The end of summer 1944 in Kaunas

The front, having reached the natural obstacle in our area – the Nemunas, stabilized somewhat. In general, the Bolsheviks advanced quite quickly. The Germans, having lost several pitched battles near Minsk, now lacked reserves to plug the gaps they had made. And in our sector – Prienai-Kruonis-Pakuonis-Kaunas – the German forces were very fluid: one anti-aircraft battery after another, a few tanks and machine gun nests located here and there. After several days of toil, the Bolsheviks built a bridge at Rumšiškės. The first Bolshevik infantry and tank units also managed to move. The Germans knocked out the bridge. A heavy battle ensued with the units that had moved. The Bolshevik tanks were destroyed by the German Tigers without a trace. The Red Army infantrymen showed extraordinary courage. With grenades ready to be thrown, a dozen or so soldiers would attack the tanks, shouting thunderously: "Vperiod, ura" (Forward, ura).

The Red Army managed to occupy the Pociūnai airfield. One Russian unit even reached the Bačkininkai thicket. Here the Germans surrounded them and destroyed them with flamethrower fire. Thus, those Bolshevik units, having moved across the first bridge, were liquidated. The Bolsheviks attracted Katyushas (cannons) to the right bank of the Nemunas and forced the Germans to withdraw from positions close to the Nemunas with intense fire. It was felt that the Germans were already preparing to leave these positions, this time their arbitrariness knew no bounds. Without any reason or suspicion, they set fire to empty homesteads left by residents with shots from tanks, broke fences, trees with tanks, destroyed gardens, uprooted fruit trees, bushes, and beehives. This had nothing to do with the tasks of an honorable soldier, but was similar to some terrible rampage of revenge.

What they had not managed to take away during the three years of occupation, they were now in a hurry to destroy on the spot, because they no longer had the strength to seize and take it away. The fields were full of pigs that the Germans had slaughtered. For some reason, they were now only taking hams for food. The other meat, although it was already smelling quite bad, was left for the Russian units to eat.

On July 24, the Bolsheviks again managed to build a pontoon bridge across the Nemunas, this time several dozen centimeters underwater so that enemy aircraft would not notice it. On July 25, the Bolsheviks were ready to cross the Nemunas again. At about ten o'clock in the morning, a squadron of ten German planes moved towards the Nemunas. They were met by extremely strong Russian anti-aircraft artillery, and heavy Russian destroyers immediately rushed to their aid. The German squadron, having not reached its goal (the new bridge) and having lost two planes, had to retreat. Bolshevik stormtroopers began to attack German Tigers (tanks). After a good hour of fighting, the Germans began to retreat. They were further pursued by the Russians from the air. The Bolsheviks began to cross the Nemunas in masses, some on the bridge, others in boats, others hugging simple logs. In their haste, many sank to the bottom, even without being shot. In the front lines, everyone was half-drunk, ragged, unwashed, armed with both German and Russian weapons. They had no kitchens, eating food left by the Germans, and there were women in these ranks who did not seem to have any remaining feminine marks: they were equally cursing, equally stealing, equally not recognizing any shyness, like all Red Army soldiers. However, everyone seemed extremely enthusiastic, intoxicated by their latest victories.

The Germans were preparing to leave Kaunas. They blew up a number of buildings that had previously housed some military troops or had some military significance. These unfortunate buildings included the building of the Physics and Chemistry Institute in Aleksotas, the Damijonaitis School (on Dariaus-Girėno Street), the monastery house that was also there, the railway station buildings, the power station switchboard, the Vailokaičiai House next to it, the telegraph telephone station, the railway depot workshops, the Petrašiūnai power station and a whole series of less notable buildings. The "Food" factory was also set on fire. "Giant clouds of smoke hung over Kaunas, turning its best buildings to ashes and testifying to the last rampage of the brown occupiers.

Various rumors were circulating in the countryside about the imminent onset of Bolshevik terror. Some rumors outstripped others. Some said that all residents who tried to fulfill the obligations imposed by the Germans would be shot, others said that all men who were not found in the ranks of the Red partisans would be shot.

The third, the most moderate, were content to announce that only those who had served in government institutions during the German occupation would be shot or exiled. To experience this, residents risked crossing the front lines to see how true the rumors were. When they returned, they reassured them that the Russians were not so terrible, even, on the contrary, quite friendly and friendly, just very tired. However, even after such reassurances, the residents remained indifferent; on Saturday night, which seemed certain that one "liberator" would be replaced by another, all the residents went into hiding, burying their belongings in the ground, moving out their huts, and themselves sleeping in pits and temporary bunkers.