Stasys Pundzevičius (2 September 1893 – 20 October 1980) was a

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 ...

division general, lecturer. He held high-ranking military positions in the

interwar Lithuania The history of Lithuania dates back to settlements founded many thousands of years ago, but the first written record of the name for the country dates back to 1009 AD. Lithuanians, one of the Balts, Baltic peoples, later conquered neighboring la ...

: Chief of the

Lithuanian Air Force The Lithuanian Air Force or LAF ( lt, Lietuvos karinės oro pajėgos, abbreviated as ''LK KOP'') is the military aviation branch of the Lithuanian armed forces. It is formed from professional military servicemen and non-military personnel. Units ...

, Chief of the

General Staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large military un ...

, multiple times temporarily was the Chief of the

Lithuanian Armed Forces 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 (whi ...

, and was assigned Chief of the Lithuanian Armed Forces by the

Provisional Government of Lithuania The Provisional Government of Lithuania ( lt, Laikinoji Vyriausybė) was a temporary government aiming for independent Lithuania during the last days of the first Soviet occupation and the first months of German Nazi occupation in 1941. It w ...

during the

June Uprising in Lithuania The June Uprising ( lt, Birželio sukilimas) was a brief period in the history of Lithuania between the first Soviet occupation and the Nazi occupation in late June 1941. Approximately one year earlier, on June 15, 1940, the Red Army occupied Li ...

Early life

Pundzevičius was born on 2 September 1893 in near

Skapiškis Skapiškis ( pl, Skopiszki) is a town in the Kupiškis district municipality, Lithuania. It is situated on the shores of Lake Mituva and near the road and railway connecting Panevėžys with Daugavpils. According to the 2011 census, it had a popul ...

, then part of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

. In 1913, he graduated from the Panevėžys Real School and since 1914 studied at the Kyiv Institute of Commerce. In 1915, he worked as a clerk for the Union of the All-Russian Land in Smolensk. In 1916, Pundzevičius was

mobilized Mobilization is the act of assembling and readying military troops and supplies for war. The word ''mobilization'' was first used in a military context in the 1850s to describe the preparation of the Prussian Army. Mobilization theories and ...

into the

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army (russian: Ру́сская импера́торская а́рмия, tr. ) was the armed land force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian Ar ...

and after graduating from the

Orenburg Orenburg (russian: Оренбу́рг, ), formerly known as Chkalov (1938–1957), is the administrative center of Orenburg Oblast, Russia. It lies on the Ural River, southeast of Moscow. Orenburg is also very close to the Kazakhstan-Russia bor ...

School for '' Praporshchiks'' he fought in the Northern Front of the

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. In 1918, he was taken prisoner by the

Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...

and upon being released he returned to

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

Interwar Lithuania

Following his return to Lithuania, Pundzevičius was mobilized into the

on 4 July 1919 and was appointed adjutant of the First Division Headquarters. In 1919–20, he participated 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 ...

with the

Russian SFSR The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...

, the West Russian Volunteer Army, and the

Polish Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland ( pl, Siły Zbrojne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, abbreviated ''SZ RP''; popularly called ''Wojsko Polskie'' in Poland, abbreviated ''WP''—roughly, the "Polish Military") are the national armed forces of ...

. In 1920, Pundzevičius participated in the preparation of the battle plan for the Battle of

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. ...

(with Juozas Lanskoronskis). 1921, Pundzevičius was appointed Chief of Staff of the Fourth Infantry Regiment in

Alytus Alytus is a city with municipal rights in southern Lithuania. It is the capital of Alytus County. Its population in 2022 was 53,925. Alytus is the historical centre of the Dzūkija region. The city lies on the banks of the Nemunas River. The maj ...

