The Mass Flight was a mass escape from the invading Soviet Red Army from Estonia in the late summer and autumn of 1944. The mass flight has also been called the boat escape (because they went mainly by sea, in boats) and the escapees as boat refugees.
About 80 000 people fled Estonia, 6–9% of whom died on the way. The reason for the escape was fear - the terror of the year of Soviet occupation was still fresh in the people's minds.
Refugees on the small ship "Triina", which left Tallinn on September 19, 1944, with approximately 450 Estonians and 80 coastal Swedes on board.
The refugees' last look at Tallinn, September 21, 1944. Photo: Estonian Archives in Australia.
People fled from the coastal areas of Estonia mainly across the sea, first to Finland and then to Sweden. It was not possible to stay longer in Finland because there was a risk of being extradited to the Soviet Union. Mainly people left mainland Estonia for Germany. It is estimated that around 80 000 people were forced to leave their homeland.
A total of nearly 42 000 Estonians arrived in the German-occupied territories and about 27 000 in Sweden.
From the stories of the refugees, it appears that they left in the hope of returning to their homeland soon. Many people optimistically believed that they would leave temporarily and that the Western countries would not leave Estonia at the mercy of the Soviet Union.
When time passed and it became clear that there was no way back, they stayed put or relocated to new host countries around the world. Larger Estonian communities developed in Sweden, the United States, Canada, Great Britain and Australia.
Many who left coastal towns and villages fled west in overcrowded small boats. Photo: Estonian Archives in Australia.
