4th Infantry Regiment (Lithuania)

4th Infantry Regiment of the Lithuanian King Mindaugas
Regiment's officers in 1928
Active29 December 1918–30 August 1940
CountryLithuania
BranchLithuanian Army
TypeInfantry
Part of1st Division
Garrison/HQMostly Panevėžys, some subunits in Kupiškis and Ukmergė
Engagements

4th Infantry Regiment, later the 4th Infantry Regiment of the Lithuanian King Mindaugas (Lithuanian: Ketvirtasis pėstininkų Lietuvos Karaliaus Mindaugo pulkas) was a Lithuanian Army infantry regiment that existed from 1918 to 1940 and was located in Panevėžys.

Formation

[edit]

The regiment was founded on 29 December 1918,[1][2] when the Defence Ministry of the Lithuanian Republic allowed the officer Jonas Variakojis to assemble and command the Panevėžys Region Defence Unit (Lithuanian: Panevėžio srities apsaugos būrys).[3] On 5 January 1919, Variakojis managed to salvage 70 rifles out of the retreating German Army and by 7 January, his unit received its first order.[3] From 22 March, the unit is known as the Separate Panevėžys Battalion (Lithuanian: Panevėžio atskirasis batalionas) and from 20 June 1919 as the Panevėžys Battalion (Lithuanian: Panevėžio batalionas).[2][3]

Lithuanian Wars of Independence

[edit]
For broader coverage of this topic, see Lithuanian Wars of Independence.

The military formation was fighting the invading Bolsheviks from its foundation, specifically near Panevėžys, Kėdainiai and Ukmergė. On 18-23 May 1919, the regiment took part in the Kurkliai-Panevėžys operation, although it did not succeed in defending Panevėžys. Much more successful was the soon after Kupiškis-Utena operation from 26 May to 3 June, during which Kupiškis, Rokiškis and Alūkšta were liberated. The regiment pushed the Bolsheviks beyond the Daugava river.[4]

From 15 October 1919, the regiment fought the Bermontians.

For its victorious battles, the Šiauliai town gave the unit a flag on 1 November 1919, the same day the unit was called the 4th Infantry Regiment of the Lithuanian King Mindaugas.[3]

On 26 July 1920, the regiment entered Vilnius and defended it against Polish attacks in the start of October, later engaging them in the Musninkai-Širvintos sector, later partaking in the Battle of Giedraičiai. During the Lithuanian Wars of Independence, 3 officers and 72 soldiers of the regiment were killed in action, while 121 soldiers were wounded in combat.[3] Order of the Cross of Vytis was accorded to 33 officers and 198 soldiers of the regiment.[5][3]

Interwar

[edit]

In 1922, the regiment was moved to Panevėžys. In 1926, it was given the flag of the 3rd Class Order of the Cross of Vytis with the inscription: "God, help us defend the Fatherland's liberty and honour".[6] The regiment was part of the 1st Lithuanian Infantry Division, whose subunits were sometimes located in Kupiškis ir Ukmergė.

Soviet Occupation

[edit]

With the Soviet Occupation of Lithuania, the regiment was renamed as the "4th Infantry Regiment" on 25 July 1940 and disbanded on 30 August 1940.[3] On the disbanded regiment's basis, the Red Army's 215th Rifle Regiment was formed on 9 September 1940.

Regiment's commanders

[edit]
  • 1919 Officer Jonas Variakojis
  • 1919 Colonel Maksimas Katchė
  • 1921 Colonel Pranas Tamašauskas
  • 1927 General Headquarters Colonel Viktoras Giedrys
  • Colonel Kazys Tallat-Kelpša
  • 1931 General Headquarters Colonel Vaclovas Griganavičius
  • 1935 Colonel Kazys Sprangauskas
  • 1936 Colonel Vaclovas Žadeika
  • 1940 Colonel Petras Genys
  • 1940 Colonel Antanas Šurkus

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Ruzgas 1932, p. 136.
  2. ^ a b Sakalauskas 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Vaičenonis 2021.
  4. ^ Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija, XI t. Vilnius: Science and encyclopedias publishing institute, 2007. T.11: Kremacija-Lenzo taisyklė.
  5. ^ Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija, IX t. Vilnius: Science and encyclopedias publishing institute, 2006. T.9: Juocevičius-Khiva.
  6. ^ Liekis 2002, p. 543-544.

Sources

[edit]
  • Ruzgas, V., ed. (1932). Visa Lietuva (in Lithuanian). Kaunas: Spaudos Fondas.
  • Liekis, A. (2002). Lietuvių karyba ir ginkluotė (in Lithuanian).
  • Sakalauskas, Tomas (16 July 2020). "LIETUVOS CENTRINIS VALSTYBĖS ARCHYVAS – PAŽYMA APIE 4-OJO PĖSTININKŲ LIETUVOS KARALIAUS MINDAUGO PULKO FONDĄ NR. 517". www.archyvai.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  • Vaičenonis, Jonas (19 May 2021). "Ketvirtasis pėstininkų pulkas". Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija (in Lithuanian).
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=4th_Infantry_Regiment_(Lithuania)&oldid=1252501490"