The Union of Lithuanian Riflemen ( lit. Lietuvos Šaulių Sąjunga ) is a Lithuanian paramilitary organization, a special unit of the Armed Forces of Lithuania, designed to educate the civilian population in self-defense and conduct a guerrilla war.
| Lithuanian Riflemen's Union | |
|---|---|
 Member badge of the Lithuanian Riflemen Union | |
| Years of existence | 1919 - 1940 1989 — present |
| A country |  Lithuania |
| Subordination | Lithuanian Armed Forces |
| Type of | militia |
| Function | civilian self-defense training, guerrilla warfare |
| Number | 10 thousand people |
| Dislocation | Kaunas |
| Nickname | Arrows ( lit. Šauliai - Šiauliai ) |
| Motto | For independent Lithuania! ( lit. Nepriklausomai Lietuvai! ) |
| Colors | green white |
| Participation in |
|
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Colonel Antanas Pleskis |
Content
History
The Union was formed in 1919 as a militia. Lithuanian riflemen from this union participated in all Lithuanian wars of the 20th century, having received baptism of fire during the Soviet-Lithuanian war. A part of the Lithuanian riflemen also participated in the Klaipeda uprising, when the Lithuanians knocked out the garrison of the French expeditionary force from Klaipeda. Until 1940, this organization was the strongest in Lithuania: it included ethnic Lithuanians, Belarusians, and Russians. After the Soviet troops entered Lithuania in 1940, the union was banned, and most of its members were arrested [1] .
In the postwar years, the surviving Lithuanian riflemen went to the " forest brothers ". In 1989, the Union of Riflemen was revived in Lithuania, but it still has not reached its former popularity: the number is currently at the most conservative estimates only 7 thousand people (with the number of 61 thousand people before the Second World War). 61% of the Union’s members are Young Arrows , adolescents aged 12 to 18, members of the association of the same name; only 8% - “Active shooters”, who served in the army, the remaining 31% - “Passive shooters”.
Current status
According to the British newspaper Independent , at the beginning of 2015 , the Union has more than 11 thousand members, mostly men 40-50 years old [2] . The core is made up of former soldiers, many with experience of the war in Afghanistan as part of the Soviet army [2] . Volunteers are organized on the principle of the Swiss army - they have personal weapons and military uniforms , conduct weekly exercises [2] . According to members of the Union, they are preparing to repel Russian aggression [2] .
Literature
- Jokubauskas, V. Mažųjų kariuomenių galia ir paramilitarizmas. Tarpukario Lietuvos atvejis. Klaipėda, 2014.
- Nefas, M. Lietuvos šaulių sąjungos ryšiai su išeivija JAV: Antano Žmuidzinavičiaus atvejis. Acta historica universitatis Klaipedensis. Xxviii. Paramilitarism in the Eastern Baltics, 1918 - 1940: Case Studies and Comparisons. Klaipėda, 2014. p. 103 - 124.
- Nefas, M. Siekiai suaktyvinti studentų šaulių veiklą XX a. 4-ajame dešimtmetyje. Lietuvos studentų korporacijos tarpukariu. Vilnius: Diemedis, 2013.
- Nefas, M. Šauliai valstybės tarnyboje ir valstybinėse įmonėse Klaipėdos krašte 1923–1939 m. Istorija, 2012, t. 86, Nr. 2. ISSN 1392-0456, E-ISSN 2029-7181. p. 3 - 10. (Duomenų bazėse: ABC-CLIO Historical Abstracts, CEEOL, TOC Premier, EBSCO Publishing: Academic Search Complete, Central & Eastern European Academic Source, MLA International Bibliography.)
- Nefas, M. Šaulių vaidmuo Klaipėdos krašto gynybos sistemoje. Istorija, 2012, t. 87, Nr. 3. ISSN 1392-0456, E-ISSN 2029-7181. p. 16 - 24. (Duomenų bazėse: ABC-CLIO Historical Abstracts, CEEOL, TOC Premier, EBSCO Publishing: Academic Search Complete, Central & Eastern European Academic Source, MLA International Bibliography.)
- Lietuvos šaulių sąjunga: praeitis, dabartis, ateitis. Mokslinių straipsnių rinkinys. Kaunas, 2009.
- Nefas, M. Lietuvos šaulių sąjungos ideologija: vidiniai ir išoriniai jos kūrėjai 1918 - 1940 m. Lietuvos šaulių sąjunga: praeitis, dabartis, ateitis.Mokslinių straipsnių rinkinys. ISBN 978-9955-39-056-5 . Kaunas: UAB "Arx Baltica", 2009. p. 11-24.
- Lietuvos šaulių sąjunga valstybės ir visuomenės tarnyboje 1919 - 2004. Kaunas, 2005.
- Vareikis, V. Šaulių sąjunga, lenkai, žydai: LŠS ideologijos ir propagandos bruožai. Lietuvos šaulių sąjungos istorijos fragmentai. 2002 m. kovo 7 d. Konferencijos pranešimų medžiaga. Kaunas, 2002.
- Lietuvos šaulių sąjungos istorija. Sud. Liekis, A. Vilnius, 1992.
- Vladas Putvinskis- Pūtvis. Gyvenimas ir parinktieji raštai. Antroji laida. Vyr. Redaktorius Marcinkevičius-Mantautas, A. Čikaga, 1973.
- Matusas J. Šaulių sąjungos istorija. Sydney, 1966.
- Nepriklausomai Lietuvai. Red Petrušaitis, P. Čikaga, 1965.
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ RESOLUTION of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR “On measures to clean the Lithuanian SSR of the anti-Soviet, criminal and socially dangerous element” [1]
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 BBC: “The British Press: Lithuanians are ready for Russian aggression”