Ülo Jõgi: Birth of the ERNA-organization and its operations in 1941

In 1939 and 1940 young men escaped from Estonia to Finland to join the Finnish army as volunteers and fight against the Soviet aggression. However, young men who left to Finland at the beginning of the year 1941 did not have this motivation. The occupational power started to show its ruthlessness. In Estonia a total psychological and physical attack was launched against all democratic and independent ideas. Communists turned upside down everything, related to our independence and love for freedom. Instantly white had become black and vice versa. Our people, who had been taught to love their fatherland and if necessary, fight for our independence, did not understand all this. However, we were not given the opportunity to fight as according to the agreements between Estonia and the Soviet Union we had to give up any resistance and even worse, all weapons had to be waived to the soviet authorities. Massive arrests gave rise to underground opposition.

Young Estonian men in Finland

Young people who had decided to escape to Finland were affected by all these factors. Some were afraid if detention, others feared the unpleasant situation. They were idealists, hoping that somehow they might be able to fight for our independence in a foreign country more successfully than in Estonia.
The winter of 1940/1941 was very cold, ice was strong and about twenty young men, students and schoolboys used this way for escaping. In the same period there were already definite signs that it was only the matter of time, when Germany would attack the Soviet Union. Although the Finns had only just lost the Winter War, with massive number of casualties, they had still managed to maintain their independence. They wanted to win back East-Karelia and now there was an opportunity to co-operate with Germans and join this military operation. Simultaneously, the Estonians, living in Finland, major Kristjan and mister Vellner decided that the time was ripe to make an agreement with the Finns and train the newly arrived young men to become radio telegraphers, who could be sent to Estonia with a recce task if need be. On consent of the Finnish General Headquarters and with direct assistance of major Hallamaa, chief of the Finnish radio reconnaissance, the training of these young men started. Their instructors were Finnish officers and NCOs and secretly the training took place in the region of Espoo on an island of Staffani in spring 1941. There were 15 of us and from this moment we belonged to the Finnish Army. For the purposes of conspiracy we did not wear the Finnish uniform then and communication with local people was not recommended.

A Row about the Oath

On June 22 Germans declared war on the Soviet Union. By that time we were ready to be used as radio operators where necessary. Finland’s entering the war was only a matter of days and all Estonians, living in Finland were being assembled in Helsinki in order to establish a voluntary unit for going to Estonia. Those trained on the island of Staffani were given the Finnish uniform and they started practical exercises to test their theoretical knowledge. This meant using miniature, portable radio stations on terrain.
On the first days of July those, who had got special training on the Island of Staffani were joined with Estonian volunteers, conducting military exercises in Munkkiniemi. On July 24 we all gave an oath in the yard of a schoolhouse there. It appeared that Germans called the whole group “Erna” and two German liaison officers oberleutnant Reinhardt and Sonderführer Schwarze had also joined the group. Commander of the group was colonel Henn Ants Kurg and already before giving an oath we had the first conflict with the Germans. They wanted us to pledge allegiance to Führer, but our Kurg refused to have our volunteers swear such an oath. We were not Germans, we were Estonian volunteers, ready to co-operate, but without any commitments to Hitler. After lots of disputes an agreement was reached that being in the service of the Finnish army, we shall give the oath of loyalty to Finland. Thus we managed to avoid the unacceptable status of a German soldier. 15 specially trained men and 52 volunteers from all over the country participated in this ceremony. There were two attorneys, one commercial director, police and civil officials, teachers, military people, fishermen, students and representatives of several other professions, their age ranged from sixteen to fifty-seven. As regards officers, in addition to col. Kurg we had major Hindpere, lieutenant Lossman and ensign Grau.

A Vague Period

At the beginning of July the whole "Erna" group was sent to the Island of Pirtti. Thinking back it seems that the course of their operation was not completely decided yet. There were too many new versions. At the headquarters of the Cellarius group located by the German Embassy in Helsinki and subject to the German Reconnaissance Board different plans had been devised for deploying this unit to Estonia. The commander of the operation was supposed to be Oberleutnant Reinhardt and colonel Kurg would be his subordinate. This would have been a paradox that a high-ranking officer had to be a subordinate to a lower ranking officer especially for conducting such a complicated operation in a foreign country and among foreign people. But this is common for large countries to distrust a foreigner and trust only their own people. However in this particular case the decision was made in Finland and concerned men, who belonged to the Finnish armed forces as volunteers. It was a direct responsibility of the Finnish relevant authorities to a send the men across the Gulf of Finland and it was up to them to decide how and by what means this would be done. Another question was where and when should this unit be used. It was a fact that the men had very poor weapons. Approximately twenty outdated machine guns, each man had a FN pistol, caliber 7.65, hand grenades, explosives, radio stations and receivers. Evidently this was not a combat unit. However it could have been used as a primitive Finnish-type guerilla unit with the main task to gather recce information and disturb the enemy’s rear areas if possible.

