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Lithuanian Dragoon Half-Regiment

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lithuanian Dragoon Half-Regiment
Lietuvių dragūnų divizionas
ActiveDecember 9, 1917 – March 3, 1918
Country Russian Republic
BranchRussian Army (1917)
TypeDragoons
Size1 officer, 3 NCOs fulfilling officer duties, 200 soldiers (February 1918)[1][2]
Part of12th Army
Commanders
First and only commanderJuozas Mikuckis

The Lithuanian Dragoon Half-Regiment (Lithuanian: Lietuvių dragūnų divizionas) was a Lithuanian unit of the Russian Army that operated in Valka/Valga (now Latvia and Estonia, respectively) from late 1917 to early 1918 and which was also one of the first 20th-century Lithuanian military units, together with the Lithuanian Reserve Battalion.[1] It was two squadrons strong.[1][3]

History

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Formation

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Many Lithuanian served in the cavalry of the Russian Army during World War I.[3] In November 1917, the officer Juozas Mikuckis learnt at the 12th Army's Lithuanian Soldiers' Congress that there are 100 Lithuanians in the 20th Finnish Dragoon Regiment.[3] He offered to organize them into a Lithuanian dragoon squadron.[1] Throughout the unit's existence, its commander was Juozas Mikuckis.[1] Mikuckis was originally an infantry officer and thus commanding a cavalry unit proved challenging, but he was helped by the cavalry wachtmeisters and non-commissioned officers.[3]

At the initiative of Mikuckis and others, the request to form a Lithuanian dragoon squadron was approved by the command of the 12th Army of the Russian Army's Northern Front in late 1917.[1] Organizational work began after the permission and Mikuckis put in a lot of effort, even going so far as utilizing his acquaintances from his days in the Kaunas gymnasium.[3] Mikuckis was also aided by the doctor general V. Gintala, who considered himself a Lithuanian.[3]

December 1917 – Spring 1918

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On December 9, permission was obtained from the 12th Army's command to form not only a squadron, but a larger unit - a half-regiment (divizion) that was two squadrons strong.[3] Then, the command of the 12th Army sent telegrams to all its units that they were inviting Lithuanians to the half-regiment.[3]

On December 16, Wachtmeister Jonas Eidukaitis arrived in Valka (now Latvia) with 50 dragoons.[3] The squadron was formed in December 1917 from roughly a hundred Lithuanians in the 20th Finnish Dragoon Regiment as well as other units.[1] A total of 120 soldiers and 83 horses were assembled and so, the formation of a second squadron began.[1][3] A second squadron was quickly formed, and J. Ruškys was appointed as its commander.[3]

The half-regiment's provisions were taken care of by the 12th Cavalry Division.[3] In February 1918, the half-regiment contained more than 200 soldiers with horses.[1]

On 18 February 1918, after the end of the Russo-German armistice and the German Empire's Operation Faustschlag against Soviet Russia, the Lithuanian Dragoon Half-Regiment retreated with the 12th Russian Cavalry Division towards Pskov.[3]

Capture and aftermath

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On 3 March 1918, the retreating half-regiment was in the town of Võru (now Estonia) and was captured by the Imperial German Army that same day.[1][3] The unit could have withdrawn to Russia, but not a single soldier did so, because everyone wanted to return to Lithuania.[1] The Germans disarmed the half-regiment and there was an agreement to transfer it to Lithuania, but the Germans took all the soldiers as prisoners of war to Germany, to a prisoner-of-war camp.[1][3]

Within 8 months of capture, all were released and returned to Lithuania.[1][3] Many later became volunteers of the Lithuanian army.[1] At least 5 future volunteers of the Lithuanian Army certainly belonged to this unit: Reserve Captain Juozas Mikuckis, Lieutenant Jonas Eidukaitis, Corporals Aleksandras Šileika and Juozas Garmus, Private Jonas Leckas.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Vaičenonis 2008.
  2. ^ Jurevičiūtė 2018, p. 223.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Jurevičiūtė 2018, p. 231–232.

Sources

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  • Jurevičiūtė, Aušra (2018). "Lietuvių dalinių formavimas Rusijoje ir jų karių savanoriška tarnyba Lietuvos kariuomenėje 1918–1923 m." (PDF). Vytauto Didžiojo Karo Muziejus 2017 metais: Almanachas (in Lithuanian). Kaunas: 223, 231–232.
  • Vaičenonis, Jonas (2008). "Lietuvių dragūnų divizionas". vle.lt (in Lithuanian).