Johannes Sodla ( Est. Johannes Soodla , January 14, 1897 , Palamus , Russian Empire - May 16, 1965 , Goslar , Germany ) - Estonian military leader, participant in the First World War and the Liberation War, during the German occupation of Estonia during during World War II - collaborator, brigadefuhrer SS.
| Johannes Soodla | ||||||||
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| Johannes Soodla | ||||||||
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| Affiliation |  Russian empire Estonia Germany | |||||||
| Years of service | 1916 - 1917 1918 - 1941 1941 - 1945 | |||||||
| Rank | Colonel Brigadeführer | |||||||
| Commanded | " Self-Defense " (1941-1944) SS 20th Grenadier Division (1st Estonian) (1943-1945) | |||||||
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Content
Biography
He was born on January 14, 1897 in the farm of Kudin of the Livonia province (now Palamus parish). In 1916 he was mobilized into the Russian Imperial Army and sent to the ensign school in Gatchina . He fought in the Russian army during the First World War . He was awarded the St. George Cross 4th degree with a laurel branch .
During the Liberation War, Soodla fought in the guerrilla battalion of Julius Kuperyanov as a lieutenant and served as company commander. He took command of the battalion after the death of Kuperyanov [1] . After the war he was awarded the Cross of Liberty .
From 1920 to 1940 he served in the Estonian army. In 1940 he headed the military school in Tondi with the rank of colonel [2] . After Estonia was included in the Soviet Union , he was dismissed from the army on January 1, 1941 and emigrated to Germany. He returned in 1941 after the occupation of Estonia by the Wehrmacht.
In the puppet Estonian self-government created by the Germans, he headed the police and organization Omakaitse . He was promoted to Oberführer, then Brigadeführer [3] . The only Estonian who received the rank of general in the SS. In May 1943 he led the 3rd Estonian SS Volunteer Brigade . Subsequently, the brigade was transformed into the 20th SS Grenadier Division . Soodla served as chief inspector of Estonian troops in the Wehrmacht. In September 1944, Soodla was awarded the German command of the Iron Cross, class 2 [4] .
Together with the retreating Wehrmacht troops fled to Germany, where he surrendered to the Americans. He lived after the war in Germany, Italy ( Trieste ) and the USA ( Glendale , California ). According to the writer Richard Raschke , During his stay in Italy, Soodla worked for the CIA [4] .
He died in Germany in 1965.
War Crimes
The Estonian International Commission for the Investigation of Crimes against Humanity has concluded that, by virtue of his position, Soodla is jointly and severally liable with the German authorities regarding the criminal acts of his subordinates carried out in Estonia and abroad [5] . In particular, it was established that Omakaitse members and Estonian police officers subordinate to Soodl were involved in the genocide of Jews in Estonia and Belarus, while the Estonian SS volunteer brigade carried out punitive operations in the Leningrad Region .
In 1961, the USSR demanded that the United States deport and extradite Soodl. However, the bureaucratic process dragged on until his death [4] .
Notes
- ↑ Paju veristel väljadel unopened (inaccessible link) . Date of treatment May 24, 2015. Archived on May 25, 2015.
- ↑ Peeter Vares. On the scales: Estonia and the Soviet Union. - Tallinn: Eurouniversity, 1999. - ISBN 9985-9209-1-0
- ↑ Estonians trapped in stereotypes: Collaborator or victim? (II ) . Estonian World Review (2005). Date of appeal May 16, 2015.
- ↑ 1 2 3 Richard Rashke. Useful Enemies: America's Open-Door Policy for Nazi War Criminals. - Open Road Media, 2013 .-- P. 202. - 640 p. - ISBN 9781480401594 .
- ↑ Reports of the Estonian International Commission for the Investigation of Crimes against Humanity. Stage II - The occupation of Estonia by Germany 1941-1944 . - Tartu, 2005.
Literature
- Rauno Võsaste. Johannes Soodla VR II / 2, II / 3 Relva-SSi kindral. - Tallin: GRENADER GRUPP, 2013 .-- 425 p. - ISBN 9789949512102 .