Jonas Černius

Who was Jonas Černius?

Jonas Černius was a Lithuanian general and Prime Minister. When Lithuania declared independence in 1918, he joined the army as a volunteer and participated in the Freedom Wars. He was one of the first graduates from the Military School of Lithuania, but he continued to study military engineering in Brussels and Paris.

On his return to Lithuania, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and appointed as chief of the military technical staff. In 1934 he became a colonel. In 1935 he was promoted to brigadier general and chief of staff of the army. From 30 March to 22 November 1939 he was the Prime Minister and led the 20th cabinet. After resigning as prime minister, he was promoted to major general and put in command of the 1st Division. Following the annexation of Lithuania by the Soviet Union, he served in the Soviet Army's 24th Rifle Corps until his arrest in 1941.

He escaped from the Soviet occupation in 1944. At first he lived in Germany, then England, and in 1948 moved to the U.S. He later worked as an engineer for General Motors.