Memories of volunteer, junior non-commissioned officer Zaranka about the Independence Struggles
The memoirs of the junior non-commissioned officer Zaranka describe the battles against the Bolsheviks, Poles, and Bermontites. The memoirs describe the motives of the battles, and much attention is paid to the description of the daily life of the war and combat actions.
The memoirs tell about Zaranka's decision to volunteer for the Lithuanian army, show everyday life in the barracks, write about food for soldiers from a common cauldron, sleeping on benches, reveal the experience of the first guard, emphasize that not all soldiers and officers speak Lithuanian, describe the capture of Ramygala without battles. According to Zaranka, the soldiers went from village to village, and the residents they met treated them to sausages and milk. The experience of the battles is described through the shots and artillery fire experienced, after which the Bolsheviks open fire and retreat, and Lithuanian soldiers enter the village and search for the Bolsheviks.
The memoirs tell of a suspected Bolshevik spy who was beaten and kicked. It is also mentioned that Bolsheviks were beaten and shot without trial during the war. Much attention is paid to describing violent images, including the shooting of a Bermont train, the lack of ammunition in battles with Bermont, and battles in Vilnius and Eastern Lithuania against L. Želigovskis' units.
- YOUNG MID-TERM ZARANKA, My memories from the war with the Bolsheviks, Bermontites and Poles, Karys, 1923-07-19, No.29 (217), p.335 -340;
- YOUNG MID-TERM ZARANKA, My memories from the war with the Bolsheviks, Bermontites and Poles, Karys, 1923-07-26, No.30 (218), pp.348 – 352;
- YOUNG. PUSK. ZARANKA, My memories from the war with the Bolsheviks, Bermontites and Poles, Karys, 1923-08-01, No.31 (219), pp.360 – 363.
