 The partisan operations in Latvia had some basis in Hitler's authorisation of a full withdrawal from Estonia in mid-September 1944—and in the fate of Army Group Courland, among the last of Hitler's forces to surrender after it became trapped in 
the Courland Pocket on the Latvian peninsula in 1945.After the capitulation of Germany on May 8, 1945 approximately 4000 legionaries went to the forests.Others, such as Waffen SS commanders Alfons Rebane and Alfrēds Riekstiņš escaped to the United Kingdom and Sweden and participated in Allied intelligence operations in aid of the partisans.