Lietuvos kariuomenės istorija. Tomas 1, Nuo sukūrimo iki sunaikinimo, 1918-1941

• LKA leidinių archyvas (Dalis 1): knygos tekstas
• LKA leidinių archyvas (Dalis 2): knygos tekstas

LTŠio leidinio autorius supranta, kad į Lietuvos kariuomenės vestus karo veiksmus ir kitus įvykius racionalu būtų žvelgti remiantis visame regione vykusių karų, konfliktų, politinių įvykių kontekstu, detaliai išnagrinėti priešininkų veiksmus, tačiau dėl didelės darbo apimties regioniniai įvykiai ar Lietuvos priešininkų veiksmai bus apžvelgti tik fragmentiškai, visą dėmesį skiriant Lietuvos Respublikos sienų ribose vykusiems įvykiams. Monografijos I tomo tikslas – pasitelkus lyginamąjį, mokslinės literatūros bei dokumentų analizės, lyginamąjį istorinio tyrimo bei istoriografinės analizės aprašomąjį bei šaltinių ir literatūros gretinimo metodus, remiantis esama istoriografija bei archyviniais šaltiniais, pateikti kuo visapusiškesnę Lietuvos kariuomenės istoriją nuo jos kūrimo pradžios 1918 m. iki jos likvidavimo 1940 metais. Skaitytojų patogumui monografijos tekstas suskirstytas į aštuonis skyrius, kurie padalyti į mažesnius teminius poskyrius. Sudėtingoje Lietuvos kariuomenės istorijoje yra nemažai temų, faktų ir reiškinių, kurie provokuoja norą diskutuoti apie galimas alternatyvas, tačiau autorius bandys pateikti faktus tik taip, kaip buvo, o ne kaip galėjo būti. Juo labiau kad diskusijų galima rasti minėtų kitų autorių darbuose [p. 19].

ENAfter the third division of the joint Lithuanian-Polish state, in 1795, as one half of the Republic of Both Nations, Lithuania fell to the Russian Empire, and the name Lithuania was erased from world maps for a long time then after. The First World War, which began on the 28th of July 1914, also affected Lithuania and its fate. Although Lithuania did not directly participate in the war, Lithuanian residents took part in the hostilities as battles took place on the territory of Lithuania; therefore, Lithuania felt the consequences of the war from the very first days of the conflict. In 1915, the nation was occupied by the German army, and Germany decided to turn Lithuania into a constituent part of its state, which did not satisfy the Lithuanian nation. Lithuanians sought to restore an independent state, and Germany’s failures on the fronts allowed it to be achieved. After the decision on the restoration of the state of Lithuania was made on the 16th of February 1918, after the declaration of the Act of Independence of Lithuania, only in the second half of 1919, when the German army suffered heavy defeats on the fronts and after Germany announced on the 5th of October 1918, that its occupied nations had the right to create their own states and form governments. On the 2nd of November, the Presidium of the Council of State of Lithuania adopted the Provisional Constitution of Lithuania, and on the 11th of November, the Lithuanian government was formed based on it. When the government was formed, favourable conditions were created to start organising the Lithuanian army.The Lithuanian army was created in extremely difficult conditions – overcoming the severe consequences of the First World War and the Kaiser’s occupation, and, at the beginning of 1919, with the support of Germany and the army that was being created at the same time, fighting against numerous internal and external enemies: the Red Army of Soviet Russia, the Bermontians formed and supported by Germany and the Polish army, which had restored its independence but pursued imperialist ambitions. At the end of 1918 and at the beginning of 1919, Soviet Russia did not recognise the independent state of Lithuania; rather, as it was treated, it fought with counter-revolutionary groups in the former territory of the Russian Empire, that it was the same civil war that was going on in Russia at that time between the Bolsheviks and the White Guards. At the end of 1918, when the units of the Red Army invaded the territory of Lithuania, Lithuania did not yet have the strength to resist; therefore, the Red Army occupied a large territory of Lithuania, and only the German army stopped their further advance. Meanwhile, Lithuanian military units were rapidly being organised, and the battles of the first military units against the Red Army can be described as a period of local battles supported by the Germans, because the Lithuanian army did not yet have the strength for larger battles. However, on the other hand, such activities of the Lithuanian army during the mentioned period were also useful because without getting involved in more complex operations, the Lithuanian army had some time in the centre and was able to organise itself better, or, at least, minimally equip itself and prepare for more serious military operations, together with the Germans, defending the centre of Lithuania. It prevented the Bolsheviks from fulfilling their plans to surround and capture Kaunas and defended the existence of the state itself.Since May 1919, the Lithuanian army, supported by Saxon volunteer units until the beginning of June, moved to an organised attack against the people of Red Army, which ended on the 25th of August with their expulsion beyond the Daugava River and the actual victory over the people of Red Army, although the positional war was still going on until January 1920. It should be noted that, at the same time, Latvian and Estonian armies also carried out active combat actions against the people of Red Army. In addition, the troops of the Red Army operating in Lithuania were not under the authority of a single commander. The Red Army units operating in Northern Lithuania belonged to the commander of the Soviet Latvian army. Pskov, the so-called Lithuanian division, belonged to the commander of the Western army. Interrelationships between those divisions were tenuous. The mood of the regiments of the Red Army was not combative. Almost all the regiments were formed in haste and consisted of mobilised Russians and soldiers of other nationalities, who were poorly equipped, and the soldiers had no desire to fight. On the 1st of June, 1919, after the Supreme Council of the Entente demanded the withdrawal of German troops from the Baltic States, Germany formally obeyed; however, Germany did not intend to leave the Baltic States. They planned to replace German military units with Russian military units formed in Germany. In June 1919, a group formed by Germany, led by Colonel P. Bermont-Avalov, announced that they recognised the supremacy of Admiral A. Kolchiak, the commander-in-chief of the Russian White Guards, and obeyed him; however, when the latter demanded to go to the front near Petrograd, they refused to do so. [...].