Georg Sooden

Who was Georg Sooden?

Georg Aleksander Sooden was an Estonian officer, serving firstly in the Estonian Army, secondly in Wehrmacht and thirdly in Waffen-SS, fighting mostly in the Estonian area.

Georg Sooden was born in Helsinki, Finland. He had brother Gunnar August Sooden and sister Irene Johanna Sooden. Their family moved to Estonia into Jõhvi where Georg started learning in Jõhvi grade school and after that in Jõhvi Gymnasium which he graduated in 1924. After school Sooden started working in Jõhvi police station and in 1925 he went to the Estonian Army. Sooden graduated war school in 1927 and as an officer he started work there.

After Estonia was occupied by the Soviet Union in 1941, Sooden had to start serving in the Red Army but he escaped from there and gave himself to the Germans as a prisoner. That same year, Sooden volunteered for the Wehrmacht's Estonian units and he was promoted to Oberleutnant. In September, the Estonian East battalions were moved to Russia, fighting against the Red Army in Volkhov. In May 1943, Sooden was ordered to lead the 659 Estonian East Battalion and on October 16, he was promoted to Hauptmann and was awarded with the Iron cross. On January, 1944 Sooden was promoted to Sturmbannführer. After many battles, soldiers started to call Sooden names like "meie vana", "vana koll" and "vana Jüri".