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Only a few of them have experienced the present day, so it is important to learn from these soldiers about what they experienced back then. Actor Jēkabs Reinis is trying to collect the testimonies of the legionnaires who are still alive, helping the Society of Latvian National Soldiers. Unfortunately, the number of eyewitnesses to the bloody events is shrinking every year.
1943-1944 Nazi Germany carried out mobilization. Most of the legionnaires were forced into service and fought as part of the Waffen-SS in the 15th and 19th Latvian divisions on the Eastern Front, later in Latvia, Kurzeme and Germany. There were severe penalties for refusing to serve. Even the death penalty.
However, many remained in occupied Latvia, hoping that the Allies would help them regain their freedom. Instead it ends up in exile. And he spent the rest of his life in Chekist repressions. And they are used to being silent about what happened during the war, because they fought on the wrong side.
Actor Jēkabs Reinis, together with the Latvian National Soldiers’ Association, started a large-scale work several years ago to document the memories of the surviving legionnaires. All of them are in respectable years – some have already crossed the 100-year mark. Despite this, the narratives are full of vivid epithets that allow you to feel the experiences these men experienced in the trenches.
