Mauri Kiudsoo: On October 13, 1949, Paul Randmaa’s Forest Brothers squad captured the commander of the Veriora parish extermination battalion squad.

The 25 to 28 March 1949 deportation of Estonians by the Soviet Union was an event almost seven months ago by 13 October. This was a major deportation, given the impact of the 1944 defence battles at Jaanilinn, Narva, Sinimäed, and Tartu on the population of Estonians, plus Operation “Прибой” (Priboy). In addition to this ethnic cleansing, the activities of NKVD and extermination battalions of the Soviet Union continued to systematically detain and execute Estonians, which was a continuation of the ethnic cleansing in 1941, but now it switched the gear as a result of the occupation of Estonia over the last five years, where no end was seen, and the Soviet Union had the free hands doing on the occupied territories whatever it wanted, that manifested in Estonia by unmarked and uncharted mass graves of ethnically cleansed Estonians between 1945 and 1960. Mauritius Kiudsoo is the first Estonian historian to mention both the secret interrogation houses of the NKVD in southern and south-eastern Estonia and the deliberate ethnic cleansing operations carried out by the NKVD and the extermination battalions against individuals and groups, whose mass graves are not known, not charted, and it is possible that they are mixed with the waste in the industrial areas like coal mining quarries. All we know is that the second period of Soviet occupation was times worse than what happened between 1939 and 1941 and that was the past experience that forced people to flee from everywhere, where in 1944, the Soviet army was approaching in their second attempt to conquer Europe by military offensive operation “GROM”.

The few who remained in the forests and existed on the verge of existential survival still had some capacity to resist and survive despite the systematic action of the NKVD to exterminate them. 13 October 1949 was an extraordinary event not only for Paul Randmaa’s 8-member group of Forest Brothers, but also because of the fact that such a thing as resistance and liquidation to the extermination battalion had been accomplished. Particularly significant is the trait of ethnic Russians, when they lash out their inability to control rage, and this is reflected in very significant details. NKVD Paul Randmaa’s case name “Уроды” (Retards) shows how frustrated the superiors of the NKVD Estonian branch were in inability to catch them. This is a remarkable fact that Mauri Kiudsoo points out. It is also noteworthy to carry out such an action, knowing that the German army did not leave any weapons or ammunition to Estonia and Estonians, and their goal at the retreat of 1944 was not to create a capable Defence Forces of the Republic of Estonia. The members of Paul Randmaa’s group of Forest Brothers were in constant shortages of both weapons and ammunition, and their ability to resist militarily was more a tactic and averting battles. In two weeks, it became painfully evident.

One thing to regret is that Mauri Kiudsoo did not disclose the NKVD Veriora parish extermination battalion squad commander, who was liquidated by Paul Randmaa’s Forest Brothers.

Mauri Kiudsoo:

On October 13, 1949, or 72 years ago at 19.30, Paul Randmaa’s 8-member group of Forest Brothers, for whom the Soviet security kept the operational case “Urody”, finally managed to detain and execute the commander of the Veriora parish extermination battalion. Namely, a car was stopped on one of the forest roads of the parish of Leevi, where by a mistake the comrade was also present as a passenger… to Randmaa’s own death in the bunker battle has left only two weeks …

Paul Randmaa’s anthem in the presentation by Margus Põldsepa.

The picture shows Mustjärv, belonging to the former Veriora parish and now to the village of Nohipalo in Rapina parish, a few kilometers north-east of mentioned Levi village, where the commander of the Veriora extermination battalion was detained and executed on the forest road. Mustajärv is located south of Veriora district and Verioramõisa.