August Sabbe (1 September 1909 – 27 or 28 September 1978) was one of the last surviving

Estonian Estonian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe * Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent * Estonian language * Estonian cuisine * Estonian culture See also

...

members of the

Forest Brothers The Guerrilla war in the Baltic states was an armed struggle which was waged by the Latvian, Lithuanian, and Estonian partisans, called the Forest Brothers (also: the "Brothers of the Wood" and the "Forest Friars"; et, metsavennad, lv, mež ...

, a group of citizens of

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

and

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

who resisted and fought against the

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

occupation of their three nations. Sabbe hid in the forests of Estonia, living off of the land like other Forest Brethren. In 1978, at the age of 69, Sabbe was found near his birthplace of

Paidra Paidra is a village in Võru Parish, Võru County in southeastern Estonia. It's located about northeast of the town of Võru, by the Võru–Räpina road (nr 65). The Võhandu River passes through Paidra. There's also a Lake Paidra, lake situate ...

Lasva Parish Lasva Parish ( et, Lasva vald) was a rural Municipalities of Estonia, municipality in southeastern Estonia. It was a part of Võru County. The municipality had a population of 1,811 (as of 1 October 2007) and covered an area of 172.14 km2, g ...

in southeastern Estonia by two

KGB The KGB (russian: links=no, lit=Committee for State Security, Комитет государственной безопасности (КГБ), a=ru-KGB.ogg, p=kəmʲɪˈtʲet ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)əj bʲɪzɐˈpasnəsʲtʲɪ, Komitet gosud ...

agents posing as fishermen. When they attempted to arrest him, he leaped into the

Võhandu Võhandu ( et, Võhandu) is a river in Estonia. Võhandu is the longest Estonian river fully in Estonian territory.http://entsyklopeedia.ee/artikkel/v%C3%B5handu_j%C3%B5gi3 In 1963 was founded protected area Protected areas or conserva ...

River and either drowned accidentally or deliberately wedged himself under a submerged log. The KGB, which took photographs before and after the attempted arrest, maintained that Sabbe drowned while attempting to escape. But someMart Laar, ''Metsvennad'', Tallinn 1993 have observed that the river is narrow, sluggish and shallow at that point, an unlikely place for an accidental drowning, and that the open field on the opposite bank and the river's lazy loops gave an elderly man no place to flee from two young, physically fit pursuers. The Forest Brethren's code of conduct and the quickness of Sabbe's reaction suggest that Sabbe was prepared not to be taken alive. A stone monument to Sabbe stands in a pine grove overlooking the site of his death. It is located just west of Route 65 between Leevi and Tsolgo, almost exactly on the boundary between

Põlva Põlva () is a town in southeastern Estonia, the capital of Põlva County, and the centre of Põlva Parish. Põlva is home for the Intsikurmu Song Festival Grounds, which regularly hosts concerts and summer activities, situated in a small for ...

and

Võru Võru (; vro, Võro; german: Werro) is a town and a municipality in south-eastern Estonia. It is the capital of Võru County and the centre of Võru Parish. History Võru was founded on 21 August 1784, according to the wish of the Empress Cather ...

counties.

References

1909 births 1978 deaths People from Võru Parish People from the Governorate of Livonia Estonian anti-communists Soviet dissidents Suicides by drowning Suicides in the Soviet Union Military personnel who committed suicide Burials at Raadi cemetery Estonian independence activists 1978 suicides {{Estonia-mil-bio-stub