Claim: Commander Jaan Maide, chief of the Estonian Defence Forces, took office on September 18, 1944 and left office on October 24, 1944, with a total of 36 days in office in the Army Defence branch.
Evidence: He was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Estonian Military by Otto Tief's government in 1944. During the German occupation of Estonia in World War II, Maide was Chief of Staff, and later Commander of the Omakaitse (Home Guard), a militia based on the Estonian Defence League. On 18 September 1944, Maide was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Estonian Military, and promoted to major general on 21 September. Tallinn fell on 22 September 1944, and Maide himself was captured in Munalaskme on 24 October 1944.