Romualdas Marcinkus
Encyclopedia
Romualdas Marcinkus was a Lithuania
n pilot
. Marcinkus participated in an early trans-European flight on 25 June 1934, and was the only Lithuanian pilot to serve in the Royal Air Force
(RAF) during the Second World War. In his youth Romualdas Marcinkus was a Lithuanian multifold football champion and a playing coach for the Lithuania national football team
.
While serving in the Lithuanian Air Force, Marcinkus was a paratrooper
instructor, and headed the Aviation sport and physical education department, and during his later years coached a junior football team. After the Soviet occupation of Lithuania early in the Second World War, Marcinkus left Lithuania and enlisted in the French Air Force
. After the Battle of France
and the French capitulation, Marcinkus escaped to Britain, where he flew for the RAF. As a pilot for No. 1 Squadron RAF
, he took part in various missions, including escorting bombers and night combat. On 12 February 1942, during Operation Cerberus
, he was shot down, became a prisoner of war, and sent to Stalag Luft III
.
At Stalag Luft III Romualdas Marcinkus became an active member of an underground group of prisoners who organized and executed the Great Escape. Marcinkus was responsible for analyzing the German railway schedules - a vital part of the plan. On the night of 25 March 1944, Marcinkus became one of 76 servicemen who escaped the Stalag. After several days he was recaptured by the Gestapo
and executed.
At the end of the Second World War, Lithuania lost its independence and Romualdas Marcinkus was largely forgotten. His memory was kept alive by the Lithuanian émigré press. After Lithuania regained its independence in 1990, more detailed accounts of his life were published there and abroad.
n town of Jurbarkas
. At the time Jurbarkas, as well of the rest of Lithuania, was
part of the Russian Empire
. Romualdas' father, Pranas Marcinkaus, served as a policeman in Jurbarkas, Tauragė
, and Rumšiškės
. His mother, Honorata Kroazė-Marcinkienė, came from town dwellers family of French origins. Romualdas Marcinkus' cousin, Vanda Kroazė-Šestakauskienė, stated that the Kroazė family's origins in Lithuania began with a Frenchman named Courvoisier, who came to Lithuania with Napoleon's army during the French invasion of Russia
in the 19th century and married a local Lithuanian woman.
Romaualdas was the eldest of five children in the family. After his younger brother died during childhood he became the family's only son. Following the First World War Lithuania successfully reestablished its independence
and the first gymnasium
in Jurbarkas was established. Soon afterwords, Romualdas Marcinkus attended the institution, and became passionate about sports, especially football. Romualdas, or Romas as his friends called him, played football for the local team. Marcinkus was known for his stamina and discipline among his peers.
, the temporary capital of Lithuania
. In Kaunas, he attended the Higher German School. After graduating from the German School, he enrolled at the Kaunas Military School, intending to enlist in the Lithuanian army.
During this time the Lithuanian army was expanding and modernizing. The Lithuanian Air Force was especially targeted for rapid development and service in this branch was prestigious. Some of its earlier members such as Jurgis Dobkevičius
and Antanas Gustaitis
were instrumental in improving on aeronautical
designs. While at the military school Marcinkus played for the KSK (Kauno sporto klubas) football club. After his father's death in 1927, Marcinkus took on the responsibility of supporting his remaining family, he also began playing football for LFLS Kaunas
.
The aviator Steponas Darius
with associates had established the Lietuvos Fizinio Lavinimo Sąjunga, which soon became one of the leading club in Lithuania. Marcinkus joined the club and won a national championship during his first season. On 27 July 1927, Marcinkus played for Lithuania
in an international match. Although they lost, Marcinkus managed to score his first goal in an international game. The Lithuanian team's coach predicted a bright future for Marcinkus in football. At that time football was among the most popular sports in Kaunas.
In 1928 Romualdas Marcinkus graduated from the Kaunas Military School and received a commission as an infantry lieutenant. From 1930 until 1932 he attended the Vytautas the Great
Military Institute's aviation department and became a military pilot. While pursuing his military career, Marcinkus did not abandon his passion for football. He became a Lithuanian football champion three times. His team won the cup for the Baltic States
' championship twice, and he played over forty games for the national team. Eventually, Marcinkus became a coach for the national team. He also wrote several articles about football and ethics in sports. His many successes made him a celebrity
in his home county. He is considered one of the best Lithuanian players of that time.
In 1933, Marcinkus advanced to the rank of lieutenant, which was conferred by Lithuanian President, Antanas Smetona
. In the same year he married Aleksandra Lingytė. Lingytė was also a prominent Lithuanian sportswoman; she won several basketball championships for Lithuania. Around the same time, inspired by Klemensas Martinkus, Marcinkus became a paratrooper
instructor. Soon he became a parachuting master in the Air Force and participated in various air show
s.
In 1934 Marcinkus was transferred to the air reconnaissance department, there he started improving his expertise in independent flying, mapping
, photography
, and weapon systems. 1934 proved to be a challenging year for Marcinkus. Antanas Gustaitis
, a prominent Lithuanian aircraft constructor
and Commander of Lithuanian Military Aviation, invited Marcinkus to participate in a trans-European flight, along with Jonas Liorentas, Juozas Namikas, Jonas Mikėnas, and Kazys Rimkevičius. After detailed planning and preparation, the trans-European flight was begun in the same year. During the 25 days of their flight, the pilots flew three of Gustaitis' designed aircraft, the ANBO IVs, over 10,000 kilometers and visited twelve European capitals. The Lithuanian pilots were warmly welcomed in the countries they visited. They were received by the British Royal Family
and Italian dictator
Benito Mussolini
.
