soldiers

80 years ago, in 1944 on May 7, in the village of Kaniava (according to the administrative division at the time – Eišiškių district, Kaniava village), there was a battle between the soldiers of the Lithuanian Local Selection and the units of the Polish Krajiva Army who had provoked it.

May 4 In the village of Kaniava (Varėna district, Kaniava sen.), members of the Alytus district branch of the Association of Reserve Soldiers of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, shooters of the Varėna Company of the Lithuanian Rifle Association, and members of the Kaniava community and guests celebrated this important anniversary for the Lithuanian army.

Flowers of respect were placed at the monument to the fallen soldiers, memorial candles were lit, and the National Anthem was sung. Patriotic-national songs were performed by the singers of the Kaniavas cultural center art collective (led by Algimantas Vitkus).

The author of these lines shared historical insights.

Kaniava is mentioned as the estate of the Grand Duke of Lithuania in the 14th century. in the description of Lithuanian roads (German: Lithauische Wegeberichte) at the end of XV-XVII centuries. Kaniava with the royal estate and forestry was an important administrative and economic center, called an old town, a town, a city. 18th century – precincts, since the 20th century. the beginning – the center of the town. Since 1920 belonged to Poland; in 1939 September. After the capture of the Vilnius region by the Red Army of the USSR, Kaniava was assigned to the Belarusian SSR, in 1940. August. – Lithuanian SSR, during the German occupation in 1941. in the middle – for the general area of ​​Belarus, 1943 September. – for the general area of ​​Lithuania.

Since 1920 Kaniava was one of the focal points of the fight against the Polish administration’s policy of competition for Lithuania and Lithuanian schools. in 1922 The inhabitants of Kaniava boycotted the elections of the so-called Seimas of Central Lithuania, later – other elections organized by the Poles, as a result they suffered repression (some residents were imprisoned), in 1934 Lithuanian school of “Ryto” educational society is closed. During the German occupation in 1943-1944. Kaniavas was attacked several times by the partisans of the Polish Army of Craiova: they burned down the buildings of the municipal offices, terrorized and robbed the residents, and killed two. in 1944 March. The residents of Kaniava resisted the Soviet red partisans attacking the village with weapons (they killed one).

in 1944 in the spring of the Lithuanian National Team (LVR, plechavičuikai) the situation of the soldiers in the Vilnius region was very difficult: they had to fight on two fronts – against the Soviet red partisans and the numerous formations of the Polish Army Krajowa (Len. Polska Armia Krajowa; lit. AK, “akovci”), whose main goal was the annexation of the Vilnius region to Poland. The Germans, experiencing huge manpower losses on the Eastern Front, no longer had people to protect strategic objects and transport arteries. Using the LVR for these purposes, they armed it poorly, and in order to turn the events in this troubled land in the direction they wanted, they tried to take advantage of the discord between the Lithuanians and the Poles, to further antagonize them. The Polish “Akovci”, flirting with the Germans, did not conduct any active armed struggle against them, but attacked the Lithuanians with the weapons received from them. There were frequent armed clashes between LVR soldiers and Polish “Akovcs”.

in 1944 on Sunday, May 7, at around 7 o’clock in the morning, a unit of about 400 soldiers of the 6th Partisan Brigade of the Polish AK attacked the garrison established in the village of Kaniava LVR 309-day battalion 2-th company (about 200 soldiers). The Poles were better armed, their squads consisted mainly of cadre soldiers of the former Polish army, and were led by officers. Outnumbering the Lithuanians in numbers and weapons, they probably expected an easy victory. Hiding behind the huts, the “Akovci” fired at the Lithuanian soldiers with machine guns and automatic weapons, and threw grenades. During the first attack, 6 soldiers were killed, 10 were wounded, the platoon commander junior lieutenant Vytautas Sakalauskas was seriously wounded by an explosive bullet in the legs, and a non-commissioned officer Kazi Giedraičius injured hand. They were hastily bandaged and sent in a gurgle with horses to II Varėnas to ask for help. However, the three Lithuanian non-commissioned officers who served in the 2nd company from the Lithuanian Self-Defense Battalions (LSD) of the German army were not disturbed: they repelled the “Akovkas” who moved to the spiked barricades with accurate machine gun fire and grenades. The worst thing is that the soldiers of the 2nd company had to save ammunition until reinforcements arrived from II Varėna. After moving to the trenches about 50 meters, the “Akovci” rose to the second attack. This time they were repulsed with grenades. When the frontal attack failed to overcome the Lithuanians, the Poles tried to set fire to the school building with incendiary bullets, the wooden roof soaked after the night rain did not catch fire. The Lithuanian soldiers ran out of ammunition, so they had to stop shooting with machine guns and fire back only with carbines. There were quite a few wounded, as the Poles fired explosive bullets. The fighting continued for about 5-6 hours.

