Juozas Krikštaponis

Juozas Krikštaponis (1 March 1921 – 12 January 1945) was a Lithuanian anti-Soviet partisan and founder of the Vytis military district.

Biography Early life and military service Juozas Krikštaponis was born on 1 March 1921 in Užulėnis. His father, Jonas Krikštaponis, was a book smuggler who smuggled books from present-day Kaliningrad. His mother, Morta Krikštaponienė, was a sister of Antanas Smetona. Krikštaponis attended primary school in Užugiris, and later was educated at the Raguva Gymnasium and Marijampolė Gymnasium. After his mother's encouragement, Krikštaponis enrolled in the War School of Kaunas, graduating on 15 September 1934 with the rank of junior lieutenant and being assigned to the 2nd Infantry Regiment. On 31 December 1936, Krikštaponis was promoted to lieutenant. On 19 August 1938, Krikštaponis became a squad leader. That same year, he married Kunigunda Sliesoraitytė, with whom he had no children. All three companies participated in the killing of over 15,000 Jews in various locations in Belarus, such as at the Rudzyensk ghetto. Krikštaponis's participation in the Holocaust has been described as propaganda spread by the NKVD and KGB, and condemnation of the partisan has been criticized by far-right politician Vytautas Sinica.

Partisan leader From 1943, Krikštaponis served in the Lithuanian Liberty Army (LLA). In 1944 Krikštaponis was briefly made a commander of the Lithuanian Territorial Defense Force's 6th regiment in the Marijampolė Military School. In August 1944, Krikštaponis became the leader of the LLA's second district, which was established around Taujėnai and Deltuva. A memorial cross was erected where Krikštaponis died in 1991. A memorial stone was put in Ukmergė in 1996. In 2002 he was posthumously rewarded the rank of colonel by the president of Lithuania. Additionally, Krikštaponis's commemoration was criticized by United States ambassador to Lithuania Robert S. Gilchrist, historian Mindaugas Pocius, and the Lithuanian Jewish community.