Memorial Complex Battle of Tannenberg Line

The first wooden cross was erected in 1994. In 1999 this was replaced by the current monument. The central figure of the Sinimägi monument is a steel cross 12 meters high. The composition in the center of the cross symbolizes an explosion with shrapnel. Shrapnel found here on the battlefield was used for this purpose. It was created by the Estonian metal artist Heino Müller.
A plaque at the foot of the cross reads:
"The Estonian people mourn the sons of the homeland who died in the battle for the defense of Estonia."
The monument complex is beautifully depicted from a drone in a video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbyKLX3Z0yQ (from time code 1:35 to 2:50).

Veterans from Estonia who fought on both sides of the front in 1944 – some in the Soviet army and others in the German army – were invited to take part in the opening ceremony. Initially, the monument was neutral and not used for ideological purposes.

In 2004, a memorial stone was added to the monument in honor of the veterans of the 20th SS Grenadier Division, who fought heavily here. This division consisted almost entirely of soldiers from Estonia. An annual meeting of veterans from this division (if still alive), their families, and their supporters takes place here. Only a few dozen people participate in these meetings.
In 2006, two more memorial stones were added to the complex, for the Dutch and Walloon volunteers who also fought here on the German side against the advancing Soviet army.

Over time, vandalism has occurred several times, including on May 9, 2023. The memorial stones were then knocked over and defaced. Partly due to the symbolism of this date, the celebration of the victory of the Soviet Union at the end of the Second World War, the perpetrators are sought among members of the Russian minority in Estonia.

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Source

• Text: Kaj Metz
• Photos: Koos Winkelman (1, 2, 3), Wikimedia Commons (4), Harm Woerthuis (5)