Johan Laidoner
Johan Laidoner | |
---|---|
Kindral (General) | |
Commands held | Commander‑in‑Chief of the Estonian Armed Forces |
Battles/wars | World War I Estonian War of Independence |
Awards | Cross of Liberty, 1st Class 1st Rank Cross of Liberty, 3rd Class 1st Rank Order of the White Star Order of the Cross of the Eagle, 1st Class Order of the Estonian Red Cross, 1st Class |
Spouse(s) |
Maria Kruszewska (m. 1911) |
Signature |
Johan Laidoner (12 February [O.S. 31 January] 1884 – 13 March 1953) was an Estonian general and statesman. He served as Commander‑in‑Chief of the Estonian Armed Forces during the 1918–1920 Estonian War of Independence and was among the most influential people in the Estonian politics between the world wars.
Born in Viiratsi, Kreis Fellin, Governorate of Livonia, Laidoner joined the Imperial Russian Army in 1901 and fought in World War I. Following the Russian Revolution in 1917, he commanded the Estonian national units of the Russian army. In 1918, the Estonian Provisional Government appointed him commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the newly independent Republic of Estonia.
After the
Early life and career
Johan Laidoner was born on Raba estate in
From 1909 to 1912, Laidoner studied at the
Upon his graduation in 1912, Laidoner was promoted to the rank of staff captain and sent back to his regiment. In the following year, he was appointed to the General Staff and was dispatched to serve for one year as company commander in the 1st Caucasus Rifle Regiment.[2] He then served at the Staff of the Caucasus Military District.
World War I
At the outbreak of World War I, Laidoner served as staff aide of the 3rd Caucasus Army Corps.[2] On 26 November 1914, he was promoted to captain. In March 1915, Laidoner was appointed to the senior staff of the 21st Infantry Division of the same corps. In October 1915, he was made aide to the commander of the intelligence department of the Staff of the Western Front and on 15 August 1916, Laidoner was promoted to the rank of Podpolkovnik (lieutenant colonel).[2] From March to September 1917, he served as staff commander of the 1st Caucasus Grenadier Division and from October to November 1917, as staff commander of the 62nd Infantry Division.[1]
On 5 January 1918, Laidoner was appointed commander of the newly formed 1st Estonian Division.[3] On 18 February 1918, the negotiations over the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk broke down and German forces, who had already captured Estonian islands, landed on the mainland. On the following day, Laidoner resigned from his post as division commander and left for Russia. On 24 February 1918, Estonia declared independence, but was subsequently occupied by Germany.
Estonian War of Independence
On 4 April 1918, the
On 1 January 1919, the Estonian Army had just over 13,000 men, with 5,700 of them facing 8,000 Soviets on the Viru Front.
Laidoner had a crucial role in organizing and training the army in a very short time as well as establishing an effective command structure within the armed forces. Learning from his experience with trench warfare in World War I and due to the limited size of the forces available to him, Laidoner chose to achieve crucial victories – capturing strategically important roads and railway stations – with smaller and more mobile battalion- and company-sized units, supported by armoured trains and armoured cars. After the end of the war, Laidoner was promoted to lieutenant general on 21 March 1920, before resigning as commander‑in‑chief and retiring from active service on 26 March 1920.[1][6]
Post-war career
After the war, Laidoner was a member of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) and from 1920 to 1929 as a member of the conservative Farmers' Assemblies.[2] He served as the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee and was part of the Estonian delegation in the General Assembly of the League of Nations from 1922 to 1929, where he was known for his isolationist stance.
On 1 December 1924, the Estonian Communists, together with assault groups sent from the Soviet Union,
In 1925, Laidoner was commissioned by the League of Nations to head a special mission to Iraq, investigating the allegations made against Turkey regarding the mistreatment and deportations of Christians in the Mosul region.[2][7] The report Laidoner's committee submitted played an important role in demarcating the border between Turkey and Iraq.[1]
On 12 March 1934, the State Elder
Soviet occupation, arrest and death
On 17 June 1940, the Soviet Union occupied Estonia. Laidoner was officially removed from his position as the commander‑in‑chief on 22 June 1940.[6] On 19 July, he and his wife were deported to Penza, Russia, where they lived in forced exile until the beginning of the war with Germany. On 23 June 1941, they were put under house arrest and then imprisoned on 28 June by the NKVD. In September 1942, the Laidoners were sent to the Butyrka prison in Moscow, along with Konstantin Päts and a number of former Latvian, Lithuanian and Polish statesmen and their families. From there, they were moved to a prison in Kirov, and then in Ivanovo. On 16 April 1952, Laidoner was sentenced to 25 years in prison. He was sent to Vladimir Central Prison, where he died on 13 March 1953.[2] He was buried at the prison cemetery, but his remains have not been found.[1]
Laidoner's adopted son Aleksei was also arrested by the NKVD. He died in Solikamsk labor camp on 26 November 1941 with chest trauma listed as the cause of death.[10]
Maria Laidoner was released in 1954 and was allowed to return to Estonia. She died in 1978 in Jämejala, near Viljandi, and was buried in Tallinn at Siselinna Cemetery, next to her son Michael.[10]
Legacy
Laidoner's reputation in Estonia has remained controversial;[11] although he has been hailed as a national hero for his leadership skills and success as a military commander in the War of Independence, he has been criticized for his support of Konstantin Päts and his involvement in the 1934 coup d'état as well as the surrender to the Soviet Union in 1940.[12][13]
Laidoner has a number of monuments, memorials and places named after him.