Decision for the Assault Landing

It was decided to send the whole unit to Estonia as an assault landing. But there was no unanimity in how to do it. Exercises were conducted in disembarkation from baywatch ships to boats, landing in boats and moving forward on terrain, but this was all.
One day something happened, which brought excitement to our routine life. The Red Army’s floatplane MBR-2 had been forced to land near the Finnish coast and the Finns agreed to give it to our disposal. A pilot by the name of Grauen was also a member of the Erna group. Immediately a new version of the assault landing propped up. The floatplane had to take a small number of well-armed men to the Lake of Kahala, from there they would move forward to the coast and build a bridgehead for the assault landing.
This was the plan, but when Grauen attempted to fly the plane, it did not take off from the water surface, although all unnecessary things were thrown out and the number of those on board was reduced. Still the plane did not take off. The general opinion was that the plane was not in complete working order and so we had to give up this version.
Many years later, when I met Grauen, he admitted that he had considered the plan too audacious and doomed to fail, thus he had not even tried to take the plane off. He might have been right. However my first participation in an airborne assault was a failure.
Days passed by on the island of Pirtti and we only heard about successful operations of the German army everywhere, including in Estonia. The men were glum and a question arose, why we should go there, if the enemy had already been edged out.
The next plan was as follows: we were supposed to use three types of vessels for the assault landing. First two small fast boats, accommodating three to four men had to sail. They were supposed to land first in the Bay of Kolga, close to the village of Salmistu and form a bridgehead. At the same time three usual, slow fishing boats had to arrive there, taking to the coast the main group, which had arrived in four Finnish baywatch ships.
As different vessels had different speeds the fishing boats had to start first, followed by small fast boats and finally the baywatch motor ships VMV-17. Oberleutnant Reinhardt commanded fast boats, five members of the Erna group were located in each of the fishing boats and remaining 38 men, including all four officers were on baywatch ships.

Confusion at Sea

On July 9 the conditions seemed to be suitable, the weather was quiet, giving us hope that landing would not cause any problems. At 2200 hours when the first groups had already started, captain Karring, commander of the improvised fleet informed that a big fleet had just started from the raid of Tallinn in the direction of Kronstadt. Still, captain Karring and other officers decided that by the time our ships reach the Estonian coastline the fleet should already have passed the place where the assault landing had been planned.
This was only an assumption. In reality when two first groups approached the Estonian coast they got between the convoy ships of this fleet, because the convoy also included the dry dock of Tallinn, moving much slower than they had expected. The convoy’s escort ships were patrolling on sea and floatboats in the air, thus there was no hope we could get through unnoticed and both groups decided to turn back to Finland separately.
Baywatch ships arrived at the agreed area just when the last convoy ships were passing. They were noticed, but under smoke screen they still managed to get to the meeting place. But neither men nor boats waited there. Fortunately they had lifeboats on board, which they could use for landing.

Landing

As a nice surprise, the enemy did not notice their arrival. They left the boats on the beach and marched towards inland as fast as they could. The problem was that colonel Kurg did not have any maps to direct their movement. Oberleutnant Reinhardt had all maps, but he was nowhere to be found. However, some men knew the surroundings.
They crossed Tsitre road and continued in the direction of Narva road, where large forests started. There was no direct danger.
They met the first guerillas, the so-called “forest brothers”, who helped them to get food and have a rest in the farms, where they had been hiding. In the dusk they had to move forward to Mustjõe, where they stopped for rest. The only ones who did not have time for a rest were radio operators. Communication with the center was good and it appeared that Oberleutnant Reinhardt and the others had turned back to Finland. They announced that the men who had lagged behind should attempt a new landing on July 13 on the coast of Rutja.
As the first day in Estonia had been exhausting, the men could rest and treat their feet while waiting for fresh information. In the evening one of the patrollers came back running and announced that a fighter unit of approximately 200 men and a couple of APCs had deployed from their base to conduct raids in this area. The managed to escape their pursuers by a short forced march and thanks to local farmers everybody got hot dinner.
Further Colonel Kurg had planned to move towards the village of Anna to observe traffic on Tartu road.