, and on 25 June 1921 he was promoted to the military rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. In 1922, Pundzevičius graduated from the

Higher Officers' Courses The Higher Officers' Courses ( lt, Aukštieji karininkų kursai) were military courses for senior officers of the Lithuanian Army in 1921–1940. Junior officers were prepared by the War School of Kaunas. In July 1923, the courses were named after ...

and was appointed Chief of the Third (Operations) Division of the

. In 1923, Pundzevičius participated in the Klaipėda Revolt. The same year Pundzevičius married Teofilija Ona Chmieliauskaitė, who on 1928 gave birth to their son Rimantas Kazimieras Pundzevičius. Stasys Pundzevičius with his wife Teofilija Ona and son Rimantas Kazimieras during the interwar period

Stasys Pundzevičius with his wife Teofilija Ona and son Rimantas Kazimieras during the interwar period

On 1 November 1923, Pundzevičius was sent to studies at the Academy of the General Staff of Prague. Upon graduating it in 1925, he was granted rights of an officer of the General Staff and was appointed commander of the

Fifth Infantry Regiment Fifth is the ordinal form of the number five. Fifth or The Fifth may refer to: * Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as in the expression "pleading the Fifth" * Fifth column, a political term * Fifth disease, a contagious rash that ...

. On 16 February 1926, he was promoted to the military rank of

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

of the General Staff. In 1926–27, Pundzevičius lectured 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- ...

. In 1926, he published his book ''Pėstininkų taktika'' ( en, Infantry Tactics). On 12 March 1927, Pundzevičius was appointed Chief of the

, and on 1 May 1927 he was elected member of the Board of the Lithuanian Aeroclub. Pundzevičius was one of the founders of the Lithuanian Aeroclub. On 23 November 1929, Pundzevičius was promoted to the military rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

of the General Staff. Stasys Pundzevičius gives a speech at the funeral of Steponas Darius and Stasys Girėnas in 1933

On 1 May 1934, Pundzevičius was appointed commander of the Second Infantry Division and Chief of the

Kaunas Kaunas (; ; also see other names) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the largest city and the centre of a county in the Duchy of Trakai ...

' Garrison. He lectured military tactics at the Higher Officers' Courses and War School of Kaunas. On 13 July 1934, he was transferred to the Third Infantry Division in Šiauliai as Chief of Staff. On 19 August 1935, Pundzevičius was appointed commander of the First Infantry Division and Chief of the Panevėžys' Garrison. On 22 November 1935, he was promoted to the military rank of

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

(following the military ranks reform of 28 December 1936 –

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

). On 23 November 1938, Pundzevičius was promoted to the military rank of

division general Divisional general is a general officer rank who commands an army division. The rank originates from the French (Revolutionary) System, and is used by a number of countries. The rank is above a brigade general, and normally below an army corp ...

. On 4 April 1939, he was appointed Chief of the General Staff, and multiple times temporarily served as Commander-in-Chief of the Lithuanian Armed Forces. On 22 March 1939, when the Chief of the Staff of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Jonas Černius took over the command of the Government of Lithuania, Pundzevičius was appointed Chief of Staff of the Lithuanian Armed Forces by the order of the Commander of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Stasys Raštikis. He was the 22nd and the last Chief of Staff of independent Lithuania's armed forces. In 1940, when Raštikis left the position of the Commander of the Lithuanian Armed Forces there were two candidates for this position: generals

Mikas Rėklaitis Mikas Rėklaitis (6 September 1895 – 31 March 1976) was a Lithuanian people, Lithuanian division general. He was chief of supply of the Lithuanian Armed Forces. Personal life Simonas, the father of Rėklaitis, was married with Teofilė and had ...

and Pundzevičius. However, then general

Vincas Vitkauskas Vincas Vitkauskas (4 October 1890 – 3 March 1965) was a Lithuanian general. He became commander of the Lithuanian Army after the resignation of Stasys Raštikis in January 1940. In this capacity, Vitkauskas opposed armed resistance to the Sovi ...

became the Commander of the Lithuanian Armed Forces and Pundzevičius became Chief of Staff of the Lithuanian Armed Forces. It is unknown why Pundzevičius refused to become the Commander of the Lithuanian Armed Forces and gave up this position to Vitkauskas, who turned out to be pro-Soviet. On 1–2 October 1939, only one matter was discussed at the meeting of the Government of Lithuania – the demobilization of the Lithuanian Armed Forces. Generals Raštikis and Pundzevičius did not participate in this meeting. It is likely that this happened because the ''

tautininkai The Lithuanian Nationalist Union ( lt, Lietuvių tautininkų sąjunga or LTS), also known as the Nationalists (), was the ruling political party in Lithuania during the authoritarian regime of President Antanas Smetona from 1926 to 1940. The part ...

