5th Infantry Regiment (Lithuania)
| 5th Infantry Regiment of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Kęstutis | |
|---|---|
| 5-asis pėstininkų Lietuvos Didžiojo kunigaikščio Kęstučio pulkas | |
| Active | March 2, 1919 – October 27, 1940 |
| Country |  Lithuanian Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Patron | Lithuanian Grand Duke Kęstutis |
| Motto(s) | Krauju ir mirtimi tėvynę nelaimėje vaduosim |
The 5th Infantry Regiment (Lithuanian: 5-asis pėstininkų pulkas), later the 5th Infantry Regiment of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Kęstutis (Lithuanian: 5-asis pėstininkų Lietuvos Didžiojo kunigaikščio Kęstučio pulkas) was an infantry regiment that served in the Lithuanian Army during the Interwar period.[1][2]
1919
The regiment was founded on 2 March 1919.[3][4][5] Initially, it was called the Separate Battalion (Lithuanian: Atskiras batalionas).[4][5] The regiment began to be organized in Kaunas by the Commandant Officer of Kaunas, Kazys Škirpa, by the order of the Minister of National Defense. The Separate Battalion's core were the 5th and 6th Infantry Companies and the 2nd Hussar Squadron that were detached from Kaunas' komendantūra.[2] The infantry companies became the 1st and 2nd companies, which were soon joined by new volunteers.
On March 23, 20 soldiers from the Kaunas city Kommandantur training team and 16 soldiers from the grenadier team arrived. On March 28, these were joined by the Kaunas' training team's soldiers of the 1st and 4th Company, in addition to several volunteer machine gunners from Vilnius. The newly arrived 1st company was renamed as the 1st Company, the 4th Company as the 2nd Company, while the former 1st Company was renamed as the 3rd Company, the 2nd Company - the 4th.
By the end of March, there were 20 officers and 700 soldiers, almost all of which were volunteers, in the unit.
On 20 June 1919, this battalion was named the Vilnius Battalion (Lithuanian: Vilniaus batalionas).[2][4][5] In July, the battalion was assigned to the 1st Infantry Brigade.[2] The regiment fought against the Bolsheviks at Pajautiškės, Stašiūnai, Zarasai and Imbradas. After battles with the Soviet Russian Army ceased, the unit was dislocated in Žiežmariai.[2]
On 10 November 1919, the Vilnius Battalion was renamed and reinforced, thus becoming the 5th Infantry Regiment.
On 21 and 22 November 1919, the regiment fought against the
1920
Battalion III was formed in January 1920 from the Pasvalys Kommandantur and from the recruits of Telšiai County. In January 1920, the regiment was part of the 2nd Brigade.[2] On 7 February 1920, the 5th Infantry Regiment was given the name of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Kęstutis.[5]
In mid-1920, the regiment was re-dislocated to
In the Lithuanian Wars of Independence, the regiment lost one officer and 53 soldiers, with roughly another hundred soldiers being wouded.[2]
From December 1920, the regiment guarded the Lithuanian-Polish demarcation line at the sector of Giedraičiai–Labanoras–Salakas.[2] At the end of 1920, the regiment had 47 officers, 2,410 soldiers, 6 war officials, 3 doctors, and one chaplain.[2] The regiment possessed 34 machine-guns, 1,780 rifles, 133 carbines, 64 pistols and revolvers, 133 bayonets, 149 horses and other military equipment.[2]
Interwar
From 1922, the regiment's garrison was moved to Upper
Soviet occupation and disbandment
The 5th Infantry Regiment of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Kęstutis was renamed to 5th Infantry Regiment on 25 July 1940, following
Regiment commanders
- 1919 – Officer Kazys Škirpa
- 1920 – Captain Antanas Zubrys
- 1920 – Lieutenant colonel Mykolas Velykis
- 1921 – Lieutenant colonel Pranas Kaunas
- 1922 – Colonel Juozas Vidugiris
- 1925–1927 – General Staff Colonel Stasys Pundzevičius
- 1933 – General Staff Colonel Stasys Raštikis
- 1936–1940 – General Staff Colonel Albinas Čepas
- 1940 – Lieutenant colonel Juozas Listopadskis
References
- ISBN 978-609-8074-63-5. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
- ^ vle.lt(in Lithuanian).
- ^ Ruzgas 1932, p. 136.
- ^ a b c Steponaitis 1934, p. 20.
- ^ a b c d e f g Vydrina 2008.
- ^ Karo Archyvas. I. Kaunas: Vyriausiojo Štabo Karo Mokslo Skyriaus Leidinys. 1925.
{{cite journal}}: Missing or empty|title=(help)
Sources
- Ruzgas, V., ed. (1932). Visa Lietuva (in Lithuanian). Kaunas: Spaudos Fondas.
- Steponaitis, Vytautas, ed. (1934). 5 pėstininkų Didžiojo Lietuvos kunigaikščio Kęstučio pulkas, 1919-1934 (in Lithuanian). Kaunas: Žaibas.
- Vydrina, Elena (2008). "lcva fondo 518 pažyma". Lietuvos centrinis valstybės archyvas (in Lithuanian).