Traveling Tuesday: The Baltic States During WW2

 Traveling Tuesday: The Baltic States

My knowledge of geography was not good until my interest in World War II surfaced, and I learned about the more than seventy countries involved in the conflict, many of them tiny nations such as the three Baltic states Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia that together are smaller than the American state of Missouri.

Located in northeastern Europe on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea and bordered by Russia, Belarus, and Poland, the Baltic states have existed in some form since antiquity. Despite sharing a geographical region, the three countries have vastly “different histories and ethnic compositions experiencing varying foreign conquests that shaped their distinct political and cultural developments.” (Wikipedia) The three also have different geography with Estonia having a highly “indented coastline” and more than 2,000 islands; Lativa featuring forests that cover almost half the country, and Lithuania being a mix of lakes and forests and the Curonian Spit, a long, thin sand-dune spit that separates the Curonian Lagoon from the Baltic Sea.

The Baltic States all achieved their independence at the end of World War I or shortly thereafter. They

experienced growth and economic development, however the stability was short-lived, and all three countries suffered greatly during World War II.

In 1939, Hitler and Stalin signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact which divided Europe into German and Soviet “spheres of influence.” Not long after, the Soviets backed the Baltic States into “mutual assistance treaties” which gave the USSR the right to establish military bases in the countries. Then in June 1940 elections were held in which only pro-Stalin candidates were allowed to run, and unsurprisingly, the new parliaments voted to join the Soviet Union.

Life in the Baltic States took a tragic turn as arrests, executions, and mass deportations occurred of more than 200,000 people. Others were sent to Gulags and labor camps. The following year, the Germans invaded, and the Latvians, Lithuanians, and Estonians were thrilled to see them arrive, but excitement quickly turned to horror as the Germans set up a civil administration that targeted the Jewish population with mass killings and deportations to ghettos. The Red Army returned in late 1944 as part of the Potsdam Agreement. By the end of World War II, fewer than five percent of the original Jewish population in the Baltic States remained.

Independence would not be restored until the late 1980s.

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Eye of the Beholder: An Apron Strings Tea Tale (Releasing June 30, 2026)

Shunned for his appearance, a disfigured veteran encounters acceptance and love where he least expects it.

Left with physical and emotional scars after the Great War, Hank Drake has been shunned by polite society as the Ugly Duckling. Fine by him. He’d much rather be alone. Until he meets the kind proprietress of a tea stand at New York’s World’s Fair who isn’t repulsed by his appearance. Can he hope for acceptance…or even love?

Grace Sutton has no interest in marrying and is tired of her parent’s snide comments that she’s still single on the eve of her 40th birthday. After she loses her job thanks to budget cuts, she decides it’s time to follow her dream of feeding others. Armed with Mrs. Canfield’s cookbook, she opens a refreshment stand at the World’s Fair unaware how one man will turn her life upside down and upset the apple…er, tea cart.

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Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupation_of_the_Baltic_states
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_occupation_of_the_Baltic_states_during_World_War_II
https://communistcrimes.org/en/timeline-soviet-occupation-baltic-states
https://gulag.online/articles/soviet-repression-and-deportations-in-the-baltic-states
https://www.britannica.com/event/World-War-II/The-Baltic-states-and-the-Russo-Finnish-War-1939-40
https://www.reddit.com/r/BalticStates/comments/14aqiqo/why_were_the_baltic_states_annexed_into_the/

Photo Credits:

Map of Soviet Invasion: By The Soviet Baltic Fleet H.Q. - Russian State Naval Archives (RSNA), Public Domain

Stalin and Ribbentrop after signing the Agreement: By Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-H27337 / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 de

Soldiers entering Lithuania: By Unknown author - Kėdainių krašto muziejus via LIMIS (primary account number of exhibit: Kė KM Kė KM Gek 3274), Public Domain