The men fighting for the Reds were men drafted into the Red Army in 1941, or offered freedom from the camps if they fought for the Red Army. (Several thousand more were drafted) Most join to get some payback on the USSR. When the Germans put out a call for men to join an all Estonian unit to fight several thousand men signed up. When the Germans swept through during their 1941 attack on the USSR, they were looked upon as liberators by many. (The Soviets received a bloody nose when they tried the same move on Finland) The Soviet occupation had been brutal with many killed or shipped off to camps. annexed Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia all at the same time. The politics in play here are the same for both sides. Now the film follows the Estonians who are fighting with the Reds as they advance. The group fighting with the Germans withdraws leaving the field to the Red Army side. There is a brief fight between the two groups that ends once they realize they are all Estonian. The film then shifts gear and follows another group of Estonians, this time the men are part of the Red Army. The first 45 minutes or so follows this group during the battle and retreat. The Red Forces are however far too great and the Germans and Estonians are forced to retreat towards the coast. The battle is hard fought and results in massive losses to the Red Army. The film follows a small detachment of Estonian troops who are fighting for the Germans.

It starts with the battle of the Tannenberg Line where German and their Allied forces try to hold back the advancing Soviet Red Army. 1944 (2015) This Estonian made war film takes place during July to November 1944.

1944 battle of tannenberg line