Upon his return, Marcinkus was promoted to the rank of Captain and decorated with the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas
Knight's Cross. He was also named head of the Aviation Physical Education Department. He went on to establish a junior football team and teach German
. His superiors noted that Romualdas Marcinkus seemed more interested in sports than in his military duties at that time. His sporting career ended in 1938, however, when he injured a knee and was forced to abandon football . Despite the fact that he was decorated with Steel Wings (Plieno sparnai), the highest award in Lithuanian Military Aviation, the following year proved very trying on a personal level. He was burdened with debts and underwent a nervous breakdown
. His military career was interrupted by a scandal and he was transferred to the reserves.
While the Winter War
was gathering momentum, Marcinkus argued for supporting Finland
, but Lithuania remained neutral during the conflict. Nevertheless, some Lithuanians left to fight alongside the Finns. In 1940 Marcinkus also left Lithuania, apparently intending to help Finland, although the war had ended by the time he arrived. Soon afterwards he traveled to France
, then at war with Germany.
during his short career in the French Air Force.
After France surrendered, Marcinkus managed to make his way to the French colonies
in Africa
(Morocco
and Algeria
). He decided to go to Great Britain and continue fighting, but the French army's terms of armistice at Compiègne and tensions between Britain and France made this difficult. On 12 August 1940 he was finally demobilized from the French army. Marcinkus and some of his associates concocted a daring plan to commandeer several aircraft without authorization and fly to England. The plan was not executed due to increased security at airfields and other circumstances. He finally received the necessary documents enabling him to go to Britain in autumn of 1940.
In October 1940 Romualdas Marcinkus reached Liverpool
, and from there travelled on to London
. On 24 December of the same year, Marcinkus became a pilot of the Royal Air Force
(RAF). To achieve this, he changed some of his personal data, he stated that he was three years younger, otherwise he would have been too old for service in the RAF. At that time, his homeland Lithuania, had already lost its independence, and the Lithuanian Air Force, was rapidly liquidated by its occupiers. Throughout the years, Maricinkus maintained close contacts with the Lithuanian attaché
in Britain in order to receive news about Lithuania and his family.
On 1 January 1941 Romualdas Marcinkus was transferred to a training base. He demonstrated his flying skills hoping to fly the British Hurricane fighter aircraft
. He was successful and was transferred to No. 1 Squadron RAF
. Romuladas Marcinkus became the only Lithuanian pilot to fly for the RAF during the Second World War. Marcinkus wrote in his letter about the new challenges laying ahead:
In one of the Marcinkus letters to the Lithuanian envoy, Bronius Balutis, Romualdas notes that he shot down his first German bomber
Dornier Do 17
in March. Marcinkus also wrote that he was gathering skills and knowledge in order to make a contribution towards liberating Lithuania and restoring its independence.
In the RAF Romualdas Marcinkus carried out multiple tasks - various training missions, night combat, escort of bombers and others. In June Marcinkus and his squadron members engaged into prolonged air combat
with Germans. As later reports confirm, the Germans lost 4 Me 109 fighter aircraft, one of which was shot down by Marcinkus. The original report submitted by Marcinkus claiming one Me 109 shot down on 21 June 1941 is held in The National Archives, he states that he fired two short bursts from his guns from 100 yards behind the German, a Sergeant Blasil, also of 1 Squadron then witnessed the plane break up in the air. On the allied side one American
pilot was missing. The last mission Marcinkus carried out as a RAF pilot was on 12 February 1942.
On 11 February 1942 German operation code named Operation Cerberus
had commenced. In which a German Kriegsmarine
squadron consisting of Scharnhorst
, Gneisenau
, Prinz Eugen
, supported by a number of smaller ships, attempted to sail to their home bases via the English Channel
. Six fighters from No. 1 Squadron RAF were tasked with intercepting German ships and attacking German torpedo boats. Marcinkus was among the pilots. On 12 February, while attacking the Scharnhorst, his plane was shot down by anti-aircraft fire and crashed into the sea. Romualdas Marcinkus suffered a spinal
fracture and was rescued by Germans, subsequently becoming prisoner of war
. During the course of the battle the British lost approximately forty planes and failed to prevent the German fleet from returning to Kiel
and Wilhelmshaven
.
Marcinkus was sent to Stalag Luft III
, a prisoner-of-war camp
near Sagan
that housed captured air force
servicemen during the Second World War. The camp was restructured several times in order to accommodate more POWs. It would eventually hold over 10,000 inmates. Marcinkus was the only known Lithuanian at the camp.
RAF Squadron Leader
Roger Bushell
selected inmates and began planning an escape, at first focused on digging a tunnel. Already experienced from earlier escapes, Bushell became the nominal leader of this endeavor. The group expanded and accepted Marcinkus into their ranks—his fluent command of several languages, most importantly German, was seen as valuable.
