.

By noon, in cooperation with the mobile detachments of the 8th Army that arrived in the city at the same time, the city center was liberated from the enemy. By evening - all of Tallinn.

In the battles in Tallinn Soviet troops killed more than 500 enemy soldiers and captured more than a thousand.

From noon on September 22, corps units began protecting government buildings, enterprises, warehouses and began ensuring public order. The advance detachment carried out garrison duty until the beginning of October.

On September 23, the commander of the Estonian corps, L. Pärn, arrived in Tallinn with his task force. His, stronger than Vyrk’s, is a motorized mechanized detachment from the 300th regiment, a Katyusha division, a company of tanks, and five artillery divisions. On Toompea, in front of the government building, a solemn act took place in the form of a regular report: regiment commander Vasily Vyrk reported to the commander of the Estonian corps, Lieutenant General Lembit Pern, on the fulfillment of the combat order: Tallinn is free.

On September 22, 1944, a “first category” salute thundered in Moscow in honor of the liberators of Tallinn: 24 artillery salvoes from 324 guns. By order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief No. 191, gratitude was expressed to the troops of the Leningrad Front, including the Estonian Corps, for the liberation of Tallinn.

The honorary title of Tallinn was assigned to the 8th Estonian Rifle Corps (commander - Lieutenant General Pärn Lenbit Abramovich), 7th Rifle Division (commander - Colonel Allikas Karl Adamovich), 45th Separate Tank Regiment (commander - Lieutenant Colonel Eduard Yanovich Kuslapuu) , 952nd self-propelled artillery regiment (commander - Lieutenant Colonel Sergei Denisovich Chesnokov).

In addition, the 249th Estonian Rifle Division was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

The liberation of Tallinn meant the end of organized resistance by enemy troops in Northern Estonia.

On September 22, the 8th Estonian Rifle Corps with reinforcements left the subordination of the 2nd Shock Army and became part of the troops of the 8th Army.

After the capture of Tallinn, the troops of the 2nd Shock Army turned their front to the west and southwest and continued the offensive. The main forces of the Estonian corps moved forward just as quickly. By the end of September 22, they reached the Yaneda-Jarva-Jaani line, and by September 23, having covered 25 km, they were already at the Khabay-Ravila-Tuhala line. On the morning of September 24, a mobile detachment of the 7th division consisting of a company of machine gunners, a tank platoon of the 307th separate anti-tank fighter division, the 1st division of the 85th corps artillery regiment and an engineer platoon of the 925th rifle regiment with three tanks under the overall command of a major Vladimir Miller, together with the mobile tank group of the 8th Army of Colonel A.N. Kovalevsky (152nd Tank Brigade, etc.) began to act. By 17:00 on September 24, he liberated the harbors of Haapsalu, and by the end of the day - and Rohukula. At all these points several hundred thousand prisoners and large trophies were taken.

On September 25, the enemy stopped resistance almost everywhere. The corps advanced another 35 km and by the end of the day reached the line Palivere - Kullamaa - Märjamaa - Nissi - Risti. On September 26, the vanguard of the 7th Division under the command of Major Walter Hannul completely captured the port of Virtsu and immediately began preparing for landing operations on the Moonsund Islands. The main forces of the corps concentrated in the coastal areas of Lihula, Kazari, Pyari, and Sila.

Thus, in ten days of September fighting, by September 26, the Leningrad Front had cleared the entire mainland of the Estonian Republic (with the exception of the islands of the Moonsund archipelago) from the invaders. The operation was completed in ten days.

Enemy losses amounted to 45,745 killed and captured, 175 tanks and self-propelled guns, 593 guns of various calibers, 35 aircraft, etc.

In the ten-day offensive battles for the liberation of the mainland of the Estonian SSR from September 17 to 23, the corps won a number of victories. He destroyed more than 10 thousand fascist soldiers and officers.

During the period of operations to liberate the mainland of the Estonian SSR from September 17 to 27, 1944, units and divisions of the corps captured 3,311 fascist soldiers and officers, as well as large trophies.

On average, the corps covered up to 60 km per day. In the form of trophies, up to 200 guns and mortars, over 1,000 machine guns and machine guns, and hundreds of wagons with ammunition and shells ended up in the hands of the corps. For the successful completion of combat missions, the corps units were twice expressed gratitude to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief - for breaking through the enemy defenses at the turn of the Emajõgi River and for the liberation of Tallinn. For excellent fighting about 20 thousand soldiers and officers of the corps received military awards.

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