'' in power did not trust the officers. Following this meeting, the Soviet–Lithuanian Mutual Assistance Treaty was accepted and the military bases 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 ...

were established in Lithuania in exchange for the Lithuanian capital

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 ...

. On 23 October 1939, Pundzevičius and some other high-ranking officers of the Lithuanian Armed Forces met the Soviet military delegation. In this way, the Red Army was met without any resistance. On 15 June 1940, less than a few hours after the last meeting of the government, the Commander of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Vitkauskas issued the following order: "Brigadier general

Kazys Musteikis Kazys Musteikis (November 22, 1894 – June 6, 1977) was a Lithuanian military brigadier general, Lithuanian Minister of National Defence in 1938–1940. Biography On September 1939 in the beginning of the Invasion of Poland and the World War ...

has withdrawn. The position of the Minister of National Defense, as assigned by the President of the Republic, since 15 June will temporarily be led by me". This order of Vitkauskas was also signed by Pundzevičius. Then the Chief of Staff of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Pundzevičius issued an order that the Ninth Infantry Regiment must depart to help President

Antanas Smetona Antanas Smetona (; 10 August 1874 – 9 January 1944) was a Lithuanian intellectual and journalist and the first President of Lithuania from 1919 to 1920 and again from 1926 to 1940, before its occupation by the Soviet Union. He was one of the m ...

to return. As it is now known, Pundzevičius did everything not of his own free will, but followed the instructions of the Government of Lithuania.

Occupations and World War II

Following the Soviet occupation of Lithuania in June 1940, Pundzevičius served as Chief of Staff of the

Lithuanian People's Army The Lithuanian People's Army ( lt, Lietuvos liaudies kariuomenė) were short-lived armed forces of Lithuania and the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic following the Soviet occupation of Lithuania in June 1940. The army was formed by the ...

. On 2 September 1940, he was appointed commander of the 179th Rifle Division of the

29th Rifle Corps The 29th Rifle Corps ( lt, 29-asis teritorinis šaulių korpusas) was formed several times in Soviet Red Army, each formation primarily seeing combat on the Eastern Front during World War II. The first formation of the 29th Rifle Corps was known ...

of the

, however on 11 December 1940 the order was cancelled and he was fired from the armed forces. Political inaction was given as the reason for firing by the political commissar of the 29th Rifle Corps. Soon the arrests of high-ranking Lithuanian officers began and Colonel

Antanas Gustaitis Antanas Gustaitis (March 26, 1898 – October 16, 1941) was an officer in the Lithuanian Armed Forces who modernized the Lithuanian Air Force, which at that time was part of the Lithuanian Army. He was the architect or aeronautical engineer who ...

, the Chief of Staff of the 179th Division, was the first to be arrested. Pundzevičius, who did not voluntarily resign from military service, was looking for a job everywhere, but none wanted to accept him. Security agents regularly visited Pundzevičius' home. Later Pundzevičius learned from his close friends that the preparations are taking place to arrest him, thus he hid. Pundzevičius actively participated in the underground activities of the

Lithuanian Activist Front The Lithuanian Activist Front or LAF () was a short-lived, far-right underground resistance organization established in 1940 after Lithuania was incorporated by the Soviet Union. The goal of the organization was to liberate Lithuania and re-estab ...

(LAF). Following the start of the Soviet–German War in 1941, he was one of the organizers and managers of the

. One 24 June 1941, the National Defense Council was formed, which included div. gen. Stasys Pundzevičius, div. gen.

, Col.

Juozas Vėbra Juozas Vėbra (April 20, 1901 – February 9, 1994) was a Lithuanian people, Lithuanian military person, since 1930 Doctor of Philosophy, Doctor of Chemistry. Interwar Lithuania In 1919 Vėbra joined the Lithuanian Armed Forces as a volunteer ...

, Kaunas Military Commandant Col. Jurgis Bobelis and Kaunas

Burgomaster Burgomaster (alternatively spelled burgermeister, literally "master of the town, master of the borough, master of the fortress, master of the citizens") is the English form of various terms in or derived from Germanic languages for the chief m ...

