Alfons Rebane
Encyclopedia
Alfons Vilhelm Robert Rebane, known simply as Alfons Rebane (June 24, 1908 – March 8, 1976) was an Estonia
n military commander. He was the most highly decorated Estonian
military officer in the course of the Second World War, serving in various German
military units against the armed forces of the Soviet Union
.
After World War II Rebane joined the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) where he played a key role in assisting the armed resistance
to Soviet rule in Estonia
and other Baltic countries
. He led the Estonian portion of MI6's Operation Jungle
well into the 1950s.
In 1961, Rebane retired from the British intelligence services and moved to Germany
, where stayed until his death in Augsburg
in 1976.
The 1999 reburial of Rebane in Estonia with state honors triggered a number of controversies.
, then part of the Governorate of Livonia of the Russian Empire
. In 1920 Rebane, son of a railway official, attended the Russian secondary school in Narva
. From 1926 to 1929 he attended Tartu University and graduated from the Estonian War College with first class honours. He served as an infantry officer on the armoured train "Captain Irv
" of the 1st Armored Train Regiment as a second lieutenant in 1929. Married in 1931 to Agnia Soomets, they had one daughter Tiiu who died soon afterwards. On Estonian Independence Day on February 24, 1933, Rebane was promoted to first lieutenant. From 1935 to 1939 he served as junior instructor in the Defence League Viljandi County Territorial Regiment, between 1939-1940 in the Lääne County Territorial Regiment. From January to June 1940 Rebane was the Commandant of Lihula
.
in 1941. He established and led an anti-Soviet Forest Brothers
unit in Virumaa
(Northern Estonia) in May 1941.
After Germany
had taken control of Estonia
, he joined the German Wehrmacht
and went on to fight against the Soviets in Northwestern Russia
, subsequently becoming the captain of the 184th Security Battalion, then Major of the Estonian
658th Eastern Battalion
. In February 1944 Major Rebane's unit was transferred to the Narva Front
and attached to the Wehrmacht
's 26th Army Corps on March 2. On April 27, 1944, the unit was released from the Wehrmacht
and Rebane was reluctantly drafted into the newly-formed 20th (Estonian) Division of the Waffen-SS
, eventually becoming colonel of the 47th Waffen-Grenadier Regiment. The Estonian division played a significant role in the Battle of Narva
and the Battle of Emajõgi, holding back the Soviet re-occupation of Estonia until the Soviet Tallinn Offensive, September 1944 while suffering heavy casualties. Rebane's unit was then evacuated to Germany for refitting and saw more action on the Eastern Front
in the spring of 1945. Despite being encircled several times, Rebane was amongst a small group of Estonian soldiers who in the final days of the war evaded capture by the Soviets and managed to reach the western allies
to surrender. Soldiers who fought in units under his command were colloquially referred to as "fox cubs" (Rebane translates to "fox
" in Estonian
). Rebane was nicknamed "Estonian Rommel
" for his leadership and tactical skills.
n Aizsargi
Cross of Merit. In the German army he was awarded the Iron Cross
first and second class, the War Merit Cross with swords
second class, the Eastern Front Medal
, the silver Infantry Assault Badge
and the silver Ostvolk Medal
for bravery. Rebane was also decorated with the silver Close Combat Clasp
, awarded for hand-to-hand fighting by unsupported infantry for a total of 30 days. In February 1944 he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
and in April 1945 he was promoted to Waffen-Standartenführer and awarded the Knight's Cross with Oakleaves
for extreme bravery in the battlefield. Rebane did not receive the award or confirmation of the promotion until 1975. At the end of the war there were some rumours that Rebane had been awarded the Oak Leaves but no official notification reached Rebane at the time. The archives were moved to Great Britain and returned to Germany in 1975. At that time Rebane asked if the rumours held any truth and he was then formally notified that he had been in fact given the award and promoted by the then-Reichspräsident
Karl Dönitz
at the war's end.
and joined the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) as the Estonian expert at the Intelligence School in London. There he played a key role in assisting the armed resistance
to Soviet rule in Estonia
and other Baltic countries
. He led the Estonian portion of MI6's Operation Jungle
well into the 1950s.
In 1961, Rebane retired from the British intelligence services and moved to Germany
, where stayed until his death in Augsburg
in 1976.
after World War II found no evidence confirming the accusations against Colonel Alfons Rebane and his army unit, while in the West during the Nuremberg trials and during his subsequent work for the MI6 and his life in West Germany no charges against Rebane were ever made.
