Yuozas Aleksonis Radio operator of an underground radio station, Hero of the Soviet Union Date of Birth: 23.10.1913 Country: Lithuania

1. Biography of Juozas Alexonis
2. Early Life and Education
3. Activities as a Radio Operator
4. Capture and Death
5. Legacy

Biography of Juozas Alexonis

Juozas Alexonis, a radio operator for an underground radio station, was a Hero of the Soviet Union. He was born on October 23, 1913, in the village of Ritselai, in what is now the Lazdijai district of Lithuania, into a peasant family. He was a Lithuanian. After completing elementary school, he served in the national Lithuanian army.

Early Life and Education

Alexonis attended the Kaunas Economic School, where he established a Komsomol cell. In 1944, he became a member of the Komsomol City Committee in Kaunas. During the summer of 1943, after completing special training, he became a radio operator for an underground radio station in Kaunas. He transmitted messages from the Soviet Information Bureau about the situation on the fronts and the atrocities committed by the fascist occupiers, urging people to fight against them.

Activities as a Radio Operator

The radio station was discovered by the Nazis, but Alexonis managed to escape by a stroke of luck. After obtaining a new radio, he set up his station near the train station in the city center. He monitored enemy trains and reported their movements to the headquarters of the partisan movement. The Soviet command received valuable information about the movement of enemy trains.

Capture and Death

In January 1944, Alexonis noticed that his house was under surveillance, so he moved to the home of a communist underground activist named Obelenis. This time, the Nazis were more cautious and managed to identify the audacious partisan radio operator. On April 5, 1944, when the Nazis surrounded the house where the radio station was located, Alexonis fought back until his last bullet.

Legacy

The title of Hero of the Soviet Union was posthumously awarded to Juozas Alexonis on July 1, 1958. He was also awarded the Order of Lenin. His name is carried by a naval vessel and a secondary school in Kaunas.