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→Controversy: Same guy accuses Russia of cyber attacks and Estonia's critics of being pro-Soviet. Should be noted.
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===Controversy===
===Controversy===
While the ERNA raid has been held annually since 1993, for the first time in 2007 the [[Russian]] government has officially expressed extreme concern that an [[Estonian]] government sponsored activity is named after a unit that fought WWII on the [[Nazi]] side. Some analysts say this view follows Soviet and post-Soviet Russia's official logic on two counts. First, that resistance to the Red Army was inherently illegitimate and conflatable with “fascism” in an occupied country or one targeted for occupation. Second, that Estonia should be criticized for remembering an act of national resistance and its casualties.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jamestown.org/print_friendly.php?volume_id=420&issue_id=4200&article_id= |title=PACE Chairman bending to the Kremlin wind against Estonia |publisher=Jamestown Foundation |accessdate=2007-08-09}}</ref>. It should be noted, however, that assumption regarding falling to the Soviet line had been made by Vladimir Socor of the Jamestown foundation, who also accused Russia of cyber attacks from within Russia’s Presidential Administration against Estonia<ref name="JamestownPutinHacker">[http://www.jamestown.org/edm/article.php?article_id=2372136 RUSSIA BEGINS CYBER ATTACKS AGAINST ESTONIAN GOVERNMENT]</ref>.
While the ERNA raid has been held annually since 1993, for the first time in 2007 the [[Russian]] government has expressed extreme concern that an [[Estonian]] government sponsored activity is named after a unit that fought WWII on the [[Nazi]] side. Some analysts say this view follows Soviet and post-Soviet Russia's official logic on two counts. First, that resistance to the Red Army was inherently illegitimate and conflatable with “fascism” in an occupied country or one targeted for occupation. Second, that Estonia should be criticized for remembering an act of national resistance and its casualties.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jamestown.org/print_friendly.php?volume_id=420&issue_id=4200&article_id= |title=PACE Chairman bending to the Kremlin wind against Estonia |publisher=Jamestown Foundation |accessdate=2007-08-09}}</ref>


==Past Competitions==
==Past Competitions==

Revision as of 13:32, 9 August 2007

The Erna Raid (Estonian: Erna retk) is an annual international military exercise and competition held since 1995 every August in Estonia and organised by the Erna Society founded for this purpose. It commemorates the actions of Erna long-range recce group (Estonian: Erna luuregrupp) in saving thousands of civilians hiding in the Kautla woods by allowing them to escape while the outnumbered ERNA force engaged Soviet forces in fierce battles in the summer of 1941. Most of the Estonian volunteers were killed during that action.

Participation

Foreign teams have always been welcome to partake in the competition. In 2007 28 teams from 9 different countries are scheduled for participation: Estonia (18 teams), Czech Republic (1), Denmark (1), Finland (2), Germany (1), Norway (2), Portugal (1), Sweden (1) and USA (1), of which Portugal and Czech Republic are newcomers. Teams from United Kingdom have participated in earlier years (most recently, a British Territorial Army team in 2006) but will only be observing in 2007. A team from Cyprus will also be observing. Teams from Communist China have been traditionally successful in the competition and took 1st and 2nd place in 2002.

Composition

The traditional parts of the competition are:

  • landing, in rubber boats, to a "hostile" shore;
  • cross-country tactical movement and navigation, without night campdown, over a distance of around 150 kilometres while avoiding and escaping from "hostile" security forces;
  • various (and varying over years) minigames during the course. These may involve grenade throwing, combat first aid and other military skills.

History

The competition is named and themed after summer 1941 activities of the Erna long-range recce group.[1] Group's task was to perform reconnaissance duty behind Soviet lines for the German army advancing in Estonia after Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941.

The group was originally formed from (largely ethnic Estonian) volunteers in Finland. Armed and wearing the uniform of the Finnish army[2], the Germans originally intended it to be a unit of the German army. However, colonel of Estonian Army Henn Ants Kurg, in charge of the newly formed unit, strongly opposed this position[3]. Accordingly, a compromise was reached, and on July 24, 1941, the core unit of 68 men took an oath of allegiance to Finland, not to Adolf Hitler as the Oberleutnant Reinhardt and Sonderführer Schwarz, German liaison officers, had originally insisted[3].

The group was active from summer of 1941 up to end of World War II on Estonian territory and Leningrad Oblast. Group operated behind Soviet lines until August 6, 1941. Remnants of the group broke through to the German lines and were subsequently attached to the Wehrmacht 311. Infantry regiment as the Erna battalion till the end of the war. 445 Estonian volunteers participated in units known by the name Erna[3].

With the end of the war, it was officially demobilised; however, a number of factions continued guerrilla activities, becoming Forest Brothers (Baltic partisans).[4]

Controversy

While the ERNA raid has been held annually since 1993, for the first time in 2007 the Russian government has expressed extreme concern that an Estonian government sponsored activity is named after a unit that fought WWII on the Nazi side. Some analysts say this view follows Soviet and post-Soviet Russia's official logic on two counts. First, that resistance to the Red Army was inherently illegitimate and conflatable with “fascism” in an occupied country or one targeted for occupation. Second, that Estonia should be criticized for remembering an act of national resistance and its casualties.[5]

Past Competitions

The table below records the final results for the year's competition. DL is the acronym for the Defence League.

