![Armia Krajowa killings 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6d/Armia_Krajowa_killings_2.jpg)
The Dubingiai massacre was a
mass murder
Mass murder is the act of murdering a number of people, typically simultaneously or over a relatively short period of time and in close geographic proximity. The United States Congress defines mass killings as the killings of three or more pe ...
of 20–27
Lithuanian
Lithuanian may refer to:
* Lithuanians
* Lithuanian language
* The country of Lithuania
* Grand Duchy of Lithuania
* Culture of Lithuania
* Lithuanian cuisine
* Lithuanian Jews as often called "Lithuanians" (''Lita'im'' or ''Litvaks'') by other Jew ...
civilians in the town of
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 ...
(Dubinki) on 23 June 1944. The massacre was carried out by the 5th Brigade of
Armia Krajowa
The Home Army ( pl, Armia Krajowa, abbreviated AK; ) was the dominant resistance movement in German-occupied Poland during World War II. The Home Army was formed in February 1942 from the earlier Związek Walki Zbrojnej (Armed Resistance) esta ...
(AK), a
Polish resistance group, in reprisal for the
Glinciszki (Glitiškės) massacre of
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent
* Polish chicken
*Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...
civilians committed by the
Nazi
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
-subordinated
Lithuanian Auxiliary Police Battalion on 20 June 1944. The Dubingiai massacre started a wider AK operation in which units beyond the 5th Brigade were involved. In total, 70–100 Lithuanians were killed by the end of June 1944 in Dubingiai and the neighbouring villages of
Joniškis
Joniškis (; Samogitian language, Samogitian: ''Juonėškis'') is a town in northern Lithuania with a population of about 9,900. It is located 39 kilometers north of Šiauliai and 14 kilometers south of the Lithuania–Latvia border. Joniškis i ...
,
Inturkė,
Bijutiškis, and
Giedraičiai
left, Bell tower of Church of St. Bartholomew
Giedraičiai is a town in Molėtai district municipality, Lithuania with about 700 residents. It is located some 45 km north of Vilnius, capital of Lithuania, on the banks of Lake Kiementas. ...
. While Nazi collaborators were ostensibly the prime targets,
[ the victims also included the elderly, children, including infants of 4 and 11 months.][ Further conflicts between Lithuanian and Polish units were prevented by the Soviet capture of Vilnius in mid-July.
]
Background
The Lithuanian–Polish relations during the interbellum
In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the First World War to the beginning of the Second World War. The interwar period was relativel ...
period were strained since both sides had laid claim to the Vilnius Region
Vilnius Region is the territory in present-day Lithuania and Belarus that was originally inhabited by ethnic Baltic tribes and was a part of Lithuania proper, but came under East Slavic and Polish cultural influences over time.
The territory ...
. During World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, these tensions were exacerbated by different allegiances: Lithuanian administration and paramilitary units were leaning towards Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
while Polish resistance waged an active partisan war against the Nazis.[ Eventually, these tensions grew into a low-level civil war][ that culminated in a series of civilian massacres.
On 20 June 1944, members of the ]Armia Krajowa
The Home Army ( pl, Armia Krajowa, abbreviated AK; ) was the dominant resistance movement in German-occupied Poland during World War II. The Home Army was formed in February 1942 from the earlier Związek Walki Zbrojnej (Armed Resistance) esta ...
(AK) killed four members of the 258th Lithuanian Police Battalion in the village of Glitiškės
Glitiškės ( pl, Glinciszki) is a village in Vilnius district
Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the muni ...
(Glinciszki);[ in retaliation the Lithuanian police killed 26 or 37 Polish villagers (the ]Glinciszki massacre
The Glinciszki massacre or the Glitiškės massacre (; ) was a mass murder of Polish civilians by the German-subordinated 258th Lithuanian Police Battalion, committed on 20 June 1944 in the Glitiškės village (; in interwar Second Polish Rep ...
