Candles for the Defiant: Discovering my Family’s Estonian Past

An Estonian patriot fights to defend his country when the Soviets invade during World War II only to find himself later condemned as a traitor and a spy.

As Kaia sought to learn how her Estonian family survived during World War II, she discovered the compelling story of one man’s brave defiance as he resisted the Soviet occupation of Estonia.

During the second World War, the residents of the Baltic states fought to preserve their independence while they were brutally occupied by both the Soviet and the German armies.

Many like Kaia’s family escaped at the end of the war. Yet, they retained their pride in being Estonian and cheered when the strength and resilience of Baltic patriots finally enabled Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to regain their independence more than fifty years after World War II ended.

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