The prisoners delegated various tasks amongst themselves in order to better implement their escape. Marcinkus began working on creating forged documents that would aid the escapees once they were out of the confines of the Stalag. He also contributed his intelligence
to analyses of the Baltic
and Low countries
. His extensive knowledge of Germany's military and transport positions led to his nickname as "Know-it-All." He analyzed German news reports, but his most important contribution was his compilation of the German railway schedules, an essential part of the escape plan. Bertram James
remembered Marcinkus' contribution to the escape operation:
During March 1944, final preparations for the escape gathered momentum. In its original form about 200 prisoners were to escape. As cover stories, they were to pose as foreign workers from a number of countries. According to the plan, Marcinkus needed to be among the first escapees. He was selected to lead a group of four prisoners posing as Lithuanian workers traveling back to Lithuania. The group's prospects hinged on the hope that the Germans encountered on the way would not speak or understand Lithuanian, as Marcinkus was the only member fluent in that language.
On the night of 25 March, the prisoners enacted their plan. Serious problems arose immediately. The tunnel hatch proved difficult to open and the tunnel exit was several metres short of the relatively safe forested area. These problems led to delays and only 76 POWs managed to make their break for freedom. As originally intended, Marcinkus was one of the first ten to escape.
Marcinkus and the three prisoners in his group posing as Lithuanians - Tim Walenn, Henri Picard and Gordon Bretell - managed to reach a train heading towards Danzig (now Gdansk, Poland). Most likely, they intended to travel to East Prussia
, cross the Lithuanian border, and somehow cross the Baltic Sea
to neutral Sweden
. However, officials at the Stalag had discovered the escape and began manhunts. Marcinkus and his group travelled further than most of the escapees, but were captured by the Gestapo
near Schneidemühl on March 26. Marcinkus and his associates were brought to Stalag XXB and spent the night there. On the following day they were handed over to the Danzig Gestapo. Its officers took Marcinkus to a forest near Prusce
and executed him. On 29 March his body was cremated in Danzig's Gestapo crematorium.
The executions of the fifty recaptured servicemen
were sanctioned by Adolf Hitler
. Only three escapees managed to reach their final destinations. The Gestapo claimed
that the recaptured servicemen were shot after resisting arrest and while attempting to escape again. By the time of his death Marcinkus held the rank of Flight Lieutenant
in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
.
Details of the Great Escape executions reached the British Government. Its Foreign Secretary, Anthony Eden
, then delivered this speech to the House of Commons:
The remaining inmates at Stalag Luft III erected a memorial to their fifty executed comrades at the end of 1944. Following the war, the Allies launched an investigation into the escaped prisoners' executions and named seventy-two individuals as responsible. Marcinkus' killer was convicted in 1948. In the same year Marcinkus' burial place was identified and an urn containing his ashes was transferred to the British section of the Old Garrison Cemetery in Poznan
, his grave is marked by a Commonwealth War Graves Commission
headstone.
Marcinkus was posthumously Mentioned in Despatches in the 1944 King's Birthday Honours, he also received the 1939–45 Star, the Air Crew Europe Star
, and the War Medal 1939–1945
. British authorities attempted to contact his relatives in Lithuania, but Lithuania—as a Soviet Socialist Republic— was behind the Iron curtain
, and they were advised to stop these attempts since his relatives might suffer negative consequences. At the time Soviet authorities saw those people who maintained contacts with the west as untrustworthy.
Marcinkus was seldom mentioned during the Cold War
and his pre-war biography was only reprinted in the Lithuanian émigré press, particularly in the US During the 1950s articles about Marcinkus began to appear in these newspapers, including Karys, Vienas iš daugelio (1950), Paskutinis žuvusiojo lakūno atvirukas (1955), and Kapitono Marcinkaus mirtis nelaisvėje (1956). The first significant publication discussing Marcinkus in Soviet Lithuania appeared in a 1967 issue of the journal Švytūrys. Thereinafter Marcinkus's life was more frequently mentioned, although much of the information presented was inaccurate and incomplete.
After Lithuania successfully re-established its independence
, interest in his story gained momentum in Lithuania and elsewhere. In Jurbarkas, a street was named after him. The Lithuanian Air Force now sponsors the Marcinkus Pistol Marksmanship Cup. In 2001 the British Ambassador in Vilnius gave Marcinkus' previously unclaimed war medals to a surviving relative, his nephew, Alvydas Gabėnas, during a commemorative ceremony. The RAF provided a fly-past of Harrier jets from Marcinkus' No. 1 Squadron RAF, in which one aircraft saluted the ceremony. In the same year a plaque was dedicated to honour the famous Lithuanian pilot in Kaunas. Gražina Sviderskytė
, a CNN
award-winning journalist, wrote a detailed account of Marcinkus' life in her book Uragano kapitonas (Hurricane Captain), which was published in 2004. A documentary film
with the same title was produced in 2004. Marcinkus' life story was reprinted in various foreign publications in the USA, Canada
, and Japan
.
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n pilot
Fighter pilot
A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained in air-to-air combat while piloting a fighter aircraft . Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and dogfighting...
. Marcinkus participated in an early trans-European flight on 25 June 1934, and was the only Lithuanian pilot to serve in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
(RAF) during the Second World War. In his youth Romualdas Marcinkus was a Lithuanian multifold football champion and a playing coach for the Lithuania national football team
Lithuania national football team
The national football team of Lithuania is under the auspices of the Lithuanian Football Federation. It played its first match in 1923. In 1940, Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union; the country regained its independence in 1990 and played their first match as a new nation against Georgia on...
.
