Lithuanian Collector Coins

Movement for the Struggle for Freedom of Lithuania

Denomination: €50 On the edge of the coin: Minaičiai 1949 metų vasa rio 16-oji (16 02 1949)

Gold Au 999 Quality: proof

Diameter: 22.30 mm Weight: 7.78 g

Mintage: 3,000 pcs Coin designed by Eglė Ratkutė

Issued in 2019

Information at

the Bank of Lithuania:

+370 5 268 0316

gpd@lb.lt

www.lb.lt

Purchase at: www.coins.lb.lt

Lithuanian Collector Coins

© Lietuvos bankas, 2019

Coins photographed by Arūnas Baltėnas

Designed by Liudas Parulskis

Photo credits: the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights

(the Genocide and Resistance Research Centre of Lithuania),

the Offi ce of the Chief Archivist of Lithuania (digital copy of the

Declaration of the Council of the LLKS of 16 February 1949),

Andrius Ufartas (BFL)

Printed by INDIGO print

www.indigoprint.lt

Published by the Bank of Lithuania

Gedimino pr. 6, LT-01103 Vilnius

Coins minted at

the Lithuanian Mint

www.lithuanian-mint.lt

In 1949, Bartkus was appointed Secretary

of the Presidium Council of the LLKS. He

perished on 13 August 1949 in Užpelkiai

forest, Radviliškis County.

Leonardas Grigonis-Užpalis was born

on 14 December 1905 in Pužonys Village,

Rokiškis Volost. Grigonis graduated from

pedagogy in Marijampolė and worked

as a teacher at Sėlynė Primary School in

Rokiškis County. He was a member of the

Lithuanian Rifl emen’s Union. In 1941, he

avoided deportation, but his mother was

deported to Siberia. From 1945, Grigonis was

a partisan in the Šiauliai District. From 1947,

he served as Chief of the Atžalynas Brigade

Staff of the United Kęstutis Military District.

In 1948, he was appointed Commander

of the Prisikėlimas (“Resurrection”) Military

District. In 1949, Grigonis was appointed Third

Deputy of the Presidium Council of the LLKS.

He perished on 22 July 1950 in Daugėliškiai

forest, Ariogala District.

Aleksandras Grybinas-Faustas (“Faust”)

was born on 20 September 1920 in Lukšiai

Village, Šakiai County. In 1941, Grybinas

graduated from Marijampolė Teachers’

Seminary and later worked as a teacher. In

1945, he served in the German Army. He

became a partisan in the same year. In 1948,

Grybinas was appointed Chief of the Žalgiris

Brigade Staff of the Tauras Military District. He

was awarded the rank of Commander of the

Tauras Military District in the same year. He

perished on 28 September 1949 in Šunkariai

forest, Šakiai County.

Vytautas Gužas-Kardas (“Sword”) was

born on 2 January 1920 in Sičiūnai Village,

Rokiškis County. During the years of the Nazi

occupation, Gužas worked as an accountant

at Pienocentras, a company based in Taujėnai.

From 1945, he was engaged in partisan

activities. In 1947-1948, Gužas was Chief of the

Operative Section of the United Kęstutis District

Headquarters. In 1948, he served as Chief of

the West Lithuanian Regional Headquarters.

Gužas perished on 11 June 1949 in Smaidriai

Village, Jurbarkas County.

Bronius Liesis-Naktis (“Night”) was born

on 16 April 1922 in Ramygala. In 1941, his

parents and sisters were deported to Siberia.

Liesis studied journalism at Vytautas Magnus

University. He was a member of the LLA. In

1944, following an instruction from the LLA,

Liesis enrolled in the German Intelligence

School. In 1945, he returned to Lithuania and

became a partisan. From 1948, Liesis acted as

Chief of Staff of the Prisikėlimas (“Resurrection”)

Military District. In 1949, he was Chief of the

National Unit of the Public Section of the LLKS.

Liesis wrote poems which were published

under the pseudonym Ėglis. He perished on

13 August 1949 in Užpelkiai forest, Radviliškis

County.

In 1949-1950, pursuant to the acts of the

Chairman of the Presidium Council of the LLKS

Jonas Žemaitis-Vytautas, all the signatories

were awarded the Freedom Struggle Cross

and a partisan rank. In 1998-1999, they were

awarded the Order of the Cross of Vytis

and a military rank. In 1999, the Seimas of

the Republic of Lithuania recognised the

Declaration of the LLKS as a legal act.

Dr. Darius Juodis

Mikniai-Petrėčiai Memorial commemorating the eight Lithuanian partisan district commanders. Commemoration of the 67th Anniversary of the Declaration of the Council of the LLKS in Minaičiai

 

The Movement for the Struggle for Freedom

of Lithuania (Lithuanian: Lietuvos Laisvės Kovos

Sąjūdis, commonly referred to by its Lithuanian

acronym LLKS) was a military-public organisation

that unifi ed Lithuanian partisans. The organisation

was established in February 1949, during a

meeting of partisan representatives. The LLKS

brought together all partisan units that were

active in the country at the time. The founding of a

united movement resulted from an underground

organisational mission of nearly fi ve years.

