War in the woods : Estonia's struggle for survival, 1944-1956 / by Mart Laar ; translation by Tiina Ets ; foreword by Tönu Parming.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Laar, M.

Standardized Title:

Sõda Metsas. English

Language:

English

Estonian

Subjects (All):

History.

Autonomy and independence movements.

Estonia--History--Autonomy and independence movements.

Estonia.

Estonia--History--1944-1991.

Physical Description:

272 pages, 24 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Washington, D.C. : Compass Press, 1992.

Summary:

With the Soviet reoccupation after World War II, Estonians faced a choice of submitting to Communist puppets or trying to survive in the traditional refuge of their forests while waiting for help from the West which never came. Those who chose the second course, Estonia's "Forest Brothers," mounted an armed resistance which, for more than a decade, seriously challenged Soviet rule. This is their story, told for the first time by sources within Estonia. This account is drawn from interviews with Forest Brothers who survived and relatives of those who died, and from documents and photographs from Soviet KGB files. It reflects Estonian courage and humor, the faith and sacrifice of a people suppressed, and the indomitable determination of a free nation to regain independence.

Contents:

1. The Tradition: Guerrillas, Partisans, and Mortsuks 1

2. The Soviets Return 23

3. Estonia Under Siege 39

4. The Resistance Takes Form 53

5. Striking Back 77

6. The Armed Resistance League 101

7. In the Forest and the City 129

8. Manhunt 157

9. The Last Stand 175

10. Caught in the KGB Net 207

Epilogue: The Resistance Lived On 221

Appendix A Description of a Bunker: Olaf Tammark 231

Appendix B Bylaws of the Armed Resistance League 239.

Notes:

Translation of: Sõda Metsas.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 257-261) and index.

ISBN:

0929590082

0929590090

OCLC:

25787603