Lithuanian activists hoped that these units would become the basis for the reestablished Lithuanian Army. Instead, these units were absorbed into the German military apparatus and aided German forces:[citation needed] guarded strategic objects, engaged in anti-partisan operations, participated in the Holocaust.[citation needed] The 12th and the 13th battalions, tracing their roots from the Tautinio darbo apsaugos batalionas (TDA), were particularly active in the executions of the Jews and were responsible for estimated 78,000 Jewish deaths in Lithuania and Belarus.[citation needed] While the battalions were often deployed outside Lithuania, they generally did not participate in combat. In total, 26 battalions were formed and approximately 13,000 men served in them.[1] In July–September, 1944, the remaining units were combined into two Lithuanian Volunteer Infantry Regiments.[2]