The return and reburial of Rebane's ashes with military honours at a national cemetery during 1999 in Estonia
sparked some controversy. The American Jewish Congress
protested the reburial served as an "indication that fascist ideology is recognized in Estonia". A tombstone to Rebane, unofficially erected in 2004 but unveiled before Pärnumaa District Parliamentarian and former Foreign Minister Trivimi Velliste
, was protested by Russia's Chief Rabbi, Berl Lazar and the Russian Jewish Congress
.
The citations of the Judgement of the Nuremberg Tribunal by the Russian Federation's Permanent Mission to the United Nations
in according criminal responsibility (and thus charges of historical revisionism in Estonia) has been criticized as inaccurate by the EU Presidency. The Nuremberg Tribunal in declaring the Waffen SS a criminal organization explicitly exempted conscripts who had committed no crimes from that judgement, which included the Baltic Waffen-SS divisions. It is mention of this exemption from the Nuremberg judgement that is omitted by the Russia Federation. The US officials have declared the Baltic Waffen SS units not to be hostile to the Government of the United States and the units were "considered as separate and distinct in purpose, ideology, activities and qualification from the regular SS According to Andrew Mollo
, a British authority on the SS: "the Estonian SS were very different from other SS units: Estonia had been occupied by the Red Army in 1940, the Estonians fought for the independence of their country and were brought under the SS umbrella against their will."
The Estonian authorities assert that the Estonian Waffen SS units engaged solely in combat operations at the front to defend Estonia's independence and had nothing to do with punitive operations in the territories occupied by the Nazi Germany. According to the President of Estonia
Toomas Hendrik Ilves
"We are witnesses to the information war
against Estonia which already reminds of an ideological aggression". According to the editor of Virumaa Teataja newspaper Rein Sikk: "Alfons Rebane was a good soldier according to our historians. He was never convicted of war crimes and [the allegations] are just a political game to try to show that Estonia has lots of fascists."
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
n military commander. He was the most highly decorated Estonian
Estonians
Estonians are a Finnic people closely related to the Finns and inhabiting, primarily, the country of Estonia. They speak a Finnic language known as Estonian...
military officer in the course of the Second World War, serving in various German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
military units against the armed forces of the Soviet Union
Soviet Army
The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...
.
After World War II Rebane joined the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) where he played a key role in assisting the armed resistance
Forest Brothers
The Forest Brothers were Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian partisans who waged a guerrilla war against Soviet rule during the Soviet invasion and occupation of the three Baltic states during, and after, World War II...
to Soviet rule in Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
and other Baltic countries
Baltic countries
The term Baltic states refers to the Baltic territories which gained independence from the Russian Empire in the wake of World War I: primarily the contiguous trio of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania ; Finland also fell within the scope of the term after initially gaining independence in the 1920s.The...
. He led the Estonian portion of MI6's Operation Jungle
Operation Jungle
Operation Jungle was a program by the British Secret Intelligence Service early in the Cold War for the clandestine insertion of intelligence and resistance agents into the Baltic states...
well into the 1950s.
In 1961, Rebane retired from the British intelligence services and moved to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, where stayed until his death in Augsburg
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
in 1976.
The 1999 reburial of Rebane in Estonia with state honors triggered a number of controversies.
Early life
Rebane was born in Valga in southern EstoniaEstonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
, then part of the Governorate of Livonia of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. In 1920 Rebane, son of a railway official, attended the Russian secondary school in Narva
Narva
Narva is the third largest city in Estonia. It is located at the eastern extreme point of Estonia, by the Russian border, on the Narva River which drains Lake Peipus.-Early history:...
. From 1926 to 1929 he attended Tartu University and graduated from the Estonian War College with first class honours. He served as an infantry officer on the armoured train "Captain Irv
Anton Irv
Anton Irv was an Estonian military officer during the World War I and Estonian War of Independence. Along with Karl Parts, he was the leader of Estonian armored trains. Anton Irv died in a Battle of Egle in Latvia....
" of the 1st Armored Train Regiment as a second lieutenant in 1929. Married in 1931 to Agnia Soomets, they had one daughter Tiiu who died soon afterwards. On Estonian Independence Day on February 24, 1933, Rebane was promoted to first lieutenant. From 1935 to 1939 he served as junior instructor in the Defence League Viljandi County Territorial Regiment, between 1939-1940 in the Lääne County Territorial Regiment. From January to June 1940 Rebane was the Commandant of Lihula
Lihula
Lihula is a town in Estonia with population of 1,614 . It is a centre of a rural municipality in Lääne County.The castle of Leal was first mentioned in 1211. It was the centre of Diocese Saare-Lääne...