- Laidoner's memorial in his birthplace in Vardja was destroyed after the Soviet occupation in 1940 and restored in 1990.
- In 2001, the Estonian War Museum named in his honour was opened in Laidoner's former residence in Viimsi Manor.[14]
- In 2004, an equestrian statue of General Laidoner was unveiled next to the ruins of the Viljandi Castle.[15]
- In Viljandi, a square and a park are named after him.
- In 2009, Eesti Postreleased a commemorative stamp to honour Laidoner's 125th anniversary.
- Laidoner has a plaque dedicated to him in Vilnius Military Academy.
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Laidoner's memorial in Vardja
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Plaque for Laidoner in Vilnius
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Equestrian statue of General Johan Laidoner in Viljandi.
Awards and decorations
Estonian awards and decorations | |
Cross of Liberty, 1st Class 1st Rank | |
Cross of Liberty, 3rd Class 1st Rank | |
Order of the White Star, special sash | |
Order of the Cross of the Eagle, 1st Class | |
Order of the Estonian Red Cross, 1st Class | |
Russian awards and decorations | |
Order of Saint Vladimir, 4th Class | |
Order of Saint Anna, 2nd Class | |
Order of Saint Anna, 4th Class | |
Order of Saint Stanislaus, 2nd Class | |
Golden Weapon for Bravery | |
Foreign awards | |
Order of the White Rose of Finland, Grand Cross (Finland) | |
Legion of Honour, Commander (France) | |
German Olympic Decoration, 1st Class (Germany) | |
Order of Lāčplēsis, 1st Class (Latvia) | |
Order of Lāčplēsis, 2nd Class (Latvia) | |
Order of Lāčplēsis, 3rd Class (Latvia) | |
Order of Vytautas the Great, Grand Cross (Lithuania) | |
Order of the White Eagle (Poland) | |
Order of Virtuti Militari , 5th Class (Poland)
| |
Order of Polonia Restituta, Grand Cross (Poland) | |
Order of the Sword, Grand Cross (Sweden) | |
Order of St Michael and St George, Honorary Knight Commander (United Kingdom) |
See also
- Estonian War of Independence
- Gustaf Mannerheim
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "General Johan Laidoner". Estonian War Museum. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Kes oli kindral Johan Laidoner" (in Estonian). Johan Laidoneri Selts. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
- ^ "The period of national military units - 1917-1918". Estonian Defence Forces. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
- ISBN 5-450-01325-6.
- ^ "Ajutise Valitsuse koosolekute protokollid" (in Estonian). National Archives of Estonia. 20 January 1919. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
- ^ a b c d Õun, Mati (2001). Eesti sõjavägi 1920-1940 (in Estonian). Tallinn: Tammiskilp. pp. 5–6.
- ISBN 978-0-19-063346-2.
- ^ "Riigivanema käsukiri Kaitsevägedele" (in Estonian). National Archives of Estonia. 14 March 1934. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
- ^ "Sõjavägede Ülemjuhataja kindralleitnant J. Laidoner kõrgendati kindraliks". Uus Eesti. No. 53. 23 February 1939. p. 19.
- ^ a b "Laidoneride pereplats". Kalmistud.ee. Archived from the original on 1 October 2017. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
- ^ M. Vallikivi: Historiska institutionen. Diva-Portal, 2019.
- ^ Martti Turtola: Viro pyrki liittoon Stalinin kanssa – Iltalehti (in Finnish)
- ^ Taloussanomat: Kohukirja kuumentaa pian Suomen ja Viron välejä – Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish)
- ^ a b "About the museum – Introduction". Estonian War Museum. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
- ^ "Viljandis avati kindral Laidoneri ausammas" (in Estonian). Estonian Defence Forces. 22 June 2004. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
Bibliography
- Vabariigi Ohvitseride Keskkogu (1934). Johan Laidoner – mälestusi kaasaeglasilt. Tallinn: Ühiselu.
- Deemant, Kaupo; Herodes, Priit; Lään, Irene; Lään, Tanel; Pihlak, Jaak; Pillak, Peep; Reintam, Marika; Walter, Hannes; Õun, Mati (1999). Kindral Johan Laidoner – 115 aastat sünnist. Tallinn: Tammiskilp.
- Lään, Irene; Hiio, Toomas (2008). Ühtekuuluvuse teel. Johan Laidoneri kirjad abikaasale. Tallinn: ISBN 9789985316023.
- Pillak, Peep (1999). Johan Laidoner 12.02.1884 – 13.03.1953. Tallinn: Umara. ISBN 9985895045.
- Rosenthal, Reigo (2008). Laidoner – väejuht. Johan Laidoner kõrgema operatiivjuhi ja strateegia kujundajana. Tallinn: Argo. ISBN 978-9949-438-51-8.
- Tuisk, Mart (1938). Ülemjuhataja kindral Johan Laidoner. Vabadussõja võidurikas juht. Tallinn: Kooli-Kooperatiiv.
- Turtola, Martti (2008). Kindral Johan Laidoner ja Eesti Vabariigi hukk 1939–1940. Tallinn: ISBN 978-9985-62-632-0.
External links
- General Johan Laidoner — Estonian War Museum
- Johan Laidoneri Selts (in Estonian)
- Johan Laidoner at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (in Estonian)
- Johan Laidoner Archived 2022-03-25 at the Wayback Machine at Estonica
- Johan Laidoner at the International Encyclopedia of the First World War