While serving in the Lithuanian Air Force, Marcinkus was a paratrooper
Paratrooper
Paratroopers are soldiers trained in parachuting and generally operate as part of an airborne force.Paratroopers are used for tactical advantage as they can be inserted into the battlefield from the air, thereby allowing them to be positioned in areas not accessible by land...
instructor, and headed the Aviation sport and physical education department, and during his later years coached a junior football team. After the Soviet occupation of Lithuania early in the Second World War, Marcinkus left Lithuania and enlisted in the French Air Force
French Air Force
The French Air Force , literally Army of the Air) is the air force of the French Armed Forces. It was formed in 1909 as the Service Aéronautique, a service arm of the French Army, then was made an independent military arm in 1933...
. After the Battle of France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
and the French capitulation, Marcinkus escaped to Britain, where he flew for the RAF. As a pilot for No. 1 Squadron RAF
No. 1 Squadron RAF
No. 1 Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It operated the Harrier GR9 from RAF Cottesmore until 28 January 2011.The squadron motto is In omnibus princeps , appropriate for the RAF's oldest squadron and one that has been involved in almost every major British military operation since...
, he took part in various missions, including escorting bombers and night combat. On 12 February 1942, during Operation Cerberus
Operation Cerberus
The Channel Dash, , was a major naval engagement during World War II in which a German Kriegsmarine squadron consisting of both Scharnhorst class battleships, and heavy cruiser along with escorts, ran a British blockade and successfully sailed from Brest in Brittany to their home bases in Germany...
, he was shot down, became a prisoner of war, and sent to Stalag Luft III
Stalag Luft III
Stalag Luft III was a Luftwaffe-run prisoner-of-war camp during World War II that housed captured air force servicemen. It was in the German Province of Lower Silesia near the town of Sagan , southeast of Berlin...
.
At Stalag Luft III Romualdas Marcinkus became an active member of an underground group of prisoners who organized and executed the Great Escape. Marcinkus was responsible for analyzing the German railway schedules - a vital part of the plan. On the night of 25 March 1944, Marcinkus became one of 76 servicemen who escaped the Stalag. After several days he was recaptured by the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
and executed.
At the end of the Second World War, Lithuania lost its independence and Romualdas Marcinkus was largely forgotten. His memory was kept alive by the Lithuanian émigré press. After Lithuania regained its independence in 1990, more detailed accounts of his life were published there and abroad.
Early life
Romualdas Marcinkus was born on 22 July 1907 in the provincial LithuaniaLithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n town of Jurbarkas
Jurbarkas
Jurbarkas is a city in Tauragė County, Lithuania. It is on the right-hand shore of the Neman River at its confluence with the tributaries Mituva and Imsre...
. At the time Jurbarkas, as well of the rest of Lithuania, was
Partitions of Poland
The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland for 123 years...
part of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. Romualdas' father, Pranas Marcinkaus, served as a policeman in Jurbarkas, Tauragė
Taurage
Tauragė is an industrial city in Lithuania, and the capital of Tauragė County. In 2011, its population was 26,444. Tauragė is situated on the Jūra River, close to the border with the Kaliningrad Oblast, and not far from the Baltic Sea coast....
, and Rumšiškės
Rumšiškes
Rumšiškės is a Lithuanian town , situated east of Kaunas on the northern bank of Kaunas Reservoir. Southern part of the town is now under the waters of the artificial lake. The 18th century St...
. His mother, Honorata Kroazė-Marcinkienė, came from town dwellers family of French origins. Romualdas Marcinkus' cousin, Vanda Kroazė-Šestakauskienė, stated that the Kroazė family's origins in Lithuania began with a Frenchman named Courvoisier, who came to Lithuania with Napoleon's army during the French invasion of Russia
French invasion of Russia
The French invasion of Russia of 1812 was a turning point in the Napoleonic Wars. It reduced the French and allied invasion forces to a tiny fraction of their initial strength and triggered a major shift in European politics as it dramatically weakened French hegemony in Europe...
in the 19th century and married a local Lithuanian woman.
Romaualdas was the eldest of five children in the family. After his younger brother died during childhood he became the family's only son. Following the First World War Lithuania successfully reestablished its independence
Act of Independence of Lithuania
The Act of Independence of Lithuania or Act of February 16 was signed by the Council of Lithuania on February 16, 1918, proclaiming the restoration of an independent State of Lithuania, governed by democratic principles, with Vilnius as its capital. The Act was signed by all twenty...
and the first gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
in Jurbarkas was established. Soon afterwords, Romualdas Marcinkus attended the institution, and became passionate about sports, especially football. Romualdas, or Romas as his friends called him, played football for the local team. Marcinkus was known for his stamina and discipline among his peers.
In Lithuanian army service
At age 17, Marcinkus moved from Jurbarkas to KaunasKaunas
Kaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania and has historically been a leading centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the biggest city and the center of a powiat in Trakai Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413. During Russian Empire occupation...
, the temporary capital of Lithuania
Temporary capital of Lithuania
The temporary capital of Lithuania was the official designation of the city of Kaunas in Lithuania during the interwar period. It was in contrast to the declared capital in Vilnius , which was under Polish control from 1920 until 1939...
. In Kaunas, he attended the Higher German School. After graduating from the German School, he enrolled at the Kaunas Military School, intending to enlist in the Lithuanian army.
