Woman hiding Ramanauskas-Vanaga – over curtains and the rage of an armed “link” on common afternoons

The 93-year-old woman who defeated the coronavirus is probably one of the last people to contribute to the commander, the man, in 2018. The form of struggle recognized by the Seimas as head of the Lithuanian state.

Together with her husband Vaclov, she protected a fighter who was searching for the 50 best Soviet security agents.

There was no bunker in the house.

As Arvydas Anušauskas writes in his book I am a hawk, the partisan commander has lived in the village of Gečialaukis with his family since 1954. autumn until 1955 May, when he moved to Alytus, to Petras Bruzgas, with whom O. Jovaišienė also introduced him .

The life of O. Jovaišies is like the whole post-war history of Lithuania. She herself went into hiding for two years when her parents were taken away and was only able to legalize and return to her parents’ home after giving a bribe. One brother participated and died in 1949, another was exiled to Siberia, and a third withdrew to Brazil.

“Adolfas Ramanauskas-Vanagas was brought to us by Jovaišis Morkus, who lived in Meškasalis, my distant relative. At that time, the commander was no longer in command of the combatants. Although my brother was a partisan, I did not see the commander. We accept even though we lived in poverty. 1950 we were married and we still haven’t had time to live. However, Vanaga was strongly supported by his followers. My husband went to the hired place and had food. As far as I know, he was supported by some people from Butrimonys, ”recalls O. Jovaišienė and says that at first everyone ate at one table and then Ramanauskas prepared the food separately. Daughter Auksutė lived here for a very short time.

There were no bunkers or hiding places, everyone lived in the house. Ramanauskas slept in one room and Jovaiša in the other. It was winter, long afternoons. When the curtains were drawn, everyone was sitting at the game table.

“They fasted and prayed with my husband,” Ona recalls.

I stayed with the commissioner

Adolf also helped with the agricultural work, although the tense moments were not lacking. The local representative Vorobjov, who lived in Nemunaitis, was a few kilometers from Jovaišas. The hawk came back from somewhere with a bicycle, near the hamlet he still asked “the hostess, everything is fine”, but the hostess was already alarmed and told him that she was a representative. Then he just walked through the next entrance and didn’t meet the militiaman.

It is not known what would have happened if the police officer had seen the officer. However, it is very likely that he had not met him and would have been satisfied with the explanation that a distant relative is in public.

“Even when Ramanauskas was arrested, when the commissioner found out that she had slept with him, it was frustrating,” laughs the partisan supporter, saying that he was not afraid because he was young and brave. Even when the security guards approached them to search the commander, they already knew what his belongings were left at the farm.

“It just came to our knowledge then. People didn’t come either. If he went anywhere, then with a bicycle and for a short time. When he came back, he immediately looked for an ambush. We lived wonderfully. He was a true Lithuanian,” says Ona, and says that if someone entered before Vanagas arrived, they were only traitors and provocateurs.

Provokatorius ryšininkas

“Once Mažeika arrived, who introduced himself as a liaison officer and started shooting in the rooms. It was Easter and we were about to leave at that time. We sat down and left, although we did not even know if we would find a house when we returned. Later, the same person shot his friend, ”said O. Jovaišienė.

On the other hand, there were coincidences that helped and fate. Anne’s cousins, when she had been in hiding for two years, took her to the head of the Alove garrison. Lard and homemade vodka were added to the beetles. Turns out he was transporting people that day and miraculously managed to escape exile. On the contrary, after two years in hiding, the boss allowed him to return to his parents’ house, from where they were deported. All you had to do was check in every other day. In addition, the relatives signed that they were responsible.

O. Jovaišienė says that he saw weapons in Vanaga, but did not pay attention to them. The uniform commander did not crawl. When he embraced the fugitive, he was already waiting for his daughter Irena.

