The Baltic great escape
In 1944, 80 years ago and a year before the end of World War II, the Red Army invaded the Baltic States - again. Fearing Soviet repression and remembering their previous occupation of 1940-1941, which went down in history as the ”Terrible Year”, around 300,000 people were forced to flee westward.
While many fled by land towards Germany, tens of thousands of Balts undertook a dangerous sea voyage by boats in hope of finding refuge in Gotland, Sweden. Under cover of night, refugees, many of whom were from the ranks of the intelligentsia – publishers, writers, poets, diplomats, as these groups were primarily deported by Soviets during the Terrible Year – crammed into small boats for days. The boatmen and fishermen, risking their own lives to help people cross the sea, had to navigate not only the German Coast Guard but also Russian submarines, torpedo boats, and air attacks.
Thousands perished at sea. Those who reached Sweden were grateful for their survival. After the war, displaced Balts refused to return home under Soviet occupation and sought refuge in countries such as Australia, Canada, and the US.
Latvians in exile maintained their cultural identity by writing Latvian newspapers, magazines, and books, creating Baltic schools and universities. However, many writers and intellectuals experienced deep loneliness and the emotional burden of leaving their homeland during wartime. This was a common theme reflected in the works of those in exile, such as Anšlavs Eglītis' novels ”Mrs. Omartija” and ”Malachita God” about Latvians in California or Gunars Janovskis' trilogy about the life of the legionnaire Artūrs Skuja in England.
The great escape of World War II has been a significant contribution to the Baltic diaspora communities, which today total about 400,000 Latvians, 1.3 million Lithuanians and 200,000 Estonians.