Photo Gallery of General of Partisans Jonas Zemaitis

Jonas Zemaitis was born 15 March 1909 in Palanga. After completion of six gymnasium classes in 1926 he entered Kaunas Military School which he graduated in 1929. Under proposal of the command of Lithuanian Armed Forces to send J. Zemaitis to study at French Artillery School, he hired several teachers and learned some of German and French Languages. In 1936-1938 J. Zemaitis studied at French Artillery School in Fontainebleau. After graduation in 1938, he was assigned to the position of chief of Training Battery of 4 th Artillery Regiment, Lithuanian Army.

In 1939 he married a worker of the Book House Elena Valionyte (born in 1916) and moved to Lentvaris. In 1940, when the Soviets occupied Lithuania for the first time, J. Zemaitis was serving in the 617th Corps of Riflemen. 22 June 1941 the war broke out. The 617th Corps of Riflemen, where J. Zemaitis was serving at that time, was located in Varëna Firing Ground. Following the order of the commander of the Soviet Army this regiment together with other units of Red Army had to retreat to the East.  When the Regiment reached Valkininkai, Capt J. Zemaitis with a group of Lithuanian officers left it and surrendered to Germans. However, when Germans offered the Lithuanian officers to join self-defence battalion and move to Belarus to fight against Red partisans, J. Zemaitis rejected the offer, went to reserve and with his wife moved to Lentvaris.

In August 1941 the young Zemaièiai family settled down in Kaunas. Their son Laimutis was born here. J. Zemaitis started to work as a technician at Energetic Bureau. However, the living conditions in town were getting worse therefore Elena and Jonas Zemaièiai together with their son had to move to the father‘s birthplace in Siluva county, Kiaulininkai village. To maintain his family J. Zemaitis started to work as a head of Siluva Farm Cooperative.

While working in Siluva in 1943, he actively involved in activities of County Committee established by priest Kazlauskas. In 1944 when General Povilas Plechavicius started to form Vietinë (Local) Team, J. Zemaitis united about 150 men from Siluva and Tytuvenai and became the commander of the 310th Battalion of the Detachment.

In May 1944, when Germans arrested Povilas Plechavicius, the commander of Local Team, J. Zemaitis withdrew from his position and returned to his birthplace.

J. Zemaitis was hiding when the Soviets occupied Lithuania for the second time. However, he soon got involved into active Movement of Resistance against Soviet Occupation.

In 1945 he became the chief of Zebenkstis (Weasel) Special Team, operating in Raseiniai county. In May 1947 he was elected the commander of Kestutis Command. In a year, he established Jura (Sea) Field of Lithuanian Partisans in Western Lithuania and became its’ commander. Shortly he took over to organise the command of Lithuanian partisans’ leaders. In November 1948 J. Zemaitis declared about restoration of leaders’ command and in 1949 he summoned the congress of Lithuanian partisans’ leaders and established a united resistance organisation - the Lithuanian Movement for Freedom (the LMF).

13 July 1946 J. Zemaitis’ wife Elena, living in Kaunas at that time, died. She left a 5-year-old son Laimutis. The widower was looking for his son for he wanted to find nice people to take care of the boy.  J. Zemaitis‘ son was fostered by a teacher O. Liubinaviciene-Ziaunyte who lived in Kaunas at that time.  Her father and brother lived in Baltakiai in Taurage county, so the son of chief of partisans would go there and J. Zemaitis would meet him.

Hereupon, Zebenkstis Team, headed by J. Zemaitis, because of frequent prosecution by the NKVD (Soviet Secret Police Agency) changed its title into Sernas (Wild boar‘s) Team. Moreover, in August 1946 in Zemaitija (Lower Lithuania) Kestutis Partisan District which united a larger part of partisan platoons of Zemaitija was established.

16 February 1947 under the order of the Commander of Kestutis Partisan District J. Kasperavicius-Visvydas, J. Zemaitis,  the chief of Volunteer Partisan Detachment at the time, was given an excellence award „For peculiar input in the area of organisation and for profound command”.

9 April 1947 the Commander of Kestutis Partisan District J. Kasperavicius suddenly died. In May of the same year, following the decision of all commanders of Lithuanian partisan detachments, J. Zemaitis was elected the commander of this detachment. Half a year later he was appointed the commander of a newly established Jura (Sea) Partisan Region.

The year 1948 was very complicated to partisans.  During eight months of the year almost 500 partisans, including 82 commanders, died. The NKVD arrested about one thousand five hundred partisan followers. Even then J. Zemaitis resolved to form Chief Partisan Underground Command. 10-12 July 1948 the Solid Struggle for Freedom Movement Organisation was established. The main area of location of this organisation was the woods of Duktas, not far from Radviliðkis.

The important event occurred to J. Zemaitis, who was living in the woods of Duktas at that time. In the Autumn 1948, he met the teacher Ona Liubinaviciene, his son‘s foster mother. Soviet Secret Police Agents made every effort to trace the commander of partisans. Being unable to find out the location of J. Zemaitis they decided to make use of his son Laimutis. As it was mentioned the boy was fostered by the teacher O. Liubinavicienë-Ziaunyte, living in Kaunas at that time.

J. Kimstas, the commander of Partisans of Northeast Lithuania who was recruited by the NKVD‘ists informed them as if J. Zemaitis had told him he did not meet Laimutis, for the son thought that his father was dead. It was a false message of course, but it made the NKVD‘ists cease looking for J. Zemaitis‘ son and the boy‘s foster mother  O. Liubinaviciene, bearing in mind the risks, didn‘t meet the commander of partisans. 

In November 1948 the Chief Command of Resistance of Lithuania was restored. Under establishment of the Movement of the Struggle for Freedom of Lithuania the long process of centralization of partisans was completed.

