Lithuanian Riflemen's Union: Difference between revisions

| size = 1216,743000<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sauliusajunga.lt/wpvyriausybe-content/uploads/2022/08/Personalaspritare-2017sauliu-2022.pdfsajungos-veiklos-strategijai-norima-nariu-gretas-isplesti-dvigubai/|language=Lithuanian|title=personnelThe statisticsGovernment approves the Riflemen's Union's operational strategy|date=13 March 2024 2017-2022}}</ref>

| battles = [[Lithuanian Wars of Independence]]<br />[[Klaipėda Revolt]]<br /> [[June Uprising in Lithuania|June uprising]] [[Lithuanian partisans]]<br />[[January Events in Lithuania]]

The '''Lithuanian Riflemen's Union''' ('''LRU''', {{lang-lt|Lietuvos šaulių sąjunga}}), also referred to as '''Šauliai''' (''the Riflemen''; from {{lang-lt|šaulys|links=no}} for ''rifleman''), is a paramilitary non-profit organization supported by the [[Government of Lithuania]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.geni.com/projects/Lithuanian-Riflemen-s-Union/4266305 | title=Lithuanian Riflemen's Union genealogy project }}</ref> Their activities, areactive in three main areas: military training, sport, and culture, but varythis differs between peace and war timewartime.

DuringIn peacepeacetime, timeit the mission of LRU is to prepare the citizens ofprepares [[Lithuania]]'s citizens for armed and unarmed resistance, to ensureensures public safety and todefends defend theLithuania's integrity and independence of Lithuania. DuringIn wartime it is towould support the [[Lithuanian Armed Forces]] with theits fighting units of LRU, and to use other units to help ensure internal stability, and defend critical infrastructure, organize armed and unarmed resistance in the occupied territories, protect civilians and to defend the territorial integrity and independence of Lithuania.

The Lithuanian Riflemen's Union was established in [[Kaunas]] on 27 June 1919 as a shooting section within the Lithuanian Sport Union. Several historic events determineddetermine theits establishment of the Union – Lithuania had just declared independence and was asserting it in the wars against the Bolshevik [[Red Army]], the Western[[West Russian Volunteer Army]] and the young [[Polish Armed Forces]].

[[Vladas Putvinskis]] and [[Matas Šalčius]] were the Union's most important activists behind the idea to form a Union, and Putvinskis became theits first Commander of the LRUcommander and its main ideologue. Both of them camealmost upsimultaneously withthought the idea toof formcreating a paramilitary group at almost the same time, but thethey scope that theydifferently envisioned wasits differentscope.

In 1919, Matas Šalčius, together with [[Antanas Vienuolis|Antanas Vienuolis-Žukauskas]], {{Ill|Faustas Kirša|lt}} and other employees atof the Press Office decided to form an organisation that would be able to protect Kaunas city; they intended to call it the Steel Battalion. At the same timeConcurrently another initiative was launched by athe Putvinskis-led group headed by Putvinskis, and they prepared a statute for the organisation's statute. TheirThey aim wasaimed to support the Lithuanian military in theall entire Lithuanianof territoryLithuania. In June 1919, the Press Office employees invited Putvinskis to their meeting. Putvinskis joined the organisation that was being created and became one of the most active members.

There were many famous and important Lithuanians among the founders of the Union, including writers [[Antanas Vienuolis|Antanas Vienuolis-Žukauskas]], [[Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas]], and [[Balys Sruoga]], poet Faustas Kirša, painter [[Antanas Žmuidzinavičius]], and zoologist [[Tadas Ivanauskas]], and many others. In the beginningInitially, only civilians participated in the LRU, but later on soldiers and officers started to actively join its ranks. This reflectsreflected the mainorganisation's aim of the organisation – to unite civilians who wantwanted to support the military.

