Paul Maitla

Paul Maitla
SS-Hauptsturmführer Maitla
Nickname	"Kugelblitz" ("Ball Lightning")
Birth date	March 27, 1913(1913-03-27)
Place of birth	Kärkna, Kreis Dorpat, Governorate of Livonia, Russian Empire
Death date	May 10, 1945 (aged 32)
Place of death	Nimburg, Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
Allegiance	Estonia Soviet Union National Socialist Germany
Service/branch	Estonian Army (1938–1940) Red Army (1940-1941) Wehrmacht (1941-1942) Waffen-SS (1942–1945)
Years of service	1938–1945
Rank	SS-Sturmbannführer
Unit	1938, 3rd Infantry battalion, Estonian Army 1939, Estonian state defence instructor 1940, 171st Infantry Battalion, Red Army 1941, 37th Police Battalion, Wehrmacht 1943, Estonian Legion 1944, 20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Estonian)
Battles/wars	World War II Battle of Narva (1944) Battle for Narva Bridgehead Battle of Tannenberg Line Battle of Oppeln
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Paul Maitla, born Paul Mathiesen/Mattisen (b. 27 March 1913 in Kärkna (Falkenau), Kreis Dorpat, Governorate of Livonia, Russian Empire; murdered 10 May 1945 near Nimburg, Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia), was a Baltic German officer with Imperial Russian and later Estonian nationality. In WWII, he served as a foreign volunteer of the Waffen-SS and was one of the four soldiers with Estoniannationality who were awarded with the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.

Life

The final photographs of Paul Maitla (in the first photograph, second from left) and four other Estonian volunteers on 10 May 1945

Paul Maitla was the son of forest ranger Andres Mathiesen/Mattisen (1878–1940) and his wife Pauline, née Treier (1878–1939). He had three siblings: Richard (b. 10 May 1900; d. 27 February 1919 due to pneumonia), August (b. 16 Juni 1901; d. 29 July 1901 due to seizures) Klaara (b. 16 August 1905). Paul attended elementary school in Sipe from 1921, secondary school in Tartu from 1927, finally graduating from the German language Gymnasium with Abitur in 1934.

Estonian military

In September 1934, Maitla entered the Estonian Military School and specialised in pioneering. He entered officer training in 1937, graduating in August 1938. He was then assigned to the 3rd Infantry Battalion in Valga. On Independence Day, 1939, he was promoted by the President of Estonia to the rank of lieutenant. During 1939 and 1940 he was an defence teacher in the secondary schools of Tartu.

World War II

After the Soviet occupation of Estonia in 1940, Maitla was forcefully drafted into the Red Army, where he served until he went to the German side in July 1941 after the Operation Barbarossa began. Maitla was then interned by the Germans until November 1941, when he was released and joined the 37th Police Battalion (37. Eesti Politseipataljon/Polizei-Bataillon 37), what was tasked with guarding German airfields (Fliegerhorste/Flugplätze).

In the autumn 1942, Maitla was promoted to lieutenant. In October 1942, he officially joined the Waffen-SS Estonian Legion (Estnische Legion). He was sent amongst 114 men to Poland for training. From there, he was sent to SS-Junkerschule Bad Tölz for additional officer training. Maitla returned from training in 1943 and was promoted to commander of the 3rd Company of the 1st Battalion of the SS-Freiwilligen-Grenadier-Regiment 1.

Every little kid learns history at school, studying the history of our nation, but later forgets, how the entire history of Estonians consists only of the struggle for our existence, the struggle against our strong and big neighbors. No other nation's history is like this, no one has fought over so many generations and suffered so much as we, Estonians. When Pearu of Vargamäe says in A. H. Tammsaare's Truth and Justice, that there is a heroic kind of people at Vargamäe, it's actually said about all Estonians, a heroic kind of people on the shore of the Baltic Sea. We shall fight until we have our lost liberty back and we shall defend it to the last man. These are the Estonians! — Paul Maitla in his diary on 26 February 1943

In April 1943, the Estonian Waffen-SS brigade (Estnische SS-Freiwilligen-Brigade) participated in the battles in Nevel. Maitla received the Iron Cross II class on 8 December 1943 for bravery. In 1944, Maitla fell ill and was in hospital in Tartu until February. After he recovered, he was appointed Freiwilligen-, later Waffen-Hauptsturmführer and in April 1944 he was commander of the 1st Battalion of the 45th Regiment of the newly formed 20. Estnische SS-Freiwilligen-Division. In the same year, Maitla with his battalion succeeded in stopping the Red Army offensive at Auvere and received the Iron Cross I class.

