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Museum of Genocide Victims

Auku str. 2a, Vilnius
Tel.: +370 5 2663282
E-Mail: muziejus@genocid.lt

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Armed anti-Soviet resistance

Kęstutis district Vaidotas regiment partisans meet the leaders of Tauras district on
the way to the leaders meeting

In the autumn of 1944, the Soviet Union occupied Lithuania for the second time. Repressions similar to those during the first occupation, only on a larger scale, were started. Tens of thousands of Lithuanian patriots fought against the occupants. In 1944-1945, there were about 30 thousand of armed men in the woods. There were many officers of the former Lithuanian army among them. However, most of the freedom fighters were students, teachers and villagers, not professional soldiers.

Some of them escaped to the forests to avoid mobilization to the Red Army; others were afraid of being deported or punished. For most, however, it was a deliberate choice, and they were determined to fight until the independent state of Lithuania had been restored. The partisans were supplied with foodstuff, clothing, printing equipment and necessities of life by 3-4 times larger network of legally residing assistants and supporters. The contacts with other partisan formations, supporters were maintained with the help of the signalers - most of all the girls.
In the autumn of 1944, small groups of partisans were united into larger units, later - into the districts. Every district was divided into 2-5 regiments, and the latter ones were formed of groups, companies, detachments, and sections. 2-3 districts made up a region. Corresponding regulations and statutes regulated activity of partisans. Those who intended to become partisans had to swear allegiance to the homeland. The freedom fighters wore military uniforms with insignia. The partisans were trained at the military training courses and promoted.

Military training camp of Tauras district. 1947

During the first stage of the partisan war (July 1944 - January 1947), partisans attacked the small towns, destroyed the institutions of occupying power, disarmed local Soviet collaborators, set the political prisoners free. Partisans controlled villages at nighttime, and often - at daytime too. There were over 100 men in each fortified partisan camp.

NKVD army used air reconnaissance and the mortars, its soldiers used to "comb" the woods. During these years, approx. 10 thousand of freedom fighters was killed, so partisans had to change their tactics.
During the next, the second, stage of partisan war (January 1947 - November 1948), partisans tried to avoid the battles against much larger NKVD troops. Instead of large camps, the partisans used to arrange masked bunkers in the woods or farmsteads. The ambush had become the main form of fight. That was the only way to destroy and disarm the officers of repression institutions. At that time, general resistance leadership was formed, organizational structure was settled. Partisans sought for relations with the West. Just about 4 thousand of self-determined partisans left in the woods.

Partisans of Vytis district Antanas
Baltušnikas-Vienuolis detachment take an oath

The third stage of partisan war lasted from November 1948, to May 1953. The resistance grew weaker (just about 2 thousand of partisans continued their fight), but Lithuanian underground movement was united and led by general military and political resistance leadership.

At the meeting of all partisan leaders, which took place from 2 to 22 of February 1949, this organization was called the Lithuanian Movement for the Fight for Freedom. Military and political documents, which had declared the movement the leading force in the political and military fight for freedom, were drawn up. A declaration made by the council of the movement on February 16, 1949 declared that the partisan leadership was the supreme legal power in Lithuania, whose purpose was to restore an independent and democratic Republic of Lithuania. A captain of the Lithuanian army Jonas Žemaitis was elected a chairman of the Presidium of the Council.
As the number of freedom fighters decreased, the communication between partisans and society had became especially important. Newspapers and proclamations of regiments and districts were published and spread among the population. During the partisan war, at least 54 periodicals and 18 non-periodicals were published in Lithuania. In the proclamations, partisans incited to keep up the national traditions, to resist to the propaganda of communist ideology. The society that was fenced off behind the "iron curtain" was informed about international events, and the free world was notified about Soviet crimes. Underground printing houses were arranged in small bunkers, printers' work was often carried out by women. If MGB officers rounded up the bunker, most of partisans used to shoot themselves in order not to fall into the hands of chekists alive.

Partisans celebrate Christmas in Pagiriai forest

The repression institutions changed the methods of fight according to partisans' tactics. MGB commenced more active recruiting of agents. Special groups of agent provocateurs were organized. Agents of these shock troops pretended to be partisans who came by chance from other region and intended to enter into relations with local partisans, then having invited to the meeting shot or arrested them.

To avoid witnesses, many civilian families were killed by the name of partisans. To intimidate the population, bodies of killed partisans were thrown in the squares or yards and finally buried in secret in dust-heaps and gravel pits or thrown into wells.
The occupying power could not break the resistance by military force, so it tried to destroy the social basis of freedom fighters. The farmers who refused to join the kolkhozes; partisans' relatives and supporters were deported to the distant regions of Soviet Union. For partisans, it became hard to provide themselves with food, clothing, and other necessities of life.
In 1953, armed resistance was broken down. Single partisans fought until 1965. The last one, Stasys Guiga, was never discovered by KGB and died in1986.
The partisan war was the most tragic example of the nation's fight for survival. Over 50 thousand people took part in it, more than 20 thousand perished. This fight was lost, but not meaningless. The fight of partisans and their experience was not forgotten over the long decades of the occupation. Recalling those days people gathered at the Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania in the days of January 1991 when the Soviet troops threatened to the state which had restored its independence. Partisan songs were heard at the bonfires, as in the years of the post-war freedom fight.