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Hi Corey,
About 6-7 years ago my aunt wrote a short mostly autobiographical article for the Vaba Eesti Sõna for mother's day. [It may have been for the 50th anniversary of leaving Estonia.] I am sure others have done likewise. If you read Estonian you might want to check their real archives somewhere, [the internet ones are only the last couple of years]. I have translated parts of it for my non-Estonian fluent kids. I will post the first part which gives a flavor of the times. The time is autumn 1944. The people -- a grandmother, her two daughters [one late-term pregnant], and two grandchildren. The narration by the not pregnant daughter.
Vaba Eesti Sõna, May between 1994 - 1996
Kolm Ema/The Three Mothers
by Ella Vaher Laaman
<<They had never expected to leave their homland. But after the devasting bombing of Tallinn on the nineth of March, they were evacuated. First to Hiiu, then they went to Save, then Ambla and finally during the summer to Saaremaa. By fall, they were on the southern part of Sõrve peninsula and here they had intended to wait -- even unto death -- for the war to end. There was no going back now. The Russians now occupied not just Tallinn, but all of the mainland and even most of Saaremaa. Only the Sõrve peninsula remained under German control.
But late last evening, a German currier had come to the farm and infromed everyone that the Germans intended to hold Sõrve for seven more weeks. As refugees they could not stay for seven weeks on this farm. The currier also informed them they could "volunteer" to be evacuated to Latvia by returning German supply ferry, and from there maybe a coastal steamer to Königsberg and then a refugee camp.
What to do? What to do? Surely most of the local farmers would not opt to be evacuated. Maybe somewhere in the woods, one could hide a few days and then find shelter on another farm. And maybe even three city girls from the capital could join with the locals -- especially considering how forthcoming they had been thus far. And probably, it could be done even with the two small children -- one only a year and a half, the other already two and a half. Yes, they would have to be held day and night so they would be quiet and that no one would see or hear them ... but what to do about the third little one, the third one that was not yet born. Where could he be birthed -- quietly, possibly in late October or even mid November.
And with that, it was decided -- they had to leave.>>
This is followed by short introspections on the parts of the three women, my grandmother, mother and aunt and the remembrance of the actual depatrure. [Parts that I am still translating.]
Regards,
Arvo
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