On 29 July 1944, Maitla led a decisive counter-attack at the Battle of Blue Hills for which he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on August 23. Maitla's battalion had been spared from the previous counterattacks because of the scarcity of able bodied men. Maitla requested reinforcements from the men in the field hospital. Twenty less injured men responded, joining the remains of the other destroyed units including a unit of the Kriegsmarine and supported by the single remaining Panther tank. The counterattack started from the parish cemetery south of the Tornimägi with the left flank of the assault clearing the hill of the Soviets. The attack continued towards the summit under heavy Soviet artillery and bomber attack, getting into close combat in the Soviet positions.

The small Estonian grenadier units moved into the trenches. Running out of ammunition, the Estonians used Soviet grenades and automatic weapons taken from the fallen. According to some veterans, it appeared that low flying Soviet bombers were attempting to hit every individual soldier jumping between craters, from time to time getting buried under the soil by the explosions of Soviet shells. In conclusion, Soviets were forced to retreat from the Grenadier Hill by Maitla's counterattack.

In August 1944, Maitla was assigned to Combat group Vent, but fell ill again shortly afterwards and admitted into Tartu Hospital. He was then relocated to a hospital in Bregenz, Germany until January 1945. Maitla then rejoined the 45th regiment, which had by this time been relocated to central Europe. On 20 April 1945, he was promoted to SS-Sturmbannführer (Waffen-Sturmbannführer). Some sources state, he at last commanded the SS-Freiwilligen-Grenadier-Regiment 45 (estnisches Nr.1) for the wounded Harald Riipalu.

Knight’s Cross recommendation

Maitla’s Knight’s Cross recommendation reads as follows:

“After three days of drumfire the enemy commenced their attack against the friendly positions in the Narwa gap on the 28.07.1944. Having smashed up the frontline with the fury of their artillery, they succeeded in capturing a decisive hill that was vital for the continuation of the defense. A few hours later Maitla and his Bataillon (the I./SS-Gren.Rgt. 45) were brought up. They were sent into a counterattack against the far materially superior enemy with the mission of taking back this important hill. In an energetic attack that saw no restraint, the Bataillon stormed this important hill under the exemplary leadership of its commander, and it continued to pursue the fleeing enemy beyond it. As a result of this success by the Bataillon and its brave commander it has been possible for the Tannenberg line to be held up to the present day, with a breakthrough of the enemy being prevented. The award of the Knight’s Cross to the Iron Cross for Hauptsturmführer Maitla is as such especially justified. Even though he does not carry the Iron Cross First Class the result he achieved is too outstanding to be ignored, and for the immense bravery he showed during this battle he should also be awarded the Iron Cross First Class.”

The Divisional commander added a few words of his own to this recommendation:

“The award of the Knight’s Cross along with the Iron Cross First Class is approved by me. The personal courage of SS-Hauptsturmführer Maitla during this counterattack at Orphanage Hill (south of the Narva—Reval road) was vital for the holding of the Tannenberg Line. Furthermore his independent decision to pursue the fleeing enemy gave Kampfgruppe Krügel (which had been heavily weakened by the enemy attack) time to reorganize itself for defense.”

Death

The fate of Paul Maitla was uncertain for number of decades, until some information was discovered in 2005 in the city archives of Nimburg (Nymburk). These archives show that Maitla was captured on 9 May 1945 and murdered together with 4 other Estonian soldiers on May 10 (on the first day of peace after World War II had ended) by Czech communist partisans (Czech Hell) one kilometer north of Nimburg, Central Bohemia, 30 kilometers out of Kolin.

Family

While on leave, he married his fiancée Aino Angerjas on 18 December 1943, and on 12 September 1944, his daughter Kai was born in Tallinn. Kai later married Heino-August Kalmo and later Mati Brauer.

Gallery

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Awards and decorations (excerpt)

• Iron Cross (1939), 2nd and 1st Class
• Eastern Front Medal
• Infantry Assault Badge (Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen) in Silver
• Wound Badge (Verwundetenabzeichen 1939) in Black
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 23 August 1944 as Freiwiligen-(Waffen-)Hauptsturmführer and leader of the I. Bataillon/SS-Freiwiligen-Grenadier-Regiment 45 (estnisches Nr. 1)/20th Estonian SS Volunteer Division