The armed anti-Soviet resistance in Lithuania

started in the summer of 1944 and soon spread

nearly across the entire territory of Lithuania,

except for the Vilnija region and part of

the Klaipėda region. The beginning of the

anti-Soviet resistance was both organisational

and spontaneous in nature. Underground

organisations had already been forming during

the Nazi occupation years, making preparations

for the armed struggle (they were engaged in

the organisation of structural units, development

of communication systems, and accumulation

of weaponry). The Lithuanian Freedom Army

(Lithuanian: Lietuvos Laisvės Armija, commonly

In 1944-1945, the partisans suff ered the

most tremendous loss of human lives. In

1945-1946, Soviet security structures managed

to liquidate the underground organisations

that were planning or attempting to unify

the anti-Soviet resistance movements. This,

however, did not put a stop to the unifi cation

process, but merely made it more complex and

lengthy. In 1944-1948, three partisan regions,

uniting nine districts, were formed, namely: the

South Lithuanian Region (including the Dainava

and Tauras Districts), the East Lithuanian

Region (including the Algimantas, Didžioji Kova

(“Great Struggle”), Vytis, and Vytautas Districts),

and the West Lithuanian Region (including

the Kęstutis, Prisikėlimas (“Resurrection”),

and Žemaičiai (“Samogitians”) Districts). For a

while, the attempts to set up a joint command

were of little avail. In 1946, the Soviet security

structures managed to infi ltrate their agents

into partisan groups, unleashing destructive

activities that were ended only in 1947. That year,

on the initiative of the fi ghters from the Tauras

referred to by its Lithuanian acronym LLA) is

known to have been among the most sizeable

organisations of such kind. It was established

in 1941 and aimed to be the central command

of the resistance. The LLA made a strong

contribution to the developments in the

partisan movement in Aukštaitija and Žemaitija,

while in Suvalkija and Dzūkija it had a more

subdued impact. The documents of the LLA

provided considerable knowledge to post-war

members of the resistance, who took it into

practical action. The Kęstutis underground

organisation, which was established in 1943,

was pursuing similar goals. The armed struggle

was a spontaneous response to the policies

implemented by the Soviet authorities, such

as forced mobilisation and repressions, which

led to signifi cant increases in the number of

partisans in Lithuania in 1944-1945. All partisan

organisations had a common goal of restoring an

independent Republic of Lithuania with the aid

of the Western Allies. More insightful participants

of the resistance understood the signifi cance of

a unifi ed fi ght and therefore aimed to centralise

the resistance.

result of their proactive work, a gathering of the

representatives of the partisans was convened

in February 1949. Adolfas Ramanauskas-

Vanagas, Commander of the Dainava

District, and Aleksandras Grybinas-Faustas,

Commander of the Tauras District, together

with other two partisans, made it to the

gathering by tackling the longest and riskiest

path. There is speculation concerning the place

and exact time of the fi rst gathering of the

partisan representatives, yet it is known that

they convened in the middle of February 1949

in a hideout under the barn of the farmstead

belonging to Stanislovas and Antanina Mikniai

and based in Minaičiai Village, Radviliškis

County. This was where the partisans adopted

the most fundamental decisions. The

gatherings addressed various issues related to

the partisan struggle, e.g. the statute, ideology

of the organisation, and tactics. On 16 February

1949, eight representatives of the partisans

signed the Declaration of the Council of the

LLKS, which stated that the Council of the

LLKS “shall be the supreme political body

of the Nation, in charge of the political and

military fi ght for the liberation of the Nation.”

The document laid down the guidelines

for the future of Lithuania as a democratic

republic and socially-oriented state. The

gathering established the supreme governing

body of the LLKS. Following the gathering,

The Movement for the Struggle for Freedom of Lithuania

in 1954 and executed by shooting at Butyrka

Prison in Moscow on 26 November of the same

year.

Adolfas Ramanauskas-Vanagas (“Hawk”)

was born on 6 March 1918 in New Britain, USA.

