100 stories from the hiking route

1942 – memorial stone for the Estonian Air Force Officers who died at Järvi Lakes is opened

Information

Topic

Wars and occupations

Coordinates

Long-Lat WGS 84

Latitude: 59.42598056

Longitude: 25.674656

L-EST 97

x: 6588754.9
y: 595051.9

Location

Oandu-Aegviidu Hiking route

“Nothing has changed on the outside, but the heart is heavy… The first two verses of the national anthem are sung with a stony face, gaze on the blue, black and white national flag and then the flag is lowered. Very quietly, as is suitable for a great prayer, the last verse of the anthem is sung: May God watch over you… And tears fall from almost everyone’s eyes, of the eyes of both the courageous young and the hardy older pilots. In that moment, I can feel so painfully and clearly in my heart how connected the land, the people, the freedom, my personal life and the lowering national flag really are. I was born, raised and educated in a free Estonia. As a young pilot, I was proud of my arm of the service and gave an oath to fulfil the ultimate duty in protecting the freedom of my people. However at that time, I did not know about the way our politicians thought or about their secret treaties. It seemed only that we had been foully and without a fight stripped of all that was meant to be sacred and untouchable…”

Remi Milk reminisces about the line-up of the third air force division on the evening of 21 June 1940.
The officers of the Estonian Air Force fled from the Jägala Airfield into the forests in Kõrvemaa upon the arrival of the Soviet regime. Loksa border guard organised a massive raid for them on 13 July 1941. During an exchange of fire by the Järvi Lakes, the Estonian Air Force Captains Oskar Aksel, Juhan Kalmet, Arnold Streimann, Lieutenant Martin Terts and the airplane mechanic Sergeant Major Herman Tombah were killed. The plaque installed onto the memorial stone in 1942 was hidden during the occupation and as it was subsequently lost, the new plaque is from 1994. The memorial stone was reopened by Remi Milk, one of the members of the air force who escaped into the Kõnnu forests when the war erupted.

Sources: 
Elstrok, H. 1995. Kõrvemaast põhjarannani: Kuusalu kihelkonna kirjanduslik-kodulooline antoloogia.