Paul-Adolf Lill (25 January 1882 – 13 March 1942) was an

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

...

military officer and

Minister of War A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

. He served in the

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army (russian: Ру́сская импера́торская а́рмия, tr. ) was the armed land force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian Ar ...

, participating in the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...

and

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 ...

. Lill joined the

Estonian Army The Estonian Land Forces ( et, Maavägi), unofficially referred to as the Estonian Army, is the name of the unified ground forces among the Estonian Defense Forces where it has an offensive military formation role. It is currently the largest ...

during the 1918–1920

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 westwa ...

, and held important staff positions. After the war he continued military service, holding posts of Chief of Staff of the Estonian Defence Forces, Undersecretary of the Minister of War, and from 1933 to 1939 Minister of War, reaching the rank of

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

. With the onset of

Soviet occupation During World War II, the Soviet Union occupied and annexed several countries effectively handed over by Nazi Germany in the secret Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of 1939. These included the eastern regions of Poland (incorporated into two different ...

, he was arrested by

NKVD The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (russian: Наро́дный комиссариа́т вну́тренних дел, Naródnyy komissariát vnútrennikh del, ), abbreviated NKVD ( ), was the interior ministry of the Soviet Union. ...

in 1941, and died in imprisonment the following year.

Biography

Paul Lill was born on 25 January 1882 to a family of a miller in Veski farm in

Roobe Roobe is a village in Tõrva Parish, Valga County in 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 ...

Parish (now part of

Tõrva Parish Tõrva Parish ( et, Tõrva vald) is a rural municipality in Valga County. It includes the town of Tõrva. Settlements ;Town Tõrva ;Boroughs Helme, Hummuli ;Villages Aitsra, Ala, Alamõisa, Holdre, Jeti, Jõgeveste, Kalme, Karjatnurme, ...

), Estonia, then part of the

Governorate of Livonia The Governorate of Livonia, also known as the Livonia Governorate, was a Baltic governorate of the Russian Empire, now divided between Latvia and Estonia. Geography The shape of the province is a fairly rectangular in shape, with a maximum ...

of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

. He studied 1891–1892 in Jõgeveste and 1892–1894 in Helme parish schools, and 1894–1899 in Valga town school. In 1900, Lill voluntarily joined the

, and studied from 1901 to 1904 in

Vilnius Military School Vilnius Military School (russian: Виленское военное училище) also known as the Vilnius Junker Infantry School (russian: Виленское пехотное юнкерское училище) was a military school for the non ...

where he met

Johan Laidoner Johan Laidoner ( – 13 March 1953) was an Estonian general and statesman. He served as Commander‑in‑Chief of the Estonian Armed Forces during the 1918–1920 Estonian War of Independence and was among the most influential people in the Eston ...

, the future Commander‑in‑Chief of the Estonian Armed Forces. In 1905 Lill participated in

as a

junior officer Junior officer, company officer or company grade officer refers to the lowest operational Officer (armed forces), commissioned officer category of ranks in a military or paramilitary organization, ranking above non-commissioned officers and below ...

in the 6th Rifle Regiment. In 1907 he was promoted to the rank of

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

. From 1908 to 1911 Lill studied in

Imperial Nicholas Military Academy The General Staff Academy () was a Russian military academy, established in 1832 in St.Petersburg. It was first known as the Imperial Military Academy (Императорская военная академия), then in 1855 it was renamed Nichol ...

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

. After graduation he was promoted to

staff captain Staff captain is the English translation of a number of military ranks: Historical use of the rank Czechoslovakia In the Czechoslovak Army, until 1953, Staff Captain ( cs, štábní kapitán, sk, štábny kapitán) was a senior captain ran ...

and served in the staff of

Odesa Military District The Odesa Military District (russian: Одесский военный округ, ОВО; , abbreviated ) was a military administrative division of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In 1998 most of its territory was transformed into the Southern Opera ...

. Having reached rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in 1914, Lill participated in the

First World War 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 ...

as a commander of 11th company of 95th Infantry Regiment, and was awarded the

Order of Saint Anna The Imperial Order of Saint Anna (russian: Орден Святой Анны; also "Order of Saint Anne" or "Order of Saint Ann") was a Holstein ducal and then Russian imperial order of chivalry. It was established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Hol ...

and

Order of Saint Stanislaus The Order of Saint Stanislaus ( pl, Order Św. Stanisława Biskupa Męczennika, russian: Орден Святого Станислава), also spelled Stanislas, was a Polish order of knighthood founded in 1765 by King Stanisław August Ponia ...

. In October 1914 he was captured in East-Prussia by the

Imperial German Army The Imperial German Army (1871–1919), officially referred to as the German Army (german: Deutsches Heer), was the unified ground and air force of the German Empire. It was established in 1871 with the political unification of Germany under the l ...

