Lithuanian People's Army

[1][2][4][3] According to data from 1 June 1940, the army had 28,115 persons – 26,084 soldiers (of which 1,728 were officers), 2,031 civil servants, and with the announcement of the mobilization it was possible to call 120,400 reserve troops.

[1] The dissolution of the Lithuanian Armed Forces was started: on 19 June, the first four high-ranking officers were fired, and the cavalry was abolished by the end of the month.

[1] At the request of the Special Representative of the Soviet Government to Lithuania Vladimir Dekanozov, Prime Minister Justas Paleckis fired another 17 high-ranking officers from the army on 25 June, including Generals Edvardas Adamkavičius, Vladas Mieželis, Vladas Nagevičius, Klemensas Popeliučka, Mikas Rėklaitis, Kazys Tallat-Kelpša, and Emilis Vymeris.

[3] Despite that, soldiers of this regiment remained negative towards the elections of the People's Seimas and adoption of a new Soviet-style Constitution and publicly sang Tautiška giesmė.

[3] The work of forming the corps was accompanied by constant arrests of soldiers and officers who openly expressed their dissatisfaction (e.g. by raising the Lithuanian tricolor flag or creating and distributing anti-Soviet posters and leaflets).

For example, during the meeting on 25 October 1940 of the Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Lithuania— chaired by Antanas Sniečkus, and attended by representatives of the Baltic Military District, 11th Army, and non-Lithuanian officers of the 29th Rifle Corps—the participants unanimously agreed that anti-Soviet mood prevailed in the 29th Rifle Corps and that the units were "polluted" with hostile elements.

[16] Not all Lithuanian pilots of the aviation squadron deployed in Ukmergė complied with the Soviet order to retreat to Gomel in the Byelorussian SSR.

[16] Some Lithuanian officers (e.g. Otto Milaševičius[18]) shot themselves because they did not have the opportunity to resist with the gun or escape, as they were vigilantly monitored by NKVD and commissioners.

[19] Fewer than 1,500 troops of the 29th Rifle Corps complied with the Soviet order and fully retreated to the Pskov Oblast in the Russian SFSR.

[20] On 18 December 1941, by the resolution of the State Defense Committee the 16th 'Lithuanian' Rifle Division was formed in the area of Gorky (now Nizhny Novgorod) in the Moscow Military District.

[21][22] The nucleus of the unit consisted of Soviet officials and activists who had left the Lithuanian SSR (in 1942, only 1,458 soldiers of the division had previously fought on the Front of the Soviet–German War).

[27] Its soldiers were considered unreliable, were simply starving, and were not allowed on the front lines, thus there was frustration in the division, and the number of desertions increased.

[21] Reinforced by the former battalion of discipline and a disciplinary company, the division repulsed attacks of the Germans at the Battle of Kursk (63 soldiers were killed and 136 injured).

[21][27][22] At the end of 1943, reinforced with artillery, mortars, flamethrowers, the division unsuccessfully attacked the Germans at Ezerische in the Haradok District, and after losing about 1,600 soldiers switched to defense.

[21][22] In order to preserve the losing division as a national unit, it was transferred to the 4th Assault Army Reserve and did not take part in the battles.

[28][29] In the case of the Germans lose, the Lithuanian Territorial Defense Force, commanded by Povilas Plechavičius, was planning to militarily confront the returning Red Army in the territory of Lithuania, however it was liquidated sooner due to disagreements with the Germans, and Plechavičius, the headquarters of the armed forces, and some other officers were arrested by the Gestapo and taken to the Salaspils concentration camp.

[21][27] Overall, the 16th Rifle Division proved to be non-combat and unprofessional unit in the Soviet–German War, unable to compensate for the losses with so-called national personnel.

[21] Despite the requests of the Lithuanian SSR leadership, the division was not completed and strengthened enough to fully take part in the struggle for the retaking of the territory of Lithuania.