Class of 1943

Class of 1943
Klassikaaslased 1943. aastast

Director Helga Merits
Year 2012
Country The Netherlands
Length 52 minutes
Producer Helga Merits
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Film based on incredible archival footage, the Class of 1943 tells the story of young men. The Russians occupied Estonia in 1940, the Germans only a year later. Conscription remained; the Germans needed young healthy conscripts as badly as the Russians had, and so, in the summer of 1943, the boys of class 4b of the Tartu Poeglaste gymnasium were drafted into the German army. Those who didn’t comply with conscription were considered to be deserters and deserters were shot. There was no escape. The boys witnessed the horrors of the Eastern front and the hardships of the prison-camps. Miraculously some survived.

 

Venelased okupeerisid Eesti 1940. aastal, sakslased vaid aasta hiljem. Ajateenistus jäi: nii sakslastel kui ka venelastel oli noori terveid ajateenijad vaja. Nii juhtuski, et 1943 aasta suvel mobiliseeriti Tartu Poeglaste Gümnaasiumi 4.b klassi poisid Saksa sõjaväkke. Need, kes ajateenistuse nõuetele ei vastanud kuulutati desertöörideks ning lasti maha. Põgeneda polnud võimalik. Poistele said osaks nii idarinde õudused kui vangilaagrite raskused. Imekombel jäid mõned siiski ellu.

 

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