, and was held as a prisoner of war until his release in December 1918. After release, Lill joined the

engaged in the

, and became Chief of Operations Section of Operations Staff on 18 December 1918. In February 1919 he became temporary, and in May a permanent, Chief of Administrative Agency. In April Lill was promoted to rank of

lieutenant-colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

, and in October to rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

, becoming also a member of the War Council and commander of the Reserve Forces. For his service during the War of Independence, Paul Lill was awarded Estonia's Cross of Liberty and

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 ...

Order of Lāčplēsis The Order of Lāčplēsis (also Lāčplēsis Military Order, lv, Lāčplēša Kara ordenis), the first and the highest Latvian military award, was established in 1919 on the initiative of Jānis Balodis, the Commander of the Latvian Army during t ...

, as well as a farm and 300,000

marks Marks may refer to: Business * Mark's, a Canadian retail chain * Marks & Spencer, a British retail chain * Collective trade marks, trademarks owned by an organisation for the benefit of its members * Marks & Co, the inspiration for the novel '' ...

. After the war Lill continued military service, becoming initially acting, and from October 1920 permanent Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces. In December 1921 he was promoted to rank of

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

and became a member of the War Council. In January 1925 Lill became Undersecretary of the Minister of War, position which he held for the next 9 years. In 1933 he became Minister of Defence (from 1937 titled again Minister of War). In January 1938 Lill became member of the National Defense Council, and in February was promoted to rank of

, becoming the third Estonian officer to reach the rank. During his service as a Minister of War, Lill also had to repeatedly temporarily fulfill duties of

Minister of Interior An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a Cabinet (government), cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and iden ...

and Minister of Roads. On 12 October 1939 Paul Lill resigned as Minister of War, citing unacceptable conditions of the Bases Treaty with

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

. Lill was the chairman of SK Tallinna Sport club, and member of

Korporatsioon Sakala Korporatsioon Sakala (abbreviated Korp! Sakala) is a fraternal organization of Estonian higher education students. It was established at the University of Tartu on November 14, 1909. The motto of korp! Sakala is ''One for all, and all for one! ...

, State Decorations Council, War of Independence Memorial Council, Cross of Liberty Brothers Society, and Mulgi Society. In October 1940 Soviet occupation authorities revoked Lill's retirement pension, and in December evicted him from his apartment at so-called "generals house" at Gonsiori street. Afterwards he completed an accountancy course and tried to find a job. On 14 June 1941 he was arrested by

and deported to Russia together with his sister Olga. Paul Lill died in a prison camp in

Sverdlovsk Oblast Sverdlovsk Oblast ( rus, Свердловская область, Sverdlovskaya oblast) is a federal subject (an oblast) of Russia located in the Ural Federal District. Its administrative center is the city of Yekaterinburg, formerly known as S ...

on 13 May 1942, his place of burial is unknown.

Honors

For his service in the Estonian War of Independence, Lill received Cross of Liberty 1st grade 2nd class and the Latvian

2nd class. Service in the World War I was rewarded with Russian

3rd class and the

3rd class. In peacetime he received

Order of the Cross of the Eagle The Order of the Cross of the Eagle ( et, Kotkaristi teenetemärk; french: Ordre de la Croix de l'Aigle) was instituted in 1928 by the Estonian Defence League to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Estonian independence. It was adopted as a sta ...

1st class and

Order of the Estonian Red Cross The Order of the Estonian Red Cross ( et, Eesti Punase Risti teenetemärk; french: Ordre de la Croix-Rouge Estonienne) was instituted in 1920 by the Estonian Red Cross Society. The Order of the Estonian Red Cross is bestowed in order to give rec ...

2nd class. Lill's foreign awards included Grand Cross of

Order of the White Rose of Finland The Order of the White Rose of Finland ( fi, Suomen Valkoisen Ruusun ritarikunta; sv, Finlands Vita Ros’ orden) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty, and the Order of the Lion of Finland. ...

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

Officer of

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

Cross of Valour, and

Czechoslovak Czechoslovak may refer to: *A demonym or adjective pertaining to Czechoslovakia (1918–93) **First Czechoslovak Republic (1918–38) **Second Czechoslovak Republic (1938–39) **Third Czechoslovak Republic (1948–60) **Fourth Czechoslovak Repub ...

and Hungarian orders. In 1991 a memorial plaque was unveiled on the wall of his birth home.

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lill, Paul 1882 births 1942 deaths People from Tõrva Parish People from Kreis Fellin Defence Ministers of Estonia Estonian lieutenant generals Imperial Russian Army officers Russian military personnel of the Russo-Japanese War Russian military personnel of World War I Estonian military personnel of the Estonian War of Independence Recipients of the Cross of Liberty (Estonia) Recipients of the Military Order of the Cross of the Eagle, Class I Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 3rd class Recipients of the Order of Saint Stanislaus (Russian), 3rd class Recipients of the Order of Lāčplēsis, 2nd class Recipients of the Cross of Valour (Poland) Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Estonian people who died in prison custody Estonian people who died in Soviet detention