Page 157 - Journal of Special Operations Medicine - Spring 2017

Opposition to Soviet Rule in Lithuania, 1945–1980

Remeiki, Thomas. Opposition to Soviet Rule in Lithuania, 1945–1980. Chicago, IL: Institute of Lithuanian
Studies Press; 1980. Hardback, 680 pages. ASIN: B0006COSGE.
Review by COL (Ret) Warner “Rocky” D. Farr, MD, MPH

s US and other NATO forces stream into the Bal- bands, see Operation Rollback. America’s Secret War
2
Atic States on maneuvers, while looking over their Behind the Iron Curtain. One huge limiting factor was
shoulder at the Ukraine, the Baltic States, now proud ammunition, which slowly decayed. Some members of
NATO Alliance members, feel encouraged and this these resistance movements and others originating from
book is again timely. It is an analysis the Baltic States left and migrated to America. Like the
of dissent and rebellion in Lithuania Finns, some left their mark on American Special Forces,
from the outset of Soviet aggression see MG Shachnow’s book, Hope and Honor. For a
3
and occupation in World War II to book on the resistance in Estonia, see Mart Laar’s book,
the time of the book’s publication War in the Woods. He later became prime minister of
4
in 1980. It focuses on national and an independent Estonia. The very last Forest Brother did
religious concerns, written 10 years not give up the fight until 1995! 5
before Lithuania became the first So-
viet republic to declare independence The book is a tome, 680 pages. The first section covers
from the then decaying, soon to be the partisan war from World War II to 1952, followed
former Soviet Union. The author, a Lithuanian native by “covert nationalism” from 1953 to 1970, and then
with a PhD from the University of Illinois, has been a the more public opposition of the 1970s. The last 500 or
prolific author ever since this book was published, now so pages are a collection of documents from and about
concentrating on Soviet human right violations in the the guerrilla forces. It includes orders, bulletins, propa-
Baltic States. ganda, declarations, directives, and “Bulletin of a Pas-
sive Resistance Center.” It shows their transition from
When World War II began, the three independent Baltic fighters to underground resisters. Also include is a sec-
States—Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia—first fought the tion on the help provided by the catholic church, similar
invading Soviet army from the east, then the invading to the church helping the Polish labor union, Solidarity.
Nazi army from the west, and then the reinvading So-
viet army again from the east. This spirited resistance This hardcover book, 680 pages, cost me $10.00 on the
did not stop in 1945 but continued into the 1950s or Internet. Cheap at half the price! As guerrilla/unconven-
later as a resistance moment with guerrilla forces (called tional warfare continues to rise again in importance, it
the “The Forest Brothers,”), an auxiliary, and an under- is time to start your own library.
ground. The resistance forces was actually encouraged
by the Germans, who let many Baltic soldiers fade away References
to join the resistance at the end of the war and the Allies
drew a distinction between SS and Baltic SS: “The Baltic 1. Letter from Harry N. Rosenfield, Acting Chairman of United
Waffen SS Units are to be considered as separate and dis- States Displaced Persons Commission, to Mr. Johannes Kaiv,
tinct in purpose, ideology, activities, and qualifications Acting Consul General of Estonia, in re memorandum from
the Estonian Committee in the United States zone of Germany
for membership from the German SS, and therefore the on the question of former Estonian Legionnaires seeking ad-
Commission holds them not to be a movement hostile mission to the United States under the Displaced Persons Act,
to the Government of the United States under Section as amended. September 13, 1950. Downloaded 19 February
1
13 of the Displaced Persons Act, as amended.” As time 2017: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest_Brothers
went on, the expected help from the Central Intelligence 2. Grose, Peter. Operation Rollback. America’s Secret War Behind
the Iron Curtain. Houghton Mifflin Company: Boston, 2000.
Agency did not materialize and the resistance slowly 3. Shachnow, Sid and Robbins, Jann. Hope and Honor. A Tom
shifted from guerrilla warfare to propaganda, sabotage, Doherty Associates Book: New York, 2004.
and covert political activity. For a good overview of 4. Laar, Mart. War in the Woods. Howells House: London, 1992.
all CIA plans concerning penetrating the Warsaw Pact 5. Downloaded 19 February: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest
countries and helping surviving World War II guerrilla _Brothers.

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