Rutja assault landing fails

In Finland, on the island of Pirtti preparations were made for the next assault landing to the beach of Rutja. This time the men who had to form the bridgehead were on three fast boats. The rest of the men were on one baywatch boat and escorted by two baywatch ships. Although they had already noticed the dark coastline and everybody was ready to land soon, this operation was not a success either.
We saw light flashing in front and cannon shells flew across our heads and exploded in water, close to the guarding ships. As the enemy had discovered us we made a U-turn back to Finland and had to return to our main base again, disappointed.
According to a Leningrad radio broadcast on July 14 the crusader Artjom had destroyed Fascist boats, which were attempting an assault landing near Rutja. Officers and sailors were rewarded for this “heroic” deed.
The first battle
On July 15 colonel Kurg and his group moved forward towards Viskla, the recce group, sent in advance moved towards Ravila, where they came across the enemy motor transport column. A battle broke out and the first member of Erna group was killed and two were wounded. Chairman of the war tribunal and other functionaries were in he attacked motor transport column. They were on their way to Ardu to judge imprisoned persons there. Because of this battle the tribunal did not take place as the functionaries were killed in the battle.
The main group was impatiently waiting for the recce group to return, as the agreed returning time had passed long ago. They arrived only late at night and reported of the events.
As raids could be expected everywhere in the neighbourhood very soon, they had to disappear fast. It was raining heavily, their clothes were wet and the men needed rest and food. On July 16 they stopped at a narrow path in the forest but at night machine guns opened fire at the camp, grenades exploded and a battle broke out. They still had to escape fast to get rid of their pursuers.

To Kautla!

The whole group except for two radio operators assembled to a remote bog to offer resistance. Despite of the sudden attack the radio operators did not leave the radio station behind, it took some time to disassemble it. The main group broke loose of the raiders and moved forward to the region of Paunküla, where they met local “forest brothers”, who recommended them to move to the bog island of Kautla, where lieutenant Jaanhold, who had escaped from the Red Army’s cavalry unit in Tapa, was already waiting with his men. The men had just arrived there with their horses and complete battle equipment to fight against communists with other Estonians.
Most of the men arrived at Kautla on July 17, but radio operators arrived two days later, after having wandered around in the forest.
As Oberleutnant Reinhardt and other members of the Erna group still did not know what was going to happen to them, colonel Kurg had the power to act at his own discretion and not to wait for the arrival of the high-ranking German commander.
Information about the landing of Erna in Estonia spread like forest fire near and far. The nervous propaganda of the Russians, calling for the Estonian people in an original communist jargon to destroy the white Finnish snakes, who have arrived from Finland and put their scabby snout in the flower garden of the Soviet Estonia contributed to the spreading rumours.
The next days in Kautla were busy. Men came from near and far in groups and individually and wished to join the Erna group. Besides representatives of other groups arrived, willing to agree about future co-operation and possibilities of communication.
At the same time those who were in Finland understood that the enemy is upset and new assault landing would not be reasonable. Due to radio communication it appeared that there were enough men in Estonia, who were willing to fight, if only provided with more weapons and other equipment. Thus it was not necessary to increase the number of Erna-members in Kautla. It was more important to send men to other regions of Estonia with a separate recce task. Besides, most of the trained radio operators were still in Helsinki.

Arrivals in twos

Then they decided to start sending couples of men with radio stations and parachutes to Estonia. Only one man had parachute-jumped before, but that was not a problem because everyone wanted to arrive in his homeland before Russians were edged out.
So they started to take men in couples on the German light bomber Luftwaffe He-111 to the enemy rear area. Two first couples started off on July 21. One had to go to Kohtla-Järve, the other to Kautla. They were instructed for some minutes how to land in the forest and that was it. Besides we were asked if we agreed to jump, as this was the volunteers’ decision.
And so we started off in pairs, often carrying containers with weapons, cartridges, spare parts for means of communication and first aid kits. When the first couple had jumped, the next was waiting for its turn until we landed at Malmi airport in Helsinki. In the surroundings of Kohtla-Järve we got antiaircraft fire and later the pilots lost orientation and could not find Kautla.

