This Red Army infantry school evacuated to Vitebsk when Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941. On the way, a few times the cadets engaged with the advancing Germans. Many Lithuanian cadets deserted and on occasion joined the anti-Soviet June Uprising. A report from 15 July stated that 403 men could not be accounted for. Based on incomplete data, three Lithuanian officers and 12 cadets died during the retreat. There is some evidence that three men were executed by the Soviets (Alfonsas Gricius, Vytautas Cijūnėlis, Vaclovas Levūnas). The school later moved to Stalinsk (Novokuznetsk) and continued to train the remaining cadets. The graduates later joined the 16th "Lithuanian" Rifle Division.