.
World War II
Rebane served as an officer in the Estonian Army until the Soviet troops occupied the country in 1940. The Soviets disbanded and absorbed most of the Estonian Armed Forces and arrested and executed the entire Estonian high command. Many junior officers, such as Rebane, were dismissed due to their lack of "political reliability" and were liable to be deported. For a while, Rebane worked in construction, then fled into the forests when the Soviets began mass deportationsJune deportation
June deportation was the first in the series of mass Soviet deportations of tens of thousands of people from the Baltic states, Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova starting June 14, 1941 that followed the occupation and annexation of the Baltic states. The procedure for deporting the "anti-Soviet...
in 1941. He established and led an anti-Soviet Forest Brothers
Forest Brothers
The Forest Brothers were Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian partisans who waged a guerrilla war against Soviet rule during the Soviet invasion and occupation of the three Baltic states during, and after, World War II...
unit in Virumaa
Virumaa
Virumaa is a former independent county in Ancient Estonia. Now it is divided into Ida-Viru County or Eastern Vironia and Lääne-Viru County or Western Vironia...
(Northern Estonia) in May 1941.
After Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
had taken control of Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
, he joined the German Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
and went on to fight against the Soviets in Northwestern Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, subsequently becoming the captain of the 184th Security Battalion, then Major of the Estonian
Estonian Legion
The Estonian Legion was a military unit within the Combat Support Forces of the Waffen SS Verfügungstruppe during World War II, mainly consisting of Estonian soldiers.-Creation:...
658th Eastern Battalion
658th Eastern Battalion
The 658th Eastern Battalion was an Eastern Front World War II military unit of the Wehrmacht composed of Estonians. It was formed on 23 October 1942 from Estnische Sicherungs-Abteilung 181 by the German 18th Army and fought in Northern Russia...
. In February 1944 Major Rebane's unit was transferred to the Narva Front
Battle of Narva (1944)
The Battle of Narva was a military campaign between the German Army Detachment "Narwa" and the Soviet Leningrad Front fought for possession of the strategically important Narva Isthmus on 2 February – 10 August 1944 during World War II....
and attached to the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
's 26th Army Corps on March 2. On April 27, 1944, the unit was released from the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
and Rebane was reluctantly drafted into the newly-formed 20th (Estonian) Division of the Waffen-SS
Waffen-SS
The Waffen-SS was a multi-ethnic and multi-national military force of the Third Reich. It constituted the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel or SS, an organ of the Nazi Party. The Waffen-SS saw action throughout World War II and grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions, and served alongside...
, eventually becoming colonel of the 47th Waffen-Grenadier Regiment. The Estonian division played a significant role in the Battle of Narva
Battle of Narva (1944)
The Battle of Narva was a military campaign between the German Army Detachment "Narwa" and the Soviet Leningrad Front fought for possession of the strategically important Narva Isthmus on 2 February – 10 August 1944 during World War II....
and the Battle of Emajõgi, holding back the Soviet re-occupation of Estonia until the Soviet Tallinn Offensive, September 1944 while suffering heavy casualties. Rebane's unit was then evacuated to Germany for refitting and saw more action on the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
in the spring of 1945. Despite being encircled several times, Rebane was amongst a small group of Estonian soldiers who in the final days of the war evaded capture by the Soviets and managed to reach the western allies
Allies
In everyday English usage, allies are people, groups, or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out between them...
to surrender. Soldiers who fought in units under his command were colloquially referred to as "fox cubs" (Rebane translates to "fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
" in Estonian
Estonian language
Estonian is the official language of Estonia, spoken by about 1.1 million people in Estonia and tens of thousands in various émigré communities...
). Rebane was nicknamed "Estonian Rommel
Erwin Rommel
Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel , popularly known as the Desert Fox , was a German Field Marshal of World War II. He won the respect of both his own troops and the enemies he fought....
" for his leadership and tactical skills.
Decorations
According to Carlos Caballero Jurado, Nigel Thomas, and Darko Pavlović: Alfons Rebane was "the most decorated and probably the most talented and charismatic Baltic soldier during WWII". Rebane became one of Estonia's most decorated soldiers. During his days in the Estonian Army, he was awarded the Defence League White Cross 3rd Class and the LatviaLatvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
n Aizsargi
Aizsargi
Aizsargi Aizsargi Aizsargi (literally: "Defenders", "Guards" was a paramilitary organization, or a militia, in Latvia during the interbellum period (1918–1939). The Aizsargi was created on March 30, 1919 by the Latvian provisional government as a self-defense force, a kind of national guard,...