During this time the Lithuanian army was expanding and modernizing. The Lithuanian Air Force was especially targeted for rapid development and service in this branch was prestigious. Some of its earlier members such as Jurgis Dobkevičius
Jurgis Dobkevicius
Jurgis Dobkevičius was a Lithuanian aviator and aircraft designer-Military biography:...
and Antanas Gustaitis
Antanas Gustaitis
Antanas Gustaitis was an officer in the Lithuanian Armed Forces who modernized the Lithuanian Air Force, which at that time was part of the Lithuanian Army...
were instrumental in improving on aeronautical
Aeronautics
Aeronautics is the science involved with the study, design, and manufacturing of airflight-capable machines, or the techniques of operating aircraft and rocketry within the atmosphere...
designs. While at the military school Marcinkus played for the KSK (Kauno sporto klubas) football club. After his father's death in 1927, Marcinkus took on the responsibility of supporting his remaining family, he also began playing football for LFLS Kaunas
LFLS Kaunas
LFLS Kaunas, or Lietuvos Fizinio Lavinimosi Sąjunga Kaunas, was a Lithuanian football club based in Kaunas in the years between World War I and World War II during Lithuania's first period of modern independence...
.
The aviator Steponas Darius
Steponas Darius
Steponas Darius was a Lithuanian-American pilot....
with associates had established the Lietuvos Fizinio Lavinimo Sąjunga, which soon became one of the leading club in Lithuania. Marcinkus joined the club and won a national championship during his first season. On 27 July 1927, Marcinkus played for Lithuania
Lithuania national football team
The national football team of Lithuania is under the auspices of the Lithuanian Football Federation. It played its first match in 1923. In 1940, Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union; the country regained its independence in 1990 and played their first match as a new nation against Georgia on...
in an international match. Although they lost, Marcinkus managed to score his first goal in an international game. The Lithuanian team's coach predicted a bright future for Marcinkus in football. At that time football was among the most popular sports in Kaunas.
In 1928 Romualdas Marcinkus graduated from the Kaunas Military School and received a commission as an infantry lieutenant. From 1930 until 1932 he attended the Vytautas the Great
Vytautas the Great
Vytautas ; styled "the Great" from the 15th century onwards; c. 1350 October 27, 1430) was one of the most famous rulers of medieval Lithuania. Vytautas was the ruler of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania which chiefly encompassed the Lithuanians and Ruthenians...
Military Institute's aviation department and became a military pilot. While pursuing his military career, Marcinkus did not abandon his passion for football. He became a Lithuanian football champion three times. His team won the cup for the Baltic States
Baltic states
The term Baltic states refers to the Baltic territories which gained independence from the Russian Empire in the wake of World War I: primarily the contiguous trio of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania ; Finland also fell within the scope of the term after initially gaining independence in the 1920s.The...
' championship twice, and he played over forty games for the national team. Eventually, Marcinkus became a coach for the national team. He also wrote several articles about football and ethics in sports. His many successes made him a celebrity
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
in his home county. He is considered one of the best Lithuanian players of that time.
In 1933, Marcinkus advanced to the rank of lieutenant, which was conferred by Lithuanian President, Antanas Smetona
Antanas Smetona
Antanas Smetona was one of the most important Lithuanian political figures between World War I and World War II. He served as the first President of Lithuania from April 4, 1919 to June 19, 1920. He again served as the last President of the country from December 19, 1926 to June 15, 1940, before...
. In the same year he married Aleksandra Lingytė. Lingytė was also a prominent Lithuanian sportswoman; she won several basketball championships for Lithuania. Around the same time, inspired by Klemensas Martinkus, Marcinkus became a paratrooper
Paratrooper
Paratroopers are soldiers trained in parachuting and generally operate as part of an airborne force.Paratroopers are used for tactical advantage as they can be inserted into the battlefield from the air, thereby allowing them to be positioned in areas not accessible by land...
instructor. Soon he became a parachuting master in the Air Force and participated in various air show
Air show
An air show is an event at which aviators display their flying skills and the capabilities of their aircraft to spectators in aerobatics. Air shows without aerobatic displays, having only aircraft displayed parked on the ground, are called "static air shows"....
s.
In 1934 Marcinkus was transferred to the air reconnaissance department, there he started improving his expertise in independent flying, mapping
Cartography
Cartography is the study and practice of making maps. Combining science, aesthetics, and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality can be modeled in ways that communicate spatial information effectively.The fundamental problems of traditional cartography are to:*Set the map's...
, photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
, and weapon systems. 1934 proved to be a challenging year for Marcinkus. Antanas Gustaitis
Antanas Gustaitis
Antanas Gustaitis was an officer in the Lithuanian Armed Forces who modernized the Lithuanian Air Force, which at that time was part of the Lithuanian Army...
, a prominent Lithuanian aircraft constructor
Constructor
Constructor may refer to:*Constructor , object-organizing method* Constructor , a 1997 PC game by Acclaim, the prequel of Constructor: Street Wars...
and Commander of Lithuanian Military Aviation, invited Marcinkus to participate in a trans-European flight, along with Jonas Liorentas, Juozas Namikas, Jonas Mikėnas, and Kazys Rimkevičius. After detailed planning and preparation, the trans-European flight was begun in the same year. During the 25 days of their flight, the pilots flew three of Gustaitis' designed aircraft, the ANBO IVs, over 10,000 kilometers and visited twelve European capitals. The Lithuanian pilots were warmly welcomed in the countries they visited. They were received by the British Royal Family
British Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
and Italian dictator
Dictator
A dictator is a ruler who assumes sole and absolute power but without hereditary ascension such as an absolute monarch. When other states call the head of state of a particular state a dictator, that state is called a dictatorship...
Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
.
