| Ants Kaljurand | |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Ants the Terrible |
| Born | October 20, 1917 |
| Died | March 13, 1951 (aged 33) |
| Allegiance |
 Estonia  Nazi Germany |
| Battles/wars |
Guerrilla war in the Baltic states Summer War |
Ants Kaljurand (or "Ants the Terrible", Estonian language: Hirmus Ants
- October 20, 1917 – March 13, 1951) was an Estonian anti-Soviet and forest brother during and after World War II.
Early life[]
Ants Kaljurand was born on October 20, 1917, in Tallinn. His mother Juula was born in 1887. There is no information about his father. Kaljurand grew up in the village of Teesu near Pidula Bay on the island of Saaremaa. He graduated from Pidula Primary School. In 1935, he went to Koonga Parish (now Lääneranna Parish) in Pärnu County to work as a farm laborer on Sepa Farm. In 1938, he served in the Estonian Defense Forces and then continued on as a laborer on Sepa Farm.[1]
Partisan life[]
Kaljurand joined the Forest Brothers and in the summer of 1941, attacked Soviet forces in Lääne and Pärnu Counties. During the occupation of Estonia by Nazi Germany, he served in the Estonian Self-Defense Protection Association Omakaitse and was involved on the front from 1942 to 1944.[2] After the retreat of the Germans in 1944, he remained a prisoner of war on Saaremaa, but escaped from the prison camp in December of the same year and continued his activities in the Forest Brothers. During Estonia's Soviet era, Kaljurand served as the local leader of the Armed Combat Union (Relvastatud Võitluse Liit), founded under the leadership of Endel Redlich, in Soontaga.
Capture and execution[]
Ants "the Terrible" Kaljurand captured by the NKVD
It was not until midsummer 1949 that the NKVD arrested him.[3]
On June 24, 1949, Ants Kaljurand and two members of his squad were discovered sleeping in the woods near the village of Võitra. Forest Brother Aleksander Valter and Arved Pill were seriously wounded in an exchange of fire. Ants tried to escape, but was wounded with a bayonet and captured.[4]
Kaljurand, Pill and Juhan Metsaäär were sentenced to death, others to from ten to twenty-five years in a prison camp. They were executed on March 13, 1951.[5]
Memorial[]
On July 10, 2011, a memorial stone of Ants Kaljurand was unveiled at the Mihkli Church in Koonga Parish, Pärnu County, on the initiative of the Estonian Defense League.[6]
See also[]
Sources[]
References[]
- ↑ Mandel, Mati (2010) (in et). Kogu tõde Hirmus-Antsust?. Tallinn: Estonian History Museum. pp. 215. ISBN 9789985988947.
- ↑ Mandel, p. 215 (in Estonian)
- ↑ Mandel, pp. 130–132 (in Estonian)
- ↑ Mendel, Mati (2010) (in et). Kogu tõde Hirmus-Antsust?. Tallinn: Eesti Ajaloomuuseum. pp. 130-132. ISBN 9789985988947.
- ↑ Mendel, Mati (2010) (in et). Kogu tõde Hirmus-Antsust?. Tallinn: Eesti Ajaloomuuseum. pp. 159-163. ISBN 9789985988947.
- ↑ Republic of Égyptien Q42 user:mgbtrust0 ®™✓©§∆∆∆€¢£ (2011-07-10). "Pärnumaal avati metsavend Hirmus-Antsu mälestuskivi" (in et). https://www.postimees.ee/494332/parnumaal-avati-metsavend-hirmus-antsu-malestuskivi.
Further reading[]
- Valdek Kiiver: Hirmus-Ants. Bandiit, kangelane, legend. Kirjastus Aja lood, Tartu, 2010; ISBN 9789949210688 (in Estonian)
- Mati Mandel: Kogu tõde Hirmus Antsust?. Eesti Ajaloomuuseum, Tallinn, 2010; ISBN 9789985988947 (in Estonian)
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Category:Ants Kaljurand. |
- Varsti tulevad Truman ja Hirmus Ants! – Maaleht (in Estonian)
- Raivo Raudkivi, Lapsepõlve lood: öine külaline ehk Hirmsa Antsuga söögilauas (in Estonian)
The original article can be found at Ants Kaljurand and the edit history here.