Photos Illustrating How Soviet Explosives Fueled Estonia's Resolve to Build Its Autonomous Nation
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In March 1944, Tallinn was mercilessly pounded by Soviet bombers, obliterating a fourth of the city and transforming Estonia forever. One survivor, Adam Rang, shares his poignant reflections and historic re-creations of the wreckage and restoration of the city he once knew.
The extent of the destruction inflicted upon Tallinn by the March Bombings in 1944 might not be immediately apparent to modern tourists exploring its scenic Old Town. However, as you saunter down the cobblestone streets, you'll stumble upon hints of its haunting past — subtle traces that tell the tale of a heart-wrenching destruction.
These unnoticed clues, such as seemingly muddled pavement patterns on Harju Street, actually serve as melancholic reminders of buildings that once stood proud until the night of March 9, 1944. On this monstrous evening, around a quarter of Tallinn crumbled under the relentless Soviet air raids, leaving behind a trail of destruction in a matter of hours.
Over 300 Soviet bombers were involved in the attack, each focusing their wrath upon residential areas and cultural landmarks, including the Estonia Theatre, a grand church, and a synagogue, plus medical facilities, cinemas, hotels, and more. The raids were preceded by the dropping of flares to ensure the bombers could easily locate their targets, and saboteurs had already, tragically, set explosives at water pumping stations to thwart the work of firefighters.
What resulted can hardly be put into words—more than 600 innocent civilians lost their lives, almost 600 more suffered injuries, and approximately 20,000 were left homeless, triggering a mass exodus from Estonia.
The Estonia Theatre, a significant symbol of Estonian pride and cultural heritage, was completely demolished. The evening of the bombings found the Theatre bustling with life, as the first Estonian ballet, "Kratt," based on age-old Estonian mythology, graced the stage. The terrified performers, still adorned in their devilish costumes, were forced to escape the burning city as the buildings around them crumbled. This surreal scene remains etched into Estonia's collective memory.
Even the majestic St. Nicholas' Church was not spared. The bombardment almost entirely eradicated the Church's beautiful ornamentation, including the pews, pulpit, balconies, and memorial tablets.
The bloody road of the USSR and Nazi cooperation
The trail of bloodshed and destruction began in August 1939, when the USSR and Nazi Germany penned their infamous "non-aggression pact." Far from a simple agreement to coexist, it contained a secret protocol authorizing both powers to jointly wage war against other sovereign European nations, thus marking the beginning of World War II.
The Baltic countries were firmly placed within Soviet influence, leading to their occupation by Soviet troops. Illegitimate annexations followed, and repressive measures were enforced upon local populations, including widespread deportations, mostly targeting women and children. The Nazi war machine, which had collaborated with Soviet forces, eventually turned its weapons upon the Soviet Union, although local populations often found themselves caught in the crossfire, forced to fight against their own family members.
After the Nazi retreat, Estonia reclaimed its independence and hoisted its flag high, hoping for a restoration of its pre-war territorial integrity once the global conflict came to an end.
Yet, the advancing Soviets dismantled the flags of Estonia, resuming their brutal occupation of the country that would last nearly half a century.
Remembered lives, a forgotten story
In a cruel twist, the Soviets initially spread propaganda, dropping leaflets to justify their attacks, assuring citizens that their bombs were targeting military facilities. However, once their reoccupation of Estonia began, any mention of the bombings was swiftly silenced.
Even the graves of the fallen were not left in peace. At Liiva Cemetery, the section dedicated to the victims of the bombings was erased, with new burial sites dedicated to Red Army soldiers.
Despite the cover-up, the memories of the bombings were carried from generation to generation, passed down through Estonian families, subtly woven into Estonian art, literature, and folklore.
A woman is photographed amid the wreckage of Tallinn in 1944, looking up the street towards the remains of St. Nicholas' Church and the destroyed homes that would never be rebuilt for decades. That spot was eventually transformed into the Estonian Writers' Union, which offered a refuge for Estonian writers like Jaan Kross, a young man who, at the time of the bombings, was being persecuted by Nazi occupiers for his support of Estonian independence. Like the rest of his family, he lost his home that horrific night. Under Soviet rule, Kross continued to express his dissent against the occupation, while rising to become one of Estonia's most revered writers.
Today, a statue of Kross gazes out upon the spot that would remain his home, surviving long enough to witness the restoration of Estonia's independence, after which he assisted in writing its new constitution. Kross often addressed themes of state censorship and repression in his stories, with his most celebrated series of novels, "Between Three Plagues," depicting the suffering that the Estonian people endured from the hands of successive empires—the plagues in the story being both literal and symbolic references to various when Estonia struggled against its oppressors.
Legends sprang up surrounding the March bombings, particularly centering around the Estonia Theatre. When the Theatre was eventually reconstructed, trees were planted around it, and locals began to whisper that when the trees reached maturity, Estonia would be liberated from Soviet control.
In truth, the horrors of the bombings were unknown to Estonians at the time, as the details of the so-called Nazi-Soviet Pact were kept a tightly guarded secret for decades. After the Nazis were defeated, the Soviets still based their unjustified occupation of the Baltic countries upon the fraudulent annexations that were conducted with Nazi approval.
The resoluteness that the Soviets intended to break the spirit of a nation ultimately served to fuel its determination to stand tall once more. The same unyielding spirit is evident today in Ukraine, where bombings aimed at civilians and the resurrection of mass deportations have only served to strengthen Ukraine's resolve to stand steadfast as a unified, independent nation. The fire of Tallinn burns once more every March 9 as darkness falls, but these days, the flames are the gentle flicker of hundreds of candles along Harju Street, bearing silent tribute to the fallen and ensuring their memory will never fade.
- Originally published on March 9, 2023
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- Amidst the charming cobblestone streets of Tallinn's Old Town, ghosts of its haphazard past linger, evident in subtly disjointed pavement patterns on Harju Street, remembrances of buildings lost during the March 1944 bombings.
- On March 9, 1944, the city felt the wrath of over 300 Soviet bombers, turning Tallinn's pride, life, and culture upside down, leaving behind a chaotic trail of destruction.
- The bombings claimed the lives of more than 600 innocent civilians, injured nearly 600 more, and left approximately 20,000 homeless, triggering a mass exodus from Estonia.
- The Estonia Theatre, a symbol of Estonian culture and independence, was obliterated during the bombings when the enchanting ballet, "Kratt," was being performed.
- St. Nicholas' Church, a beacon of Estonian heritage, was also reduced to rubble as a result of the bombardment.
- The USSR and Nazi Germany forged a secret "non-aggression pact" in August 1939, leading to the occupation of the Baltic countries, repression of local populations, and widespread deportations targeting women and children.
- After reclaiming its independence, Estonia raised its flag high, hoping for a restoration of its pre-war territorial integrity, but the Soviets crushed these aspirations, resuming their occupation of the country.
- Soviet propaganda initially attempted to justify the bombings as targeting military facilities, but any mention of the bombings quickly fell silent as the Soviets reoccupied Estonia.
- The victims of the bombings were often buried in Liiva Cemetery, but their graves were later erased, with new burial sites dedicated to Red Army soldiers.
- Though the details of the bombings were once buried, their impact lives on in the form of literature, art, and folklore, as well as in the annual commemoration that takes place every March 9 on Harju Street, where candles burn as a tribute to the fallen.