Upon his return, Marcinkus was promoted to the rank of Captain and decorated with the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas
Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas
The Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas is the Lithuanian Presidential Award which was re-instituted to honour the citizens of Lithuania for outstanding performance in civil and public offices. Foreign nationals may also be awarded this Order. The Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke...
Knight's Cross. He was also named head of the Aviation Physical Education Department. He went on to establish a junior football team and teach German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
. His superiors noted that Romualdas Marcinkus seemed more interested in sports than in his military duties at that time. His sporting career ended in 1938, however, when he injured a knee and was forced to abandon football . Despite the fact that he was decorated with Steel Wings (Plieno sparnai), the highest award in Lithuanian Military Aviation, the following year proved very trying on a personal level. He was burdened with debts and underwent a nervous breakdown
Nervous breakdown
Mental breakdown is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited phase of a specific disorder that presents primarily with features of depression or anxiety.-Definition:...
. His military career was interrupted by a scandal and he was transferred to the reserves.
While the Winter War
Winter War
The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939 – three months after the start of World War II and the Soviet invasion of Poland – and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...
was gathering momentum, Marcinkus argued for supporting Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, but Lithuania remained neutral during the conflict. Nevertheless, some Lithuanians left to fight alongside the Finns. In 1940 Marcinkus also left Lithuania, apparently intending to help Finland, although the war had ended by the time he arrived. Soon afterwards he traveled to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, then at war with Germany.
In French army service
Marcinkus arrived in France in mid-March 1940 and immediately requested acceptance into the French Air Force. Bureaucratic delays hindered his enlistment. By the time these hurdles were cleared, the Battle for France was rapidly drawing to a close. It is possible, however, that Marcinkus succeeded in shooting down several German military planesLuftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
during his short career in the French Air Force.
After France surrendered, Marcinkus managed to make his way to the French colonies
French Colonies
"French Colonies" is the name used by philatelists to refer to the postage stamps issued by France for use in the parts of the French colonial empire that did not have stamps of their own...
in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
(Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
and Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
). He decided to go to Great Britain and continue fighting, but the French army's terms of armistice at Compiègne and tensions between Britain and France made this difficult. On 12 August 1940 he was finally demobilized from the French army. Marcinkus and some of his associates concocted a daring plan to commandeer several aircraft without authorization and fly to England. The plan was not executed due to increased security at airfields and other circumstances. He finally received the necessary documents enabling him to go to Britain in autumn of 1940.
In British service
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, and from there travelled on to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. On 24 December of the same year, Marcinkus became a pilot of the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
(RAF). To achieve this, he changed some of his personal data, he stated that he was three years younger, otherwise he would have been too old for service in the RAF. At that time, his homeland Lithuania, had already lost its independence, and the Lithuanian Air Force, was rapidly liquidated by its occupiers. Throughout the years, Maricinkus maintained close contacts with the Lithuanian attaché
Attaché
Attaché is a French term in diplomacy referring to a person who is assigned to the diplomatic or administrative staff of a higher placed person or another service or agency...
in Britain in order to receive news about Lithuania and his family.
On 1 January 1941 Romualdas Marcinkus was transferred to a training base. He demonstrated his flying skills hoping to fly the British Hurricane fighter aircraft
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
. He was successful and was transferred to No. 1 Squadron RAF
No. 1 Squadron RAF
No. 1 Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It operated the Harrier GR9 from RAF Cottesmore until 28 January 2011.The squadron motto is In omnibus princeps , appropriate for the RAF's oldest squadron and one that has been involved in almost every major British military operation since...
. Romuladas Marcinkus became the only Lithuanian pilot to fly for the RAF during the Second World War. Marcinkus wrote in his letter about the new challenges laying ahead:
In one of the Marcinkus letters to the Lithuanian envoy, Bronius Balutis, Romualdas notes that he shot down his first German bomber
Bomber
A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...
Dornier Do 17
Dornier Do 17
The Dornier Do 17, sometimes referred to as the Fliegender Bleistift , was a World War II German light bomber produced by Claudius Dornier's company, Dornier Flugzeugwerke...
in March. Marcinkus also wrote that he was gathering skills and knowledge in order to make a contribution towards liberating Lithuania and restoring its independence.
In the RAF Romualdas Marcinkus carried out multiple tasks - various training missions, night combat, escort of bombers and others. In June Marcinkus and his squadron members engaged into prolonged air combat
Air combat
Air combat may refer to:*Aerial warfare, or aerial combat, the use of military aircraft and other flying machines in warfare**Dogfight, or dog fight, a common term used to describe close-range aerial combat between military aircraft...
with Germans. As later reports confirm, the Germans lost 4 Me 109 fighter aircraft, one of which was shot down by Marcinkus. The original report submitted by Marcinkus claiming one Me 109 shot down on 21 June 1941 is held in The National Archives, he states that he fired two short bursts from his guns from 100 yards behind the German, a Sergeant Blasil, also of 1 Squadron then witnessed the plane break up in the air. On the allied side one American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pilot was missing. The last mission Marcinkus carried out as a RAF pilot was on 12 February 1942.
On 11 February 1942 German operation code named Operation Cerberus
Operation Cerberus
The Channel Dash, , was a major naval engagement during World War II in which a German Kriegsmarine squadron consisting of both Scharnhorst class battleships, and heavy cruiser along with escorts, ran a British blockade and successfully sailed from Brest in Brittany to their home bases in Germany...
had commenced. In which a German Kriegsmarine
Kriegsmarine
The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
squadron consisting of Scharnhorst
German battleship Scharnhorst
Scharnhorst was a German capital ship, alternatively described as a battleship and battlecruiser, of the German Kriegsmarine. She was the lead ship of her class, which included one other ship, Gneisenau. The ship was built at the Kriegsmarinewerft dockyard in Wilhelmshaven; she was laid down on 15...