Kazimieras Palčiauskas. The members of the council were soldiers who held high positions in the army of independent Lithuania. On the same 24 June 1941, Pundzevičius was appointed Chief of the Lithuanian Armed Forces by the

. He together with Stasys Raštikis advised

Algirdas Klimaitis Algirdas Klimaitis (1910 in Kaunas – 29 August 1988 in Hamburg) was a Lithuanian paramilitary commander, infamous for his role in the Kaunas pogrom in June 1941. It is likely that Klimaitis was an officer in the Lithuanian Army. During the p ...

to disappear from Kaunas and not to participate in

pogrom A pogrom () is a violent riot incited with the aim of massacring or expelling an ethnic or religious group, particularly Jews. The term entered the English language from Russian to describe 19th- and 20th-century attacks on Jews in the Russia ...

, however Klimaitis tried to excuse that he is being forced and was threatened by the German Security Police that if he refused to do so he would face punishment – execution by firing squad. On 15 September 1941, he together with other representatives of the LAF (e.g. Vladas Nagevičius) signed a memorandum ''Apie Lietuvos būklę pradėjus veikti vokiečių civilinei valdžiai Lietuvoje'' ( en, About the state of Lithuania after the beginning of the German civilian government in Lithuania). Following it, he worked as a teacher in

until 1944. During the German occupation of Lithuania, Pundzevičius not only actively participated in resistance activities, but also contributed a lot to preventing the Germans from establishing a Lithuanian Legion of the '' Waffen-SS''.

Emigration

In 1944, Pundzevičius departed to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, and in 1949 he emigrated to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. He lived in Great Neck, New York and worked as a gardener. Pundzevičius died on 20 October 1980 and was buried at the St. Charles Cemetery in

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

, State of New York. His wife died before him.

Awards

Pundzevičius was awarded the following medals and orders: * Knight's Cross of the

Order of the Cross of Vytis The Order of the Cross of Vytis ( lt, Vyčio Kryžiaus ordinas) is a Lithuanian presidential award conferred for heroic defence of Lithuania's freedom and independence. November 23 is a holiday in honour of the Order of the Cross of Vytis. His ...

(1925) * Medal of Independence of Lithuania (1928) * Commander's Cross of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas (1928) * Commander's Cross of the

Order of Vytautas the Great The Order of Vytautas the Great is the Lithuanian Presidential Award.''Lietuvos Respublikos Konstitucija. 84 straipsnis''. Priimta 1992 It may be conferred on the heads of Lithuania and foreign states, as well as their citizens, for distinguished ...

(1933) * Star of the Riflemen (1937) * Silver medal of Klaipėda Revolt (1934) * Commander's Cross of the

Order of the Crown of Italy The Order of the Crown of Italy ( it, Ordine della Corona d'Italia, italic=no or OCI) was founded as a national order in 1868 by King Vittorio Emanuele II, to commemorate the unification of Italy in 1861. It was awarded in five degrees for civi ...

(1930) * Officer's Order of the White Lion (1927) * Commander's

Order of the Three Stars Order of the Three Stars ( lv, Triju Zvaigžņu ordenis) is the highest civilian order awarded for meritorious service to Latvia. It was established in 1924 in remembrance of the founding of Latvia. Its motto is "Per aspera ad astra", meaning "Thr ...

(1935) *

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

Liberation War Wars of national liberation or national liberation revolutions are conflicts fought by nations to gain independence. The term is used in conjunction with wars against foreign powers (or at least those perceived as foreign) to establish separat ...

10th Anniversary Participants Medal (1929) * Cross of Merit of the

Aizsargi Aizsargi (literally: "Defenders", "Guards") was a volunteer paramilitary organization or militia ( lv, Aizsargu organizācija, "Guards Organization", AO) in Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially ...

(1939)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pundzevicius, Stasys 1893 births 1980 deaths Lithuanian generals Lithuanian emigrants to the United States Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Vytis Recipients of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas Recipients of the Order of Vytautas the Great Order of the Three Stars Recipients of the Order of the Crown (Italy) Recipients of the Order of the White Lion Russian military personnel of World War I