The ideology and the guiding principles of the LRU were influenced by earlier similar organisations: [[Sokol (sport organization)|Sokol]] in [[Czechoslovakia]], [[White Guard (Finland)|SuojeluskuntaCivil Guard]] in [[Finland]], and a Swiss paramilitary organisation of Switzerland. Putvinskis stated that: "the Riflemen's Union is an organisation of free citizens, who are volunteeringvolunteer their time and efforts for the sake of protecting their homeland."

After its establishment in 1919, the LRU quickly expanded throughout Lithuania; many [[Guerrilla warfare|guerilla fighters]] from the recent wars joined the Union. In the beginning, the organisation was divided into sections covering the entire Lithuanian territory, and the sections had riflemen units. In 1925, an administrative reform was carried out, dividing the organisation into regiments, in line with the administrative division of Lithuania into districts. In 1936, a separate regiment was created for railway industry workers and members of their immediate families.

The LRU had three main areas of activities in 1919-1940 – culture, sport, and military training. The riflemen's units had theatres, libraries, and sport clubs alongside orchestasorchestras and military bands. The union published the weekly magazine ''[[Trimitas (magazine)|Trimitas]]''. The riflemen were required to educate themselves and to participate in educating the society. To help with that they aimed at building riflemen centres in all cities and towns, where the union was active, with their duty being to national defense. Centres were built in Utena, [[Tauragė]], [[Alytus]], and some other cities and towns. The centres served as meeting and training places for riflemen, as well asand housing their clubs and, administration and hosting cultural activities.

The organisation received a unique legal basis. In 1921, 1924, and 1935, laws on the LRU were passed that defined theits activities of the organisation and its functions, inintended theto State.restrict The laws aimed at restricting theits autonomy of the LRU and to tie it as closely as possible to the [[Ministry of National Defence (Lithuania)|Ministry of Defence]] and [[Lithuanian Armed Forces|the armed forces]]. In 1935, the LRU became directly subordinate to the [[Chief of Defence (See the [[List of governments of Lithuania (1918–40)|ListChief of governments of Lithuania in 1918-1940Defence]]). The law abolished dual leadership – previously the organisation washad been led by the Chairman of the Central Board, elected by riflemen, and by the LRU Commander, appointed by the Minister of Defence. Thus the riflemen were fully integrated in the country's defensive structure of the country, and the district military commanders became commanding officers of rifle regiments.

It was recorded that inIn 1935, the LRU had 33,276 members, of whichwhom 24,976 were soldiers. The organisation had 7,371 rifles and 32 machine guns.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Vaičenonis|first=J.|year=2002|editor-last=Dovydaitis|editor-first=S.|editor2-last=J.|editor2-first=Vaičenonis|title=Lietuvos šaulių sąjunga valstybės gynyboje 1935–1940 m.|journal=Lietuvos šaulių sąjungos istorijos fragmentai|publication-place=Kaunas|pages=117}}</ref>

By 1940, the LRU had become one of the country's most popular and largest organizations in the country, with about 62,000 members., Bothboth men and women were active in the organisation. The LRU had units of university students, including the student corporations Saja and Živilė. Many famous politicians ([[Antanas Smetona]], [[Rapolas Skipitis]], [[Mykolas Sleževičius]], [[Juozas Urbšys]]), artists and other members of the cultural elite ([[Antanas Žmuidzinavičius]], [[Unė Babickaitė|Unė Babickaitė-Graičiūnienė]] also known as Une Bay, [[Antanas Vienuolis|Antanas Vienuolis-Žukauskas]], Petras Vaičiūnas), scientists ([[Tadas Ivanauskas]], [[Augustinas Janulaitis]], Liudas Vailionis, Antanas Graugrokas) were active in the union. Even though the majority ofmost members originated from the farmer class, the main principles of the Union were also appealingappealed to other classes. Members of the organization are registered in the journal.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://briai.ku.lt/leidiniai/sauliu-zinynas/ |title=Lietuvos šaulių sąjungos nariai (1919–1940 m.): informacinis žinynas |publisher=Klaipėda University |access-date=2017-12-24}}</ref>

