We Were Estonian Soldiers

These are the stories of five Estonian officers who were classmates at the Estonian Military Technical Academy during the years of 1936 thru 1940. Their detailed memoirs start with the Soviet occupation of Estonia and the outbreak of World War II. All were commissioned 2nd lieutenants upon graduation from the Academy in 1940 and then were immediately incorporated into the Soviet Red Army. When Germany attacked the USSR, all five deserted and fought alongside the Germans on the Eastern Front with the sole purpose of keeping the Soviets out of Estonia. Fate allowed all of them to escape to the West, and Carl Orav, the son of one of the Estonian officers, has translated and edited their stories.