Johannes Soodla
Johannes Soodla (14 January 1897 in Kudina Parish, (now in Palamuse Parish) – 16 May 1965) was an Estonian military officer during World War I, Estonian War of Independence and World War II, serving in Kuperjanov's Partisan Battalion and the 20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Estonian). In 1944 he was promoted to Brigadeführer, which was the highest rank ascribed to any Estonian officer in the German army during World War II.

In 1916 Soodla was mobilized in the Russian Army and was sent to a military school in Gatchina. He fought in World War I. In the Estonian War of Independence Soodla fought along with Julius Kuperjanov in the same unit. Soodla was a company commander. He fought in all the toughest battles in the war including the Battle of Paju where he took command of the battalion after Kuperjanov was wounded. After the war, the Estonian Cross of Liberty was awarded to Soodla. From 1920 to 1940 he served in the Estonian Army until released by Soviet Army in 1941.

Soodla then went to Germany returning to Estonia in the summer of same year with German Army. Soodla headed both the Estonian police and Omakaitse, a paramilitary self-defence organization during the German occupation. He was promoted to Oberfuhrer and then Brigadefuhrer. In 1943 he joined the Estonian Legion and was Inspector-General of the Estonian units in German forces. In 1944 he fell back with German forces to Germany.

He was known to have been in post-war refugee camps in Germany. He later lived in Italy and in United States. He died on May 16, 1965 in Goslar, Germany.

The Estonian International Commission for the Investigation of Crimes Against Humanity concluded that by the virtue of his senior position, Johannes Soodla shared responsibility
with the German authorities for all criminal actions carried out in
Estonia, and beyond its borders by military units or
police battalions raised with their consent.
Q3467316
Kudina
LOC
Q588258
Palamuse Parish
LOC
Q191
Estonia
LOC
Q361
World War I
EVE
Q1127302
Estonian War of Independence
EVE
Q362
World War II
EVE
Q16931667
Kuperjanov's Partisan Battalion
MEDIA
Q211090
20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Estonian)
MEDIA
Q155435
Brigadeführer
PER
Q7436
Gatchina
LOC
Q937948
Julius Kuperjanov
PER
Q1720027
Battle of Paju
EVE
Q1454361
Cross of Liberty
MEDIA
Q43456
Soviet Army
ORG
Q183
Germany
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Q2476505
Omakaitse
MEDIA
Q3322608
German occupation
UNK
Q157476
Oberfuhrer
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Q155435
Brigadefuhrer
PER
Q3741063
Estonian Legion
PER
Q38
Italy
LOC
Q30
United States
LOC
Q3896
Goslar
LOC
Q2060645
Estonian International Commission for the Investigation of Crimes Against Humanity
PER
Q3738877
Johannes Soodla
PER
Q3738877
Johannes Soodla
PER
1897-01-14T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
14 January 1897
DATE
1965-05-16T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
16 May 1965
DATE
1944-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1944
DATE
1916-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1916
DATE
1920-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1920
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1940-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1940
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1941-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1941
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1943-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1943
DATE
1944-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1944
DATE
1965-05-16T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
May 16, 1965
DATE
+20^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
20
NUMBER
+1^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
1
NUMBER
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