On 15 June 1940, the [[Soviet occupation of Lithuania (1940)|Soviet Union occupied Lithuania]], and the riflemen, like the rest of the military, were ordered not to resist. Aleksandras Barauskas, a rifleman and a border guard, was killed by [[Red Army]] soldiers in the early morning of June 15. The new Soviet [[People's Government of Lithuania]] immediately took steps to liquidate the union. Its commander, Colonel Pranas Saladžius, was dismissed on 19 June 1940, and the Chief of Defence division General [[Vincas Vitkauskas]], who was cooperating with the Soviets, ordered the riflemen to hand over their arms to the military on 25 June 1940. On 13 July 13, 1940 a Soviet order to liquidate the union was issued. In subsequent months, a number of the most active riflemen were arrested as "[[enemies of the people]]" and sent to various [[Gulaggulag]] campss. In June 1941, the Soviets started a [[June deportation|mass deportation]] that targeted "anti-Soviet elements", including the riflemen. Among those deported were LRU's commander Colonel Pranas Saladžius, the honorary commander of the women's section Emilija Putvinskienė, commander of the Utena Regiment Lt. Col. Pranas Bronevičius, and head of the culture section Vincas Daudzvaras,. and others.The Remainingremaining riflemen began forming anti-Soviet groups and played a role in the [[June Uprising in Lithuania|uprising of 23 June 1941]], but there is no specific data on how many members participated in it.

On the 22 June 1941, Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union and also occupied the Baltic states. Initially treated as 'liberators' the situation later became one of 'passive resistance' against the Nazis. [[German occupation of Lithuania during World War II|During the Nazi occupation]], ex-riflemen formed several underground organisations, such as Laisvės šauliai (Freedom's Riflemen), aimed at restoring Lithuania's independence.

The first attempts to restore the LRU were made still during the occupation when the movement for reform started. On 1 June 1989, during a protest in Kaunas by a club of former exiles and the Democrat party, the restoration of the LRU was officially announced. On 20 September 1989, the activists gavetook an oath in [[Kelmė]], at the grave of Putvinskis, the founder and ideologue of the LRU. That day is considered to be the day of the restoration of the LRU in Lithuania.

The members of the restored Lithuanian Riflemen's Union were active in the movement for reform,; they were especially active in guarding [[Seimas|the Lithuanian Parliament]] and other State buildings during the [[January Events (Lithuania)|January Events in 1991]] and later. On 13 January 1991, two members of Vilnius riflemen regiment were killed: Ignas Šimulionis and Darius Gerbutavičius. On May 19, at a border crossing point in [[Krakūnai]] a riflemen and a border guard Gintaras Žagunis was shot to death.

The LRU operates according to a law on LRU, adopted by the [[Seimas|Lithuanian parliament]] in 2010, and a Statute approved by the [[Ministry of National Defence (Lithuania)|Ministry of Defence]]. The highest ruling body of the Union is the Conference of Members. It decides on the most important matters of the Organisation, adopts decisions and approves the Commander of the LRU who is selected by the Minister of Defence. The current Commander of the LRU is reservelieutenant col.colonel lt.[[Linas Liudasidzelis|Linas Gumbinas,Idzelis]] who started his term in July2023.<ref>{{Cite 2014web |last=Andrukaitytė |first=Milena |title=Lietuvos šaulių sąjungos vadu paskirtas Linas Idzelis |url=https://www.15min.lt/naujiena/aktualu/lietuva/lietuvos-sauliu-sajungos-vadu-paskirtas-linas-idzelis-56-2030402 |access-date=2023-10-05 |website=15min.lt |language=lt}}</ref>

Currently, the National Guard of Lithuania in Exile forms an integral part of the LRU. It is headed by Julius Butkus and is active in the United States and Canada, and supporterssupports both the Union and the Armed Forces.

* [[EstonianLithuanian National Defence LeagueVolunteer Forces]]