| Abstract [eng] |
The material for this article have been collected for more than a decennial. A huge amount of books, periodicals and documents kept by the Lithuanian Central State Archives was investigated. The study of the battle place in Radviliškis was done too. The collected materials were used for the lectures. In 2018, the topic was addressed during the young researchers’ conference dedicated to the centenary of the restoration of the Lithuanian statehood on April 19 at Šiauliai University and the international conference on history dedicated to the centenary of the Lithuanian Armed Forces on February 19 at General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania. The article is based on the discourse from the two lectures analyzing the casualties of the conflicting sides. Even though the fights against the Bermontians were widely investigated by the Lithuanian historiography, the researchers neither deepened their knowledge in the number of casualties given by commanders, nor compared them with the enemies’ casualties, nor evaluated the fighting sides’ potential in defence and offence. In the case of the Battle of Radviliškis, the classic military proportion 1 in defence against 3 in offence was simply inapplicable, however, the victory was achieved. The article provides the reasons and main circumstances that helped to defeat the Bermontians. It is noteworthy that the article does not analyze the battle itself, it estimates the overall context, statistics and considerations. A comprehensive analysis of the battle was done by historian Vytautas Lesčius 2 . The Lithuanian Armed Forces made a miracle in Radviliškis by defeating a well-experienced and equipped enemy in the First World War. The heavily-achieved victory boosted the Lithuanian servicemen’s motivation, huge spoils of war were moved towards Kaunas and, consequently, now the Lithuanian society has an independent state capable of defending itself and its citizens. |
