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			Ažagai		[5]
Dzūkai	June 1945	16 August 1954		A or Algirdas MD; since May 1946: Dainava MD			[6]
Šarūnas	April 1945	26 December 1951			Liepakojai, Kalniškės		[7]
Iron Wolf	May 1945	August 1946					[8]
Merkys	June 1945	September 1947			Varčios Forest, Liberation of Merkinė		[9]
Kazimieraitis	25 September 1945	February 1952				A[a]	[10]
A	December 1945	September 1948		Grand Fight		A[b]	[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			Kiauneliškis		[17]
Bear	15 December 1944	April 1951			Antazavė Pinewood		[18]
Lion[c]	June 1946	May 1952					[19]
Tumas-Vaižgantas	November 1950	October 1952					[20]
Iron Wolf	October 1945	April 1953		Tauras	Būdininkai, Palios–Žuvintas, Raišupis		[21]
Žalgiris[d]	15 August 1945	July 1952			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[e]	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[f]	December 1946	July 1947					[31]
LLA's March district[g]	1945	1946					[33]
Amber	February 1948	March 1949					[34]
Weasel[h]	22 July 1945	Late 1951			Pyragiai		[34]
Squirrel[i]	October 1946	May 1952		Resurrection			[35][36]
Vytautas the Great[j]	January 1946	April 1948					[1]
Lithuanian Green	April 1948	November 1950					[37]
Lukšys[k]	March 1946	March 1953					[33]
Alka	October 1945	1949		Žemaičiai			[38]
Sword	15 November 1945	1953					[39]
Šatrija	August 1945	March 1953					[40]