When the messengers of the 2nd company arrived at the headquarters of the LVR 309th battalion, a combat alarm was announced, the 1st company, led by Captain Juoz Čeponis, rushed to the aid of the brothers in arms with four trucks and several carts. Before reaching the village about 5 kilometers, the soldiers of the 1st company covered the remaining distance on the run and, having approached the village, spread out in battle formation and began to surround the Polish partisans. Avoiding the encirclement, the “Akovci” retreated into the forest. Jonas Skamarakas from Kaniaviška and his young son were killed by fragments of grenades by Polish partisans.

The Polish “Akovci” vented their fury on the peaceful local people due to the lost battle and the casualties. Jonas Stasionis, a father of five from Kaniaviški, was killed by a shot to the head from behind. In the village of Druckūnai, the “Akovci” killed Vaclovas Junevičius and Mikas Petrušis, in the village of Kaniūki – the teacher Smėlevičius. The dead “Akovkas” were buried by their relatives on the hill between the villages of Šilinė and Mantotė. The remains of one killed Polish partisan remained on the battlefield, so the residents of Kaniava later buried them in the village cemetery. From 1944 May 30 report no. 8 around 1944 May 7 battle with the Lithuanians near Kaniava, we learn about the losses of the Poles: 7 killed and 12 wounded.

According to the report of the Eišiškių county gendarmerie post to Major K. Kionig, Polish partisans looted in the village of Žydeikiai, about 3 km northwest of Kaniava. Before them, two groups of soldiers of the 309th battalion of the LVR were sent from II Varėna. A fierce shootout took place between the Akovci and the Plechavici. During the battle, 12 Lithuanians were killed and another 17 were wounded. 13 Poles were killed. The fighting ended around 3 p.m. Akovci, according to the German report, had about 200 people.

According to the data provided by Lithuanian military history researchers, he died in the 2nd company of the LVR 309th battalion 10 volunteers (V. Kupcikevičius, Vladas Tolkus, Adomas Žagarskas, Bočys, Zienius, Jančys, Giedraitis, Končys and Macijauskas (name of one deceased is unknown), two more died from serious injuries on the way to Varėnas (Bronius Knataitis and Juozas Mažeika), and 18 were They were taken by train from Varėna to the military hospital in Vilnius on the same day.

In the battle of Kaniava, the following soldiers of the LVR 309th battalion were also injured: Bronius Laurinaitis in the right hand, Jonis Janickis shot in the right shoulder, Vitus Vietrakis shot in the right side of the chest and palm, Leonas Pšemeneckas contused when a mortar mine exploded. They were also injured – Private Jonas Norkaitis of the 1st company, private Juozas Maziliauskas of the 3rd company and private Stasys Novikas of the 4th company. Since there was no room in Vilnius hospital, the last three soldiers were sent to Kaunas hospital for treatment.

