Ain Mere | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1903-02-22)22 February 1903 |
| Died | 5 April 1969(1969-04-05) (aged 66) |
| Criminal status | Deceased |
| Convictions | Treason War crimes |
| Criminal penalty | Death (in absentia) |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  Estonia Soviet Union Nazi Germany |
| Years of service | 1918–1940Estonian Army 1940-1941NKVD 1941–1943Omakaitse Estonian Security Police and SD 1943–1945Waffen-SS |
| Rank | SS-Obersturmbannführer |
| Unit | 20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Order of the Cross of the Eagle Iron Cross 1st Class |
Ain Mere (from birth to EstificationErvin Martson; 22 February 1903 – 5 April 1969) was anEstonian military officer in World War II. During theGerman occupation of Estonia, he served in the German-controlledEstonian Security Police and SD.
He was born inVändra and fought voluntarily in theEstonian War of Independence. In early 1919, Mere was wounded while serving on an armored train and was sent to the rear.
According to theKGB archives, he was drafted as an agent ofNKVD in 1940–1941. Mere's reports on the resettlement ofBaltic Germans and the exposure of underground Estonian organisations reached the desk ofLavrenti Beria.[1] In recognition of his performance[1] Mere was appointed the director of a special department of the Estonian Rifle Corps.[2] He was known under code name "Müller".[3][4] In July 1941 Mere surrendered himself to the German military.[1] He was a member of the Estonian Security Police (Group B of theSicherheitspolizei) under theEstonian Self-Administration and participated in the Holocaust.[5]
On 5 February 1945, inBerlin, he founded theEesti Vabadusliit, an anti-communist group, together with fellowWaffen-SS commanderHarald Riipalu.[6]
In March 1961, during thewar crimes trials in Soviet Estonia, the German Security Police in Estonia, headed by Mere (and later by Julius Ennok), along withRalf Gerrets andJaan Viik, was accused in a Soviet court to have been actively involved in the arrest and killing ofEstonian Jews. The police were also actively engaged in actions against Estonians deemed to be opponents of Nazi Germany.[7] Though at the time he was residing inBritain, Mere was sentenced to death for his role during the war. TheBritish government refused to extradite him, citing a lack of evidence on the part of the Soviet authorities,[8] and he died at the age of 66 inLeicester,England.
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