WW2 Relic Hunting in Sillamae, Estonia
WW2 Trenches Along the Baltic Seashore
The first time I brought my metal detector to Estonia was when I visited my mother in Sillamae in 2002. Back then, I had a superficial knowledge of the area's history: 1502 was the earliest date the vicinity was mentioned in the old chronicles, and a few small fishing villages were established on the Baltic Sea shore.
The Baltic Sea Coast Line With the City of Sillamae Visible On the Horizon
The Baltic Sea
I certainly wasn't aware of the WW2 military action that took place in the area during the Battle of Narva, or more correctly a campaign, which took place between January and September 1944. The fierce fighting between the Red Army and Nordland Group's 20th Division of the Nazi Germany forces turned the entire area into a war zone.
The area around the cities of Sillamäe and Sinemäe saw the second phase of the battle, entitled The Battle of the Tannenbergstellung (Tannenberg Line). The Tannenbergstellung consisted of three hills, running east to west. The eastern hill was known as the Kinderheimhöhe (Orphanage Hill), the centre was Grenadierhöhe (Grenadier Hill) and the westernmost 69.9 Höhe (Hill 69.9, also known as Liebhöhe or Love's Hill). The position was located near the coastal town of Sillamäe. These three hills, known as the Blue Mountains, were less than imposing, and resembled gently sloping mounds rather than defensible heights.
During that fighting, division Nordland suffered heavy casualties from taking part in several hand-to-hand actions. Nordland lost all of their tanks and armored fighting vehicles and had to fight on as infantry. The International Waffen SS (11th Waffen SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier Brigade "Neiderlande") that included an Estonian Battalion was wiped out completely.
A Heavy Fight Took Place On This Beach
During my first metal detecting outing in the woods outside Sillamae, I was surprised to notice many scars of the WW2 that were still visible 58 years later. I came across three lines of trenches stretched for a few miles along the shoreline. The forest was speckled with tank and artillery emplacements, dug-outs, fox-holes, and shell-holes.
German Artillery Emplacement
A Fox-hole
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