Vladas Mieželis (November 27, 1894 – June 4, 1986) 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 ...

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 ...

, lawyer, military judge of the Supreme Tribunal of Lithuania, and Chairman 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 ...

Court.

Early years

Mieželis was born on November 27, 1894, in Jakštai,

Daugailiai Daugailiai ( pl, Daugiele) is a town in Utena County, Lithuania. According to the 2011 census, the town has a population of 325 people. Gallery File:Daugailiai pom.jpg, Forest Brothers The Guerrilla war in the Baltic states was an armed str ...

County, Russian Empire. His parents were farmers. He graduated from A. Lebedev's Private Gymnasium in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

. In 1916 Mieželis began studying at

Moscow University M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU; russian: Московский государственный университет имени М. В. Ломоносова) is a public research university in Moscow, Russia and the most prestigious ...

, but 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 ...

. In 1917 after graduating from Alexander II's War School in Moscow, he fought on the front. In 1918 he was demobilized and lived in

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

. In 1919 he was mobilized as an officer into 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 ...

. He served on the Southern and Caucasus fronts and in the Reserve Army. In 1921 he was an inspector of the Eleventh Army, Assistant Commander of the Territorial Brigade of the

Azerbaijani Red Army ; russian: Азербайджанская Красная армия , image = Soviet Red Army Hammer and Sickle.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = , start_date = 1920 , end_date = 1922 , country = , allegiance = Soviet Armed Forces , bra ...

. On June 6, 1921, he became ill with

cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...

Interwar Lithuania

Vladas Mieželis with uniform of the Brigadier General of the Lithuanian Army

In November 1921 Mieželis illegally 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 ...

, and was mobilized into the

in 1922. In 1922–23 he was Assistant Clerk of the Military Court, in 1923–26 – Clerk. In 1926 he graduated from the Faculty of Law of the

University of Lithuania Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) ( lt, Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas (VDU)) is a public university in Kaunas, Lithuania. The university was founded in 1922 during the interwar period as an alternate national university. Initially it was known ...

. In 1926–38 he worked in the Lithuanian Armed Forces Court. In 1928–34 he lectured at the military school, in 1932–1936 – at the Higher Military School. In 1933–1938 he also was a military

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

of the Supreme Tribunal of Lithuania (1933–36 – temporarily). In 1938 he was awarded the military rank of

. In 1938–1940 he was Chairman of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Court. Mieželis contributed to the preparation of the military justice project. Moreover, he collaborated with journals ''Kardas'', ''Mūsų žinynas'', ''Teisė'', and

Lithuanian Encyclopedia Lithuanian encyclopedias are encyclopedias published in the Lithuanian language or encyclopedias about Lithuania and Lithuania-related topics. The first known attempt to create a Lithuanian encyclopedia was in 1883, when Jonas Jacevičius failed t ...

Occupations and World War II

Following the Soviet occupation of Lithuania in June 1940, Mieželis was released into the reserve on June 6, 1940. He went into hiding to avoid

political repression Political repression is the act of a state entity controlling a citizenry by force for political reasons, particularly for the purpose of restricting or preventing the citizenry's ability to take part in the political life of a society, thereb ...

s. In 1941 Mieželis was a participant of 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 ...

(worked at headquarters). During the German Nazis occupation of Lithuania in 1941, he was the representative of the Lithuanian

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

to assist the victims of the war, and in 1941–44 he was a judge of the Court of Appeal. He was engaged in the anti-Nazi resistance.

Emigration

In 1944 he emigrated 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 ...

. In 1949 he moved 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 ...

and actively participated in the activities of the Lithuanian community in the United States.

Legacy

In 1994 a memorial chapel for Mieželis was erected in Jakštai and a permanent exposition was set up in the Zarasai Regional Museum.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Miezelis, Vladas 1894 births 1986 deaths Lithuanian generals 20th-century Lithuanian lawyers