Alfons Rebane | |
|---|---|
 Rebane in the Estonian Army | |
| Born | (1908-06-24)24 June 1908 |
| Died | 8 March 1976(1976-03-08) (aged 67) |
| Allegiance |  Estonia Germany United Kingdom |
| Branch | Estonian Army (1929–1940) German Army (1941–1944) Waffen-SS (1944–1945) Secret Intelligence Service (1947–1961) |
| Years of service | 1929–1940 1941–1945 1947–1961 |
| Rank | Waffen-Standartenführer,colonel |
| Unit | 1929, 1st Armored Train Regiment 1935, Viljandi County Territorial Regiment 1939, Lääne County Territorial Regiment 1940, Commandant ofLihula 1941, 184th Security Battalion,Wehrmacht 1943,658th (Estonian) Ost Battalion,Wehrmacht 1944,20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Estonian) 1947MI6 |
| Battles / wars | World War II: Eastern Front |
| Awards | Estonian Defence League White Cross 3rd Class LatvianAizsargi Cross of Merit Iron Cross 2nd & 1st class Infantry Assault Badge Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Close Combat Clasp Eastern Front Medal |
| Other work | MI6 |
Alfons Vilhelm Robert Rebane (24 June 1908 – 8 March 1976) was an Estonian military commander. He was the most highly decorated Estonian military officer during World War II, serving in variousWehrmacht andWaffen-SS units ofNazi Germany.[1]
After World War II Rebane joined the BritishSecret Intelligence Service (MI6) where he played a key role in assisting thearmed resistance to Soviet rule in Estonia and otherBaltic countries. He led the Estonian portion of MI6'sOperation Jungle well into the 1950s.
In 1961, Rebane retired from the British intelligence services and moved to Germany, where he stayed until his death inAugsburg in 1976. The 1999 reburial of Rebane in Estonia with state honors triggered a number of controversies.
Rebane was born inValga in southern Estonia, then part of theGovernorate of Livonia of theRussian Empire. In 1920 Rebane, son of a railway official, attended the Russian secondary school inNarva. From 1926 to 1929 he attendedTartu University and graduated from theEstonian Military Academy with first class honours. He served as an infantry officer on the armoured train "Captain Irv" of the1st Armored Train Regiment as a second lieutenant in 1929. Married in 1931 to Agnia Soomets, they had one daughter Tiiu who died soon afterwards. OnEstonian Independence Day on 24 February 1933, Rebane was promoted to first lieutenant. From 1935 to 1939 he served as junior instructor in theDefence League Viljandi County Territorial Regiment, between 1939 and 1940 in the Lääne County Territorial Regiment. From January to June 1940 Rebane was the Commandant ofLihula.[2]
Rebane served as an officer in theEstonian Army untilSoviet troops occupied the country in 1940. The Soviets disbanded and absorbed most of the Estonian Armed Forces and arrested and executed the entire Estonian high command. Many junior officers, such as Rebane, were dismissed due to their lack of "political reliability" and were liable to be deported. For a while, Rebane worked in construction, then fled into the forests when the Soviets beganmass deportations in 1941. He established and led a group ofForest Brothers inVirumaa (Northern Estonia) in May 1941.[3]
AfterGermany had taken control of Estonia, Rebane joined the GermanWehrmacht where he served in its combat formations in Northwestern Russia, subsequently becoming the captain of the 184th Security Battalion, which was later renamed to the Estonian658th Eastern Battalion. In February 1944 Rebane's unit was transferred to theNarva Front and attached to the Wehrmacht's 26th Army Corps on 2 March. On 27 April 1944, the unit was released from the Wehrmacht. Rebane, after initially refusing, was forced to join[4] the newly formed20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Estonian) of theWaffen-SS, eventually becoming colonel of the 47th Waffen-Grenadier Regiment.[1] The Estonian division played a significant role in theBattle of Narva and theBattle of Emajõgi, holding back the Soviet re-occupation of Estonia until the SovietTallinn Offensive, September 1944 while suffering heavy casualties. Rebane's unit was then evacuated to Germany for refitting and saw more action on theEastern Front in the spring of 1945. Rebane had a reputation for tactical skill.[5] With most of the Estonian forces captured by the Soviet Army in Czechoslovakia, Rebane managed to reach theBritish Occupation Zone with a number of his men at the end of the war.[4] Soldiers who fought in units under his command were colloquially referred to as "fox cubs" (Rebane translates to "fox" inEstonian).
According to Carlos Jurado, an expert on non-German units,[6] and Nigel Thomas: Rebane was "the most decorated and probably the most talented and charismatic Baltic soldier during WWII".[1] Rebane became one of the most decorated Estonians. During his days in the Estonian Army, he was awarded the Defence League White Cross 3rd Class and the LatvianAizsargi Cross of Merit. In the German army he was awarded theIron Cross first and second class, theWar Merit Cross with swords second class, theEastern Front Medal, the silverInfantry Assault Badge and the silverOstvolk Medal for bravery. Rebane was also decorated with the silverClose Combat Clasp, awarded for hand-to-hand fighting by unsupported infantry for a total of 30 days.[7] In February 1944 he was awarded theKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross and in April 1945 he was promoted toWaffen-Standartenführer and awarded theKnight's Cross with Oakleaves for extreme bravery on the battlefield.[8]
In 1947 Rebane moved to England and joined the BritishSecret Intelligence Service (MI6) as the Estonian expert at the Intelligence School in London.[4] There he played a key role in assisting thearmed resistance to the Soviet rule in Estonia and otherBaltic countries. He led the Estonian portion of MI6'sOperation Jungle well into the 1950s.[9] In 1961, Rebane retired from the British intelligence services[4] and moved toGermany, where he stayed until his death inAugsburg in 1976.[10]
In 1977,Patrice Chairoff [fr] andBeate Klarsfeld alleged Rebane was a war criminal.[11] According to a 2005 report published by the Estonian State Commission on the Examination of the Policies of Repression, investigations conducted by theKGB after World War II found no documents confirming the accusation against Rebane and his "army unit".[12]
The return and reburial of Rebane's ashes withmilitary honours at a national cemetery in 1999 in Estonia sparked a controversy. TheAmerican Jewish Congress protested that the reburial served as an "indication that fascist ideology is recognized in Estonia".[13] A tombstone to Rebane, unofficially erected in 2004 but unveiled beforePärnumaa District Parliamentarian and former Foreign MinisterTrivimi Velliste, was protested by Russia's Chief Rabbi,Berl Lazar and theRussian Jewish Congress.[14]
The Estonian authorities assert that theEstonian Waffen-SS units engaged solely in combat operations at the front to defend Estonia's independence and had nothing to do with punitive operations in the territories occupied by the Nazi Germany. According to thePresident of EstoniaToomas Hendrik Ilves "We are witnesses to theinformation war against Estonia which already reminds of an ideological aggression".[15] According to the editor ofVirumaa Teataja newspaper Rein Sikk: "Alfons Rebane was a good soldier according to our historians. He was never convicted of war crimes and [the allegations] are just a political game to try to show that Estonia has lots of fascists."[14]
In June 2018, a plaque commemorating Rebane was unveiled on the wall of a private building inMustla where he had lived.[16][17] TheRussian Ministry of Foreign Affairs protested the unveiling.[18]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
Media from Commons
