() 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. Instead of destroyed or disintegrated , new ones were founded, often with different names.
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. Sometimes territorial units were transferred from one military district to another. Territorial units, thought not all, published their own press.
Beginning The first were formed in Southern and Eastern Lithuania at the end of 1944. 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).
Composition A was made up of several squads, companies, battalions, districts. Most frequently, it included several companies. In turn, several territorial units made up a military district (). After the founding of the Lithuanian Freedom Fighters Union in 1949, a territorial unit was composed of several homelands ().
Territorial units differed in the number of fighters (from roughly 50 to about 200 people). Sometimes, they were 700-strong. They were active anywhere from several to 8 years.
Command The military district's commander appointed the territorial unit's commander. The people chosen were either staff officers or distinguished commanders of companies or other formations. Generally, these were Lithuanian Army officers and school teachers.
List of territorial units The following were active at various times: +Formation nameDate createdDate formation ceased to existUnit insigniaPart of Military District (MD)Notable battlesNotesSource(s)MonthYearMonthYearDuke MargisMay1947Autumn1950AlgimantasŠarūnasJanuary1945November1950GreenMarch1946November1953AžagaiDzūkaiJune1945August 161954A or Algirdas MD; since May 1946: Dainava MDŠarūnasApril1945December 26 1951Liepakojai, KalniškėsIron WolfMay1945August1946MerkysJune1945September1947Varčios Forest, Liberation of MerkinėKazimieraitisSeptember 251945February1952AADecember1945September1948Grand FightABDecember 11945November 251950KrikštaponisApril 201949January1951VytisMooseApril 201949January1951GediminasJanuary1951April 171953FalconMay 231945July1945VytautasTigerNovember 201944June1952KiauneliškisBearDecember 151944April1951Antazavė PinewoodLionJune1946May1952Tumas-VaižgantasNovember1950October1952Iron WolfOctober1945April1953TaurasBūdininkai, Palios–Žuvintas, RaišupisŽalgirisAugust 151945July1952OpšrūtaiVytautasJune 251945January 211952GediminasApril1945August1946BirutėSeptember 241947February 28 1949ŠarūnasJanuary1945November1950PatrimpasAugust1945October 221945Kęstutis19471949SeinaiJuly1945July1946AltarSeptember1946July 81948KęstutisButigeidisJuly1948June 131954VaidotasSummer1946August 51953LydisEarly1945July1947NarasDecember1946July1947LLA's March district19451946AmberFebruary1948March1949WeaselJuly 221945Late1951PyragiaiSquirrelOctober1946May1952ResurrectionVytautas the GreatJanuary1946April1948Lithuanian GreenApril1948November1950LukšysMarch1946March1953AlkaOctober19451949ŽemaičiaiSwordNovember 1519451953ŠatrijaAugust1945March1953
Notes
Footnotes
Citations
Bibliography
Universal Lithuanian Encyclopedia