3rd Infantry Regiment, later known as the 3rd Infantry Regiment of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Vytautas () was a

Lithuanian Army The Lithuanian Armed Forces () are the military of Lithuania. The Lithuanian Armed Forces consist of the Lithuanian Land Forces, the Lithuanian Naval Force and the Lithuanian Air Force. In wartime, the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service (wh ...

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

that saw combat in the

Lithuanian Wars of Independence The Lithuanian Wars of Independence, also known as the Freedom Struggles ( lt, Laisvės kovos), refer to three wars Lithuania fought defending its independence at the end of World War I: with Bolshevik forces (December 1918 – August 1919), Berm ...

. It existed from 1919 to 1926 and from 1935 to 1940.

Formation

The regiment began forming on 4 May 1919. In Raseiniai, the regiment was formed on the basis of the Šauliai Battalion under the guidance of the commander of the 1st Brigade Pranas Liatukas. On 26 February 1920, the regiment was given the name of the

Grand Duke of Lithuania The monarchy of Lithuania concerned the monarchical head of state of Lithuania, which was established as an absolute and hereditary monarchy. Throughout Lithuania's history there were three ducal dynasties that managed to stay in power—House ...

Vytautas Vytautas (c. 135027 October 1430), also known as Vytautas the Great ( Lithuanian: ', be, Вітаўт, ''Vitaŭt'', pl, Witold Kiejstutowicz, ''Witold Aleksander'' or ''Witold Wielki'' Ruthenian: ''Vitovt'', Latin: ''Alexander Vitoldus'', O ...

Lithuanian Wars of Independence

Since August 1919, the regiment fought against the Bolsheviks near

Daugpilis Daugavpils (; russian: Двинск; ltg, Daugpiļs ; german: Dünaburg, ; pl, Dyneburg; see other names) is a state city in south-eastern Latvia, located on the banks of the Daugava River, from which the city gets its name. The parts of the c ...

. In 1920, the regiment defended Lithuania against the invading Polish forces near Suvalkai, Kalvarija, distinguishing itself in the battles near

Varėna Varėna (; pl, Orany; yi, אוראַן ''Oran'') is a city in Dzūkija, Lithuania. History The town was founded in 1862 near the Warsaw – Saint Petersburg Railway, south of Sena Varėna (Old Varėna). At that time it was a small settleme ...

, Lentvaris,

Vievis Vievis () is a small city in Elektrėnai municipality, Lithuania. It is located 14 km east of Elektrėnai, on Lake Vievis. Its alternate names include Anastasevskaya, Jewie (Polish), Vevis, Vievio, Viyevis, V’yevis, and Yev’ye. In 1522 ...

. Thereafter, the 3rd Regiment guarded the demarcation line Vievis–

Dubingiai Dubingiai ( pl, Dubinki) is a town in Molėtai district in Lithuania. It is situated near Lake Asveja, the longest lake in the country. The town has 208 inhabitants as of 2017. History The settlement was first mentioned in 1334, when Teutonic kn ...

– Zarasai.

Interwar

On 1 October 1926, the regiment was disbanded, but it was reformed in 1935. The regiment's HQ was in

Kėdainiai Kėdainiai () is one of the oldest List of cities in Lithuania, cities in Lithuania. It is located north of Kaunas on the banks of the Nevėžis River. First mentioned in the 1372 Livonian Chronicle of Hermann de Wartberge, its population is 23, ...

, and the regiments garrisoned Raseiniai and

Seredžius Seredžius is a town in Lithuania on the right bank of the Nemunas River near its confluence with the Dubysa River. According to the 2011 census, it had a population of 590. Names The Yiddish name for the city was סרעדניק (''Srednik''), co ...

. When Soviet Union occupied Lithuania, the 3rd Regiment was disbanded. Most of the men were reassigned to the 256th Rifle Regiment of the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

Commanders

* 1919 officer Pranas Liatukas * 1919 officer Ignas Musteikis * 1920 Major Jonas Gricius * 1922–1924 Major Aleksandras Jakaitis * 1925–1926 Colonel Vincas Šaudzis * 1935–1939 Staff colonel Viktoras Giedrys * 1939–1940 Colonel Petras Genys

References

* http://www.archyvai.lt/lt/fondai/kariuomene/lcva_f516.html * {{DEFAULTSORT:3rd Infantry Regiment (Lithuania) Military units and formations established in 1919 Military units and formations disestablished in 1940 Infantry regiments of Lithuania