Konstantinas Žukas (6 January 1885 – 22 January 1962) was a Lithuanian colonel who was the Minister of Defence from 19 June 1920 to 7 April 1921. At the same time, he was the chief commander of the Lithuanian Army during the

Polish–Lithuanian War The Polish–Lithuanian War was an undeclared war fought in the aftermath of World War I between newly independent Lithuania and Poland, with fighting mainly in the Vilnius and Suwałki regions, which was part of the Lithuanian Wars of Independe ...

. Žukas learned to operate a

telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas ...

informally and started working as railway telegraphist at the age of 12. He moved to work for the railway in

Achinsk Achinsk () is a city in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, located on the right bank of the Chulym River near its intersection with the Trans-Siberian Railway, west of Krasnoyarsk. It has a population of 109,155 as of the 2010 Census. History Achins ...

and

Krasnoyarsk Krasnoyarsk is the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and administrative center of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. It is situated along the Yenisey, Yenisey River, and is the second-largest city in Siberia after Novosibirsk, with a p ...

, but lost his job due to his involvement in the

Russian Revolution of 1905 The Russian Revolution of 1905, also known as the First Russian Revolution, was a revolution in the Russian Empire which began on 22 January 1905 and led to the establishment of a constitutional monarchy under the Russian Constitution of 1906, t ...

. He then volunteered to the

Russian Imperial Army The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...

and attended

Vilnius Military School Vilnius Military School () also known as the Vilnius Junker Infantry School () was a military school for the non-commissioned officers (NCO) and junior officers of the Imperial Russian Army that operated in 1864–1915 in Vilnius. Up to 1910, the ...

. He served as communications officer in the and the 31st Infantry Division. In 1918, he returned to Lithuania and joined the

Lithuanian Army The Lithuanian Armed Forces () are the military of Lithuania. The Lithuanian Armed Forces consist of the Lithuanian Land Forces, the Lithuanian Navy, the Lithuanian Air Force and the Lithuanian Special Operations Force. In wartime, the Lithuan ...

in February 1919. He became commander of the

1st Reserve Battalion First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

and the front between the border with Germany and

Merkinė Merkinė (also known by #Etymology, several other names) is a small town in Alytus County, which is located at the confluence of the Neman and Merkys rivers. The town belongs to the Varėna District Municipality and is located about 26 kilometers ...

. In this capacity, Žukas dealt with the

Sejny Uprising The Sejny Uprising or Seinai Revolt (, ) refers to a Polish uprising against the Lithuanian authorities in August 1919 in the ethnically mixed area surrounding the town of Sejny (). When German forces, which occupied the territory during World W ...

which forced the Lithuanians to retreat behind the

Foch Line The Foch Line was a temporary demarcation line between Poland and Lithuania proposed by the Entente in the aftermath of World War I. The line was proposed by Marshal of France Ferdinand Foch, which was discussed only with Polish side, was accep ...

in September 1919. In April 1920, Žukas was elected to the

Constituent Assembly of Lithuania The Constituent Assembly of Lithuania or Constituent Seimas () was the first parliament of the independent state of Lithuania to be elected in a direct, democratic, general, secret election. The Assembly assumed its duties on 15 May 1920 and was ...

as a member of the

Lithuanian Popular Peasants' Union The Lithuanian Popular Peasants' Union (, LVLS) was a centre-left political party in Lithuania between 1922 and 1936. The party's leaders included the third President Kazys Grinius and three-term Prime Minister Mykolas Sleževičius. History Th ...

. Žukas became the minister of defence in the government of Prime Minister

Kazys Grinius Kazys Grinius (, 17 December 1866 – 4 June 1950) was the third President of Lithuania, holding the office from 7 June 1926 to 17 December 1926. Previously, he had served as the fifth Prime Minister of Lithuania, from 19 June 1920 until his r ...

in June and supreme commander of the Lithuanian Army in July 1920. Žukas negotiated with the Soviets regarding their withdrawal from

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

which was recognized to Lithuania by the

Soviet–Lithuanian Peace Treaty The Soviet–Lithuanian Peace Treaty, also known as the Moscow Peace Treaty, was signed between Lithuania and Soviet Russia on July 12, 1920. In exchange for Lithuania's neutrality and permission to move its troops in the territory that was rec ...

