Johannes Soodla (14 January 1897 in
Kudina Parish, (now in
Palamuse Parish) – 16 May 1965) was an
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 ...
n military officer during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
,
Estonian War of Independence
The Estonian War of Independence ( et, Vabadussõda, literally "Freedom War"), also known as the Estonian Liberation War, was a defensive campaign of the Estonian Army and its allies, most notably the United Kingdom, against the Bolshevik westw ...
and
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, serving in
Kuperjanov's Partisan Battalion and the
20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Estonian). In 1944 he was promoted to
Brigadeführer
''Brigadeführer'' (, ) was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) that was used between the years of 1932 to 1945. It was mainly known for its use as an SS rank. As an SA rank, it was used after briefly being known as ''Untergruppenf ...
, which was the highest rank ascribed to any Estonian officer in the German army during World War II.
In 1916 Soodla was mobilized in the Russian Army and was sent to a military school in
Gatchina
The town of Gatchina ( rus, Га́тчина, , ˈɡatːɕɪnə, links=y) serves as the administrative center of the Gatchinsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It lies south-south-west of St. Petersburg, along the E95 highway which ...
. He fought in World War I. In the Estonian War of Independence Soodla fought along with
Julius Kuperjanov in the same unit. Soodla was a company commander. He fought in all the toughest battles in the war including the
Battle of Paju where he took command of the battalion after Kuperjanov was wounded. After the war, the Estonian
Cross of Liberty was awarded to Soodla. From 1920 to 1940 he served in the Estonian Army until released by
Soviet Army
uk, Радянська армія
, image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg
, alt =
, caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army
, start_date ...
in 1941.
Soodla then went to
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
returning to Estonia in the summer of same year with German Army. Soodla headed both the Estonian police and
Omakaitse
The Omakaitse ('home guard') was a militia organisation in Estonia. It was founded in 1917 following the Russian Revolution. On the eve of the Occupation of Estonia by the German Empire the Omakaitse units took over major towns in the country a ...
, a paramilitary self-defence organization during the
German occupation
German-occupied Europe refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly occupied and civil-occupied (including puppet governments) by the military forces and the government of Nazi Germany at various times between 1939 an ...
. He was promoted to
Oberfuhrer and then
Brigadefuhrer. In 1943 he joined the
Estonian Legion
The Estonian Legion ( et, Eesti Leegion, german: Estnische Legion) was a military unit within the Combat Support Forces of the Waffen-SS during World War II, mainly consisting of Estonian soldiers.
Creation
The formation was announced on 28 ...
and was Inspector-General of the Estonian units in German forces. In 1944 he fell back with German forces to Germany.
He was known to have been in post-war refugee camps in Germany. He later lived in
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
and in
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. He died on May 16, 1965, in
Goslar
Goslar (; Eastphalian: ''Goslär'') is a historic town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Goslar and located on the northwestern slopes of the Harz mountain range. The Old Town of Goslar and the Mines ...
, Germany.
The
concluded that by the virtue of his senior position, Johannes Soodla shared responsibility
with the German authorities for all criminal actions carried out in
Estonia, and beyond its borders by military units or
police battalions raised with their consent.
[Conclusions of the Estonian International Commission for the Investigation of Crimes Against Humanity]
—
Phase II: The German occupation of Estonia in 1941–1944
''
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Soodla, Johannes
1897 births
1965 deaths
People from Jõgeva Parish
People from Kreis Dorpat
Estonian Self-Administration
SS-Brigadeführer
Imperial Russian Army officers
Estonian military officers
Soviet Army officers
Russian military personnel of World War I
Estonian military personnel of the Estonian War of Independence
Estonian Waffen-SS personnel
Holocaust perpetrators in Estonia
Recipients of the Cross of St. George
Recipients of the Cross of Liberty (Estonia)
Recipients of the Military Order of the Cross of the Eagle, Class III
Recipients of the Military Order of the Cross of the Eagle, Class V
Recipients of the Order of Lāčplēsis, 3rd class
Recipients of the Iron Cross (1939), 2nd class
Estonian World War II refugees
Estonian emigrants to Germany