After washing the dead soldiers of the 2nd company, they dressed them in new uniforms with tricolor triangles on the sleeves, and they buried the same in the coffins of the western white boards in the hall of the wooden house, next to the church, in front of the railway station. The funeral was attended by many people from Varėniška, elementary school students with teachers, Juoz Mažeika’s sister. Even German soldiers brought a wreath. 12 volunteer plechavičiuks were ceremoniously buried in the Varėna cemetery. But when they arrived later, they dug up the remains of the family and took them away and buried them with their relatives. Some are buried in Kaunas, Aukštosios Panemune and Raudondvaris cemeteries. It is known that eight (out of 12) people from Jurbarki were killed and three were wounded in the battles of Kaniava.

Military historians have noted, that the battles of Kaniava are unique, because this is perhaps the only place in Lithuania where young, untrained and poorly armed Lithuanian men were able to hold their own and repel the several times larger Polish AK partisan forces. Volunteers from Plechavičius who took part in the battles were proud that they were not defeated, despite the lack of ammunition, bad communication and lack of transport and paramedics.

in 1994 May. Riflemen of the Varėna company built a wooden memorial for the fallen Lithuanian soldiers in the village of Kaniava the cross made by shooter Algis Jonytis. All works were carried out at the expense of the shooters. The cross was ceremonially consecrated on May 7. This cross served until 2023, until the community of Kaniava village built a new cross in its place.

in 1999 May 8 A concrete-stone monument (initiator – Kazimieras Giedraitis) was built at the site of the spring battles of 1944 in the village of Kaniava, which was consecrated by Vytautas Griganavičius, the parish priest of Raseiniai, a former cadet of the LVR military school in Marijampolė. The names of the dead are engraved on the monument. Residents planted a hedge and trees around the monument.

After honoring the LVR soldiers who died 80 years ago, we were treated to soft drinks and sweets by the kind-hearted dzūki, then the residents of the Dzūkija capital went to see the Dubičių mound, known as Bona Castle. The place where Vytautas the Great’s hunting estate was, according to the old annals, is located next to the bridge over the Łala, where the kayaking route on this river begins.

In the town of Dubičiai, at the monument, we paid our respects in 1863. the memory of the dead rebels, where they were buried 161 years ago. Namely on May 4. (1863) 12 rebels and one of the first leaders of the uprising in Lithuania, Colonel Liudvikas Narbutas, were killed in the battle near Lake Pelesa (4 km from the village of Dubičiai) against a unit of the tsarist Russian army. The monument was officially unveiled in 1933. on May 5, commemorating the 70th anniversary of the battle. The place of the fighting and the death of the rebels is marked in 1988. an iron cross and wooden chapel pillars were built.

The people of Alytis, returning from the event in Kaniava, on the way from Varėna, we stopped at the monument (1.5 km west of Glūko k., Varėna sen.) to honor the soldiers who died in 1920. Soldiers of the Lithuanian army (it is believed that 5) who died in 1920 were buried here. October 3-4 in the battles with the Polish army that took place in these places. 20th century In the 1930s, with the care of the commander of the Varėna rifle squad, teacher Andrias Ryliškis, the graves were repaired, concrete crosses with inscriptions (soldiers’ names, ranks) and a monument – an irregularly shaped flat stone with a stone cross on top – were built. Inscribed on the front (polished) plane: “HERE / 1920-X-3 and 4 d. / 1, 2, 3 and 6 p. THE REGIMENTS / WILL FIGHT THE POLISH / REMEMBER, PASSENGERS, / THAT WE DIE HERE / FOR THE FATHERLAND”. The cemetery plot was surrounded by a concrete retaining wall. There are steps with partition walls on the front side. The upper planes of the latter have a relief (a shield with the cross of Vytis). This relatively well-preserved monument, built in the pre-war years, reminded us of the struggles for Lithuanian Independence in another historical period.

We also assessed the remains of the Glūko bridge from a “military” and tourism point of view. This bridge was built in 1899. The former railway bridge over Varėneat the river, standing Take a look in the village, 4 km north of Old Varėnasouthwest of Lake Glūko. The remains of the Glūko Bridge are an architectural and engineering monument of regional significance, in 2018. recorded in Register of cultural values. The bicycle route “Olita-Orany” (Alytus-Varėna) passes through the bridge.

Gintaras Lučinskas