Feliksas Baltušis-Žemaitis

Feliksas Baltušis-Žemaitis

Major General F. Baltušis-Žemaitis
Nickname(s) Žemaitis
Born June 1, 1897
Died November 30, 1957(1957-11-30) (aged 60)
Allegiance Russian Empire Russian Empire
Soviet Union Soviet Union
Years of service 1915–1954
Rank Major General
Commands held Lithuanian Army
16th Lithuanian Rifle Division
Battles/wars World War I
Russian Civil War
Hamburg Uprising
World War II
Awards

2 Orders of the Red Star
2 Orders of Lenin

Various medals
Other work Military lecturer

Feliksas Baltušis-Žemaitis (Russian: Балтушис-Жемайтис Феликс Рафаилович, November 30, 1897 in Apydimai, Kovno Governorate – June 1, 1957 in Moscow) was a Soviet Lithuanian Red Army major general and lecturer/docent at the Frunze Military Academy in 1935–1940. Baltušis-Žemaitis briefly commanded the Lithuanian Army in 1940 during Lithuania's incorporation into the Soviet Union. He earned his Candidate of Military Sciences academic degree in 1940. He was also a senior lecturer at the USSR General Staff Academy during 1940–1941 and 1943–1945, and served as the chief of USSR Supreme Command Courses 1945–1947.

He was one of the Lithuanian officers of the army of the Russian Empire (Vytautas Putna, Ieronim Uborevich, Viktoras Penkaitis) who would later go on to serve in the Red Army. He participated in World War I, the Russian Civil War, the Hamburg Uprising, and World War II.

He was the only Lithuanian to have taught in the prestigious Frunze Military Academy and General Staff Academy (roughly equivalent to the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas or the British Army's Staff College, Camberley).

Timeline

Awards

In 1975 a statue of Baltušis-Žemaitis was built in Šiauliai, Lithuania. After Lithuania regained its independence in 1990, this statue was taken down from its prominent position. It currently stands in the exposition of Soviet sculpture garden in Grūtas Park.

References

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