Cross of Merit. In the German army he was awarded the Iron Cross
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
first and second class, the War Merit Cross with swords
War Merit Cross
The War Merit Cross was a decoration of Nazi Germany during the Second World War, which could be awarded to civilians as well as military personnel...
second class, the Eastern Front Medal
Eastern Front Medal
The Eastern Front Medal, , more commonly known as the Ostmedaille was instituted on May 26, 1942 to mark service on the German Eastern Front during the period November 15, 1941 to April 15, 1942...
, the silver Infantry Assault Badge
Infantry Assault Badge
The Infantry Assault Badge was a German war badge awarded to Waffen SS and Wehrmacht Heer soldiers during WWII. This decoration was instituted on December 20th 1939 by the Oberstbefehlshaber des Heeres, Generalfeldmarschall von Brauchitsch...
and the silver Ostvolk Medal
Ostvolk Medal
The Ostvolk Medal was a military award in Nazi Germany, bestowed to the personnel from the former Soviet Union . The award was designed by Elmar Lang and existed in two classes: 1st, in gold or silver, and 2nd...
for bravery. Rebane was also decorated with the silver Close Combat Clasp
Close Combat Clasp
The Close Combat Clasp is a German military award instituted on 25 November 1942 for achievement in hand to hand fighting in close quarters. The Close Combat Clasp was worn above the upper left uniform pocket...
, awarded for hand-to-hand fighting by unsupported infantry for a total of 30 days. In February 1944 he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
and in April 1945 he was promoted to Waffen-Standartenführer and awarded the Knight's Cross with Oakleaves
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
for extreme bravery in the battlefield. Rebane did not receive the award or confirmation of the promotion until 1975. At the end of the war there were some rumours that Rebane had been awarded the Oak Leaves but no official notification reached Rebane at the time. The archives were moved to Great Britain and returned to Germany in 1975. At that time Rebane asked if the rumours held any truth and he was then formally notified that he had been in fact given the award and promoted by the then-Reichspräsident
Reichspräsident
The Reichspräsident was the German head of state under the Weimar constitution, which was officially in force from 1919 to 1945. In English he was usually simply referred to as the President of Germany...
Karl Dönitz
Karl Dönitz
Karl Dönitz was a German naval commander during World War II. He started his career in the German Navy during World War I. In 1918, while he was in command of , the submarine was sunk by British forces and Dönitz was taken prisoner...
at the war's end.
Post war
In 1947 Rebane moved to EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and joined the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) as the Estonian expert at the Intelligence School in London. There he played a key role in assisting the armed resistance
Forest Brothers
The Forest Brothers were Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian partisans who waged a guerrilla war against Soviet rule during the Soviet invasion and occupation of the three Baltic states during, and after, World War II...
to Soviet rule in Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
and other Baltic countries
Baltic countries
The term Baltic states refers to the Baltic territories which gained independence from the Russian Empire in the wake of World War I: primarily the contiguous trio of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania ; Finland also fell within the scope of the term after initially gaining independence in the 1920s.The...
. He led the Estonian portion of MI6's Operation Jungle
Operation Jungle
Operation Jungle was a program by the British Secret Intelligence Service early in the Cold War for the clandestine insertion of intelligence and resistance agents into the Baltic states...
well into the 1950s.
In 1961, Rebane retired from the British intelligence services and moved to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, where stayed until his death in Augsburg
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
in 1976.
Controversies
In 1977, Patrice Chairoff and Beate Klarsfeld alleged Rebane was a war criminal. Investigations conducted by the KGBKGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
after World War II found no evidence confirming the accusations against Colonel Alfons Rebane and his army unit, while in the West during the Nuremberg trials and during his subsequent work for the MI6 and his life in West Germany no charges against Rebane were ever made.
The return and reburial of Rebane's ashes with military honours at a national cemetery during 1999 in Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
sparked some controversy. The American Jewish Congress
American Jewish Congress
The American Jewish Congress describes itself as an association of Jewish Americans organized to defend Jewish interests at home and abroad through public policy advocacy, using diplomacy, legislation, and the courts....
protested the reburial served as an "indication that fascist ideology is recognized in Estonia". A tombstone to Rebane, unofficially erected in 2004 but unveiled before Pärnumaa District Parliamentarian and former Foreign Minister Trivimi Velliste
Trivimi Velliste
Trivimi Velliste is an Estonian politician who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1992 to 1994 and as the Estonian Ambassador to the United Nations from 1994 to 1998...
