| Popis: |
Kaunas Duke Vaidotas 8th Infantry Regiment belongs to the category of the interwar Lithuanian Armed Forces’ infantry regiments the history of which started from a separate battalion during the fights for independence, i.e., the times when the Lithuanian military was growing and strengthening. The regiment started its history on 12 June 1919 as Ukmergė Separate Battalion, however, differently from many other separate battalions that were formed by separating a group of servicemen from a military unit. The formation of Kaunas Duke Vaidotas 8th Infantry Regiment started only after the appointment of the battalion commander and transfer of 12 servicemen from Kaunas Military Commandant’s Office to the indicated place of formation, i.e., Ukmergė. Such a decision was made most likely because the battalion commander was appointed Jurgis Kubilius, an experienced former colonel who served in the Imperial Russian Army. The military authorities had no doubts about his organizational skills and believed that it would not take him long to form a battalion. Naturally, Colonel Kubilius successfully fulfilled their expectations. The combat mission of Kaunas Battalion started on 2 July 1919 when Company 1 was sent to the front to fight the Bolsheviks in Utena–Daugavpils area. The company was temporarily attached to the 1st Infantry Regiment. During the struggle against the Bolsheviks, the regiment proved capable of performing the tasks assi- gned by the military authorities. Operating mainly in Daugavpils area, the regiment carried out a number of major operations and managed to keep the entrusted front bar in Kalkūnai area safe despite critical conditions. When on 13 January 1920 the regiment was deployed in Kaunas, its servicemen had to quell the riot that sparked on February 21-23 in the barracks of Kaunas Garrison. It was caused by poor supply of servicemen and the Bolsheviks’ agitation hostile to Lithuania. Despite the rebels’ urge to join the riot, the regiment resisted it, remained loyal to the Lithuanian Government, and put down the riot along with the 6th Infantry Regiment. Since the end of April, the year 1920, when the regiment’s formation was completed, was marked by the fights with the Polish troops. In the first half of 1920, the regiment guarded the front bar against the Poles in Ukmergė area, and already in September it suffered a disaster losing more than half of its servicemen who were killed, wounded, or taken prisoners during fierce battles against the Polish troops in Suvalkija. The catastrophe was determined by objective and subjective reasons. First, after the Polish victory against the Red Army near Warsaw in August 1920, the Polish 280 forces were much larger compared to those of the Red Army and the Lithuanian troops in Augustów–Grodno bar. Equally important was the responsibility of the Lithuanian military authorities that underestimated the Polish threat and instead of concentrating military units, they dispersed them leading to the tragedy of the Lithuanian troops in Augustów – Sejny area. During the tense final battles with the Polish troops near Giedraičiai and Širvintos in November 1920, the 8th Infantry Regiment carried out an important mission set up by the military leadership. As the reserve of the 1st Infantry Division, the regiment covered the unprotected left wing and rear of the division thus ensuring the safety and maneuvers of other Lithuanian military units. When the struggle for independence was over, the regiment had to guard a bar in the neutral zone with Poland. It was a rather difficult period as the regiment was in neither peace nor war conditions. The battalion guarding the demarcation line was in fact operating under frontal conditions, whereas other two battalions faced fragile peace due to continuous tension near the demarcation line where the confrontation with the Poles sometimes escalated into rather serious clashes. When the regiment was deployed in Šiauliai at the end of April 1923, it entered a usual peacetime routine. The key mission of the regiment was to train and educate conscripts for the reserve force of the Lithuanian Armed Forces. Gradually, a usual routine was established with regular inspections, elimination of observed shortcomings, traditional spring and autumn maneuvers, various sports and other holidays, etc. In this respect, the regiment did not differ from other regiments of the Lithuanian Armed Forces. Military training followed training programmes, whereas knowledge and skills were tested during maneuvers, exercises, alarms, etc. |