. He also negotiated with Poland in an attempt at preventing hostilities in the

. The

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

ended in November 1920, but Lithuania lost both

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 ...

and

Suwałki Region Suwałki Region ( ; ) is a historical region around the city of Suwałki in northeastern Poland near the border with Lithuania. It encompasses the powiats of Augustów, Suwałki, and Sejny, and roughly corresponds to the southern part of the for ...

to the

Second Polish Republic The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 7 October 1918 and 6 October 1939. The state was established in the final stage of World War I ...

. Žukas worked to establish the Higher Officers' Courses (opened in April 1921) and the Kaunas War Museum (opened in February 1921). On 7 April 1921, he resigned from both the command of the army and the Ministry of Defence. He then served as the second assistant to the

Chief of the General Staff The Chief of the General Staff (CGS) is a post in many armed forces (militaries), the head of the military staff. List * Chief of the General Staff (Abkhazia) * Chief of General Staff (Afghanistan) * Chief of the General Staff (Albania) * C ...

, commander of the 4th Border Division, and chief of staff of the 2nd military district. He resigned from the military in 1925. In 1944, he retreated to Germany and emigrated to the United States in 1949. He died in January 1962 in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

Biography

Railway telegraph

Žukas was born on in

Kaunas Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...

into a family of poor city residents. He attended a primary school in Kaunas and was an excellent student who received the highest grades, but was not admitted to Kaunas Gymnasium because he was not from a noble family. In 1896, his parents moved to

Obeliai Obeliai (; , Abel) is a small city in the Rokiškis district municipality of Panevėžys County, Lithuania. At the foot of the town is one of the area's many lakes. The town of Obeliai is small due in no small part to the diversion of the railw ...

where his father worked as a salesman of

vodka Vodka ( ; is a clear distilled beverage, distilled alcoholic beverage. Its varieties originated in Poland and Russia. Vodka is composed mainly of water and ethanol but sometimes with traces of impurities and flavourings. Traditionally, it is ...

for the state monopolist. There Žukas joined a church choir organized by

Mikas Petrauskas Mikas Petrauskas (1873–1937) was a Lithuanian composer and choirmaster best known as the author of the first Lithuanian Birutė (opera), opera ''Birutė'' (1906). He was an elder brother of the singer Kipras Petrauskas. Petrauskas learned to p ...

. He was informally taught to operate the

by a director of the railway station. Despite being just 12 years old, he worked at the station as a telegraph operator. In fall 1899, Russian general visited the station which was on the

Saint Petersburg–Warsaw railway In Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Anglican, Oriental Ortho ...

and noticed the young but talented Žukas. Borkovsky invited Žukas to work for the Russian railway in

Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...

where neither his low-born status nor young age was an obstacle. Žukas then worked as a telegraphist in

and

. Since he earned a decent wage (420

rubles The ruble or rouble (; rus, рубль, p=rublʲ) is a currency unit. Currently, currencies named ''ruble'' in circulation include the Russian ruble (RUB, ₽) in Russia and the Belarusian ruble (BYN, Rbl) in Belarus. These currencies are su ...

per year) and cost of living was much lower, his family (mother, sister, and later father) also moved to Krasnoyarsk. Žukas was quickly promoted to senior telegraphist and his salary was raised to 90 rules per month. During the

, Žukas was elected chairman of the railway workers' union in Krasnoyarsk. He later worked at a telegraph agency – he collected news from other railway workers' unions and committees and published a bulletin every two to three days. In August 1905, Žukas became secretary of a joint revolutionary committee of cities along the

Trans-Siberian Railway The Trans-Siberian Railway, historically known as the Great Siberian Route and often shortened to Transsib, is a large railway system that connects European Russia to the Russian Far East. Spanning a length of over , it is the longest railway ...

. In December 1905, the revolutionary committee clashed with soldiers loyal to the Tsarist regime. Žukas along with several hundred others was arrested, but he was released after a few days.

Russian Imperial Army

Fearing further arrests and persecutions, Žukas returned to Lithuania in January 1906. He passed the graduation exams of Kaunas Gymnasium externally so that he could volunteer for the

. He likely joined because volunteers were treated better than

conscripts Conscription, also known as the draft in the United States and Israel, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it conti ...

. He joined the army in October 1906 and was assigned to the stationed in

Šančiai Šančiai is an elderate in the Lithuanian city of Kaunas. It is located on the meandering right bank of the Nemunas River. Šančiai itself are divided into Žemieji Šančiai (or Lower Šančiai) and Aukštieji Šančiai (or Upper Šančiai ...

. His superiors quickly recognized his potential and sent him to study at

in August 1907. Upon his graduation in August 1910, he was promoted to ''

podporuchik ''Podporuchik'' ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, потпоручник, potporučnik, , , , , ) is the most junior officer in some Slavic armed forces, and is placed below the rank of lieutenant, typically corresponding to rank of second lieutenant in English ...

