Description
Untouched original grouping with NKVD Issued Documents. Remmelgas was a famous Estonian and has a large Wikipedia Page. It seems that post war he was a very celebrated Soviet Estonian writer, screenwriter, critic and winning a rare medal: Honoured Writer of the Estonian SSR in 1980. The War, he worked in front-line newspapers.From 1950 to 1953 he was editor of the literary and artistic newspaper Sirp ja Vasar (Hammer and Sickle). Since 1964, he served as editor-in-chief of the Tallinfilm film studio.
Remmelgas spent his childhood and youth in Narva , where he graduated from high school in 1938. Immediately afterwards he began his journalistic work. After the Sovietization of Estonia in June 1940, he was editorial secretary in the newspaper Narva Tööline (‘Workers of Narvas’). He spent the Second World War in the Soviet Union , temporarily as a newspaper editor in besieged Leningrad . After the war he worked again in various newspaper editorial offices in Soviet Estonia . From 1949 to 1953 he was secretary of the Central Committee of the Estonian Komsomol . During this time he also completed a distance learning course at the Higher Party School in Moscow , which he completed in 1955.
Remmelgas had been a member of the CPSU since 1943 and a member of the Estonian Writers’ Union since 1952 , in which he temporarily held various positions; from 1981 to 1983 he was its deputy chairman.
The Grouping consists of the following original period items:
1. Red Army ID Booklet – (Soldbuch/Paybook) – Issued in 20.08.1942 with the Leningrad Front – Political NKO Department – With original Uniformed Photograph – Rank of red Army Soldier – Deployed with Special Redaction POLF (Political Newspaper) – He was born in 1921, he was from Yamburg, Petrograd Russia – Called up in 1941 to the Red Army – His profession was a Journalist – Units Served with: 1943/1944 – 249 Est Rifle Division – (8th Estonian Corps) – 8. Eesti Laskurkorpus – 1944 – Promoted to Non Commissioned Officer – Political Department of the 8th Army – Political Commissar. Awards: Defense of Leningrad Medal – 26.06.1944 – Armed with Revolver Nagant – He was demobilised in June 1944.
Unit History: The corps fought a total 916 days in the war, and at different times it was in service on the Kalinin, the Leningrad and the 2nd Baltic Front. For 344 days, parts of the corps were engaged with German forces, but no significant gains were made. For the next 123 days, the formation was engaging in the Battle of Velikiye Luki where 13,000 of the 27,000 men were killed or wounded. Then, 37 days were spent in the Battle of Narva, and the final 88 days were devoted to the Battle of Courland. During the Battle of Narva in 1944, the artillery of the rifle corps fired on the 20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Estonian), consisting of Estonians fighting in the Waffen SS. The infantry of the corps was engaged in direct battle with the Estonians on the German side in the battles of Porkuni and Avinurme on 20 and 21 September 1944, where a detachment of the rifle corps murdered a number of wounded prisoners of war.[7] On 22 September elements of the 7th Rifle Division, along with the 45th Estonian Tank Regiment and the 952nd SU Regiment (SU-76s), formed the forward detachment of the corps and entered Tallinn, for which all three units received the name of that city as a battle honor.[8]
2. Pay Book for Officers of the Red Army – issued by 197 Separate Brigade – Paid 800 rubles from the 249 Rifle Div Estonian – Served as an Officer in the 249 Rifle Division Estonian for three months.
3. Red Army Officers Equipment Book – Issued in 1944 – Issued to a War Correspondent Lembit Remmelgas – Issued the following items: Cap, overcoat, tunic, trousers, shirt, long johns, towels, boots, wool blend sweater, warm shirt, warm long johns, winter gloves, foot wraps for bikes, flask with cover, cape, duffel bag, bowler hat, limit card for the 4th quarter of 1944 of the year.
4. Letter from the Bolshevik Party of Estonia – Stating that Remmelgas took part in a 3 month course (march till June of 1941) as a journalist organised by the department of the Communist Party of Estonia.
4. Letter from NKVD – SARK Narva – 11.07.1941 – 30.08.1941 – Temporary Identification Paper – Issued to Lembit Remmelgas – Permission to carry and use an American Made Rifle – Eesti NSV Siseasjade Rahvakomissariaat
5. Letter from NKVD – 16.07.1941 – Pass for Lembit Remmelgas – Correspondent for Newspaper called Narva Tööline (‘Workers of Narvas’)- as Vice Editor
6. Letter from Newspaper – Heros Storm – 11.10.1941 – Certificate – That he worked form 1 Sept – 10 October worked with the Newspaper – as Illustrator
7. Letter from Newspaper – Heros Storm – 11.10.1941 – Order from Department to Remmelgas – Signed by Battalion Commissar
8. Letter from Vice Chairman of the Estonian SSR – 3.01.1943 – States that Remmelgas is a Special War Correspondent with Rahva Hyal (Voice of the People) of the 8th Estonian Rifle Corps – Should be afforded all assistance in his duty as a Special Correspondent
9. Original Siege of Leningrad Medal – Original example
10. Post War Reserve Officer Card – 1961 – Orders to attend training
Final Comments
An exceptionally rare set of documents issued to a special war correspondent with the Estonian 8th Army Corps of the Red Army. He took part in the war as mainly working for Newspapers creating Soviet Propaganda to motive and inspire the troops. It seems post war he became quite famous in the Estonian SSR. Earning very high awards for his work, many articles online and books written by Remmelgas. Interestinglyy for a period he was also an Illustrator, I am sure its possible with further research to find out more about this man.
For more research an many photos of Remmelgas:
See his Wiki page – Here
https://www.ohtuleht.ee/elu/600526/lembit-remmelgas-ohtulehe-sunnist-inimestel-on-oma-lehte-vaja-
https://epl.delfi.ee/artikkel/64207175/lembit-remmelgas-oluline-inimene-filmiklassika-sarja-taga
https://ajapaik.ee/photo/1022777/remmelgas-lembit-kirjanduskriitik-ja-tolkija/
