Povilas Plechavičius

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Povilas Plechavičius (born on February 1, 1890 in present day Mažeikiai district municipality - died on December 19, 1973 in Chicago, Illinois) was General of the army of Lithuania in the interwar period.

Contents 1 Before Second World War 2 Local Lithuanian Detachment 3 After Second World War 4 References

[edit] Before Second World War

He was educated mostly in Russia. In 1908 he graduated from a gymnasium in Moscow, in 1911 from Institute of Commerce, and in 1914 from Orenburg cavalry war school. During the World War I he thought with the Russian army against the German Empire and Austria-Hungary. In 1918 he came back to Lithuania and with his brother Aleksandras, also military officer, helped to fight the Bermontians during the Freedom wars. For his accomplishments in establishing peace and order in Samogitia, Plechavičius was rewarded the highest honor, Order of Vytis Cross. He led the military 1926 coup, removed democratically elected government, assumed power and then handed it to Antanas Smetona.

[edit] Local Lithuanian Detachment

During first Soviet occupation Plechavičius retreated to Germany, when the war broke up, he returned to Lithuania. During the war, Plechavičius did not allow Nazi officers to gather a Lithuanian SS group. He formed a local group called Local Lithuanian Detachment (Lietuvos vietinė rinktinė). After long discussions and conferences, Plechavičius signed a written agreement with Germans February 13, 1944 for forming a Local Lithuanian Detachment. It was supposed to be voluntary organisation led only by Lithuanian officers and stay with the borders of Lithuania defending the country against the Red Army.

February 16, 1944, Lithuanian Independence Day, Plechavičius, commander of the Lithuanian detachment, made a radio appeal to the nation for volunteers. It is noteworthy that all Lithuanian political underground organizations supported this solution. This was achieved through constant communication between Lithuanian commanders and resistance leaders. The February 16th appeal was enormously successful: More volunteers came forward than was expected. The Germans were very surprised and deeply shocked by the number of volunteers since their own appeals went unheeded, as described. The Germans, worried by the success of the detachment, started to interfere, breaking the signed agreement.

March 22, 1944, SS Obergruppenführer and police general Friedrich Jackeln called for 70-80 thousand men for the German army as subsidiary assistants. Chief-of-Staff of the Northern Front Field Marshal Walther Model pressed for 15 battalions of men to protect the German military airports. Plechavičius rejected the demand April 5, 1944. General Commissioner of Lithuania Adrian von Renteln demanded workers for Germany proper. Other German officials also voiced their demands.

Finally, April 6, 1944, the Germans ordered Plechavičius to mobilize the country. Plechavičius responded that the mobilization could not take place until the formation of the detachment was complete. This greatly displeased the Germans since it was clear the detachment did not serve their immediate needs and interests.

In early May the Local Lithuanian Detachment initatied a wide anti-partisan operation against the Polish and Soviet partisans in the area.^[1] but was defeated on May 13 by Armia Krajowa at Mūrinė Ašmena (Ašmiany ?).

The Germans decided to end the resistance of the Lithuanians and the formation of the detachment. Provocation seemed to be the best method to escalate the situation. Jackeln demanded the detachment troops to take an oath to Hitler, the text of which was provided. Plechavičius rejected the demand. May 9, 1944, Jackeln ordered the detachment units in Vilnius to revert to his direct authority. All other units of the detachment were to come under the command of the regional German commissars. Furthermore, the detachment was to wear SS uniforms and use the "Heil Hitler" greeting.

As circumstances changed, the Local Detachment moved from conditional cooperation to active resistance. Plechavičius issued a declaration for his men to disband and disappear into the forests with their weapons and uniforms.^[2][3][4] The Lithuanian headquarters directed the detachment units in the field to obey only the orders of the Lithuanian detachment. It also ordered the Detachment Officer School in the city of Marijampolė to send the cadets home. The men from the detachment would form the core of the armed anti-Soviet resistance in Lithuania for the next eight years.^[4] On May 15, Plechavičius, the commander of the detachment, was arrested together with the other staff members. He was deported to the Salaspils concentration camp in Latvia.

[edit] After Second World War

In 1949 Plechavičius moved to the United States where his sister and mother lived.

[edit] References

1. ^ (Polish) Gazeta Wyborcza, 2004-09-01, W Wilnie pojednają się dziś weterani litewskiej armii i polskiej AK (Today in Vilnius veterans of Lithuanian army and AK will forgive each other), last accessed on 7 June 2006
2. ^ Audėnas, Juozas (ed.). Twenty Years’ Struggle for the Freedom of Lithuania. New York: VLIK, 1963
3. ^ Ivinskis, Zenonas "Lithuania During the War: Resistance Against the Soviet and the Nazi Occupants," in V. Stanley Vardys (ed.), Lithuania under the Soviets: Portrait of a Nation (New York: Frederick A. Praeger Publishers, 1965), p. 84.
4. ^ ^{a b} Lane, Tomas. Lithuania: Stepping Westward. p. 57, Routledge (UK), Aug. 23, 2002. ISBN 0415267315

• Kazys Blaževičius, Žemaitijos valdovas, XXI amžius, January 21, 2004, No. 6 (1209) (Lithuanian)
• Mečislovas Mackevičius - Lithuanian resistance to German mobilization attempts 1941-1944, Lituanus, Volume 32, No. 4 - Winter 1986. Ed. Antanas Dundzila