'' and assigned to the communications section of the in

Kharkov Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine.

. According to his memoirs, Žukas wanted to continue studying at a military academy, but was told that he could not be accepted because of his Catholic faith. At the start of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Žukas maintained communications in the

Battle of Galicia The Battle of Galicia, also known as the Great Battle of Galicia, was a major battle between Russia and Austria-Hungary during the early stages of World War I in 1914. In the course of the battle, the Austro-Hungarian armies were severely def ...

. He was assigned to the 31st Infantry Division as communications chief in October 1915. After the

February Revolution The February Revolution (), known in Soviet historiography as the February Bourgeois Democratic Revolution and sometimes as the March Revolution or February Coup was the first of Russian Revolution, two revolutions which took place in Russia ...

, Žukas was elected chairman of the division's soldiers committee and was reelected four times. In August 1917, the division was moved to the Romanian Front and placed in reserve. After the

October Revolution The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Historiography in the Soviet Union, Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of Russian Revolution, two r ...

, Žukas submitted his resignation from the army, but it was rejected. He then asked to be transferred to the Polish Legions which was granted. In February 1918, he departed to

Voronezh Voronezh ( ; , ) 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 Southeastern Railway, which connects wes ...

where he lived with some relatives. In May, after the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

announced mobilization, Žukas decided to return to Lithuania.

1st Reserve Battalion

In summer 1918, Žukas returned to Lithuania and lived in

Raseiniai Raseiniai (; Samogitian dialect, Samogitian: ''Raseinē'') is a city in Lithuania. It is located on the south eastern foothills of the Samogitians highland, some north from the A1 highway (Lithuania), Kaunas–Klaipėda highway. History Grand ...

. He joined a local 12-member committee that proclaimed Raseiniai Republic. He organized and led a local police force of about 30 men to maintain public order. However, in early December he became seriously ill with

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often th ...

. Upon recover, and against doctor's orders, he traveled to

where he joined the

as a volunteer on 15 February 1919. He was assigned to the 1st Infantry Regiment as chief of communications in

Marijampolė Marijampolė (; also known by Marijampolė#Names, several other names) is the Capital city, capital of Marijampolė County in the south of Lithuania, bordering Poland and Russian Kaliningrad Oblast, and Lake Vištytis. The city's population stood ...

. In March 1919, the regiment was ordered to deploy to

Alytus Alytus () is a city with Town privileges, municipal rights in southern Lithuania. It is the List of cities in Lithuania, sixth-largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, 14th-largest city in the Baltic ...

. However, a battalion was left behind and Žukas became its commander. In April, the battalion was officially named the 1st Reserve Battalion (later reorganized into the 10th Infantry Regiment). Žukas worked on training new recruits, purchasing weapons from Germans, organizing basic provisions for the new army. He also had jurisdiction over kommandaturas in

Sejny Sejny (; ) is a town in north-eastern Poland and the capital of Sejny County, in Podlaskie Voivodeship, close to the northern border with Lithuania and Belarus. It is located in the eastern part of the Suwałki Lake Area (), on the Marycha river ...

, and

. In August 1919, the

became contested between Poland and Lithuania (see:

). Trying to avoid direct hostilities, the

Conference of Ambassadors A conference is a meeting, often lasting a few days, which is organized on a particular subject, or to bring together people who have a common interest. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always d ...

drew a couple of demarcation lines between Poland and Lithuania. The

required Lithuanian forces to retreat from

. When Lithuanians refused, Polish irregular forces started the

. On 24 August, Žukas was appointed commander of the front between the border with Germany and

. In this capacity, Žukas held several rounds of negotiations with the Poles. In the end, Lithuanians agreed to withdraw behind the Foch Line by 7 September. In October 1919, Žukas had to deal with the issue of unpaid soldier wages. He took matters to his own hands. Using imperial Russian law which was still in effect at the time, Žukas demanded that the richest local residents bought 200,000 German marks worth of government obligations. When the residents refused, Žukas arrested 83 Jews from Marijampolė on 18 October. While it caused a scandal and protests from English observers, the measure was successful in raising more than 500,000 marks. In addition, Žukas dealt with many issues unrelated to the military, including arresting smugglers and communist activists. He became known as a strict and demanding officer. Žukas was promoted to major on 7 October 1919 and to lieutenant colonel on 24 March 1920.