).[ In light of these events as well as other information about intensified pacification actions by the Lithuanian forces, the AK command for the Vilnius Region, under ]Aleksander Krzyżanowski
Aleksander Krzyżanowski '' nom de guerre'' "Wilk" (18 February 1895 – 29 September 1951) was an artillery colonel of the Polish Army, officer of the Service for Poland's Victory, Union of Armed Struggle, commander of the Vilnius District of ...
codename ''Wilk'', assumed that it represented a beginning of a new, large anti-Polish operation and only a demonstration of the strength of Polish forces in the region could stop the killings and protect the Polish civilians.[ Leaflets were distributed through the region that AK was planning to execute members of the Lithuanian units guilty of the Glinciszki massacre, and a raid on the pre-war Lithuanian Republic territory was planned.][ The AK command did not plan, and actually strictly forbade, any reprisals against innocent civilians.][
]
Murders in Dubingiai
The 5th Brigade of AK, under command of Zygmunt Szendzielarz
Zygmunt Szendzielarz (12 March 1910 – 8 February 1951) was the commander of the Polish 5th Wilno Brigade of the Home Army (Armia Krajowa), nom de guerre "Łupaszka". He fought against the Red Army after the end of the Second World War. Followi ...
codename ''Łupaszko'',[ learned that some of the individuals responsible for the Glinciszki massacre and their families were stationed in the police station in Dubingai.][ A company of the 5th Brigade under codename ''Rakoczy'' decided to destroy the police station and to execute several Nazi-Lithuanian informants.][ There are different versions as to who led the raid on Dubingiai; most sources attribute it to Szendzielarz, the commander of the 5th Brigade,][ while ]Henryk Piskunowicz Henryk may refer to:
* Henryk (given name)
* Henryk, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, a village in south-central Poland
* Henryk Glacier, an Antarctic glacier
See also
* Henryk Batuta hoax, an internet hoax
* Henrykian articles
The Henrician Article ...
, Polish historian and author of several publications about Armia Krajowa operations in Vilnius Region, specifically pointed to Wiącek.[ The AK headquarters learnt of that initiative and was afraid that the soldiers of the 5th Brigade who had freshly witnessed the aftermath of Glinciszki may not follow the orders forbidding actions against civilians. It sent a courier from the headquarters in Vilnius ordering the 5th Brigade to stay put, the courier, however, did not reach the local commanders in time.][
The village was warned that the Polish attack was imminent and many individuals—including the policemen who participated in the Glinciszki massacre—escaped before the Poles began the killings.][ The AK targeted Lithuanian populace, using Lithuanian prayer books as a means of identifying Lithuanians, but sparing those intermarried with Poles.][ While Nazi collaborators were ostensibly the prime targets,][ the victims included the elderly, children, and even infants.][ A Polish woman and her 4-year-old son were also reported to have been killed.][ The total number of victims is estimated between 20 and 27.][
]
Further reprisals
The reprisal actions in Dubingiai, even if premature and unplanned by AK command, marked the beginning of a wider AK operation in which units beyond the 5th Brigade were involved.[ From 25 to 27 June, various Polish units entered pre-war Lithuanian territory and carried out a series of actions against ]Lithuanian Auxiliary Police Battalions
The Lithuanian Auxiliary Police Battalions were Schutzmannschaft battalions formed during the German occupation of Lithuania between 1941 and 1944, with the first battalions originating from the most reliable freedom fighters that were disbanded ...
and those labeled as Nazi sympathizers.[ Bridges and telecommunication lines were destroyed.][ Polish sources note that a number of civilian casualties occurred as a result of the wider operations during that period, particularly when several buildings caught fire.][ According to Lithuanian sources, in total, 70–100 Lithuanian civilians were killed by the end of June 1944 in Dubingiai and the neighbouring villages of ]Joniškis
Joniškis (; Samogitian language, Samogitian: ''Juonėškis'') is a town in northern Lithuania with a population of about 9,900. It is located 39 kilometers north of Šiauliai and 14 kilometers south of the Lithuania–Latvia border. Joniškis i ...
(12 people by a squadron commanded by AK member codename Maks),[ Inturkė, Bijutiškis, and ]Giedraičiai
left, Bell tower of Church of St. Bartholomew
Giedraičiai is a town in Molėtai district municipality, Lithuania with about 700 residents. It is located some 45 km north of Vilnius, capital of Lithuania, on the banks of Lake Kiementas. ...
.[ Lithuanian historian ]Arūnas Bubnys
Arūnas Bubnys (born November 7, 1961) is a Lithuanian historian and archivist. He started his studies at Vilnius University in 1985. In 1993 he received a Ph.D for the thesis ''Lietuvių antinacinė rezistencija 1941–1944 m.'' ( en, Lithuanian A ...
lists the following casualties in villages of Molėtai
Molėtai () ( pl, Malaty) is a town in north eastern Lithuania surrounded by lakes. One of the oldest settlements in Lithuania, it is a popular resort for the inhabitants of Vilnius. According to the 2013 census, it had 6,302 inhabitants.
