In the last days of August 1941, one of the greatest maritime disasters in history took place off the north coast of Estonia. Fleeing the invading Germans, the Soviet occupation administration hastily and clumsily carried out the evacuation of Tallinn. The remnants of Red Army units as well as mobilised Estonians and civilians were placed on more than 200 ships, both voluntarily and forcibly. The line of ships, carrying more than 30,000 people, was headed for Kronstadt but ran into a trap near the Juminda Peninsula. 60 ships sank as a result of mine explosions, torpedoes and air bombs. It is estimated that 15,000 people died, including thousands of Estonians.
This terrible catastrophe claimed more lives than the world-famous Pearl Harbour attack or Battle of Dunkirk, but has remained a largely unknown story both to Estonians and the rest of the world. Documentary filmmakers Kiur Aarma and Jaak Kilmi have constructed the story of Juminda as a chronological historical thriller, giving a voice to those caught up in the event. These voices come from all sorts of places: the engine rooms of the ships, the bombers flying above them, the border guard posts, the lifeboats, a galley, a ship’s cabin, or caught between the black waves of the Gulf of Finland. The memoirs of Germans, Russians, Estonians and Finns provide their own perspective. The film also reveals how the terrible catastrophe of Juminda has been depicted, silenced, or minimised in later historical accounts. The film is currently screening at Cinema Sõprus in Tallinn.
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