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- A monumental album with ca 1500 illustrations about Estonian soldiers in World War II
Photos taken in Estonia in the summer of 1939 show a country looking peacefully and joyfully into the future, a country without any inkling of the terrifying events soon to descend upon it. In his Independence Day parade speech on 24 February 1939 president Konstantin Päts stated that Estonia’s only wish was to live in peace and stay away from wars and conflicts. And this was indeed the case. However, history went its own way,and nobody cared about what small Estonia wanted.
The Soviet occupation and annexation of Estonia in 1940 also meant that from this time, Estonian men could no longer wear their own army’s uniform during World War II. Either voluntarily or compulsorily it had to be replaced by German, Russian, Finnish, British or US uniforms or insignia.
In spite of the uniform worn, most Estonian men who fought in WWII wanted the war to end with the restoration of Estonian freedom. In some cases this goal was completely clear, in other cases it had to be hidden.
Service in different armies also led to many cases where Estonians were forced to fight other Estonians. Estonians confronting Estonians on the battlefield suffered the tragedy of fratricidal war.
World War II was particularly tragic for Estonia, because in spite of the sacrifices, the war still ended with the destruction of Estonian independence. However, resistance against foreign occupation continued after the end of the battles in Europe. Estonian independence was not achieved without bloodshed, only the last phase of restoring independence passed without the sacrifice of life. Although Estonia succeeded in restoring its independence in 1991, for Estonia World War II actually ended only on 31 August 1994, when the last uninvited foreign soldier left Estonian territory. Tens of thousands of Estonian men and women had given their lives for the arrival of that day.
The following album is dedicated to their memory.
- In Estonian
Hardcover, 228 pages, format: 8" x 8"
- Tallinn, Estonia
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