A decree was issued on June 18 that all weapons in the hands of civilians and the National Guard were to be turned in to the new order. This process took place without any incidents.
Weapons collection center in Tallinn.
On the twentieth of June 1940 the Workers’ Union leaders invited all workers to a demonstration to be held the next day to welcome the arrival of the Red Army. Going to work that day was forbidden. The group they assembled consisted of Soviet agents, Estonian Communists, local criminal elements, and Estonian agitators who had been brought across our borders. Emboldened local Communists cried out for the release of all political prisoners. Some demonstrators went to the bakeries and demanded free bread. Fearful for their lives, the bakers threw loaves of bread at the demonstrators and ran from their stores. With the city in chaos, the police were afraid that any interference from them might provoke more demonstrations, demands, and possibly bloodshed. In the evening, the downtown streets were full of roaming trucks and cars filled with boisterous Soviet soldiers singing Russian songs. They wanted the Estonian inhabitants to know who was in charge. The streets became a very dangerous place to be as there were many reports of robbing, killing, and raping of innocent citizens. The cadets were prohibited from going outside their facility wearing their uniforms but many ventured out in civilian clothes to witness this madness.
One of our tasks during this turbulence was to guard the armory of the Estonian National Guard. This facility housed the Guard’s cars, artillery, weapons, ammunition, and all the weapons recently confiscated from the Estonian population by decree of the Red Army.
The workers’ demonstration winding through Tallinn.
On the day of the workers’ demonstration we observed a large group of young men walking toward the main square. They were in civilian clothing but were walking in step and with the discipline of soldiers. Their presence there was obviously to help choreograph the event.
We were put on alert status, meaning that each cadet was armed and all doors to our building were locked and guarded. The Department of the Interior had received a notice from the Soviet delegation that if the police attempted to interfere with the demonstration there would be bloodshed.
The Soviet agitators continued to try to motivate workers to attend the rally, sometimes with the threat of arms. When they had gathered a sufficient number of participants, with the Russian armored cars in the lead, the column of workers was paraded into Freedom Square (Vabaduse Väjak) at the city center. Most in the parade participants were Russians, Red Army soldiers in civilian clothes, or workers from the Russian military bases. Soviet armored cars were at all the street intersections with Russian troops patrolling the sidewalks. By ten o’clock about 2,000 demonstrators were at the square carrying banners that carried slogans such as “Down with the war mongrel administration” and “We demand honest fulfillment of the pact with Russia.” There were about 1,000 spectators.
The workers and soldiers demonstrate for the support of the new order.
After a few speeches, the procession headed for the seat of the Estonian government at Toompea. When they found the gates to the building closed, they brought up some Soviet tanks that pointed their turrets at the gate. The tanks remained in this position for a few minutes but nothing happened. No one appeared to open the gates and no one came to listen to their demands. So the Russian soldiers started singing some Soviet songs. This prompted the Estonian spectators to start singing the Estonian national anthem which soon drowned out the singing Russians. This showed the true feelings of the Estonian people.
Disappointed, the leaders of the procession now guided it to the President’s palace in the park at Kadriorg. The procession now consisted of about 1,000 demonstrators who arrived about noon and found the gates open. When the President appeared on a balcony with his arms raised, all became very still and quiet. President Pats tried to speak but was soon drowned out by heckling and jeering. Leaving the balcony he boomed the message, “I am ready to talk with Estonians any time but I will not talk with hoodlums.”
The leaders of the procession demanded and got an audience with the President. They demanded the release of all political prisoners and the formation of a socialist government that would be friendly with the Soviet Union. The President replied that Estonia had no political prisoners. He stated he was not empowered to form a new type of government because that would violate the existing constitution. He said that changes to the government are in the works.
The procession then headed for the Central Prison in Tallinn where they arrived about three in the afternoon. Soviet armored cars parked at the front of the prison and all exits were put under guard. The demand was made to free all political prisoners. There were no political prisoners of course, so convicted spies and other criminals were ordered to be released by the Estonian Department of Justice.
After this the procession turned toward the Estonian air defense artillery group’s nearby barracks. These troops were on full alert with additional guards at the guard posts. Some Soviet officers entered the barracks to query as to why this unit was armed and threatening the “defenseless public.” Red Army tanks were positioned around the facility and machine guns were set up. The Soviets demanded the surrender of all arms. After coordination with the leadership it was determined that bloodshed must be avoided. Thus the Estonian unit agreed to disarm. The “defenseless public” then entered the facility and left with their new weapons. Afterwards, the Estonian soldiers were allowed to re-enter but were ordered to remain inside the facility. Red Army tanks and guards were positioned outside.
The armed mob now again turned its attention to the government building in Toompea. The guards were fully armed but were issued a command not to resist. They opened the gates and were promptly disarmed. The mob pillaged through the whole building. The Estonian flag was lowered from the Pikk Hermann tower and was replaced with the red flag of the Red Army. From our new location in the French school house we could see the changing of the flags. It was an awful sight! We could feel the world collapsing around us. Everything that our fathers and grandfathers had fought so hard to achieve and what we had taken an oath to protect until death was unraveling before our eyes. To stand helplessly by and not be able to do anything was a most horrible experience.
Then we got word that the mob was headed in our direction! Second Lieutenants Kubja and Kivimäe had been sent out in civilian clothing to do a reconnaissance mission. They had witnessed the removal of the Estonian flag and heard the discussion among the ringleaders to make the Estonian Military Technical Academy the next target. After providing us with the information, they were told to position themselves outside in their civilian clothes among the spectators.
Captain Kandre organized us into defensive positions inside the school. We were to arm ourselves and assume positions at every window of the first and second floors such that we could not be seen from the street. We placed a heavy machine gun so that it pointed directly at the main entrance. We were ready to defend our little piece of Estonia, but orders were given not to fire unless directed to do so.
Soon there were about 25 hoodlums at our front door, some of them armed with Russian rifles. One of these appeared to be an unshaven, shoddy individual, possibly a former prisoner. He was sporting a new officer’s belt with a sword on each hip. Col. Laurits ordered Capt. Villemson to go outside and ask them what they wanted. Villemson was told that the leaders of the Academy have committed crimes and have abused their subordinates. He was also told that a new government was in place and that we were to surrender our arms as ordered by Moscow. Villemson replied that we can only surrender our arms to the Red Army and not to civilians. While this argument was taking place a Red Army armored car pulled up in front of our building. It rotated its cannon and aimed it at our front door. The arguments and noise now continued at a higher pitch. Col. Laurits tried to get direction from higher command via telephone but was unsuccessful. Finally he stepped outside and told the hoodlums that to avoid bloodshed we would vacate the building within ten minutes, leaving our weapons