Tautinio Darbo Apsaugos Batalionas Tautinio Darbo Apsaugos Batalionas ( TDA ) was organized by the Provisional Government of Lithuania in 1941 as basis for future independent Lithuanian Army , but Nazi authorities soon reorganized the battalion into auxiliary police ( Lithuanian Hilfspolizei ) . Members of the TDA were known by many names such as ' nationalists ' , ' rebels ' , ' partisans ' , ' police ' or ' resistance fighters ' and took part in mass killings of the Jews during the Holocaust . Formation . As Nazi Germany declared war on the Soviet Union and invaded Lithuania , the Provisional Government of Lithuania declared independence on June 23 , 1941 . Lithuanians hoped to restore independent Lithuania that existed before the Soviet occupation or at least obtain some autonomy from Nazi Germany . In an effort to re - establish Lithuanian Army , the Provisional Government announced formation of the TDA in Kaunas on June 28 . Plans for such a formation were made as early as March 24 , 1941 . TDA wore a white armband with black letters TDA on their sleeves . Andrius Butkūnas became the first commander of the newly formed battalion . The original goals of the formation were to protect strategic objects ( like bridges or railways ) , guard Soviet prisoners of war , establish general order in Kaunas and in the vicinity . By July 4 , 724 men , mostly former Lithuanian soldiers and partisans fighting in the June Uprising against the retreating Soviets , responded to the announcement and signed up for the battalion . By the end of July , seven companies were formed . At the time of its formation TDA was the only armed and organized group in Kaunas and Nazi authorities took advantage of it . Activities . Executions of Jews . According to a July 6 report by Karl Jäger , commander of Einsatzgruppe A , two companies of TDA were assigned to duties related to mass murders of Jews : one was to guard and execute Jews at the Seventh Fort of the Kaunas Fortress and another was assigned to Einsatzkommando . According to extensive post - war investigations by Soviet authorities , as executions of Jews grew in number more companies of TDA were involved in the murders . In light of such developments TDA started losing its members : between July 5 and July 11 , 117 members resigned . Commander of the 1st company , which was especially frequently involved in the executions , committed suicide on July 12 . The 3rd company was assigned to the notorious Rollkommando Hamann commanded by Joachim Hamann and Bronius Norkus . The unit committed mass murders of Jews in the countryside . Based on the Jäger Report , members of TDA murdered about 26 , 000 Jews between July and December 1941 . Reorganizations . During the night between July 23 and 24 , some members of the TDA were involved in attempted coup against the Provisional Government . The coup , organized by members of the Iron Wolf Association and supported by German Gestapo , succeeded in replacing leadership of the TDA . Iron Wolf now could promote or dismiss various members of TDA . Commander Butkūnas was replaced by Kazys Šimkus . The Provisional Government dissolved itself on August 5 , 1941 . The following day Franz Lechthaler took over the command of all police units , including TDA . On August 7 , when TDA had 703 members , Lechthaler ordered the battalion to be reorganized into two battalions of auxiliary police or Hilfspolizei ( or PPT ) and renamed accordingly . During August three more battalions of PPT were formed . In October these five battalions were renamed to security battalions ( ) . Liquidation and persecution . In December , the five battalions were reorganized again : the 1st battalion became 13th , 2nd – 12th , and 3rd – 11th battalions of Lithuanian Self - Defence Units ( ) . In 1942 the new 13th battalion was reassigned to combat Soviet partisans near Pskov and Tver . The 13th battalion started retreating with losing Wehrmacht in 1944 . Its members were captured by Red Army or hid themselves in Lithuanian forests . Many members were persecuted by Soviet authorities for their anti - Soviet activities . Some were executed , others imprisoned in Gulags . Soviet investigations continued until 1979 , when the last execution was carried out in Minsk .