The Lithuanian Liberty Army (sometimes also named as Lithuanian Freedom Army) (Lithuanian: Lietuvos laisvės armija or LLA) was a Lithuanian underground military organization established by Kazys Veverskis [lt] (codename Senis), a Vilnius University Law Faculty student, on December 13, 1941. Its goal were to re-establish independent Lithuania via political and military means.
The LLA became the first wave of the Lithuanian partisans, armed anti-Soviet guerrilla fighters. It attempted to become the central command of the armed struggle. However, the organization was liquidated by the Soviet security forces (NKVD and KGB) by April 1946.[1] The organization's remnants were absorbed by other partisans. The guerrilla war continued until 1953.
Organization and German occupation
The LLA distanced itself from other political resistance organizations in Lithuania.[2] It believed that various organizations and factions splintered Lithuanian unity by petty bickering. The LLA was supposed to be a disciplined, military-based organization.[3] It was the only sizable organization from the Lithuanian resistance that did not participate in the activities of the Supreme Committee for the Liberation of Lithuania (created in 1943)[2] and did not support the creation of the Plechavičius-led Lithuanian Territorial Defense Force because it thought that ultimately the Lithuanian soldiers would be needlessly sacrificed, but the LLA did not dare to speak concretely and directly against it.[3] The organization also strictly prohibited its members from leaving Lithuania (i.e. retreating with the Wehrmacht).[1]
Veverskis was in charge of the headquarters, personally oversaw writing of orders and directives,[2] and published newspaper Karinės ir politinės žinios (Military and Political News), targeting members of LLA and its commanders, and Karžygys (Warrior), targeting general public.[1][3] The LLA operated an illegal printing press in Vilnius which published the Military and Political News every ten days, with a circulation of 500 to 1,000 copies.[4]
On July 1, 1944, LLA declared the state of war and ordered all its able members to mobilize into platoons, stationed in forests.[3] The organization, possibly drawing from the experiences of the 1941 anti-Soviet June uprising, envisioned a brief uprising followed by the establishment of the independent Lithuanian state.[5] The departments were replaced by two sectors – operational, called Vanagai (Hawks or Falcons; abbreviated VS), and organizational (abbreviated OS). Vanagai, commanded by Albinas Karalius [lt] (codename Varenis),[1] were the armed fighters while the organizational sector was tasked with passive resistance, including supply of food, information, and transport to Vanagai.[3] Staff headquarters were in the Plokštinė forest [lt] near Plateliai Lake, Samogitia where LLA had a training camp.[6] On July 19, 1944, Veverskis, general Motiejus Pečiulionis [lt] and engineer Bronius Snarskis established the Lithuanian Defence Committee (Lithuanian: Lietuvos gynimo komitetas) which was supposed to unite all anti-Soviet resistance groups and factions, but was destroyed in April 1945 when the Soviet secret services arrested its leadership.[6][7]
A monument to Kazys Veverskis, commander of LLA, built on the spot of his death
Many LLA members retreated to Germany, becoming the displaced persons,[2] others responded to the call starting the Lithuanian partisan movement. During interrogation, Eidimtas told the NKVD that LLA numbered up to 10,000 men by mid-1944,[2] but that is likely an exaggeration.[5] The LLA obtained a limited amount of armament and munitions from Nazi Germany.[8] In August–September 1944, LLA sent about 100 fighters to a German reconnaissance school; they returned as paratroopers.[1] The organization was not successful in fighting the Soviets.[citation needed] According to official statistics from NKVD, the Soviets killed 659 and arrested 753 members of the LLA by January 26, 1945.[5] Founder Veverskis was killed in December 1944, Eidimtas was arrested in April 1945, the headquarters were liquidated in December 1945.[3] This represented the failure of highly centralized resistance, as the organization was too dependent on Veverskis and other top commanders.[5] Lower-level organization remained, especially in Samogitia and Aukštaitija, and was absorbed by the partisan movement. Remnants of its organizational structure survived until the end of the guerrilla war in 1953.[3] One of the LLA members, Jonas Žemaitis, became the commander of the Union of Lithuanian Freedom Fighters.[9]
