In 1944, up to two and a half thousand Estonian soldiers fighting in German uniform were killed in the Battle of the Tannenberg Line at the Sinimäed Hills as they attempted to push back the Soviet Union.

Estonia was occupied by both the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany from 1940 until 1991, and Estonians were conscripted and fought in both armies. At Sinimäed Hills, they fought in the 20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS.

In the past, organizers of the memorial event have regarded Grenadier Hill as a cemetery, where political speeches had no place. However, this year, the event was organized by the Friends of the Estonian Legion Club, which believes politicians have a key role in explaining Estonia's history.

"This is a battlefield, and on battlefields there are always the fallen, but this is precisely the place to remember those who made that sacrifice. The Blue Hills were never captured — that is the truth. And our schools do not even teach that," said Martin Sööt, board member of the Friends of the Estonian Legion Club.

Riigikogu member Meelis Kiili (Reform), a longtime military officer and member of the Defense League, participated in the memorial event for the first time this year.

"There's a first time for everything. There is no justification for never having come here before. It was probably due to security, political, or foreign policy assessments that have prevented or discouraged active-duty personnel from coming to Sinimäed. That was not right. I believe this is truly a part of our history. We must commemorate it," said Kiili.

Politicians from opposing sides of the Riigikogu were able to speak and lay flowers on Saturday. But no government ministers were present.

"Fortunately, there were people from the coalition side as well, but the government itself is not here, which shows that the government may not see eye to eye with the Riigikogu. It must come to terms with the fact that this is part of our history and part of our struggle for freedom," said Riigikogu Deputy Speaker Arvo Aller (EKRE).

The defensive battles of 1944 delayed the Red Army's advance for several weeks. This allowed thousands of Estonians to flee westward from the Soviet occupation.

The Battle of the Tannenberg Line took place between July 24 and August 10 1944 in north-eastern Estonia around the Blue Hills (Sinimäed). The memorial was built at the turn of the century to commemorate the Estonians involved.

Unlike regular Nazi German troops, the Waffen SS was made up of volunteers from both occupied and unoccupied territories. The Baltic units of the Waffen SS were not war criminals and did not follow Hitler's ideology, a document signed by John J. McCloy, chairman of the U.S. investigative committee in Germany in 1950, found.

Last week, the Internal Security Service said Russian intelligence services were recruiting people for provocations around the commemoration.

 --

Follow ERR News on Facebook, Bluesky and X and never miss an update!