Our day

But all this did not disturb us any more. The next day was our term. Everything went fine. On the morning of July 23 we were on the island of Kautla and reported to colonel Kurg about our arrival. He commanded us to move to the hills of Neeruti to observe the HQ of the 8th army, accommodated in the manor of Porkuni.
On July 26 a man jumped with a container of hand grenades and machine gun magazines in the surroundings of Kautla, but landed approximately twenty kilometers northeast in the yard of a chairman of the executive committee.
On July 27 a couple had to jump near Tallinn, but they got near Viitna. The other couple had to jump into the region of Rapla and by a miracle they got there.
On July 28 one couple carrying bandages and ammunition jumped more or less in the surroundings of Kautla and on the same day the last 15 men with Oberleutnant Reinhardt and lieutenant Marnot from Tartu jumped from Junkers. This last group finished landing and sending equipment by air as already on July 31 the German Wehrmacht banned sending weapons to Estonia.
About 1500 runaways were in the surroundings of Kautla, but only 200-300 men had some kind of a weapon. Our radio operators, who had been sent to different groups, (one couple to Hirvelaane battalion, the other to colonel Leithammer in Mahtra) informed us about large guerilla (“forest brothers”) groups who applied only for ammunition and weapons. If Estonians had had enough weapons and ammo, the Germans share in liberating Estonia would have been tiny, as Russians had not yet recovered from their first panic escape.

In action

But this did not suit Germany. Unfortunately even those containers, which had been sent to us before, often tore loose from the parachutes and were never found. Also the pilots’ power to find way above the Estonian terrain, covered with forest, were quite poor. Besides sending daily notices about the movement of enemy forces, the men launched some surprise attacks, e.g. in the center of Albu rural parish against the fighter battalion soldiers, who had rudely burned down a farm with a family.
The Red Army had noticed our active operations in the surroundings of Kautla. All recce data in the neighborhood confirmed that major units are assembling round the bog of Kautla. More and more enemy agents tried to penetrate into the “forest brothers”. These circumstances forced us to increase general alert. Ardu–Järva-Madise road was blocked by trees and the bridge was mined with the order to explode it as soon as the enemy appears.

Attack of Fighter Battalions

On July 31 the enemy’s regular army units, fighter battalions and the Latvian communists altogether1100 men, encircled the area and the forests were searched. We could not avoid battle as two platoons of the main Erna group had gone to look for weapons, sent by parachutes and it was impossible to call them back. Therefore colonel Kurg gave an order to those parachutists who had arrived only two days ago, had better weapons and had had more rest to stand on a defence position approximately a kilometer from the camp and delay the enemy in order to gain time to take children and women out from the enemy’s grasp and liquidate the camp.
Major Hindpere arranged front and flank defence to lead the column of armed “forest brothers” to the west when we heard battle noise from the location of our parachutists. The battle lasted for more than half an hour, then the fire subdued and all was quiet. In a little time we heard the noise of vehicles again and then the enemy’s heavy machine guns restarted. Light weapons of our men responded. Grenades exploded endlessly. The enemy fire became fiercer, but ours was going to subdue slowly as ammunition was finishing and we did not have any supplies. Some single bursts of the submachine gun and all was quiet.
Soon sweating and dirty men arrived, their only weapon being a Finnish army knife. Not a single round or hand grenade. Two had been killed on the battlefield and one seriously wounded had been taken to a remote farm. During the battle colonel Kurg had sent reinforcements, but they had been late and had not managed to do much.

A long escape

We were waiting for the enemy to approach, when we heard shooting from Kautla farm. The fighter battalion had quickly conquered the farm and killed its inhabitants. At 1700 hours the Erna main group and men who had joined them managed to assemble again and start moving to the west through forests, which had already been searched. Many men were missing; they were on patrol or had to stop the enemy on different locations. But we could not wait any more.
In the period of August 1 – 4 campsites were repeatedly changed. Recce said that soldiers were on sentry posts in remote forest farms and village roads and several spies had been sent to different locations. After a battle against the enemy’s recce platoon we decided to break through to the German army in order to avoid major losses. This happened on August 6 and the men operating under the name of Erna group were now subjected to the 311. Infantry regiment, with which they continued till the end of the war under the name of Erna battalion. The reason why this major operation brought along relatively little losses to “forest brothers” and Erna group was that the enemy was afraid of entering the forest. Considering the relation of forces the operation could have ended much sadder for Estonians.

Massive repressions of communists against peaceful people

Unfortunately people of the neighborhood did not escape major losses, as after the failed operation the red fighters vent their anger on everybody whom they came across. The surrounding farms were burnt down and people were killed brutally.
The commander of the battalion was still colonel Kurg and all men who came from Finland still wore their Finnish uniform. “Forest brothers” and others, who had joined them in the forest and expressed their willingness to be members of the established unit, had already been recorded in the statements. There were 62 men plus 3 officers and 28 soldiers, who had arrived from Finland. The remaining 65 men were still completing their recce tasks and three had been killed. Immediately after the battalion joined the German army the Estonians, who had participated in capturing Tartu, 194 men and one woman also joined the battalion.
The four-week operation of the Erna group at the enemy rear area was possible only due to the unselfish and self-sacrificing help of the local people. Later the German army supplied the battalion.

