Aleksandras Plechavičius
Aleksandras Plechavičius (1 June 1897 – 6 May 1942) was an Imperial Russian and then Lithuanian military officer and statesman. In the service of Lithuania, he rose to the rank of colonel in the interwar period. He was a younger brother to the more famous Povilas Plechavičius.
Aleksandras Plechavičius | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1 June 1897 Bukančiai, Russian Empire |
| Died | 6 May 1942 (aged 44) Petropavl, Soviet Union |
| Allegiance | Russian Imperial Army (1914–1918) Lithuanian Army (1918–1933) |
| Years of service | 1914–1933 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Commands held | 2nd Uhlan Regiment |
| Battles/wars | World War I Lithuanian Wars of Independence |
| Awards | Order of the Cross of Vytis (1927) Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas (1928) Order of Vytautas the Great (1933) |
Early life
Aleksandras Plechavičius was born on 1 June 1897, in Bukončiai farmstead in the Židikai District to the Lithuanian farmer Ignas Plechavičius. His mother was the Lithuanian noblewoman Konstancija Bukontaitė.[1] Aleksandras had ten siblings.
World War I
Aleksandras Plechavičius was mobilised to the Imperial Russian Army in 1914. While fighting against the Germans and the Ottomans, he was injured two times. In 1917, he was promoted to the commander of his cavalry squadron.[1]
Lithuanian Wars of Independence
He returned from the front with his brother to Lithuania. In November 1918, he enlisted as a volunteer in the Lithuanian Army. From December 1918 to February 1919 he actively participated in the fighting against the invading Bolshevik soldiers with partisans in the areas of Seda, Telšiai and Akmenė. On 7 February 1919, he was designated the commander of the headquarter company (komendantūra) of Seda-Mažeikiai and was its commandant's deputy. A few months later, in July, he was the commandant of Utena and organised the headquarters of the district and town.
In December 1919, he became the commandant of the 5th Infantry Regiment. In September and October 1920, he participated in fighting against the attacking Polish Army. After the fighting, in November 1920 he was transferred to the 2nd Cavalry (later Uhlan) Regiment. In December, he became the commander of a squadron and from July 1921, the deputy of the colonel. Then, in December 1921, he was the chairman of the regiment's court.[2]
Later life
He finished the Higher Officer Courses (Aukštieji karininkų kursai) in 1923. Three years later, he was the colonel of the 2nd Uhlan Regiment, and a year later, the commander. In 1929, he did an internship in the Reichswehr. In 1933, he retired and became a farmer.[1][2]
After the Soviet Union occupied Lithuania in June 1940, he was arrested by the NKVD in July of that year. He was brutally interrogated in the prison of Raseiniai, and in July 1941 was deported to the Sol Iletsky in the Chkalov Oblast and in October to Petropavl, where he was killed.[2]
Awards
He was awarded the following orders:[2]
- Order of the Cross of Vytis, fifth class (1927)
- Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas, third class (1928)
- Order of Vytautas the Great, third class (1933)
References
- Šiaudinis, Valentas. "101-ieji Lietuvos nepriklausomybės atkūrimo metai" [101 year anniversary of the restoration of Lithuania's independence]. Voruta (in Lithuanian) (Nr. 3 (857) 2019 March 30): 4. ISSN 1392-0677.
- Zabielskas, Vytautas. "Aleksandras Plechavičius". vle.lt. Retrieved 21 May 2020.