Yellow Force planned to capture Jõhvi on Thursday 10th May but, as all switched-on readers of this website should know, no plan survives first contact with the enemy, reports Bob Morrison.
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Unfamiliar with the, mostly forested, terrain their troops were passing through the Yellow Force commanders (primarily Latvia-based Canadians from eFP BG LAT and Lithuanians) were ultra-cautious with their advance. The Estonian Blue Force troops defending Jõhvi, on the other hand, know this area well as do the Estonia-based Belgian and British troops from eFP BG EST who were blocking Yellow Force probes from the south-east and south. As dusk fell the city of Jõhvi was still under Blue Force control and the attackers were rethinking their options. Today, however, will no doubt be a different story as blue skies gave way to rain overnight.
Postscript: Yesterday, 9th May, was Victory Day in Russia and in a restaurant in Jõhvi last night I met two Estonian Russian veterans of the 1980s Afghanistan War who were remembering fallen colleagues. One of the guys, who spoke good English, served three years as a combat medic. Naturally, I joined them in raising a glass to old soldier friends of all nationalities who are no longer with us.
[ images © Bob Morrison ]
