Ants Kaljurand facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ants Kaljurand
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Mugshot of Kaljurand in mid-1900s
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| Nickname(s) | Terrifying Ants |
| Born | 20 October 1917 Tallinn, Autonomous Governorate of Estonia, Russian Republic |
| Died | 13 March 1951 (aged 33) Tallinn, Estonia |
| Allegiance |  Estonia (1938-1940) Nazi Germany (1942-1944) RVL (1945-1949) |
| Estonian Defense Forces Estonian Defense League Omakaitse Waffen-SS Armed Combat Union |
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| Battles/wars | Summer War World War II Guerrilla war in the Baltic states |
Ants Kaljurand (born October 20, 1917 – died March 13, 1951) was an Estonian fighter known as Terrifying Ants. He was part of a group called the Forest Brothers. These were people who fought for Estonia's freedom during and after World War II.
Contents
Early Life of Ants Kaljurand
Ants Kaljurand was born in Tallinn, Estonia, on October 20, 1917. His mother was named Juula. We don't have information about his father.
Ants grew up in a village called Teesu, which was near Pidula Bay on the island of Saaremaa. He finished his schooling at Pidula Primary School.
In 1935, he moved to Koonga Parish in Pärnu County. There, he worked as a farm laborer, helping out on Sepa Farm. In 1938, he served in the Estonian Defence Forces, which is Estonia's military. After his service, he went back to working on Sepa Farm.
Ants Kaljurand's Fight for Freedom
Ants Kaljurand joined the Forest Brothers. These were groups of people who fought against the Soviet forces. In the summer of 1941, he helped attack Soviet troops in Lääne and Pärnu Counties.
Between 1942 and 1944, during the time Nazi Germany occupied Estonia, Ants served in a local defense group called Omakaitse. Later, he fought on the front lines as part of the Waffen-SS, a military unit.
When the Germans left Estonia in 1944, Ants became a prisoner of war on Saaremaa. But he managed to escape from the prison camp in December of that year. After escaping, he continued his fight with the Forest Brothers.
During the time Estonia was part of the Soviet Union, Kaljurand became a local leader. He led a group in Soontaga that was part of the Armed Combat Union. This group was also fighting for Estonia's independence.
Capture and Execution
Ants Kaljurand was finally caught in the summer of 1949. The NKVD, which was the Soviet secret police, arrested him.
On June 24, 1949, Ants and two of his team members were found sleeping in the woods. This happened near the village of Võitra. There was a fight, and two of his fellow Forest Brothers, Aleksander Valter and Arved Pill, were badly hurt. Ants tried to get away, but he was wounded and captured.
Ants Kaljurand, Arved Pill, and another person named Juhan Metsaäär were sentenced to death. Other members of their group received long prison sentences. Ants and the others were executed on March 13, 1951.
Memorial
On July 10, 2011, a special stone was put up to remember Ants Kaljurand. This memorial stone is located at the Mihkli Church in Koonga Parish, Pärnu County. The Estonian Defence League helped make this memorial happen.
See also
- Estonian partisans
- Summer War
