80th Anniversary of Great Escape - Pärnu Memorial

80th Anniversary of Great Escape - Pärnu Memorial (1)

Eestlased Kanadas | 15 Mar 2024 | EWR OnlineEesti Elu

More than 90,000 Estonians escaped from Soviet occupation in 1944. It is estimated that between 6% and 7% of refugees (5,000) were lost at sea, either due to torpedoes, sea mines or weather, or in later bombings in Berlin, Dresden, Leipzig, etc. Given the number of deaths on Moero (2,000), Nordstern (500) and RO22 (100) which were torpedoed, as well as the countless boats that sank due to storms in the Baltic Sea, the estimated number of Estonians killed may be underestimated.

• Sweden had 28,369 Estonian refugees

• Germany: 42,000 Estonians in DP camps, an additional 10,000 Estonians lived in Germany outside the DP camps (this included Estonian forced laborers, that worked in German factories since 1942)

• Austria: 1,500 Estonians in DP camps

• Estonian refugees in Denmark, England, Holland and other countries

• According to Soviet data about 21,000 Estonian refugees who returned to Estonia, which includes about 6,000 Estonian soldiers, who were returned from Czechoslovakia in May 1945, the medical staff returned by France and those who were overrun by the advancing Soviet army or landed in DP camps in the Soviet zones.

Although everyone shared a common heartache "I don't want to go, but I can't stay", yet every refugee has their own story.

“It was cold and dark. My family was part of a group, who gathered quickly that night in thick winter clothes, the little ones held in their mother’s arms, others with knapsacks and bags, we hid in silence in a truck. The road led from the city of Pärnu towards Tõstamaa, where a 9-meter boat secretly built in a fishing village was waiting in the forest. The city of Pärnu was burning, a beautiful new arch bridge was destroyed. As the Germans retreated, the Russian troops attacked. The boat was pushed into the sea and pointed towards the island of Gotland. Danger was in the sky and in the water. Planes, submarines attacked the refugee boats crashing in the waves.” (Kristi Vuht Allpere)

This was 80 years ago – the “Mass Flight 1944” or the Great Escape.

Most families were affected by this mass escape. Families were scattered around the world— thousands lost their lives— families mourned their loss of home, family, friends and all that remained behind. This was the Mass Flight, a bittersweet great escape. It was not an easy choice. You didn't want to go, but you couldn't stay.

“Mass Flight 1944” committee at ÜEKNi (Ülemaailmne Eesti Kesknõukogu) has diligently worked to commemorate this tragic event. During the Soviet occupation the Mass Flight was not commemorated or mentioned as a historical event. It was generally not discussed even in private homes. Moreover, even the younger generation abroad need to be reminded that this was a tragic event for both families and the Estonian people, and that they should value their freedom and opportunities, as they came with a heavy price.

The committee has organized events in Estonia to commemorate the Mass Flight. Hence a number of gatherings and events are scheduled to occur in September 2024 in Estonia and abroad to mark the 80th anniversary.

Pärnu memorial to commemorate the Mass Flight 1944

Committee work is voluntary, but financial support is needed to fund the creation of a Memorial in Pärnu. The City of Pärnu has granted land in the park by Pärnu river where many of the boats filled with refugees started their trip across the Baltic. The memorial is dedicated to all Estonians who suffered during the Mass Flight. The Estonian sculptor Elo Liiv has designed a deeply symbolic and emotional memorial that was approved by both the city and the committee. The memorial is called the "touch"— farewell - the moment when the fingertips of the departing still touch the fingers of those who stayed behind.

“According to Liiv, the idea for the monument came from listening to stories and reading memoirs to find a motive that would symbolize the moment of departure, when those who remained did not know whether the people dear to them would arrive safely or what their lives would be like, while those who reluctantly left experienced heartache. Thus, two hands mark a difficult moment of parting, which is not an ordinary farewell, but a charged moment when the fingertips of those who leave still touch the hands of those who remain – a longing in the fingertips and in the heart, and for many, the last moment of being together. Hands are like the sea, fate, divine protection or defenselessness, lines in the palm of the hand are like lines of fate. In the palm of the hand are boats in waves, which are created by visible folds in the palm. Also, the hands mark the receivers on the other side of the Baltic Sea. The monument, which is nearly four metres wide and 1.6 metres high, will be made of aluminium and will be located on a granite or concrete base.” (Eno-Gerrit Link, Pärnu Postimees)[/i]

The Memorial is budgeted to cost 60,000 Euros ([i]circa $87,745 CAD or $65,000 USD). This cost includes the design, preparation and placement of the memorial. The opening of the memorial is scheduled for September 21, 2024, with additional events in Pärnu. You are most welcome to participate! This monument to the Mass Flight 1944 is the first permanent memorial to be organized and paid for by expatriate Estonians.

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