It hasn’t been long

Although Vanagas had lived in Gečialaukis for quite some time, when the owners realized that the neighbors had already seen it, they agreed that they had to go elsewhere. Although, as you guessed it, Ona, maybe people hadn’t complained. There was no way to hide without going out and avoiding outside gazes. Outside toilet, well water. You want not to want to be not alone in the house.

“He firmly believed that the Americans would come and comply. He did not tell us about his future or about moving to the West. If they had not betrayed him, he would have gone into hiding,” recalls O. Jovaišienė, saying that it was not safe to listen to the radio and that they and her husband Vaclov hid in a potato cellar and listened to western radio stations.

Later, during the search, the security guards also found chess carved by A. Ramanauskas-Vanags, placed in a box of machine gun ammunition, and checkers.

Collective potatoes

Before moving to Alytus, Ramanauskas wanted to save food. Vaclovas bought the pig and, working as a foreman on the collective farm, he continued to load potatoes and place those bags near the warehouse. They brought him with him at night with Adolf and he was able to fatten the spy for a while.

When the family went into hiding in Alytus, they kept in contact with the Brūzgas family. I kept coming back to ask if I needed it. He also lived there without a bunker. The family knew that he was hiding the partisan commander, although they later denied it in court. A. Ramanauskas-Vanagas did not hide it from the sponsors. Out of the need to earn a living, Adolf and his wife embroidered handicrafts that Ona sold at the local market.

A. Ramanauskas-Vanagas did not speak of partisanship with Jovaišas. Furthermore, the people of these lands did not know him, because while he was fighting his place of deployment was in another land.

Partisan brother

But the partisan life of a woman was closely familiar to me. His brother Antanas died in the forest after spending three years in the service.

“When my brother Antanas was betrayed, Alove left six fighters on the pavement. He was the platoon commander. He probably shot himself. I admitted that he was my brother. These were some of the last supporters in this region, ”says O. Jovaišienė and says that no one knows who betrayed them.

In the forest, the brother was brief. In 1945 he was taken to the army, he served in Kaunas in the labor battalion, but he fled with a friend. He hid with his neighbors until local partisan commanders approached his parents and said, “What are you doing here? Come to us. “Since 1946 Antanas went out into the forest. Known rarely. Parents were exiled, Ona, who managed to escape while transporting the family to Siberia, also hid. To take a bath, to ask for uniform arrangements, they came to The party During that year, the sister and brother met only a few times.

“He kept saying his fate was clear, but he didn’t know what it would be like for me,” he recalls terrible times.

The sister found where her brother was buried (the stirrups simply buried the dead in the waiting room, but they couldn’t carry them), the worms swarmed under a thin layer of earth. The body could not be pulled out and buried straight.

“It just came to our attention then. For example, one of the Student partisans, who participated in the assault on Merkinė, was highly respected by Vanagas, but was shot by the partisans themselves for the murder of innocent people. He was in the same platoon. that my brother and left the bunker two hours before the platoon died. There are several thoughts “, – O. Jovaišienė finds it difficult to put his words into it, but when asked if the times would turn, he hid the partisan commander again, without doubting it answered “yes”.

Security searches

When A. Ramanauskas-Vanagas and his wife in 1956 He was arrested in Kaunas and the security guards also came to Jovaišas. Ona was pregnant, so her husband Vaclov had to endure questioning and trials. Times softened and the family had no major consequences, only the man’s photo was thrown from the honor board of the collective farm and the family was condemned in all deliberations. They were not sent to the camps.

As Vaclovas Jovaiša (pregnant Ona did not call to testify) said about A. Ramanauskas-Vanagas in court: “I accepted after coming several times. He said he was hiding from Soviet power. I accepted it because I felt sorry for my sick daughter. “

However, the surname of Vanagas did not leave Jovaišas. The eldest daughter, Irena, who expected A. Ramanauskas-Vanagas to hide with them, became Vanagiene. Ona jokes that when Adolf came to hide with them, she offered to become Jovaišas, but it turned out that it was Vanagas’s last name that came into her family.