, was protested by Russia's Chief Rabbi, Berl Lazar and the Russian Jewish Congress
Russian Jewish Congress
The Russian Jewish Congress is a non-profit charitable fund and the largest secular organisation of Russian Jews. It was established in 1996 by the initiative group of the Jewish businessmen, active workers and religious figures for revival of the Jewish life in Russia...
.
The citations of the Judgement of the Nuremberg Tribunal by the Russian Federation's Permanent Mission to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
in according criminal responsibility (and thus charges of historical revisionism in Estonia) has been criticized as inaccurate by the EU Presidency. The Nuremberg Tribunal in declaring the Waffen SS a criminal organization explicitly exempted conscripts who had committed no crimes from that judgement, which included the Baltic Waffen-SS divisions. It is mention of this exemption from the Nuremberg judgement that is omitted by the Russia Federation. The US officials have declared the Baltic Waffen SS units not to be hostile to the Government of the United States and the units were "considered as separate and distinct in purpose, ideology, activities and qualification from the regular SS According to Andrew Mollo
Andrew Mollo
Andrew Mollo is a British expert on military uniforms that has led him into a career in motion pictures and as an author of various books on military uniforms...
, a British authority on the SS: "the Estonian SS were very different from other SS units: Estonia had been occupied by the Red Army in 1940, the Estonians fought for the independence of their country and were brought under the SS umbrella against their will."
The Estonian authorities assert that the Estonian Waffen SS units engaged solely in combat operations at the front to defend Estonia's independence and had nothing to do with punitive operations in the territories occupied by the Nazi Germany. According to the President of Estonia
President of Estonia
The President of the Republic is the head of state of the Republic of Estonia.Estonia is a parliamentary republic, therefore President is mainly a symbolic figure and holds no executive power. The President has to suspend his membership in any political party for his term in office...
Toomas Hendrik Ilves
Toomas Hendrik Ilves
Toomas Hendrik Ilves is the fourth and current President of Estonia. He is a former diplomat and journalist, was the leader of the Social Democratic Party in the 1990s and later a member of the European Parliament...
"We are witnesses to the information war
Information warfare
The term Information Warfare is primarily an American concept involving the use and management of information technology in pursuit of a competitive advantage over an opponent...
against Estonia which already reminds of an ideological aggression". According to the editor of Virumaa Teataja newspaper Rein Sikk: "Alfons Rebane was a good soldier according to our historians. He was never convicted of war crimes and [the allegations] are just a political game to try to show that Estonia has lots of fascists."
Awards
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak LeavesKnight's Cross of the Iron CrossThe Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
- Knight's Cross on 23 February 1944 as Major and commander of the Estonian voluntary battalion 658
- 875th Oak Leaves on 9 May 1945 as ObersturmbannführerObersturmbannführerObersturmbannführer was a paramilitary Nazi Party rank used by both the SA and the SS. It was created in May 1933 to fill the need for an additional field grade officer rank above Sturmbannführer as the SA expanded. It became an SS rank at the same time...
and commander of Waffen-Grenadier-Regiment of the SS 46
See also
- Harald RiipaluHarald RiipaluHarald Riipalu was an Estonian military commander and one of four commanders who earned the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross when fighting in the German army in World War II.-Early life:Harald Riipalu was born in Saint Petersburg where his family was lessee in a manor...
- Paul MaitlaPaul MaitlaPaul Maitla was an Estonian military commander. He is one of the four Estonian soldiers who received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross...
- Harald NugiseksHarald NugiseksHarald Nugiseks is a former SS-Unterscharführer in World War II, who served voluntarily in the 20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS of the Waffen SS. Nugiseks is also one of the four Estonian soldiers who received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.Nugiseks was born in Särevere, Järvamaa,...
- Hando RuusHando RuusHando Ruus was an Estonian SS-Hauptsturmführer in World War II, serving in Battalion "Narva" and in the 20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS...
- Alfrēds RiekstiņšAlfreds RiekstinšAlfrēds Riekstiņš was a soldier of the Latvian Legion who later collaborated with British Intelligence to fight the Soviet Union.Alfrēds Riekstiņš was born in Matkule, Tukuma County, Latvia.- Occupation and war :...