, Gneisenau
German battleship Gneisenau
Gneisenau was a German capital ship, alternatively described as a battleship and battlecruiser, of the German Kriegsmarine. She was the second vessel of her class, which included one other ship, Scharnhorst. The ship was built at the Deutsche Werke dockyard in Kiel; she was laid down on 6 May 1935...
, Prinz Eugen
German cruiser Prinz Eugen
Prinz Eugen was an Admiral Hipper-class heavy cruiser, the third member of the class of five vessels. She served with the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. The ship was laid down in April 1936 and launched August 1938; Prinz Eugen entered service after the outbreak of war, in August 1940...
, supported by a number of smaller ships, attempted to sail to their home bases via the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
. Six fighters from No. 1 Squadron RAF were tasked with intercepting German ships and attacking German torpedo boats. Marcinkus was among the pilots. On 12 February, while attacking the Scharnhorst, his plane was shot down by anti-aircraft fire and crashed into the sea. Romualdas Marcinkus suffered a spinal
Vertebral column
In human anatomy, the vertebral column is a column usually consisting of 24 articulating vertebrae, and 9 fused vertebrae in the sacrum and the coccyx. It is situated in the dorsal aspect of the torso, separated by intervertebral discs...
fracture and was rescued by Germans, subsequently becoming prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
. During the course of the battle the British lost approximately forty planes and failed to prevent the German fleet from returning to Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
and Wilhelmshaven
Wilhelmshaven
Wilhelmshaven is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea.-History:...
.
Great Escape and death
Stalag Luft III
Stalag Luft III was a Luftwaffe-run prisoner-of-war camp during World War II that housed captured air force servicemen. It was in the German Province of Lower Silesia near the town of Sagan , southeast of Berlin...
, a prisoner-of-war camp
Prisoner-of-war camp
A prisoner-of-war camp is a site for the containment of combatants captured by their enemy in time of war, and is similar to an internment camp which is used for civilian populations. A prisoner of war is generally a soldier, sailor, or airman who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or...
near Sagan
Zagan
Zagan may refer to:*Zagan - a demon in the Ars Goetia*Żagań - a town in west Poland...
that housed captured air force
Air force
An air force, also known in some countries as an air army, is in the broadest sense, the national military organization that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army, navy or...
servicemen during the Second World War. The camp was restructured several times in order to accommodate more POWs. It would eventually hold over 10,000 inmates. Marcinkus was the only known Lithuanian at the camp.
RAF Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
Roger Bushell
Roger Bushell
Squadron Leader Roger Joyce Bushell RAF was a South African-born British Auxiliary Air Force pilot who organised and led the famous escape from the Nazi prisoner of war camp, Stalag Luft III. He was a victim of the Stalag Luft III murders. The escape was used as the basis for the film The Great...
selected inmates and began planning an escape, at first focused on digging a tunnel. Already experienced from earlier escapes, Bushell became the nominal leader of this endeavor. The group expanded and accepted Marcinkus into their ranks—his fluent command of several languages, most importantly German, was seen as valuable.
The prisoners delegated various tasks amongst themselves in order to better implement their escape. Marcinkus began working on creating forged documents that would aid the escapees once they were out of the confines of the Stalag. He also contributed his intelligence
Intelligence
Intelligence has been defined in different ways, including the abilities for abstract thought, understanding, communication, reasoning, learning, planning, emotional intelligence and problem solving....
to analyses of the Baltic
Baltic states
The term Baltic states refers to the Baltic territories which gained independence from the Russian Empire in the wake of World War I: primarily the contiguous trio of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania ; Finland also fell within the scope of the term after initially gaining independence in the 1920s.The...
and Low countries
Low Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....
. His extensive knowledge of Germany's military and transport positions led to his nickname as "Know-it-All." He analyzed German news reports, but his most important contribution was his compilation of the German railway schedules, an essential part of the escape plan. Bertram James
Bertram James
Squadron Leader Bertram Arthur "Jimmy" James, MC, RAF was a British survivor of The Great Escape.-Early life:James was born in India, the son of a tea-planter, and was educated at The King's School, Canterbury...
remembered Marcinkus' contribution to the escape operation:
During March 1944, final preparations for the escape gathered momentum. In its original form about 200 prisoners were to escape. As cover stories, they were to pose as foreign workers from a number of countries. According to the plan, Marcinkus needed to be among the first escapees. He was selected to lead a group of four prisoners posing as Lithuanian workers traveling back to Lithuania. The group's prospects hinged on the hope that the Germans encountered on the way would not speak or understand Lithuanian, as Marcinkus was the only member fluent in that language.
On the night of 25 March, the prisoners enacted their plan. Serious problems arose immediately. The tunnel hatch proved difficult to open and the tunnel exit was several metres short of the relatively safe forested area. These problems led to delays and only 76 POWs managed to make their break for freedom. As originally intended, Marcinkus was one of the first ten to escape.