Ministry of Defence

In April 1920, Žukas was elected to the

as a member of the

. Initially, he wanted to refuse the mandate as he was not too interested in politics and believed that he was more useful in the army. However, party leadership convinced him to leave the 1st Reserve Battalion and move to

to work at the assembly which convened on 15 May 1920. In the assembly, Žukas was elected to the commission of national defence and became chairman of the commission on complaints and petitions. On 19 June 1920, Žukas became the minister of defence in the government of Prime Minister

. He centralized the procurement process and trimmed staff of the ministry and unit staffs. He was strict and demanded discipline from both officers and privates. Due to his personality and work style, he was disliked by and quarreled with several senior officers, including

Pranas Liatukas Pranas Liatukas (29 January 1876 – 2 September 1945) was a Lithuanian lieutenant general. He was the acting Chief of Defence (Lithuania), commander of the Lithuanian Army from 7 October 1919 to 23 February 1920. At the same time, he acted as th ...

Antanas Merkys Antanas Merkys (; 1 February 1887 – 5 March 1955) was the last Prime Minister of independent Lithuania, serving from November 1939 to June 1940. When the Soviet Union presented an ultimatum to Lithuania demanding that it accept a Soviet g ...

Kazys Ladiga Kazys Ladiga or Ladyga (6 January 1894 – 19 December 1941) was a Lithuanian general and one of the first volunteer officers of the Lithuanian Army. Upon graduating from the Military Academy in Vilnius, Ladiga served in the Imperial Russian Arm ...

, and

Silvestras Žukauskas Silvestras Žukauskas (, ; 31 December 1860 – 26 November 1937) was a Lithuanian General. He first served in the Imperial Russian Army, where he distinguished himself during World War I, rising to the rank of major general and ending the war a ...

. According to memoirs of

Stasys Raštikis Stasys Raštikis (September 13, 1896 – May 3, 1985) was a Lithuanian military officer, ultimately obtaining the rank of divisional general. He was Chief of Defence (Lithuania), the commander of the Lithuanian Army from September 21, 1934, to Apr ...

, junior officers approved of Žukas. As minister of defence, Žukas had to respond to several inquiries by members of the Constituent Assembly regarding various reported excesses of kommandants and other military personnel. In June 1920, the Lithuanian government learned of the planned Soviet offensive in the

Polish–Soviet War The Polish–Soviet War (14 February 1919 – 18 March 1921) was fought primarily between the Second Polish Republic and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, following World War I and the Russian Revolution. After the collapse ...

which presented an opportunity for Lithuanians to attack Poland and reclaim the

. However, the government resolved to maintain strict neutrality. As the situation became more unstable, Žukas became the acting supreme commander of the Lithuanian Army on 7 July 1920. On 12 July, the

was concluded. Soviet Russia recognized

to Lithuania and Žukas negotiated with the Soviets regarding their withdrawal from the city. On 23 July, the Constituent Assembly enacted

martial law Martial law is the replacement of civilian government by military rule and the suspension of civilian legal processes for military powers. Martial law can continue for a specified amount of time, or indefinitely, and standard civil liberties ...

which was proposed by Žukas. On 26 August 1920, Žukas negotiated with a Polish delegation, led by Colonel

Mieczysław Mackiewicz Mieczysław Mackiewicz (9 May 1880 – 6 August 1954) was a Polish general. Biography In partitioned Poland, Mackiewicz joined the Imperial Russian Army and fought in the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905), reaching the rank of a captain. In 191 ...

, in an attempt at preventing hostilities between Poland and Lithuania. Žukas held firm and refused to negotiate military matters without a clear political Polish–Lithuanian border that would be respected after the war. Hostilities erupted and towns in the Suwałki Region changed hands a few times. However, Lithuanians suffered a major defeat in the

Battle of Sejny The Battle of Sejny (), Battle of Suwałki () or Sejny-Augustów operation () took place during 2–23 September 1920, between the Polish army, Polish and Lithuanian army, Lithuanian armies in the Suwałki Region. The fighting was especially focus ...

on 22 September and lost Vilnius to

Żeligowski's Mutiny Żeligowski's Mutiny (, also , ) was a Polish false flag operation led by General Lucjan Żeligowski in October 1920, which resulted in the creation of the Republic of Central Lithuania. Józef Piłsudski, the Chief of State of Poland, surreptit ...

on 9 October 1920. Hostilities and the

ended in November 1920. Žukas worked to establish the Higher Officers' Courses (opened in April 1921) and the Kaunas War Museum (opened in February 1921). On 7 April 1921, he resigned from both the command of the army and the Ministry of Defence. According to the memoirs of

Rapolas Skipitis Rapolas Skipitis (31 January 1887 – 23 February 1976) was a Lithuanian attorney and politician. In 1920–1922, he was Ministry of the Interior (Lithuania), Minister of the Interior and was later elected to the Second Seimas, Second and Third ...

