![]() ![]() Paulman, stating in his Ot Narvy do Syrve that the 2nd Shock Army lost over 30,000 troops at the Narva bridgeheads during February. ![]() This is in accordance with the estimation of F. The share of the battles around Narva is unknown but considering the length of the operation, Laar accounts roughly half of the documented 56,564 dead or missing and the 170,876 wounded or sick in the Leningrad-Novgorod Offensive for the Battle of Narva. According to the data of the Stavka, the total casualties of the Leningrad Front in 1944 were 665,827 men, 145,102 of them dead or missing. ^ Mart Laar in his book Sinimäed 1944: II maailmasõja lahingud Kirde-Eestis has presented an indirect account of Soviet casualties for the battles.The film also astutely observes the madness of the battlefield and the conscription of mere teenagers by either side one device, involving a letter being hand-delivered by a soldier, gains in poignancy with each repetition. The script penned by Leo Kunnas, a novelist and former high-ranking Estonian military officer, is rich in historical detail, with many references to the Soviet repression of 19, including the arrests of innocent people, deportations and executions - actions that drove men like Karl to join the German side. One of the tautest set pieces comes near the end as Juri’s men follow a tank down a muddy road under incoming fire, with minefields on either side. Here, in his sophomore outing, he shows a flare for directing action with tense scenes of trench warfare. Helmer Nuganen, who is perhaps best known as the artistic director of Tallinn City Theater, made his feature bow with the patriotic slice of history “Names in Marble” (2003), which, until “1944,” held the Estonian box office record for a domestic film. Kreml (Peeter Tammearu), an ambitious and manipulative commanding officer who wants him to report any anti-Soviet remarks made by the men in his unit. Not only must he look out for his men, who are all the family he has left, but he must also handle pressure from Capt. Meanwhile, Juri (Kristjan Ukskula), son of a communist collaborator, was recruited from the Estonian Defense Forces by the Red Army. ![]() Farm boy Karl (Kaspar Velberg) wears the uniform of the SS and is haunted by his inability to prevent his family’s deportation to Siberia by the Soviets. Running from the battle of the Tannenberg Line in July to the occupation of the Sorve peninsula by the Red Army at the end of November, the narrative focuses on two courageous Estonian staff sergeants fighting on opposing sides. By 1944, the bloodiest battles on the Eastern Front were being fought by soldiers from small nations who had only the slimmest hopes of survival, and who had learned the lesson of keeping their mouths shut. But in 1941, Germany occupied the tiny Baltic country, forcing 72,000 Estonians to fight as part of the Waffen-SS and other military units excepting the Wehrmacht, which was reserved only for those of German birth. In 1940, the Soviet Union annexed Estonia, drafting 55,000 men to serve in the Red Army. The text running under the opening credits provides context for those who don’t know the complicated history of this corner of Europe. Nevertheless, further fest action is assured. Despite its domestic acclaim and a handsome production package, this foreign-language Oscar entry lacks the international arthouse appeal of last year’s Academy Award-nominated “Tangerines,” in which Nuganen appeared in a supporting role. As the film illustrates, the titular year was a dangerous one for Estonian men of combat age who wound up fighting compatriots on home turf. Ranking as Estonia’s biggest domestic box office success, Elmo Nuganen’s gritty war epic “1944” provides a harsh perspective on the country’s painful 20th-century history. ![]()
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