- Stasys Raštikis
Infobox Military Person
name= Stasys Raštikis
caption=
born= 1896September 13
died=1985 May 3
placeofbirth=Kuršėnai
placeofdeath=Los Angeles
nickname=
allegiance=
branch=Russian Empire Army andLithuanian Armed Forces
serviceyears= 1914-1940
rank= General
unit=
commands= Supreme Commander of Lithuanian army
battles=
awards=
relations=
laterwork=Stasys Raštikis (
September 13 ,1896 –May 3 ,1985 ) was aLithuania n military officer, ultimately obtaining the rank ofGeneral of theLithuanian Army , as well as the Minister of Defense in the Provisional Government established before the German takeover of Lithuania in 1941.Biography
Born in
Kuršėnai , Raštikis attended school inZarasai , Lithuania. At the outbreak ofWorld War I , he was mobilized into theRussian Army , and served on various fronts of the war. In 1918, he returned to Lithuania and entered the Catholic Seminary inKaunas . However, the following year, he left and enlisted in the 5th Infantry Regiment and continued his career in the newly created Lithuanian military. He was wounded during the fighting against theRussian SFSR andPoland , (Polish-Lithuanian War ). In 1919, severely wounded for the second time, he was taken prisoner by the Red Army, and was only released in 1921. After returning to Lithuania, he resumed his military career and was promoted to the rank ofMajor in 1928, and rose through the ranks until he ultimately became aGeneral .In 1938, Raštikis became the Defense Minister in the government of
Vladas Mironas . After the invasion and subsequent annexation of Lithuania by the Soviet Union, he fled to avoid capture toNazi Germany . After the retreat of Soviet forces followingOperation Barbarossa , he was able to return to Lithuania. In German-occupied Lithuania he participated in theProvisional Government of Lithuania as a shadow Minister of Defense untilAugust 5 ,1941 . Later, he worked in the Lithuanian War Museum.Before the reoccupation of Lithuania by the Soviets, Raštikis again escaped to Germany and then emigrated to the
United States , where he died. Originally interred inLos Angeles , his remains were returned toKaunas in 1993, where he was reburied with full military honors.References
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Richard Woytak , "Wywiad z litewskim Wodzem Naczelnym gen. Stasys'em Rastikis'em" ("Interview with Lithuanian Commander in Chief Gen. Stasys Rastikis"), Paris, "Zeszyty Historyczne", vol. 261, no. 35 (1976).
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