, Žukas resigned because he attempted to expose a smuggling operation of Juozas Purickis, Minister of Foreign Affairs. On 30 June 1921, Žukas also resigned from the Constituent Assembly.

Further military service

On 14 June 1921, Žukas became the second assistant to Maksimas Katche,

. He was responsible for mobilization and formation section, military attaché officers abroad, and general administration of the General Staff. When Katche was on a month-long vacation in September–October 1921 and February–March 1922, Žukas was the acting Chief of the General Staff. Further, Žukas taught military statutes, military education and psychology at Kaunas War School and Higher Officers' Courses. He was elected to the board of the Military Science Society. He participated in the society's initiative to edit Lithuanian military statutes and completed the Statute of the Internal Service of the Lithuanian Armed Forces by 1923. In March 1922, Žukas was appointed commander of the 4th Border Division (stationed in

) and was tasked with organizing the Border Guard Army. On 17 April 1923, Žukas was promoted to colonel. It became apparent that military units were not well suited for border protection. Therefore, the Border Guard Army was disbanded and the border protection was delegated to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. On 31 December 1923, Žukas was appointed chief of staff of the 2nd military district. In his memoirs, he described this post as the most peaceful period of his life. Žukas resigned from the military on 5 December 1925. Reportedly, he was forced to resign by

, the Chief of the General Staff since May 1925.

Later life

After the military, Žukas lived in Kaunas. He received a state pension and worked as a representative of several foreign firms in Lithuania. He continued to teach at Kaunas War School and Higher Officers' Courses until October 1928. He was dismissed from his teaching position because of a public outburst during the trial of artillery captain Vladimiras Okulič-Kazarinas who shot and killed

Liudas Noreika Liudas Noreika (19 August 1884 – 30 May 1928) was a Lithuanian attorney, activist, and politician. He served as the Minister of Justice under three prime ministers in March 1919 – June 1920. Noreika studied to become a Catholic priest, but la ...

, the former Minister of Justice, after a card game. Žukas passionately defended Okulič-Kazarinas and even claimed it would be his honor to join the defendant's bench. In 1935, Žukas petitioned to return to teaching, even if he received no compensation, but was refused. In 1944, Žukas retreated ahead of the advancing Red Army to

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and lived a displaced person camps. In 1949, he emigrated to the United States and settled in

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

. He continued to be involved in Lithuanian activities, participating in the Lithuanian Veterans' Union Ramovė and joining a local group of the

. Žukas died on 22 January 1962 and was buried at Calvary Cemetery in Cleveland.

Publications

A volume of his memoirs ''Žvilgsnis į praeitį'' (A Look Into the Past) was published in 1959 (republished in independent Lithuania in 1992). He contributed articles to several periodicals, including ''Kardas'' and ''Aidai''. He published several articles in journal '' Mūsų žinynas'', most notably a lengthy study-textbook on military pedagogy in 1926. Together with

Vaclovas Biržiška Vaclovas Biržiška (2 December 1884 – 3 January 1956) was a Lithuanian attorney, bibliographer, and educator. He was a member of a notable Lithuanian family; his great-grandfather Mykolas Biržiška was a representative in the Sejm of the Pol ...

, Žukas is considered pioneer of military pedagogy in Lithuanian military.

Awards

Order of Saint Anna The Imperial Order of Saint Anna (; also "Order of Saint Anne" or "Order of Saint Ann") was a Holstein ducal and then Russian imperial order of chivalry. It was established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, on 14 February 1735, in hono ...

(2nd, 3rd, and 4th degrees) *

Order of Saint Stanislaus The Order of Saint Stanislaus (, ), also spelled Stanislas, was a Polish order of knighthood founded in 1765 by King Stanisław August Poniatowski of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It remained under the Congress Poland, Kingdom of Pola ...

(2nd and 3rd degrees) * (Latvia, 1929)

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zukas, Konstantinas 1885 births 1962 deaths Lithuanian Army officers Lithuanian military personnel in the Imperial Russian Army of World War I Lithuanian refugees in the United States Ministers of defence of Lithuania Military personnel from Kaunas category:Members of the Seimas