Alice Kuperjanov

Alice Kuperjanov (née Alice Johanson; 5 November 1894 – 17 July 1942) was an Estonian freedom fighter and nationalist, and the wife of Estonian military leader Julius Kuperjanov. She was a well-known figure in the 1918–1920 Estonian War of Independence, and in women's movements after that.

War of Independence In 1918, when the German army had occupied Estonia during World War I, Julius Kuperjanov's apartment in Tartu was the centre of underground activities where the Estonian Defence League was first organised. One of Alice's responsibilities was to hide secret documents; another was to monitor German activities to ensure the soldiers would not plunder Estonian property, it being easier for women than for men to move around without suspicion. After the German withdrawal from Estonia, following capitulation of Germany in World War I in November 1918, the power was transferred to the Estonian Provisional Government. A few weeks later, the Russian Bolshevik Red Army invaded Estonia, which led to a defensive campaign by the newly formed Estonian armed forces. This conflict, known as the Estonian War of Independence, resulted in victory for Estonia, concluded by the 1920 Treaty of Tartu.

At the beginning of the War of Independence, Julius Kuperjanov was appointed commander of the Tartu County Defence League and the Kuperjanovs withdrew from Tartu to the nearby Puurmani manor, where the Kuperjanov Partisan Battalion was founded. Alice Kuperjanov initially assisted in underground work and later in direct military activities, fed the fighters from the manor's farm, and managed their clothing needs and first aid.