Marcinkus and the three prisoners in his group posing as Lithuanians - Tim Walenn, Henri Picard and Gordon Bretell - managed to reach a train heading towards Danzig (now Gdansk, Poland). Most likely, they intended to travel to East Prussia
East Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
, cross the Lithuanian border, and somehow cross the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
to neutral Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. However, officials at the Stalag had discovered the escape and began manhunts. Marcinkus and his group travelled further than most of the escapees, but were captured by the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
near Schneidemühl on March 26. Marcinkus and his associates were brought to Stalag XXB and spent the night there. On the following day they were handed over to the Danzig Gestapo. Its officers took Marcinkus to a forest near Prusce
Prusce
Pruśce is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Rogoźno, within Oborniki County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, in west-central Poland. It lies approximately east of Rogoźno, north-east of Oborniki, and north of the regional capital Poznań....
and executed him. On 29 March his body was cremated in Danzig's Gestapo crematorium.
The executions of the fifty recaptured servicemen
Stalag Luft III murders
The Stalag Luft III murders was a war crime perpetrated by members of the Gestapo following the "Great Escape" of Allied prisoners of war from the German Air Force prison camp known as Stalag Luft III on March 25, 1944. Of a total of 76 successful escapees, 73 were recaptured, mostly within days of...
were sanctioned by Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
. Only three escapees managed to reach their final destinations. The Gestapo claimed
Cover Up
Cover Up is an American action/adventure television series that aired for one season on CBS from September 22, 1984 to April 6, 1985. Created by Glen A. Larson, the series stars Jennifer O'Neill, Jon-Erik Hexum, Antony Hamilton, and Richard Anderson....
that the recaptured servicemen were shot after resisting arrest and while attempting to escape again. By the time of his death Marcinkus held the rank of Flight Lieutenant
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve consists of a number of groupings of individual military reservists for the management and operation of the Royal Air Force's Air Training Corps and CCF Air Cadet formations, Volunteer Gliding Squadrons , Air Experience Flights, and also to form the...
.
Commemoration
Anthony Eden
Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, KG, MC, PC was a British Conservative politician, who was Prime Minister from 1955 to 1957...
, then delivered this speech to the House of Commons:
The remaining inmates at Stalag Luft III erected a memorial to their fifty executed comrades at the end of 1944. Following the war, the Allies launched an investigation into the escaped prisoners' executions and named seventy-two individuals as responsible. Marcinkus' killer was convicted in 1948. In the same year Marcinkus' burial place was identified and an urn containing his ashes was transferred to the British section of the Old Garrison Cemetery in Poznan
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
, his grave is marked by a Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves, and places of commemoration, of Commonwealth of Nations military service members who died in the two World Wars...
headstone.
Marcinkus was posthumously Mentioned in Despatches in the 1944 King's Birthday Honours, he also received the 1939–45 Star, the Air Crew Europe Star
Air Crew Europe Star
The Air Crew Europe Star was a campaign medal of the British Commonwealth, awarded for service in World War II. Specifically, the medal was awarded to Commonwealth aircrew who participated in operational flights over Europe, from UK bases....
, and the War Medal 1939–1945
War Medal 1939–1945
The War Medal 1939–1945 was a British decoration awarded to those who had served in the Armed Forces or Merchant Navy full-time for at least 28 days between 3 September 1939 and 2 September 1945. In the Merchant Navy, the 28 days must have been served at sea...
. British authorities attempted to contact his relatives in Lithuania, but Lithuania—as a Soviet Socialist Republic— was behind the Iron curtain
Iron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
, and they were advised to stop these attempts since his relatives might suffer negative consequences. At the time Soviet authorities saw those people who maintained contacts with the west as untrustworthy.
Marcinkus was seldom mentioned during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
and his pre-war biography was only reprinted in the Lithuanian émigré press, particularly in the US During the 1950s articles about Marcinkus began to appear in these newspapers, including Karys, Vienas iš daugelio (1950), Paskutinis žuvusiojo lakūno atvirukas (1955), and Kapitono Marcinkaus mirtis nelaisvėje (1956). The first significant publication discussing Marcinkus in Soviet Lithuania appeared in a 1967 issue of the journal Švytūrys. Thereinafter Marcinkus's life was more frequently mentioned, although much of the information presented was inaccurate and incomplete.
After Lithuania successfully re-established its independence
Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania
The Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania or Act of March 11 was an independence declaration by the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic adopted on March 11, 1990...
, interest in his story gained momentum in Lithuania and elsewhere. In Jurbarkas, a street was named after him. The Lithuanian Air Force now sponsors the Marcinkus Pistol Marksmanship Cup. In 2001 the British Ambassador in Vilnius gave Marcinkus' previously unclaimed war medals to a surviving relative, his nephew, Alvydas Gabėnas, during a commemorative ceremony. The RAF provided a fly-past of Harrier jets from Marcinkus' No. 1 Squadron RAF, in which one aircraft saluted the ceremony. In the same year a plaque was dedicated to honour the famous Lithuanian pilot in Kaunas. Gražina Sviderskytė
Gražina Sviderskyte
Gražina Sviderskytė is a Lithuanian newscaster and author, currently working on documentary films. Together with the famous Lithuanian pilot, Jurgis Kairys, Gražina Sviderskytė won the CNN Best Reporter Award in 2001, for her work "Skrydis po tiltu"...
, a CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
award-winning journalist, wrote a detailed account of Marcinkus' life in her book Uragano kapitonas (Hurricane Captain), which was published in 2004. A documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
with the same title was produced in 2004. Marcinkus' life story was reprinted in various foreign publications in the USA, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.