June 1941 uprising: a fight for freedom between Soviet and Nazi occupation

Eighty-five years have passed since June 1941, when Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union, a Lithuanian uprising against Soviet rule began, and the Holocaust in Lithuania started, reports LRT.

Historians say the idea and goal of the uprising were noble—a quest for freedom—but the outcome was tragic. Instead of achieving liberty, some Lithuanians turned their weapons against parts of their own society.

“The Soviets were retreating, the Germans had not yet consolidated power, and the uprising was meant to fill that power vacuum,” said historian Dr. Dainius Noreika.

Adolfas Damušis, one of the organizers of the June uprising, recalled: “Our uprising had to happen before the Germans reached Vilnius and Kaunas.”

Preparations for the revolt had been underway for about six months, following the Soviet occupation and mass deportations. The shock of the June 14 deportations, in which the Soviets exiled 17,000 people, pushed many to act quickly to rid themselves of the occupying regime, historians note.

The rebels took control of major cities from the Soviets and freed several thousand imprisoned Lithuanians. “When war was declared, all our units, staffs, and organizations were ready. People were prepared for the uprising everywhere,” Damušis said.

According to participants and historians, although information was exchanged with the Germans at the time, there was no active collaboration. “This uprising was organized purely by Lithuanians living in Lithuania,” said Alfonsas Žaldokas, a participant in the June uprising.

“Lithuanians tried to use Germany more than Germany used the uprising,” Noreika added.

But one terror was replaced by another. Unlike the West, the Soviet-occupied Baltic states initially saw Germany as a liberator. The Provisional Government faced pressure and had to navigate carefully. “We were determined not to be their [the Germans’] executors,” Damušis stated.

Historians emphasize that the Nazis had no plans for an independent Lithuania. Some rebels joined the Nazis, others fled. The Provisional Government lasted only six weeks and two days.

On Tuesday, the idea of the uprising—to restore Lithuania’s independence—was commemorated, along with the hundreds who died. “The main goal of the June uprising was self-defense. It was an attempt by the nation-state to defend itself and partly rehabilitate for the lack of resistance in June 1940,” said historian Dr. Simonas Jazavita.

“The result of the uprising was more tragic. Part of the Lithuanians turned their weapons against a part of Lithuanian society—against Lithuanian Jews,” Noreika said.

Historical experiences from that time continue to divide society to this day. Historians argue that the events were not simply black and white.