Maksimas Katche (, , – 10 June 1933), was a Russian colonel and Lithuanian lieutenant general. In 1899, he graduated from an infantry school and served in the Imperial Russian Army. He fought in the Russo-Japanese War and in World War I, attaining the rank of colonel in 1916. In April 1919, he joined the Lithuanian Army and fought successfully against Bolsheviks and Bermontians in the Lithuanian Wars of Independence. Katche chaired the Lithuanian delegation that negotiated and signed the Suwałki Agreement on 7 October 1920 with Poland. He was twice appointed to Chief of the General Staff of the Lithuanian Army and was promoted to lieutenant general in March 1920. In early 1921, he organised the Higher Officers' Courses and was their first chief. He retired from active duty in October 1922 and died in Biržai in 1933. Biography Katche was born into a family of millers of Baltic German descent and Lutheran faith. He was born in Joniškis, then part of the Kovno Governorate, Russian Empire. After graduating from a gymnasium in Riga in 1897, he enrolled into the . He graduated in 1899 and was assigned to the . He participated in the Russo-Japanese War and was injured in February 1905. He suffered from shell shock but was awarded the Order of St. George in 1907. In 1908–1911, he worked at Vilnius Military School and was promoted to captain. In 1913, he returned to active military duty and was assigned to the . During World War I, he fought with the regiment in present-day Lithuania, Poland, Belarus and was injured in August 1914 and August 1915. He was promoted to colonel (polkovnik) and awarded the Saint George Sword in 1916. In 1917, he briefly commanded the 682nd Baikal and the 17th Infantry Regiments. In April 1917, he joined the headquarters of the Minsk Military District. At the end of 1918, Katche returned to now independent Lithuania. In April 1919, he joined the Lithuanian Army and was assigned as instructor of the Panevėžys Battalion. He soon took command of the Panevėžys Group and helped plan the Lithuanian offensive which pushed the invading Bolshevik forces across the Daugava River by end of August 1919. He then fought against the Bermontians. On 1 March 1920, he was promoted to lieutenant general. He briefly served as the Chief of the General Staff (13 July to 21 August 1920). In October 1920,