16 February 1949 J. Zemaitis-Vytautas was awarded the rank of General. He was elected the chairman of the Presidium of the Council, Movement of Struggle for Freedom of Lithuania and from 10 May 1950 - commander of the Armed Forces.

J. Zemaitis achieved a lot while uniting all partisans of Lithuania. His huge input resulted in six districts of partisans which contained 10 detachments and 120 partisan platoons, uniting almost 1000 partisans that were established at the end of 1951.

In the winter of 1951–1952 m. J. Zemaitis settled in the bunker of the Commander of Mindaugas Partisan Platoon Juozas Palubeckas-Simas, located in the woods of Simkaiciai, Jurbarkas district, nearby Pavidaujis village. J. Palubeckas-Simas himself and his sister Elena Palubeckaite-Liudas decided to settle in the bunker as well. The bunker was relatively small but well-camouflaged.  However, J. Zemaitis faced an illness: 4 December 1951 he suffered from paralytic stroke and was paralysed. He spent gloomy days in the bunker without any medical assistance. 

In April 1952 m. brother in arms of partisan commanders J. Palubeckas bought a nurse Marytë Ziliute-Eglute (Spruce) to the bunker. After some treatment J. Zemaitis recovered: he would go out of the bunker to have a breath of fresh air. Due to his better health he started liaising with commanders of partisan platoons again. 

However, the NKVD‘ists managed to trace the location of the commander of partisans. In February-March 1953 while combing the districts of Raseiniai and Jurbarkas they arrested several partisans’ signallers and found out J. Zemaitis’ location. 13 April 1953 by means of ambush, Pranas Narbutas-Rolandas, the chief of Property Section of Vaidotas Partisan Detachment was arrested. The NKVDists promised to release his fiancée Adolfina Rimsaite who was sentenced for 10 years to prison if he helps to arrest J. Zemaitis. Thus Narbutas became an agent of the NKVD and at the beginning of May met J. Palubeckas-Simas. During their second meeting in the woods J. Palubeckas-Simas was arrested.

J. Palubeckas was tortured by any means and was able to survive for seven days. Partisans kept to the rule that if a friend didn‘t come back in time, he might have been arrested or killed, so one had to leave the bunker.

J. Zemaitis was impatiently waiting for J. Palubeckas-Simas. As far as he did not return, J. Zemaitis together with Simas‘sister partisan E. Palubeckaite-Liudas and partisans’ nurse Ziliute decided to move to another bunker at night. However, it was too late. At 11 p.m. on 30 May the Czeckists threw a gas explosive devise into the bunker. All the partisans inside the bunker lost their consciousness. Thus they were taken out of the bunker, arrested and taken to the Czeckists‘ headquarters in Raseiniai.

The Czeckists thoroughly planned the operation of J. Zemaitis arrest and regulated with L. Berija himself. Following his order the General of partisans had to be arrested alive. The Czhekists of Lithuania and Moscow hoped that due to J. Zemaitis’ arrest all underground of partisans of Lithuania would be destroyed.

The commander of Lithuanian partisans was brought to Vilnius. Here started the last stage of his life. All parts of investigation were controlled by L. Berija, who was provided with necessary data by the Minister of Interior of the LTSR Vildziunas.

In June 1953 m. J. Zemaitis was transported to Moscow with special plane and was investigated by L. Berija himself. However, he was unable to break an obstinate Lithuanian.
After long-lasting investigation in June 1954, a secret court session of J. Zemaitis, J. Palubeckas, E. Palubeckaite and M. Ziliute was held. J. Zemaitis and J. Palubeckas were sentenced to death and E. Palubeckaitë and M. Ziliute were sentenced 20 years in prison. 
26 November 1954 at Butyrka Prison in Moscow J. Zemaitis was executed.  He was 45 years old. The commander of partisans refused to write a letter asking for mercy.  He wished to see his son before death but his wish was not satisfied-he was just shown the boy‘s photograph. 

When the court finished, the commander of partisans was given the last word. He said: “I, as well as the followers of mine, think that the Soviet Union with the armed forces invaded our country. I consider this behaviour of the Soviet Government unauthorised... All underground activities against the Soviet Government a participant of which I was I consider right and not illegal. I just want to stress that as much as I commanded to the Lithuanian Movement for Freedom I made every effort to keep to principles of humanism.  I didn‘t allow any brutal activities. I know what the sentence of the court will be. I still believe that the struggle I have led for nine years will bring its results”.

14 February 1997 J. Zemaitis was granted the 1st class Medal of Vytis Cross (after death). 26 January 1998 the President of the Republic of Lithuania signed the decree by which he was awarded Degree of Retired General.

20 November 1998 Lithuanian Military Academy was awarded Jonas Zemaitis’ name by the Minister of Defence.

11 March 2009 while commemorating the 19th Anniversary of the Act of 11th March the monument for Jonas Zemaitis-Vytautas, the chairman of the Presidium of the Council of Movement of Struggle for Freedom of Lithuania was solemnly erected and sanctified in the Pantheon of   Kaunas Vytautas Magnus Museum. 

12 March 2009 the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania accepted the Declaration where it was stated that from 16 February 1949, the date of acknowledgment of Declaration of the Council of Movement of Struggle for Freedom of Lithuania till his death, Jonas Zemaitis was the chief of the State, fighting against occupation, who actually officiated as the President of the Republic of Lithuania.

13 March 2009 while celebrating 100th Anniversary of the General of Partisans Jonas Zemaitis-Vytautas birth, the President of Lithuania Valdas Adamkus and the MAL Commandant Brigadier General Edvardas Maþeikis solemnly opened the bas-relief of Jonas Zemaitis at The General Jonas Zemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania.