Erdmonas Simonaitis
Erdmonas Simonaitis was a Prussian Lithuanian activist particularly active in the Klaipėda Region and advocating its union with Lithuania. During the staged Klaipėda Revolt of 1923, he headed the pro-Lithuanian government of the region. For his anti-German activities, he was persecuted by the Nazis during World War II. He survived the Mauthausen-Gusen and Dachau concentration camps. After the war he remained in Germany and rejoined various Lithuanian organizations. He was awarded the Order of Vytautas the Great and Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas.
Early life
Simonaitis received his education in Heydekrug and Tilsit and worked as a court clerk. He became a Lithuanian activist in 1909. In 1912, he was co-founder of the Lithuanian Club of Tilsit, which he chaired for two years. In 1915, Simonaitis was mobilized into the German Army. He was awarded the Iron Cross for his military service in France and Galicia. After World War I, he briefly worked in Vilnius where he became acquainted with Lithuanian politicians and the Council of Lithuania. After returning to Tilsit in 1918, he participated in the activities of the National Council of Lithuania Minor, which adopted the Act of Tilsit but Simonaitis did not sign it. In 1919 he moved to Memel. In early 1919, he was appointed adjutant of the short-lived Samogitian Battalion organized by Jurgis Aukštuolaitis in Tauragė.Klaipėda Region
According to the Treaty of Versailles, the Klaipėda Region was detached from the German Empire and placed under provisional French administration. French General established seven-member Directorate in February 1920. Initially all of its members were German. After Lithuanian protests, two Prussian Lithuanians, Simonaitis and Mikelis Reidys, were admitted to the Directorate increasing its size to nine members. Simonaitis resigned in February 1922.Simonaitis lobbied the League of Nations and the Conference of Ambassadors to unite the Klaipėda region with Lithuania. However, others thought that the region should be turned into a free city, similar to the Free City of Danzig. Therefore, the Lithuanian government decided to organize the Klaipėda Revolt, take the region by force, and present a fait accompli. Simonaitis agreed to head the government, which would be installed by the rebels. On 9 January 1923, the Supreme Committee for the Salvation of Lithuania Minor declared that the old Directorate was dissolved and authorized Simonaitis to form a new Directorate within three days. The rebel's petition to unite with Lithuania was approved by the First Seimas on 14 January. To appease the Allies, Simonaitis was dismissed and replaced by. After the Klaipėda Convention was signed in May 1924, formalizing the incorporation of the region into Lithuania, Simonaitis became chairman of the Directorate, governor of Šilutė and Klaipėda Counties, and mayor of Klaipėda.