Great start… and they move too fast to read for the last sentence or two. The subtitles at the start confuse ‘German’ and ‘Germany’ while omitting the definite article. Now in 1944, the Red Army is back on Estonian border.’ Since German Army, Wehrmacht, accepts only German citizens, Estonians have to fight in Waffen-SS and other military units. 72 000 Estonians are mobilized to German armed forces. 55 000 Estonians are mobilized to the Red Army. ‘In 1939, Soviet Union and Germany sign a Treaty of Non-Aggression. The film was funded by the Estonian Film Institute, Estonian Ministry of Defence, Cultural Endowment of Estonia and private investments.ĭuring the run of the film Estonian, German and Russian are spoken.Įxcuse me not using names for the most part but in war films everyone seems reduced to stereotypes and can you honestly say, barring the central characters, you ever remember the names of the entire cast during these – most of whom die shortly after their ‘provide a minimal amount of character development by showing a picture of family which foreshadows they’ll die in the next scene’ moment? The film focuses on the individual in the context of the war rather than war itself, and shows the war from both perspectives those of the Estonians in the Red Army and in the German Army. Choices had to be made, not only by the soldiers, but also by their loved ones. The film is set in the year 1944, from the Battle of Tannenberg Line (25 July – 10 August 1944) to the Battle of Tehumardi in Sõrve Peninsula (October – November 1944) and is shown through the eyes of Estonian soldiers who had to pick sides and thus fight against their fellow countrymen.

1944 battle of tannenberg line