Between giants

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With the exception of Poland, no region suffered more during World War II than the Baltic States. Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia became pawns in the struggle for control of Eastern Europe, facing conquest, exploitation, death, and deportation. The three states experienced repeated occupations: first by the Soviet Union in 1939, then by Germany in 1941, and again by the Soviets in 1944-45. Local governments and individuals had to choose between supporting the occupiers or forming partisan units. Many became embroiled in fierce battles, especially during the significant confrontations at the Courland bridgehead during Operation Bagration, where hundreds of thousands fought and perished in the war's final year. The repeated assaults on the 'Courland Cauldron' resulted in over 300,000 Soviet troop losses, while 146,000 German and Latvian soldiers eventually surrendered. No mercy was shown to those Latvians, Lithuanians, and Estonians who fought for Germany, as they faced execution. By war's end, death and deportation had decimated the Baltic population by over 20 percent, and an iron curtain would descend on the region for more than four decades. Through first-hand accounts and extensive archival research, the narrative captures the harrowing experiences of these small states shaped by the war's fortunes and misfortunes.