, Jonas Liorentas, Gustaitis, Juozas Namikas, Jonas Mikėnas, Kazys Rimkevičius standing in front of an ANBO aircraft After joining the Lithuanian Army in 1919, he graduated from the School of Military Aviation as a Junior Lieutenant in 1920. Later that year, he saw action in the
Polish-Lithuanian War. By 1922 he began to train pilots, and later became the head of the training squadron. He also oversaw the construction of aircraft for Lithuania in
Italy and
Czechoslovakia. Gustaitis was one of the founding members of the Aero Club of Lithuania, and later its Vice-President. He did much to promote aviation among the young people in Lithuania, especially concerning the sport of
gliding. He also won the
Lithuanian Chess Championship in 1922. Between 1925 and 1928, Gustaitis studied aeronautical engineering in
Paris. After his graduation he returned to Lithuania, and was promoted to deputy Commander-in-Chief of Military Aviation and made chief of the Aviation Workshop (
Karo Aviacijos Tiekimo Skyrius) in
Kaunas. During this time, he reorganized the workshop and expanded its capability to repair aircraft as well. The aircraft he designed were named
ANBO, an acronym for
Antanas Bronė, he and his wife's first names. A common misconception is
Antanas Nori Būti Ore which means "Antanas wants to be in the air" in
Lithuanian. In 1934, he became Commander-in-Chief of the air branch, and in 1937, attained the rank of Brigadier General. He reorganized Lithuanian military aviation, forming fighter, bomber, and reconnaissance groups, and developed a system of training for pilots and their crews, and ground crews as well. == World War II and Soviet occupation ==