Estonia During World War II

Estonia During World War II

This article relates to When the Doves Disappeared

When the Doves Disappeared is set in Estonia during WWII and the 1960s. The characters are very much shaped by the war and react to it in different ways.

In 1939, as World War II created major players on the world stage, the USSR and Germany shook hands on the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact that corralled a number of Eastern European countries into Soviet and German "spheres of influence." So it was that while Germany was busy cementing its occupation of France, Russia slowly moved its forces and large military bases into Estonia. The government was essentially dissolved and a pro-communist one was installed in its place with subsequent elections often having only one pro-Russia candidate on its ballot. Russia officially took control of Estonia in 1940 and thousands of Estonians were forcibly sent to the labor camps that were part of the Soviet gulag. Estonia's neighbors Latvia and Lithuania were also invaded. A loosely knit coalition of 50,000 residents of the three Baltic countries known as The Forest Brothers' (named because they used the countries' extensive forests as a refuge and base for logistical operations against the occupiers) fought for independence but were ultimately unsuccessful.

Things were so bad that when Germany broke the secret pact and invaded Estonia in 1941, the historical enemies were welcomed as liberators as Estonians saw some glimmers of hope in ending the Soviet repression and possibly gaining independence. Unfortunately for the Estonians, the Germans, focused as they were on their larger sinister designs, did not have statehood in mind. As part of the Holocaust, 10,000 Jews were deported to Estonia and killed, most of them in a concentration camp built in the southeastern city of Tartu. Prior to the war, Estonia had around 4,300 Jews. Some were deported by the Soviets as part of their gulag program and close to 75% fled to the Soviet Union after German occupation. The remaining Estonian Jews, numbering close to 1,000, were taken to camps and killed.

Russia attacked the major cities of Tallinn and Tartu in 1944 and finally seized control of Estonia again in September 1944. By the time the Russians had arrived, thousands of Estonians had been conscripted for the German war effort or sent off to concentration camps. The Soviets reintroduced their brand of repression forcing many Estonians to flee to Finland and other countries. The Forest Brothers galvanized again but their guerilla methods proved ineffective in the long run and they were disbanded by the late '50s.

Despite a growing dissident movement, including a major rally in Tallinn on the 50th anniversary of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, Estonia continued to be a part of Russia until the '90s, finally defying Moscow's orders and holding elections in 1991, which granted the country its freedom.

Map of Estonia, courtesy of U5KO
The Estonia Theatre after bombing by the Red Air Force in March 1944, courtesy of Staberinde
Estonian Swedes fleeing to Sweden during the Russian Occupation in 1944, courtesy of M0tty

Filed under People, Eras & Events

This "beyond the book article" relates to When the Doves Disappeared. It originally ran in April 2015 and has been updated for the February 2016 paperback edition. Go to magazine.