Alfons Rebane
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| Alfons Rebane | |
|---|---|
| June 24, 1908 – March 8, 1976 | |
 Alfons Rebane in the Estonian Army |
|
| Place of birth | Valga, Estonia |
| Place of death | Augsburg, Germany |
| Allegiance | Estonia, Germany, UK |
| Years of service | 1929–1950's |
| Rank | Waffen-Standartenführer, Colonel |
| Unit | 1929, 1st Armored Train Regiment 1935, Viljandi County Territorial Regiment 1939, Lääne County Territorial Regiment 1940, Commandant of Lihula 1941, 184th Security Battalion, Wehrmacht 1943, 658th (Estonian) Ost Battalion, Wehrmacht 1944, 20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Estonian) 1947 MI6 |
| Battles/wars | World War II Eastern Front |
| Awards | Estonian Defence League White Cross 3rd Class Latvian Aizsargi Cross of Merit Iron Cross 2nd & 1st class Infantry Assault Badge Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oakleaves Close Combat Clasp Eastern Front Medal |
Alfons Vilhelm Robert Rebane (June 24, 1908 – March 8, 1976) was an Estonian military commander. He was the most highly decorated, and probably the most talented and charismatic Estonian soldier of World War II[1].
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[edit] Early life
Rebane was born in Valga in southern Estonia, then part of the Governorate of Livonia of the Russian Empire. In 1920 Rebane, son of a railway official, attended the Russian secondary school in Narva. From 1926 to 1929 he attended Tartu University and graduated from the Estonian War College with first class honours. He served as an infantry officer on the armoured train "Captain Irv" of the 1st Armored Train Regiment as a second lieutenant in 1929. Married in 1931 to Agnia Soomets, they had one daughter Tiiu who died soon afterwards. On Independence Day on February 24, 1933, Rebane was promoted to first lieutenant. From 1935 to 1939 served as junior instructor in the Defence League Viljandi County Territorial Regiment, between 1939-1940 in the Lääne County Territorial Regiment. From January to June 1940 Rebane was the Commandant of Lihula.
[edit] Soviet Occupation
Rebane served as an officer in the Estonian Army until the Soviet troops occupied the country in 1940. The Soviets disbanded the Estonian Army and arrested and executed the entire Estonian high command. More junior officers, such as Rebane, were dismissed due to their lack of "political reliability" and were liable to be deported. Working as a construction worker, Rebane fled into the forests when the Soviets began mass deportations in 1941. He established and led an anti-Soviet guerilla unit in Virumaa in Northern Estonia and fought the NKVD Destruction Battalions which were terrorising the civilian population.
[edit] World War Begins
After Germany had taken control of Estonia, he joined the German Wehrmacht and went on to fight against the Soviets in Northwestern Russia, subsequently becoming the captain of the 184th Security Battalion, then Major of the 658th (Estonian) Ost Battalion. In February 1944 Major Rebane's unit was transferred to the Narva front and attached to the Wehrmacht's 26th Army Corp on March 2nd. On April 27th, 1944, the unit was released from the Wehrmacht and Rebane was reluctantly drafted into the newly-formed 20th (Estonian) Division of the Waffen-SS, eventually becoming colonel of the 47th Waffen-Grenadier Regiment[1]. The Estonian division played a significant role in the Battle of Narva (1944) and Tannenberg line, holding back the Soviet re-occupation of Estonia until September 1944 while suffering heavy casualties. Rebane's unit was then evacuated to Germany for refitting and saw more action on the Eastern Front in the spring of 1945. Despite being encircled several times, Rebane was amongst a small group of Estonian soldiers who in the final days of the war evaded capture by the Soviets and managed to reach the western allies to surrender. Soldiers who fought in units under his command were often colloquially referred to as the "Fox cubs" (Rebane translates to "fox" in Estonian).
[edit] Decorations
Rebane became one of Estonia's most decorated soldiers. During his days in the Estonian Army, he was awarded the Defence League White Cross 3rd Class and the Latvian Aizsargi Cross of Merit. In the German army he was awarded the Iron Cross first and second class, the War Merit Cross with swords second class, the Eastern Front Medal, the silver Infantry Assault Badge and the silver Ostvolk Medal for bravery. Rebane was also decorated with the silver Close Combat Clasp, awarded for hand-to-hand fighting by unsupported infantry for a total of 30 days[2]. In February 1944 he was awarded the Knight's Cross and in April 1945 he was promoted to Waffen-Standartenführer and awarded the Knight's Cross with Oakleaves for extreme bravery in the battlefield. Rebane was one of the only two non-Germans awarded the oak leaves. Rebane did not receive the award or confirmation of the promotion until 1975. At the end of the war there were some rumours that Rebane had been awarded the Oak Leaves but no official notification reached Rebane at the time. The archives were moved to Great Britain and returned to Germany in 1975. At that time Rebane asked if the rumours held any truth and he was then formally notified that he had been in fact given the award and promoted by the then President of Germany Karl Dönitz.
[edit] Post War
In 1947 Rebane moved to England and joined the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6). There he played a key role in assisting the armed resistance to Soviet rule in Estonia and other Baltic countries. He led the Estonian portion of MI6's Operation Jungle well into the 1950s.
In 1961 Rebane moved to Germany and stayed there until his death in Augsburg in 1976. Rebane's ashes were returned to Estonia and reburied with honours in 1999.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b p8, Dr. Nigel Thomas, Germany's Eastern Front Allies (2): Baltic Forces, Osprey Publishing, 2002, ISBN 1841761931
- ^ p38, Martin Windrow, The Waffen SS Ospey Publishing, 1992, ISBN 0850454255