In 1921, he returned to homeland together with

his parents. In 1939, Ramanauskas graduated

from Panevėžys Pedagogical Institute. In

1936-1940, he studied at the Lithuanian Military

School. In 1940-1942, he worked as a primary

school teacher. He was a participant of the

1941 June Uprising. In 1942-1945, Ramanauskas

taught at Alytus Teachers’ Seminary. From 1945,

Ramanauskas was engaged in the partisan

struggle, holding a leadership position. In 1947,

Ramanauskas was elected Commander of

the Dainava Military District. In 1948, he was

appointed Commander of the South Lithuanian

(Nemunas) Partisan Region, in 1949 –

Commander of the Defence Forces of the LLKS

and First Deputy Chairman of the Presidium

Council of the LLKS. In 1956, Ramanauskas

was taken prisoner. He was sentenced in

1957 and executed by shooting in Vilnius on

29 November of the same year.

Juozas Šibaila-Merainis was born on

18 March 1905 in Vadėnai Village, Alytus

County. After graduating from Alytus Teachers’

Seminary, Šibaila worked as a teacher in Alytus

and Ukmergė counties. Šibaila was a member

of the Lithuanian Rifl emen’s Union. In 1941, he

evaded deportation, but his wife and children

were deported to Siberia. He was a participant

of the 1941 June Uprising. In 1944, Šibaila joined

the Lithuanian Territorial Defence Force. He

was a member of the LLA. In 1944, Šibaila

became a partisan. From 1946, he acted as

Chief of the Brigade B Staff of the Didžioji Kova

(“Great Struggle”) Military District and editor

of the brigade’s publication Tėvynė Šaukia

(“Motherland Calls”). From February 1949, he

acted as Chief of the Public Section of the LLKS

and editor of the publication Prie Rymančio

Rūpintojėlio (“By the Pensive Christ”). In the

same year, he was appointed Second Deputy

Chairman of the Presidium Council of the LLKS.

He perished on 11 February 1953 in Dovydai

forest, Ramygala County.

Petras Bartkus-Žadgaila was born on

30 May 1925 in Pakapurnis Village, Raseiniai

County. He studied at Kaunas Technical

Vocational College. In 1943, Bartkus became

a member of the LLA. From 1944, he was

involved in partisan activities. From 1946,

he served as Chief of the Organisational

Section of the United Kęstutis Military District

Headquarters. From 1948, he, together with

other partisans, was involved in the formation

of the Prisikėlimas (“Resurrection”) Military

District and served as its commander. He wrote

poems which were published in the partisan

periodicals under the pseudonym Alkupėnas.

Gathering of the Kazimieraitis Brigade, Dainava District. District Commander Adolfas Ramanauskas-Vanagas granting an award (Ribbon of Courage) to Sofi ja Budėnaitė-Ramunė, while District Adjutant Lionginas Baliukevičius-Dzūkas reads out the order. April 1948

Jonas Žemaitis-Vytautas (1909-1954)

Adolfas Ramanauskas-Vanagas (1918-1957)

Juozas Šibaila-Merainis (1905-1953)

District, the Presidium of the General Democratic

Resistance Movement (Lithuanian: Bendrasis

Demokratinio Pasipriešinimo Sąjūdis, commonly

referred to by its Lithuanian acronym BDPS) was

established. The Presidium was supposed to

serve as the central command of the resistance,

yet throughout the year the organisation’s most

active members were either killed or captured.

The unifi cation process took place simultaneously

with the development of the political thought of

partisanship. The 1946 declaration of the partisans

of South Lithuania proclaimed that the structure

of the future State of Lithuania was that of a free

democratic state. This idea was further enshrined in

ensuing declarations. On 28 May 1947, Declaration

No 2 of the BDPS was drafted. Its content was later

conveyed in the Declaration of the LLKS.

In 1948, the task of unifying the partisan

movements was undertaken by Jonas Žemaitis-

Vytautas, Commander of the West Lithuanian

Region. Together with his comrades, he contacted

the commanders of other regions in a joint eff ort

to formulate normative partisan documents. As a

Petras Bartkus-Žadgaila (1925-1949)

Leonardas Grigonis-Užpalis (1905-1950)

Aleksandras Grybinas-Faustas (1920-1949)

Vytautas Gužas-Kardas (1920-1949)

Bronius Liesis-Naktis (1922-1949)

its participants strived to maintain contact and

coordinate their activities, yet harsh conditions of

the underground, which were aggravating with each

passing year (continuing loss of lives of members

of the resistance and relentless arrests), and the

withering resistance movement made it impossible

to implement all of their plans. In 1953, the organised

partisan resistance was crushed. Only some random

individual fi ghters were involved in partisan activities

in subsequent years.

SIGNATORIES OF THE DECLARATION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE LLKS Jonas Žemaitis-Vytautas was born on 15 March

1909 in Palanga. In 1929, Žemaitis graduated from

Kaunas Military School. In 1937, he was promoted

to the rank of captain. In 1944, he became the

commander of the 310th Battalion of the Lithuanian

Territorial Defence Force. After the Nazis dissolved

the Battalion, he went into hiding for a period of

time. In 1945, he became a member of the LLA

where he assumed a leadership position. In 1947,

Žemaitis was elected Commander of the United

Kęstutis Military District. In 1948, he was appointed

Commander of the West Lithuanian (Sea) Partisan

Region. In February 1949, he was elected Chairman

of the Presidium Council of the LLKS and granted

the rank of partisan general. In December 1951, due

to his failing health, he was no longer able to carry

on with his duties for a certain period of time. In 1953,

Žemaitis was taken prisoner. He was sentenced