Soomepoisid
Soomepoisid, could be translated as Finnish Boys, is a moniker for Estonian men who instead of being caught and forced to serve the Soviet or German army went to the other side of the Gulf of Finland and joined Finnish army. The moniker got solidified in later Summer of 1944 when the situation in Finland got stabilized and the forthcoming peace treaty with the Soviet Union was on the horizon and the situation in Estonia at Sinimäed and Tartu front required Estonians to be dispatched there. The specifics how soomepoisid got transferred to Estonia in August 1944 requires its own long article as it is as complicated as anything during the war and heavy battles could be.
The reason why Estonians got such moniker at such later phase is simple – first the men had to opt for going to Finland with the goal of joining the army. Also, their prompt return and their role in stabilizing the situation during the Germans retreat and onset of the Red Army made finally into people’s minds as soomepoisid. Nothing in this line is simple but this is simplest short description of becoming soomepoisid.
On 23 August 1939 Stalin and Hitler sign the Molotov- Ribbentrop Pact which divided the spheres of influence. 4 days after the joint victory parade after carving jointly up Poland, on 24 September 1939, Estonian ambassador receives a phone call from Moscow where the message is clear: “Either you accept the Base Agreement and Soviet bases in Estonia within 30 minutes or the Red Army will attack Estonia”. This event took place 66 days before the Winter War began. If Estonia would have opted for the military resistance and fight for independence, the world would have talked about Estonian Autumn War 1939.
When the Winter War began some Estonian men and Estonian Defence Force servicemen went to Finland and joined the Finnish Army between 1939-1940. That wave of soomepoisid was the core for “Erna” reconnaissance group and contributed to the Summer War 1941. Third wave of soomepoisid to Finland was during 1943 conscription by Estonian occupying German army as the occupying forces didn’t have support by the Estonian government in underground.
August 1944 changed everything when the front at Sinimäed hold up and drive of Estonians to go to Estonia and fight for the homeland was immense and the German army gave in with the clause soomepoisid to be transferred wouldn’t have armament on them. That later turns into some very exceptional ways how they got equipment by attacking the fortified Soviet trenches at Tartu front-line. That is another story on their own.
Soomepoisid made the big contribution on stabilizing the situation when the German army retreated and left, and made everything possible to be left, Estonians and soomepoisid to the mercy of the Soviet Army where soomepoisid had armed skirmishes with German police units.
Most fascinating of them all is the fact a Facebook group run by dedicated Estonians have catalogued and made publicly available information on soomepoisid, both the fallen, sent to labour death camps and surviving the Soviet repressions, and living in occupied Estonia, up to the persons who are still alive this day.
We encourage for the factual and correct information about soomepoisid to visit Facebook group “Soomepoisid” despite the fact it’s in Estonian. This is best source of information one could obtain on the subject matter – https://www.facebook.com/soomepoisid/.
