War in the Woods: Estonia's Struggle for Survival 1944-1956

Book Description
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.


Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Estonian


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The battles for freedom fought in the Estonian forests after World War II ended in defeat. The Forest Brothers failed to evict the Soviet invaders and they failed to save their families or even themselves. Yet their spirit ignited the flame of patriotism in the smoldering soul of a later generation and led to the "Singing Revolution" that began in 1988. The desperate, doomed, but uncompromising resistance of the Forest Brothers and those who followed saved the Estonian soul.


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