Lithuanian Territorial Defense Force

The Lithuanian Territorial Defense Force or LTDF (Lithuanian: Lietuvos vietinė rinktinė, LVR, German: Litauische Sonderverbände) was a short-lived Lithuanian volunteer armed force created and disbanded in 1944 during the German occupation of Lithuania. It was subordinate to the authorities of Nazi Germany. Its goal was to fight the approaching Red Army, provide security, and conduct anti-partisan operations within the territory, claimed by Lithuanians (see also Nazi German occupation of Lithuania, Generalbezirk Litauen of Reichskommissariat Ostland). LTDF had some autonomy and was staffed by Lithuanian officers, their most notable commander being Lithuanian General Povilas Plechavičius. LTDF quickly reached the size of about 10,000 men. After brief engagements against the Soviet and Polish partisans (Armia Krajowa), the force self-disbanded, its leaders were arrested and sent to concentration camps, and numerous of its members were executed by the Nazis. Many others were either drafted into other Nazi auxiliary services, or started forming an armed anti-Soviet resistance, also known as Forest Brothers. The Union of Soldiers of the Lithuanian Territorial Defense Force (Lietuvos vietinės rinktinės karių sąjunga), a veterans organization, was founded in 1997.