Remembering the 75th Anniversary of the Great Refugee Flight of 1944

"The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting." - Milan Kundera

Tens of thousands of Estonians fled the approaching Red Army in 1944.

Yesterday afternoon, on the 80th anniversary of the joint Communist-Nazi parade in Brest, also coincided with the observance of the 75th Anniversary of the Great Refugee Flight of 1944 at the Victims of Communism Memorial in Washington, DC.

On this day - 1939 - #German and #Soviet troops paraded together in the Polish city of Brest, helpfully reminding the world of their odious collaboration in invading #Poland Here, Wehrmacht General Heinz Guderian and Brigadier-General Semyon Krivoshein watch the parade. #WW2 pic.twitter.com/S3vtVEX2f9

— Roger Moorhouse (@Roger_Moorhouse) September 22, 2019

Estonians gathered to tell their stories of seeking refuge as the Soviet Red Army returned to impose their tyrannical rule until real liberation was achieved finally in 1991.

Thank you, Washington Estonian Society for organizing a commemoration observing the 75th Anniversary of the Great Refugee Flight of 1944 at the @VoCommunism today. Incredibly moving stories by the refugees and their descendants. Read more: https://t.co/s2LncMBO0c pic.twitter.com/0zpLXvd2uC

— Estonian Embassy US (@Estonia_in_US) September 22, 2019

In 1944 80,000 people fled from Estonia in fear of the advancing Red Army, the terror of the first Soviet occupation was still fresh. Many who left then never saw their homeland again.

Friends of freedom need to listen, remember and share these stories to combat the lies of communist propaganda.