Place of Lithuanian partisan fighting and death (Juozapavičiai village)

Partisans of the group of officer Antanas Juozapavičius are buried in this place.

Partisans of Officer Juozapavičius’ group in 1945 March. organized an ambush: at 3 o’clock between the villages of Stračiūnai and Barzdžiūnai, they shot down the Enkavedists driving seven carriages. Sakalas – Vincas Baltulionis (b. 1928 in Jonioniai village), Naikintuvas – Jurgis Barbatavičius (b. 1922 in Kudrėnai village), Tarzanas – Bronius Zakarevičius (b. 1925 in Papiškės village), Vorošilovas – Antanas took part in the fighting. Kleponis (b. 1915 in Levūnai village, who died during these battles), Savukas – Alfonsas Sukarevičius (b. 1923 in Leipalingis), Giržonas – Antanas Tamulionis (b. 1919 in Drapaliai village), Merkys – Balys Barinas (b. 1923 in Dubaklonis village), Beržinis – Bronius Tamkevičius (b. 1920 in Šlapikai village), Juodvarnis – Liudas Kibildis (b. 1924 in Janoniai village). During the battle, which lasted an hour, five enkavedists were killed.

1945 April 9 The partisans of Officer Juozapavičius’ platoon, divided into groups, camped in Varašiškės forest. At that time, in Vainiūnai village, the soldiers of the 97th Border Unit found a hideout in the Jonas Čmokas club and Antanas Čmokas, who was hiding in it.

1924 The detainee told the NKVD interrogator that Juozapavičius’ partisans were now hiding in the Sarkajiedai forest and had taken the army to that forest. About 10 p.m. a shootout broke out between the partisans and the army. At the dead partisan, NKVD soldiers found the text of the oath with 72 signatures. The arrested partisan told the interrogator that during the Battle of Panara, the partisans killed 5 Red Army soldiers at the Vilkiautinis cemetery. It was also learned that there were two women at the headquarters of the Juozapavičius platoon: Ona Erkelevičiūtė and Anelė Bražinskaitė from Krikštoniai village, who were caring for the injured. He told me, he drew the places of the bunkers in the forest of Rucea. 30-40 meters from the lake, between the bunkers and the lake, there is a small bale, it is surrounded by a road, from there to the west – on the side of the bunkers – a path meanders. Clothing is hidden in one bunker and weapons in another. The bunkers are dug apart within 20 meters. Next to them grows a tall lone pine. Other bunkers are on the Nemunas side, 25 meters from the road. The bunkers of the headquarters are located 2 km from Kibyšiai, in the Varašiškės forest, one kilometer from the lake. It cares for wounded partisans.

Excerpt from Bronius Kašelionis’ book “DAINAVA PARTISANS Šarūnas team documents and memories” http://www.partizanai.org/failai/html/Dainavos-partizanai-saruno-rinktine.htm