Petras Ciunis (June 26, 1898 in
Perloja
Perloja is a village in Varėna district, Lithuania. It is situated to the west from Varėna on the banks of Merkys River and on the Vilnius–Druskininkai road. According to the 2001 census, it had 774 inhabitants. The village is known for the ...
– December 29, 1979 in
Vilnius
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 municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...
) 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 ...
officer, educator.
Biography
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 ...
In 1918, Ciunis graduated from
Voronezh
Voronezh ( rus, links=no, Воро́неж, p=vɐˈronʲɪʂ}) is a city and the administrative centre of Voronezh Oblast in southwestern Russia straddling the Voronezh River, located from where it flows into the Don River. The city sits on the ...
Teachers' Seminary (a subsidiary of
Tartu University
The University of Tartu (UT; et, Tartu Ülikool; la, Universitas Tartuensis) is a university in the city of Tartu in Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia. It is the only classical university in the country, and also its biggest ...
at the time). In February 1919, he volunteered for the
1st Infantry Regiment of the
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 ...
. In June of the same year he started education at the
War School of Kaunas
War School of Kaunas ( lt, Kauno karo mokykla) was a military school for junior officers in Kaunas, the temporary capital of Lithuania. It was established in January 1919 during the Lithuanian Wars of Independence copying the example of Russian 4- ...
. Upon graduation he was assigned to the 1st Infantry Regiment as company chief.
Interbellum
In July 1925, he graduated from the high courses for officers and became logistics and later drill company chief in the 1st Infantry Regiment in
Ukmergė
Ukmergė (; previously ''Vilkmergė''; pl, Wiłkomierz) is a city in Vilnius County, Lithuania, located northwest of Vilnius, with a population of about 20,000.
Etymology and variant names
The city took its original name ''Vilkmergė'' from th ...
. In 1926 he became a captain. In 1933 he was transferred to the
Lithuanian Riflemen Union
The Lithuanian Riflemen's Union (LRU, lt, Lietuvos šaulių sąjunga), also referred to as Šauliai ( lt, šaulys for ''rifleman''), is a paramilitary non-profit organisation supported by the State. The activities are in three main areas: milita ...
, and in 1935 to
Trakai
Trakai (; see names section for alternative and historic names) is a historic town and lake resort in Lithuania. It lies west of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. Because of its proximity to Vilnius, Trakai is a popular tourist destination. T ...
military district.
World War 2
First occupation of Lithuania
At the time of the
Soviet Union's occupation of Lithuania in 1940, Ciunis was chief of the 2nd Company of the
2nd Infantry Regiment. The only opportunity to prevent Soviets from
deporting
Deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. The term ''expulsion'' is often used as a synonym for deportation, though expulsion is more often used in the context of international law, while deportation ...
the whole Ciunis family to Siberia was to donate most of the family estates to the state and join the Soviet military. In September 1940, he was assigned to the 2nd Company, 1st Battalion, 259th 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 ...
(RA). In December of the same year he was assigned to the 619th Artillery Regiment of the
184th Rifle Division
The 18th Machine Gun Artillery Division is a division of the Russian Ground Forces stationed in the Sakhalin Oblast with administration over the Kuril Islands. It is currently deployed to Eastern Ukraine.
First formation
It was first formed as ...
, and became chief of the
chemical warfare
Chemical warfare (CW) involves using the toxic properties of chemical substances as weapons. This type of warfare is distinct from nuclear warfare, biological warfare and radiological warfare, which together make up CBRN, the military acronym ...
company.
In June 1941, Ciunis became chief specialist of the
179th Rifle Division for chemical warfare. As
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa (german: link=no, Unternehmen Barbarossa; ) was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during the Second World War. The operation, code-named after ...
started, German
Army Groups North and
Centre
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...
invaded the Lithuanian territory. This gave an opportunity for the brief anti-Soviet
June Uprising. Reportedly, Ciunis did not directly participate in the uprising, but helped by sabotaging the RA.
As the events of war progressed, Ciunis found himself retreating with the remains of the RA 29th Rifle Corps to the depths of Russia. In August 1941, he was sent to the Soviet officers' academy „Bыстрел“ () in
Solnechnogorsk
Solnechnogorsk (russian: Солнечного́рск, lit. ''sunny mountain town'') is a town and the administrative center of Solnechnogorsky District in Moscow Oblast, Russia, located on the Moscow–St. Petersburg Highway and the Moscow ...
. Afterward he became a professor at the 2nd war academy in
Omsk
Omsk (; rus, Омск, p=omsk) is the administrative center and largest city of Omsk Oblast, Russia. It is situated in southwestern Siberia, and has a population of over 1.1 million. Omsk is the third largest city in Siberia after Novosibirsk ...
. As the
'Lithuanian' division was formed, Ciunis was assigned to it as chief chemical warfare specialist.
After the war
In 1946, Ciunis was assigned to
Vilnius University
Vilnius University ( lt, Vilniaus universitetas) is a public research university, oldest in the Baltic states and in Northern Europe outside the United Kingdom (or 6th overall following foundations of Oxford, Cambridge, St. Andrews, Glasgow and ...
as the chief lecturer in military faculty. In 1950 he retired from military service as a lieutenant colonel. From October 1950 to 1964, he headed the Vilnius regional library (now the Vilnius County Adomas Mickevičius Public Library).
Ciunis died in 1979 and is buried in
Antakalnis Cemetery
Antakalnis Cemetery ( lt, Antakalnio kapinės, pl, Cmentarz na Antokolu, be, Антокальскія могілкі), sometimes referred as Antakalnis Military Cemetery, is an active cemetery in the Antakalnis district of Vilnius, Lithuania. I ...
in Vilnius.
Decorations
* 1928 – Lithuanian
Independence Medal,
Volunteer Medal
* 1929 – Lithuanian
Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas
The Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas is the Lithuanian Presidential Award which was re-instituted to honour the citizens of Lithuania for outstanding performance in civil and public offices. Foreign nationals may also be awarded this O ...
, Officer's cross
* 1939 – Lithuanian
Riflemen's Star Riflemen's Star ( lt, Šaulių žvaigždė) is a Orders, decorations, and medals of Lithuania, decoration bestowed by the Ministry of National Defence (Lithuania), Minister of National Defence of the Lithuania, Republic of Lithuania. The star is awa ...
* 1944 – Soviet
Order of the Red Star
The Order of the Red Star (russian: Орден Красной Звезды, Orden Krasnoy Zvezdy) was a military decoration of the Soviet Union. It was established by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 6 April 193 ...
* 1945 – Soviet
References
*
:lt:Petras Ciunis Lithuanian Wikipedia
Vilniaus apskrities Adomo Mickevičiaus viešoji biblioteka
* V. Asevičius et al. „Lietuvos kariuomenės karininkai 1918-1953“, 2nd volume, 2006
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ciunis, Petras
Lithuanian Army officers
Academic staff of Vilnius University
Officer's Crosses of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas
1898 births
1979 deaths
Burials at Antakalnis Cemetery