7th Infantry Regiment and later titled as the 7th Infantry Regiment of the Samogitian Duke Butigeidis was a

Lithuanian Army The Lithuanian Armed Forces () are the military of Lithuania. The Lithuanian Armed Forces consist of the Lithuanian Land Forces, the Lithuanian Navy, the Lithuanian Air Force and the Lithuanian Special Operations Force. In wartime, the Lithuan ...

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

that saw combat in the

Lithuanian Wars of Independence The Lithuanian Wars of Independence, also known as the Freedom Struggles (), refer to three wars Lithuania fought defending its independence at the end of World War I: with Bolshevik forces (December 1918 – August 1919), Bermontians (October ...

. It was formed on 9 January 1919 and disbanded in 1940.

History

The unit began forming on 9 January 1919, when a company was formed from the ''Kommandantur'' () in and around Kaunas. This company later grew to be the Kaunas Battalion. Its commander was the officer J. Petrauskas. The regiment was founded on 1 July 1919.

Lithuanian Wars of Independence The Lithuanian Wars of Independence, also known as the Freedom Struggles (), refer to three wars Lithuania fought defending its independence at the end of World War I: with Bolshevik forces (December 1918 – August 1919), Bermontians (October ...

War against Bermontians

In October 1919, the Kaunas Battalion, led by officer

Edvardas Adamkavičius Edvardas Adamkavičius (March 31, 1888 – May 10, 1957) was a Lithuanian divisional general. Early life He was born in Pikeliai, Telšiai County, Lithuania. Interwar Lithuanian Army He enlisted in the Lithuanian Army in 1918. He was made ...

, fought against the Bermontians near Baisiogala,

Raseiniai Raseiniai (; Samogitian dialect, Samogitian: ''Raseinē'') is a city in Lithuania. It is located on the south eastern foothills of the Samogitians highland, some north from the A1 highway (Lithuania), Kaunas–Klaipėda highway. History Grand ...

and

Tauragė Tauragė (; see #Names and etymology, other names) is an industrial city in Lithuania, and the capital of Tauragė County. In 2020, its population was 20,956. Tauragė is situated on the Jūra, Jūra River, close to the border with the Kaliningr ...

Polish-Lithuanian War

On 9 January 1920, a year after the formation's beginning, the battalion was transformed into a regiment, being given the name of the Samogitian Duke Butigeidis. The regiment was moved to

Ukmergė Ukmergė (; previously ''Vilkmergė''; ) is a city in Vilnius County, Lithuania, located northwest of Vilnius. It is the administrative center of the Ukmergė District Municipality. Ukmergė (Vilkmergė) was mentioned for the first time as a ...

to defend the

Vepriai Vepriai () is the largest town in Ukmergė district, Lithuania, situated south-west of Ukmergė with population of about 549 (2011). The capital of Vepriai elderate. History Vepriai was founded on a hill near Vepriai Lake and south of Šventoj ...

- Kurkliai line against the Polish Army. On 15 July, while the Polish were running from the Bolshevik onslaught, a part of the regiment, commanded by lieutenant J. Černius marched into Vilnius, and on August 26, the whole regiment garrisoned Vilnius. Later, the regiment was moved near Gardinas, but after Polish victories, the regiment was driven back to Vilnius. There was a brief respite because of the Suwałki Agreement.

Żeligowski's Mutiny Żeligowski's Mutiny (, also , ) was a Polish false flag operation led by General Lucjan Żeligowski in October 1920, which resulted in the creation of the Republic of Central Lithuania. Józef Piłsudski, the Chief of State of Poland, surreptit ...

Żeligowski's soldiers pushed the 7th Regiment out of Vilnius, from where it retreated towards Ukmergė. In addition to other Lithuanian units, the regiment took part in the Battle of Giedraičiai, where the Polish Army was heavily defeated, stopping its offensive to Kaunas. According to the plan of the commanding officer of the 7th regiment's battalion Teodoras Balnas, on the night of November 18–19, 200 selected soldiers surrounded the Polish 81st Grodno Rifles Regiment, attacking from the flanks and behind. The Polish unit was surrounded from 3 sides and was severely defeated. The Lithuanians took 200

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

, 2 artillery guns, 24 HMGs, around 200

wagons A wagon (or waggon) is a heavy four-wheeled vehicle pulled by draft animals or on occasion by humans, used for transporting goods, commodities, agricultural materials, supplies and sometimes people. Wagons are immediately distinguished from ...

