Juozas Survila

Juozas Survila, also known by the codename Šarūnas (27 April 1921 – 9 March 1947) was a Lithuanian anti-Soviet partisan who served as the second-in-command of Danielius Vaitelis, the commander of the Vytis military district.

Biography

Juozas Survila was born on 27 April 1921 in the village of Gružos in the present-day Ukmergė District Municipality to a family of affluent farmers. Survila is said to have graduated from a vocational school and studied at a technical school.[1] On 16 February 1944, he became a cadet of the Lithuanian Territorial Defense Force's war school in Marijampolė. After the school was closed down by German authorities on 15 May, Survila returned to his home village. Survila went into hiding to the Gružos forest along with his brother Vincas and other neighbours in the autumn. In November 1944, Survila joined the partisan squad of Petras Žeruolis (a former viršila who organized resistance in the forest with his brother). The squad was composed of residents of nearby villages and farmsteads.[2] Survila's brother Vincas died in a battle with the NKVD on 2 November 1944.[3]

Upon the creation of the Vytis military district in December 1944, Survila became part of the district's main headquarters.[4] In April 1945, Survila was appointed as the head of a partisan squad comprising around 60 men. According to NKVD reports, Survila's squad was one of the most active squads under the command of Danielius Vaitelis.[5] In February 1946, Survila became the deputy of Vaitelis.[6][7] In April 1946, Survila and Vaitelis formed a new partisan group around Deltuva. Survila's squad engaged the NKVD on 10 April 1946 in the village of Varžos. In September 1946, the squad attacked the town of Siesikai, burning down an NKVD building and killing a few Soviet activists.[3] Survila is also known to have had ties with the priest Alfonsas Svarinskas since 1945.[8]

Survila died on 9 March 1947 in the village of Baravykai during an engagement with the MGB.[7][9] His remains were desecrated in Šalnos and Taujėnai. It is believed that he is buried near Siesikai.[3]

Remembrance

Survila was recognised as a soldier-volunteer and awarded the rank of senior non-commissioned officer in 2005.[3]

References

  1. ^ Kaunietis, Romas (1998). Aukštaitijos partizanų prisiminimai. II dalis, 1 knyga. Vaga. p. 355. ISBN 5-415-01338-5.
  2. ^ Kasparas, Kęstutis (1999). Lietuvos karas (PDF). Kaunas: Lietuvos politinių kalinių ir tremtinių sąjunga. p. 201. ISBN 9986-577-28-4.
  3. ^ a b c d Trimonienė, Rūta. "Juozas Survila-Šarūnas". partizanai.org. Retrieved 24 April 2025.
  4. ^ Gaidelis, Povilas (2019). 100 širdžių – ant tėvynės laisvės kovų aukuro. Vilnius: Briedis. p. 379. ISBN 9789955266716.
  5. ^ Kaunietis, Romas (1998). Aukštaitijos partizanų prisiminimai. II dalis, 1 knyga. Vaga. p. 23. ISBN 5-415-01338-5.
  6. ^ Savickienė, Daiva. "Vyčio apygarda. Pirmieji kovotojai, nepasitraukę iki galo". sekunde.lt. Retrieved 24 April 2025.
  7. ^ a b Trimonienė, Rūta. "Juozas Survila". vle.lt. Retrieved 24 April 2025.
  8. ^ Kasparas, Kęstutis (1999). Lietuvos karas (PDF). Kaunas: Lietuvos politinių kalinių ir tremtinių sąjunga. p. 481. ISBN 9986-577-28-4.
  9. ^ Slivinskas, Vaclovas (2014). Partizano Balčio dienoraštis, laiškai ir eilėraščiai (PDF). Vilnius: Lietuvos gyventojų genocido ir rezistencijos tyrimo centras. p. 28. ISBN 978-609-8037-38-8.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.