# Territorial Unit (Lithuania)

A Territorial Unit (Lithuanian: Rinktinė) was a type of Lithuanian partisan military unit that existed from the end of 1944 to 1954, who fought against the second Soviet occupation of Lithuania. Instead of destroyed or disintegrated units, new ones were founded, often with different names.
Due to the difficulties of guerrilla warfare, as well as for tactical reasons, the territorial units' boundaries changed, so, depending on the case, they operated in one county, a part of thereof, or several neighboring counties. Sometimes territorial units were transferred from one military district to another. Territorial units, thought not all, published their own press.

## Beginning

The first territorial units were formed in Southern and Eastern Lithuania at the end of 1944. At the beginning of the partisan war in Lithuania, some territorial units formed and operated independently (e.g. Perkūnas, Deer, Vytautas in the Tauras military district).

## Composition

A territorial unit was made up of several squads, companies, battalions, districts. Most frequently, it included several companies. In turn, several territorial units made up a military district (Lithuanian: Apygarda). After the founding of the Lithuanian Freedom Fighters Union in 1949, a territorial unit was composed of several homelands (Lithuanian: Tėvūnija).
Territorial units differed in the number of fighters (from roughly 50 to about 200 people). Sometimes, they were 700-strong. They were active anywhere from several to 8 years.

## Command

The military district's commander appointed the territorial unit's commander. The people chosen were either staff officers or distinguished commanders of companies or other formations. Generally, these were Lithuanian army officers and school teachers.

## List of territorial units

The following territorial units were active at various times:
Territorial Units (TU) :
| Formation name | Date created | Date formation ceased to exist | Part of Military District (MD) | Notable battles | Notes |
| Duke Margis | May 1947 | Autumn 1950 | Algimantas | | |
| Šarūnas | January 1945 | November 1950 | Algimantas | | |
| Green | March 1946 | November 1953 | Algimantas | Ažagai | |
| Dzūkai | June 1945 | 16 August 1954 | A or Algirdas MD; since May 1946: Dainava MD | | |
| Šarūnas | April 1945 | 26 December 1951 | A or Algirdas MD; since May 1946: Dainava MD | Liepakojai, Kalniškės | |
| Iron Wolf | May 1945 | August 1946 | A or Algirdas MD; since May 1946: Dainava MD | | |
| Merkys | June 1945 | September 1947 | A or Algirdas MD; since May 1946: Dainava MD | Varčios Forest, Liberation of Merkinė | |
| Kazimieraitis | 25 September 1945 | February 1952 | A or Algirdas MD; since May 1946: Dainava MD | | A |
| A | December 1945 | September 1948 | Grand Fight | | A |
| B | 1 December 1945 | 25 November 1950 | Grand Fight | | A |
| Krikštaponis | 20 April 1949 | January 1951 | Vytis | | |
| Moose | 20 April 1949 | January 1951 | Vytis | | |
| Gediminas | January 1951 | 17 April 1953 | Vytis | | |
| Falcon | 23 May 1945 | July 1945 | Vytautas | | |
| Tiger | 20 November 1944 | June 1952 | Vytautas | Kiauneliškis | |
| Bear | 15 December 1944 | April 1951 | Vytautas | Antazavė Pinewood | |
| Lion | June 1946 | May 1952 | Vytautas | | |
| Tumas-Vaižgantas | November 1950 | October 1952 | Vytautas | | |
| Iron Wolf | October 1945 | April 1953 | Tauras | Būdininkai, Palios–Žuvintas, Raišupis | |
| Žalgiris | 15 August 1945 | July 1952 | Tauras | Opšrūtai | |
| Vytautas | 25 June 1945 | 21 January 1952 | Tauras | | |
| Gediminas | April 1945 | August 1946 | Tauras | | |
| Birutė | 24 September 1947 | 28 February 1949 | Tauras | | |
| Šarūnas | January 1945 | November 1950 | Tauras | | |
| Patrimpas | August 1945 | 22 October 1945 | Tauras | | |
| Kęstutis | 1947 | 1949 | Tauras | | |
| Seinai | July 1945 | July 1946 | Tauras | | |
| Altar | September 1946 | 8 July 1948 | Kęstutis | | |
| Butigeidis | July 1948 | 13 June 1954 | Kęstutis | | |
| Vaidotas | Summer 1946 | 5 August 1953 | Kęstutis | | |
| Lydis | Early 1945 | July 1947 | Kęstutis | | |
| Naras | December 1946 | July 1947 | Kęstutis | | |
| LLA's March district | 1945 | 1946 | Kęstutis | | |
| Amber | February 1948 | March 1949 | Kęstutis | | |
| Weasel | 22 July 1945 | Late 1951 | Kęstutis | Pyragiai | |
| Squirrel | October 1946 | May 1952 | Resurrection | | |
| Vytautas the Great | January 1946 | April 1948 | Resurrection | | |
| Lithuanian Green | April 1948 | November 1950 | Resurrection | | |
| Lukšys | March 1946 | March 1953 | Resurrection | | |
| Alka | October 1945 | 1949 | Žemaičiai | | |
| Sword | 15 November 1945 | 1953 | Žemaičiai | | |
| Šatrija | August 1945 | March 1953 | Žemaičiai | | |