The to ...
district: 8 people in Vymančiai, 4 people in Raputėnai, 2 people in Ažuožerai, 17 people in Alkūnai.[ The youngest victim was a 4-month-old baby.][
]
Aftermath
Piskunowicz contends that AK's reprisals of 23–27 June were successful since there were no further actions by Lithuanian forces similar to the preceding Glinciszki massacre
The Glinciszki massacre or the Glitiškės massacre (; ) was a mass murder of Polish civilians by the German-subordinated 258th Lithuanian Police Battalion, committed on 20 June 1944 in the Glitiškės village (; in interwar Second Polish Rep ...
.[ This contention is, however, largely speculative as any potential for further escalation by either side was cut short by the Soviet occupation of Vilnius two weeks later.][
This chain of events stained the reputation of AK in Lithuania and continue to sour the Lithuanian–Polish relations.][ ]Zygmunt Szendzielarz
Zygmunt Szendzielarz (12 March 1910 – 8 February 1951) was the commander of the Polish 5th Wilno Brigade of the Home Army (Armia Krajowa), nom de guerre "Łupaszka". He fought against the Red Army after the end of the Second World War. Followi ...
, the commander of the 5th Brigade, which was responsible for the massacre, became a member of the Polish anti-Soviet resistance and was arrested in 1948 by the communist Polish secret police. After more than two years of torture and interrogation, he was executed by the communist Polish government in 1951.[ In 1993, after the fall of the communism, Szendzielarz was rehabilitated and declared innocent of all charges by the Military Chamber of the Supreme Court.][ Szendzielarz continues to receive posthumous honors: order of ]Polonia Restituta
The Order of Polonia Restituta ( pl, Order Odrodzenia Polski, en, Order of Restored Poland) is a Polish state order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on foreigners for outstanding achievement ...
from President Lech Kaczyński
Lech Aleksander Kaczyński (; 18 June 194910 April 2010) was a Polish politician who served as the city mayor of Warsaw from 2002 until 2005, and as President of Poland from 2005 until his death in 2010. Before his tenure as president, he prev ...
in 2007,[ promotion to Lieutenant General by Minister of Defense ]Antoni Macierewicz
Antoni Macierewicz (; born 3 August 1948) is a Polish politician and the former Minister of National Defence. He previously served as the Minister of Internal Affairs, Head of the Military Counterintelligence Service, and Minister of State in ...
and a speech by President Andrzej Duda
Andrzej Sebastian Duda (; born 16 May 1972) is a Polish lawyer and politician who has served as president of Poland since 6 August 2015. Before becoming president, Andrzej Duda was a member of Polish Lower House (Sejm) from 2011 to 2014 and the ...
praising Szendzielarz and urging Polish youth to follow his example in 2016,[ each time causing negative press in Lithuania.][
In 1992, Lithuanian authorities opened a criminal case regarding AK massacres in ]Molėtai
Molėtai () ( pl, Malaty) is a town in north eastern Lithuania surrounded by lakes. One of the oldest settlements in Lithuania, it is a popular resort for the inhabitants of Vilnius. According to the 2013 census, it had 6,302 inhabitants.
The to ...
district.[ The investigation recorded at least 273 Lithuanian deaths in 1943–45, but was unable to determine identities of the responsible AK members. Since AK commanders were already dead, the case was closed in 1996.][
]
References
Bibliography
{{Cite book , last=Rokicki , first=Paweł , url=https://przystanekhistoria.pl/download/166/144733/GLINCISZKI20calosc2002022015.pdf , title=Glinciszki i Dubinki. Zbrodnie wojenne na Wileńszczyźnie w połowie 1944 roku i ich konsekwencje we współczesnych relacjach polsko-litewskich , publisher=Institute of National Remembrance
The Institute of National Remembrance – Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation ( pl, Instytut Pamięci Narodowej – Komisja Ścigania Zbrodni przeciwko Narodowi Polskiemu, abbreviated IPN) is a Polish state resea ...
, year=2015 , isbn=978-83-8229-224-4 , series=Monografie , location=Warsaw , language=pl , trans-title=Glinciszki and Dubinki. War crimes in the Vilnius Region in mid-1944 and their consequences in contemporary Polish-Lithuanian relations
Mass murder in 1944
June 1944 events
Lithuania in World War II
Massacres in Lithuania
Lithuania–Poland relations
1944 in Lithuania
Generalbezirk Litauen
Military operations involving the Home Army
Poland in World War II
World War II massacres