The problem of lawlessness in the disciplinary battalion of the Lithuanian army in Varniai 1921–1922

Santraukos pranc. ir anglų k. p. 381-382Based on abundant and published archival material, the article analyses how the lawlessness of the military leadership in the Disciplinary battalion of the Lithuanian Armed Forces deployed in the remote country town of Varniai in 1921-1922 were investigated. This unit had been specifically intended for disciplining and training politically unreliable soldiers and soldiers guilty of minor offenses. A tight schedule, forced labour, physical fitness exercises and arrest were considered as legitimate discipline methods. At the same time, unsanctioned corporal punishment (beatings, imprisonment in cramped cages, hanging from hooks with tied hands) was widely practiced and formalized, and often turned into open mockery. In the middle of 1921, information about such practices, mainly in the form of anonymous complaints, reached the Ministry of Defence. The Ministry took immediate measures to investigate and normalise the situation. Several special inspectors visited Varniai until the middle of 1922 and questioned the victims and witnesses, and gathered a lot of controversial material. Based on that, criminal proceedings were initiated in court against Lieut. J. Nevronis, the commander of the Disciplinary battalion. Nevronis was found guilty of tolerating the illegal discipline methods of soldiers and he was subsequently imprisoned for four months. This ended his military career. Although the lawlessness in the Disciplinary battalion in 1921-1922 did not turn into a huge public scandal, it was definitely a very serious lesson for the emerging Lithuanian army. A problem of such magnitude did not recur in the futureIstorijos katedraVytauto Didžiojo universiteta