Territorial Unit (Lithuania)

A Territorial Unit (Lithuanian: Rinktinė) was a type of Lithuanian partisan military unit that existed from the end of 1944 to 1954, who fought against the second Soviet occupation of Lithuania.[1] Instead of destroyed or disintegrated units, new ones were founded, often with different names.[1]

Due to the difficulties of guerrilla warfare, as well as for tactical reasons, the territorial units' boundaries changed, so, depending on the case, they operated in one county, a part of thereof, or several neighboring counties.[1] Sometimes territorial units were transferred from one military district to another.[1] Territorial units, thought not all, published their own press.[1]

Beginning

The first territorial units were formed in Southern and Eastern Lithuania at the end of 1944.[1] At the beginning of the partisan war in Lithuania, some territorial units formed and operated independently (e.g. Perkūnas, Deer, Vytautas in the Tauras military district).[1]

Composition

A territorial unit was made up of several squads, companies, battalions, districts.[1] Most frequently, it included several companies.[2] In turn, several territorial units made up a military district (Lithuanian: Apygarda).[1] After the founding of the Lithuanian Freedom Fighters Union in 1949, a territorial unit was composed of several homelands (Lithuanian: Tėvūnija).[1]

Territorial units differed in the number of fighters (from roughly 50 to about 200 people).[1] Sometimes, they were 700-strong.[2] They were active anywhere from several to 8 years.[1]

Command

The military district's commander appointed the territorial unit's commander.[1] The people chosen were either staff officers or distinguished commanders of companies or other formations.[1] Generally, these were Lithuanian army officers and school teachers.[1]

List of territorial units

The following territorial units were active at various times:[1]

Territorial Units (TU)
Formation name Date created Date formation ceased to exist Unit insignia Part of Military District (MD) Notable battles Notes Source(s)
Duke Margis May 1947 Autumn 1950 Algimantas [3]
Šarūnas January 1945 November 1950 [4]
Green March 1946 November 1953 Battle of Ažagai [5]
Dzūkai June 1945 16 August 1954 A or Algirdas MD;

since May 1946: Dainava MD

 [6]
Šarūnas April 1945 26 December 1951 Battle of Liepakojai, Battle of Kalniškės [7]
Iron Wolf May 1945 August 1946 [8]
Merkys June 1945 September 1947 Battle of Varčios Forest, Liberation of Merkinė [9]
Kazimieraitis 25 September 1945 February 1952 A[lower-alpha 1] [10]
A December 1945 September 1948 Grand Fight A[lower-alpha 2] [11]
B 1 December 1945 25 November 1950 [12]
Krikštaponis 20 April 1949 January 1951 Vytis [13]
Moose 20 April 1949 January 1951 [14]
Gediminas January 1951 17 April 1953 [15]
Falcon 23 May 1945 July 1945 Vytautas [16]
Tiger 20 November 1944 June 1952 Battle of Kiauneliškis [17]
Bear 15 December 1944 April 1951 Battle of Antazavė Pinewood [18]
Lion[lower-alpha 3] June 1946 May 1952 [19]
Tumas-Vaižgantas November 1950 October 1952 [20]
Iron Wolf October 1945 April 1953 Tauras Battle of Būdininkai, Battle of Palios–Žuvintas, Battle of Raišupis [21]
Žalgiris[lower-alpha 4] 15 August 1945 July 1952 Battle of Opšrūtai [22]
Vytautas 25 June 1945 21 January 1952 [23]
Gediminas April 1945 August 1946 [24]
Birutė 24 September 1947 28 February 1949 [25]
Šarūnas January 1945 November 1950 [26]
Patrimpas August 1945 22 October 1945 [27]
Kęstutis 1947 1949 [27]
Seinai July 1945 July 1946 [28]
Altar[lower-alpha 5] September 1946 8 July 1948 Kęstutis [29]
Butigeidis July 1948 13 June 1954 [30]
Vaidotas Summer 1946 5 August 1953 [31]
Lydis Early 1945 July 1947 [32]
Naras[lower-alpha 6] December 1946 July 1947 [31]
LLA's March district[lower-alpha 7] 1945 1946 [33]
Amber February 1948 March 1949 [34]
Weasel[lower-alpha 8] 22 July 1945 Late 1951 Battle of Pyragiai [1]
Squirrel[lower-alpha 9] October 1946 May 1952 Resurrection [35][36]
Vytautas the Great[lower-alpha 10] January 1946 April 1948 [1]
Lithuanian Green April 1948 November 1950 [37]
Lukšys[lower-alpha 11] March 1946 March 1953 [33]
Alka October 1945 1949 Žemaičiai [38]
Sword 15 November 1945 1953 [39]
Šatrija August 1945 March 1953 [40]

Notes

Footnotes
  1. Kazimieraitis TU was formed on the basis of Merkys TU.
  2. Both were united into Grand Fight MD, which operated as the Grand Fight TU until early 1945.
  3. Until June 1946, Šarūnas.
  4. Vytautas Territorial Unit was known as the Deer Territorial Unit from 15 August 1945 to 31 January 1946
  5. Until July 1947, Lydis. From summer 1948, Butigeidis.
  6. Renamed to Vaidotas in late 1947.
  7. Renamed to Lukšys Territorial Unit in 1946.
  8. After the Battle of Pyragiai, Weasel Territorial Unit was renamed to Boar TU from August 1946. From November 1946 to June 1947 – Volunteer's TU. From July 1947 to January 1948 – Book smuggler's TU. From February 1948 to March 1949 – Amber TU. From April 1949 to late 1951 – Birutė TU.
  9. Renamed to Duke Žvelgaitis TU from April 1948.
  10. Also known as Sapling TU from 1947-1948.
  11. From March 1946 to February 1952, Maironis TU.

Citations
  1. Kašėta 2011.
  2. Bernotas 2014.
  3. Tutlys 2019a.
  4. Gečiauskas 2018a.
  5. Jankauskienė 2018a.
  6. Rimkus 2018.
  7. Vilutienė 2018a.
  8. Gečiauskas 2018b.
  9. Gečiauskas 2018c.
  10. Gečiauskas & Rimkus 2018.
  11. Gaškaitė-Žemaitienė 2001.
  12. Gaškaitė-Žemaitienė 2018a.
  13. Tutlys 2019b.
  14. Vaičiūnas 2018.
  15. Gečiauskas 2018d.
  16. Gečiauskas 2018e.
  17. Vilutienė 2018b.
  18. Vilutienė 2018c.
  19. Vilutienė 2018d.
  20. Gečiauskas 2018f.
  21. Ulevičius 2018a.
  22. Vilutienė 2018e.
  23. Sajauskas 2018a.
  24. Tutlys 2018a.
  25. Ulevičius 2018b.
  26. Gečiauskas 2018g.
  27. Sajauskas 2018b.
  28. Gečiauskas 2018h.
  29. Gaškaitė-Žemaitienė 2018b.
  30. Gaškaitė-Žemaitienė 2018c.
  31. Jankauskienė 2018b.
  32. Girdzijauskas 2018.
  33. Malinauskaitė 2018b.
  34. Jankauskienė 2018c.
  35. Malinauskaitė 2018a.
  36. Tutlys 2018b.
  37. Gečiauskas 2018i.
  38. Kuodytė 2018.
  39. Šidlauskas 2018.
  40. Gečiauskas 2018j.

Bibliography
  • Bernotas, Darius (2014). Lithuanian Freedom Fighters' Tactics: Resisting The Soviet Occupation 1944-1953. ISBN 9781782897088.

Universal Lithuanian Encyclopedia
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