, 50

horses The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 milli ...

, 250

rifles A rifle is a long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting and higher stopping power, with a barrel that has a helical or spiralling pattern of grooves ( rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus on accuracy, rifle ...

, 9

mortars Mortar may refer to: * Mortar (weapon), an indirect-fire infantry weapon * Mortar (masonry), a material used to fill the gaps between blocks and bind them together * Mortar and pestle, a tool pair used to crush or grind * Mortar, Bihar, a village i ...

and 24 field kitchens. After the end of the war, the regiment guarded the demarcation line in the surroundings of Ukmergė and

Trakai Trakai (; see Trakai#Names and etymology, names section for alternative and historic names) is a city and lake resort in Lithuania. It lies west of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania or just from the administrative limits of the Lithuanian capi ...

Klaipėda revolt The Klaipėda Revolt took place in January 1923 in the Klaipėda Region (also known as the Memel Territory or ). The region, located north of the Neman River, was detached from East Prussia, German Empire by the Treaty of Versailles and became a ...

In 1923, parts of the regiment were involved in the

Klaipėda revolt The Klaipėda Revolt took place in January 1923 in the Klaipėda Region (also known as the Memel Territory or ). The region, located north of the Neman River, was detached from East Prussia, German Empire by the Treaty of Versailles and became a ...

, and hence were stationed in Klaipėda and Šilutė. In Klaipėda, the regiment was in formerly German barracks, while in Šilutė, they were in the .

Interwar In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...

On 30 April 1934, the regiment's HQ and 2nd Battalion were moved from Klaipėda to Tauragė, and the 1st Battalion was used for the recreation the 6th Infantry Regiment of the

Pilėnai Pilėnai (also ''Pillenen'' in German) was a hill fort in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Its location is unknown and is subject to academic debates, but it is well known in the history of Lithuania due to its heroic defense against the Teutonic O ...

Duke Margis. After a short while, the 7th Infantry Regiment had two battalions again, with a total of 1,500 officers and men serving. The regiment was part of the 3rd Infantry Division.

Flag

In 1928, the regiment was given a flag of the 3rd class of the Order of Vytautas Cross with the inscription "Meilė Lietuvos mūs žingsnius telydi" ( English: Love of Lithuania guides our steps).

Armament

The regiment was armed with M98 rifles and MG 08 machine guns.

Commanders

* 1920 - Colonel

* 1921 - Colonel Julius Čaplikas * 1923 - Colonel Pranas Kaunas * 1924 - Colonel Petras Genys * 1939 - Colonel Antanas Breimelis

References

Sources

* {{Cite book , url=https://archive.org/details/visa-lietuva-1931-1932/page/136/mode/2up?q=pulkas , title=Visa Lietuva , publisher=Spaudos Fondas , year=1932 , editor-last=Ruzgas , editor-first=V. , location=

Kaunas Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...

, language=Lithuanian

History

Lithuanian Wars of Independence The Lithuanian Wars of Independence, also known as the Freedom Struggles (), refer to three wars Lithuania fought defending its independence at the end of World War I: with Bolshevik forces (December 1918 – August 1919), Bermontians (October ...

War against Bermontians

Polish-Lithuanian War

Żeligowski's Mutiny Żeligowski's Mutiny (, also , ) was a Polish false flag operation led by General Lucjan Żeligowski in October 1920, which resulted in the creation of the Republic of Central Lithuania. Józef Piłsudski, the Chief of State of Poland, surreptit ...

Klaipėda revolt The Klaipėda Revolt took place in January 1923 in the Klaipėda Region (also known as the Memel Territory or ). The region, located north of the Neman River, was detached from East Prussia, German Empire by the Treaty of Versailles and became a ...

Interwar In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...

Flag

Armament

Commanders

References

Sources

See also