Erna battalion

Erna battalion as such operated until the liberation of Tallinn. The German units moved mainly on big roads, but this battalion moved on the area between those roads. Tallinn was liberated on August 28.
Then the battalion was reorganized again. Some of the men left on the basis of contracts, but 111 new volunteers joined the battalion in Tallinn. Colonel Kurg was wounded near Tallinn and major Hindpere became the commander. Colonel Kurg did not withdrew because of being wounded, but because he could not arrive at a consent with Oberleutnant Reinhardt. He said that he had not wanted to be an adjutant for a Prussian Junker. Such contradiction between Estonian officers and Germans were frequent and as time passed and more “rulers” arrived the clearer distinction was made between them and us, i.e. the local people. The new, German occupation had started although the general aim of Estonians and Germans had been the same – to fight communists and send them back to the East.

Erna group in Saaremaa

Already before Tallinn was free two couples of the Estonian radio operators were sent to Saaremaa by parachutes to continue their operations at the enemy rear area. On the morning of September 9 the 1st battalions 1st company made a successful assault landing to the island of Vormsi and on Sept 12 joined the battalion again to participate in the assault landing to the northern coast of the Island of Muhu. This time the German units also participated and on September 16 they crossed the embankment of Muhu and conquered Orissaare.
Then they moved further to the west with Germans. They encountered almost now counter action and when they arrived at Kaarma on September 22 the members of the reconnaissance patrol, who had so far operated on mainland arrived there as well. On the same day those two couples that had so far operated in Saaremaa joined us. On September 27 we received an order to prepare the battalion for march and go to Tallinn where the battalion had to be liquidated. By October 10 the Erna battalion had ceased to exist.

445 volunteers

445 Estonian volunteers participated in units known by the name Erna. Before joining the Germans three men who had arrived from Finland were killed, seven of those who joined later were killed also. All in all ten men were wounded. Until liquidation of the battalion 10 men who came from Finland were killed and 17 of those who joined later. The numbers of the wounded were respectively 11 and 26.
After the liquidation of the battalion most of the men who had come from Finland returned there, as co-operation with Germans did not work out. Hopes that the former Estonian independence shall be recognized by the new conquerors had disappeared completely. However they joined the Finnish army as they enemy was the same.
When it became obvious by the beginning of 1943 that Germans would lose the war, many young Estonians followed the example of Erna members and instead of the German mobilization chose Finns for their new partners. By the beginning of 1944 so many of them had assembled that an Estonian regiment IR 200 was established; besides 400 men had joined the Finnish navy. At the same time the Finns also developed suspicions against their former partner, so they trained new men in radio counter intelligence who had to inform the Finns about the behavior of the Germans in Estonia. In return they were allowed to act as lieisons between the Estonian underground national committee and the former politicians of the Republic of Estonia in the west.
This group was the direct successor of the specially trained Erna group and four of them were members of the initial Erna. 15 of them were sent to Estonia before the Red Army arrived and their destiny was tragic: 11 men were killed in battle together with the “forest brothers” or were captured and brutally killed and five men were caught and sentenced to a total of 100 years in prison.

Bitter disappointment

In the later soviet “historical researches” all members of Erna were called bandits, who raped, killed and robbed the real Estonians, being drunkards on the German army’s payroll.
Everyone, who had fought as “forest brothers”, members of Erna or any other voluntary groups since the summer of 1941 were later, when they served in the German or Finnish army, convinced that after the war all countries shall have their former borders and independence as it had been allowed by the Atlantic Pact. 26 countries, led by the USA and England had signed this pact. And as we believed it we had a moral obligation to fight for the independence. The same belief was the reason why groups of “forest brothers” emerged after the war. Nobody believed that at the Conference in Yalta the whole Eastern Europe was sold to Stalin and from then on its life resembled a horror movie.
After Estonia regained independence we had some young officers and NCOs who followed the Erna group’s 1941 route. From these enthusiasts the Erna Society was formed, which started to arrange extremely popular military-sporting competitions. And these are popular not only in Estonia. Already in 1995 the Erna competition became international.
I feel proud that the memory of the Erna group has become an event for enhancing international friendship. Let us hope that we still have plenty of Erna raids ahead and friendship between nations would strengthen, so that there would never be wars because in a war all sides lose. But in sports there are always winners and winners are the best of the best.