Jonas Žemaitis

Jonas Zemaitis - Vytautas ( born March 15, 1909 in Palanga, † November 26, 1954 in Moscow, Butirka jail) was commander in chief of the armed forces of the Lithuanian resistance, with the rank of brigadier general. Posthumously, he was recognized as the de facto President of Lithuania.

Biography

Jonas Zemaitis grew up in Raseiniai, where he attended the Progymnasium Raseiniai. In 1929 he graduated from the Military School in Kaunas and 1936-1938 he studied (65 km south of Paris, France) at the Ecole d'Artillerie de Fontainebleau. He was awarded where the rank of captain.

On February 16, 1949, he was Chairman of the Presidium of the Council of the newly established resistance movement LLKS ( Lietuvos Laisvės kovos Sąjūdis ) and supreme commander of the armed forces of the resistance movement to December 1951 ( and again from spring to 30 May 1953. ). In December 1951, he suffered a brain hemorrhage, as a result, he was paralyzed and had to hide. On May 30 in 1953 hiding place was betrayed, Zemaitis was transferred to Moscow and executed in the Butirka 1954.

Memory

Since 20 November 1998, the Lithuanian Military Academy ( Lietuvos karo akademija ) bears his name ( Generolo Jono Žemaičio Lietuvos karo akademija ). The Lithuanian Post honored him in January 2009 with a special stamp. On 12 March 2009 he was recognized by the Lithuanian Seimas as head of state for the period of 16 February 1949 until his death, he is now regarded as the fourth President of the Republic ..