Pranas Liatukas

Pranas Liatukas (29 January 1876 – 2 September 1945) was a Lithuanian lieutenant general. He was the acting commander of the Lithuanian Army from 7 October 1919 to 23 February 1920. At the same time, he acted as the minister of defence.

In 1902, Liatukas volunteered for the Russian Imperial Army and attended the Vilnius Military School. During World War I, he fought with the 80th Infantry Division in the Southwestern Front. He was shell shocked three times, but received Russian military orders and was promoted to polkovnik in September 1917. In 1918, he returned to Lithuania and volunteered for the newly established Lithuanian Army and became Chief of the Defence Staff on 24 December 1918. In March 1919, Liatukas became commander of the 2nd Infantry Regiment but was reassigned to the 3rd Infantry Regiment after soldiers insisted on returning to the command of the 2nd Infantry Regiment.

Liatukas worked to organize the 3rd Infantry Regiment and later joined the Lithuanian offensive in the Lithuanian–Soviet War. In July 1919, Liatukas was appointed commander of the 1st Brigade (1st and 3rd Infantry Regiments and three battalions) that pushed Soviet forces across the Daugava River by the end of August 1919. On 7 October 1919, he was promoted to lieutenant general and given command of the Lithuanian Army. He organized Lithuanian units to fight in the Lithuanian–Bermontian War and ensured that German units withdrew from Lithuania by the end of 1919. He resigned from the commander post on 23 February 1920 after a soldiers' mutiny in Panemunė and retired from the military on 5 August 1920.

Liatukas then worked at the Lithuanian treasury and Bank of Lithuania. He retired in 1926 and lived on a state pension. On 30 January 1945, he and his son Vytautas were arrested by the NKVD. They were accused of participating in the anti-Soviet Lithuanian Freedom Army. Liatukas died in Lukiškės Prison on 2 September 1945.

Biography Early life and education Liatukas was born on 29 January 1876 to a family of Lithuanian farmers in near Kvėdarna which was then part of the Russian Empire (present-day Lithuania). His father owned of land. His mother was from a family of local petty nobles. Liatukas was the eldest of seven children in the family (three brothers and four sisters).

Liatukas attended the four-year Progymnasium in Palanga and the . In Riga, Liatukas found a small group of Lithuanian students, which included Kipras Bielinis. Together with others, Liatukas demanded to deliver sermons to Lithuanian students in Lithuanian. Liatukas received little support from his family and earned a living by tutoring other children.

Russian Imperial Army In October 1902, a year before graduating from the gymnasium, Liatukas volunteered for the Russian Imperial Army and was assigned to the . In September 1903, he was sent to study at the Vilnius Military School which he graduated as praporshchik in 1905. He was assigned to the and served in in the Novgorod Governorate. He was sent to Kronstadt in November 1905 and to Borovichi in August 1907 to maintain public order. In 1908, he was transferred to the in Liepāja. He was promoted to poruchik in September 1909 and to shtabs-kapitan in November 1913.

In July 1914, during the general mobilization, Liatukas was assigned to the newly formed 318th Chernoyarsk Infantry Regiment in Penza as commander of its 15th Company. The regiment was included in the 80th Infantry Division and fought in the Southwestern Front against German and Austrian units. Already in August 1914, Liatukas distinguished himself in battle and was awarded the Order of Saint Anna and Order of Saint Stanilaus. In September–October 1914, he fought in the Battle of the Vistula River and Battle of the San River.

On 21 March 1915, he was promoted to kapitan but two days later he was shell shocked. He recuperated in Kyiv and returned to battle in September 1915 as battalion commander.