Position 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
1st Estonia Border Guard Estonia Border Guard Estonia DL Järva China China 2 Finland Finland 2 Estonia Scouts Bat. 2 Estonia Scouts Bat. 1 Estonia Reserve Officers
2nd Estonia Kalev Inf. Bat. Norway Norway Finland Finland 2 China China 1 Estonia Scouts Bat. Estonia Reserve Officers Estonia Recce Bat. Estonia Scouts Bat. 1
3rd Estonia DL Pärnu Estonia DL Harju Estonia Border Guard Estonia DL Harju Estonia DL Järva Estonia Scouts Bat. 1 Estonia Military Academy Estonia Military Academy
4th China China 2 Estonia AA Battery Estonia Logistics Bat. Estonia Security Police Estonia Recce Bat. Estonia Military School Finland Finland 1 Estonia DL Järva
5th Finland Finland 1 Estonia Logistics Bat. China China 2 Estonia Military Academy China China 2 Estonia DL Pärnu China China 2 Estonia Scouts Bat. 2
6th Estonia Guard Bat. Finland Finland 1 Estonia Reserve Officers Estonia DL Järva Estonia Military Academy Estonia DL Järva China China 1 Estonia DL Tartu
7th Estonia DL Võru Estonia Reserve Officers Estonia AA Battery Estonia DL Tallinn Estonia Border Guard Denmark Denmark 1 Estonia Air Defence Div. Estonia Police
8th Denmark Denmark Estonia Kalev Inf. Bat. China China 1 Lithuania Lithuania China China 1 Finland Finland 2 Sweden Sweden Estonia DL Tallinn
9th Estonia DL Järva Estonia EDF HQ Estonia Guard Bat. Estonia Reserve Officers Denmark Denmark Lithuania Lithuania Germany Germany Germany Germany
10th Norway Norway 1 Estonia Security Police Estonia Security Police Estonia Scout Bat. Estonia DL Harju 2 Estonia Recce Bat. Estonia Reserve Officers Estonia Border Guard
11th Estonia Military Academy Finland Finland 2 Estonia Rescue Service Estonia Border Guard Estonia DL Tallinn 2 Estonia Logistic Bat. Estonia DL Järva Estonia EDF HQ
12th Estonia Reserve Officers Estonia Military Academy Estonia DL Tallinn Finland Finland Estonia DL Tallinn 1 China China 2 Estonia Guard Bat. Canada Canada
13th Estonia DL Põlva Sweden Sweden Norway Norway 1 Estonia Military School Estonia DL Võrumaa Estonia Air Defence Bat. Estonia DL Tartu Estonia Guard Bat.
14th China China 1 Norway Norway 2 Norway Norway 2 Estonia DL Võrumaa Estonia DL Pärnumaa Estonia Military Academy Denmark Denmark 2 Finland Finland 1
15th Sweden Sweden Estonia DL Võru Estonia Signal Bat. Norway Norway 1 Estonia DL Harju 1 Denmark Denmark 2 Estonia DL Tallinn Estonia Viru Bat.
16th Scotland Scotland Germany Germany Estonia Military Academy Norway Norway 2 Estonia Reserve Officers China China 1 Finland Finland 2 Finland Finland 2
17th Norway Norway 2 Estonia DL Tallinn Estonia DL Põlva Romania Romania Austria Austria Estonia DL Võru Estonia Scouts Bat. Estonia DL Valgamaa
18th Italy Italy 2 Denmark Denmark 1 Finland Finland 1 Estonia AA Battalion Estonia Engineering School Finland Finland 1 Estonia DL Võru United States USA
19th Estonia Womens DL China China 1 Sweden Sweden Denmark Denmark 1 Estonia Military School Sweden Sweden Denmark Denmark 1 Denmark Denmark 1
20th United Kingdom UK Estonia DL Järva Estonia DL Harju Finland Finland 2 Finland Finland 1 Germany Germany Estonia Pärnu Bat. United Kingdom Great Britain
21st China China 2 Estonia EDF HQ Sweden Sweden Lithuania Lithuania Estonia Guard Bat. United States USA Belgium Belgium
22nd Estonia Rescue Service Denmark Denmark Estonia text Estonia Police Belgium Belgium Estonia DL Pärnu Estonia Artillery Group
23rd Italy Italy 1 United States USA Maryland Italy Italy Estonia Rescue Service Estonia DL Tallinn Belgium Belgium Estonia Womens DL Võru
24th United Kingdom United Kingdom Scotland Scotland Estonia EDF HQ Sweden Sweden Romania Romania Estonia Womens DL Võru Denmark Denmark 3
25th Estonia Womens DL Estonia Womens DL Estonia Rescue Service Estonia Guard Bat. Turkey Turkey Italy Italy Latvia Latvia
26th Italy Italy 1 Lithuania Lithuania Estonia Womens DL United Kingdom United Kingdom Estonia Womens DL Denmark Denmark 2
27th Estonia Recce Batalion Scotland Scotland Poland Poland United States USA
28th United Kingdom United Kingdom United Kingdom United Kingdom

References

  1. ^ British Embassy in Tallinn August 5, 2006: ERNA RAID 2006 1–5 August
  2. ^ C. Jurando, N Thomas PhD: Germany's Eastern Front Allies(2): Baltic Force, page 5. Osprey Publishing, 2002, ISBN 1841761931
  3. ^ a b c "Birth of the ERNA organisation". ERNA Society. Retrieved 2007-08-08.
  4. ^ Mart Laar: War in the Woods: Estonia's Struggle for Survival, 1944-1953, page 147. Howells House, 1991, ISBN 0929590082
  5. ^ "PACE Chairman bending to the Kremlin wind against Estonia". Jamestown Foundation. Retrieved 2007-08-09.
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