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| Waffen-Obersturmbannführer der SS Harald Riipalu |
After the Soviet occupation of Estonia in 1940 Harald Riipalu
(born Reibach) was forcibly mobilized into the Soviet Red Army 22nd Territorial Corps and served there during 1940-41. In 1941 he defected to the German side to fight against the Soviet aggression. Riipalu served in the Estonian 20.Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS and became the Commander of Waffen-Grenadier-Regiment der SS 45
Estland. Waffen-Obersturmbannführer der SS Harald Riipalu was one of four Estonian commanders who earned the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. He was awarded the Knight's Cross for his actions in the
Battle of Tannenberg Line and in the Battle of Auvere where Riipalu and his regiment drove back the assault of the Red Army, which prevented the Soviets from encircling Armee-Abteilung Narwa (Army Group Narva). The award was presented to him by the commanding general of III. (germanisches) SS-Panzerkorps SS-Obergruppenführer
Felix Steiner. After Nazi Germany had lost the war, former Estonian freedom fighters were hunted by the USSR, but Riipalu managed to remain in the free world. From 1945 to 1948 he lived in Denmark, later he and many other Estonian Waffen-SS veterans settled in the U.K. Harald Riipalu
died aged 49 on April 4 1961 in Heckmondwike in England. Image: Harald Riipalu
in Dorpat on Nov. 10 1944. FU.
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ReplyDeleteMy grandfather served in 20th WSS division. Went trough the hell in the Blue Hills battle, in Tannenberg line. My grandmothers brother served on russian side, just because he was too late to run from them, he served trough the war, from the beginning in Eastern front. He told me lots of things about red armys atrocities and war crimes. He was highly decorated, but after the war, in the early 60-s, he sent all hes medals back to Moscow, was so ashamed of the red army and allies propaganda, because he new the truth. Russians wanted to send him to prison for that.
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