Earlier today, YouTube unexpectedly recommended a Russian-language documentary titled “The Baltic Verdun (1944–1945)”, produced by Frontline Chronicles. The film presents rare archival footage from the Battle in the Courland Pocket, a series of fierce engagements fought in western Latvia during the final months of World War II.
It seems the algorithm did its job remarkably well — because this documentary touches directly on places connected to my own family history. My grandfather, Solomon Fischer (1913–1995) — a Holocaust survivor who later served in the Red Army (1941-1945)— fought in several of the very locations mentioned in the film: Blīdene, Saldus, and nearby areas.
The documentary traces the events across Tukums, Saldus, Priekuli, Liepaja, and other towns, depicting the desperate final battles where German forces were pushed toward the Baltic coast. One striking scene even references soldiers sending water from the Baltic Sea near Tukums to Stalin — a symbolic gesture marking the Red Army’s advance to the sea.
Watching this piece of history was both emotional and illuminating. It’s not just a war story — it’s a glimpse into the harsh realities my grandfather and countless others endured. Sometimes, technology’s algorithms work in mysterious and meaningful ways, reconnecting us with the forgotten corners of our own past.