SS Galicia

[dobko]

1

The Division "Galicia" properly identified, at first, as the SS Volunteer Division "Galicia" became, from June 1944, the 14th Volunteer Grenadier Division of the SS, 1st Galician). According to Ukrainian and German sources, the division was unique because:


1) it was strictly a combat unit and so played no role in the management of concentration camps or death camps; 2) its Ukrainian members wore a lion rampant instead of an "SS" on their right collars during most of the life of the division; 3) its ranks and titles were those of the Wehrmacht rather than the SS; 4) it was accompanied by Ukrainian chaplains who attended to the spiritual needs of the troops; 5) it was kept separate from other German forces; 6) it was created with the proviso that it never be used against the Western Allies but only against Soviet forces on the Eastern front.

The Galicia Division fought the Soviets in a major engagement near the Ukrainian town of Brody. Decimated, its remnants retreated west. Eventually, on 25 April 1945, its survivors were regrouped into the 1st Division of the Ukrainian National Army, under the leadership of General Pavlo Shandruk. These Ukrainians all believed that the military training and experience they were receiving would allow them to establish a Ukrainian army capable of freeing Ukraine from the Soviets. Some of these Ukrainian veterans did indeed stay in Ukraine, joining the ranks of the underground. Others moved west where they fought with the French underground against the Nazis. Most ended up marching into northeastern Italy where the Ukrainian National Army surrendered to British forces.

A former OSS operative, and later chief of the CIA, William Casey, has this to say about Ukrainian involvement with the Confracon maquis in France:


The Confracon maquis numbered 200 well-armed and well-organized men who worked together with 700 men in German uniforms. These were the "Russians" Booth had heard about in England, only in fact they were Ukrainians. Like so many vignettes of the war, this one had a shooting script quality. In August, a German major and thirty SS officers rode into the area on horseback with 700 Ukrainians, then in German service, and 87 German non-coms walking on foot behind. They were to destroy the maquis. But the Ukrainians had had enough. Their ranking officer, a major named Holba, secretly met with the maquis to arrange for an ambush. Several nights later, the Ukrainians struck. A pitched battle followed in which the entire German cadre was wiped out. For several weeks this force of 900 seasoned troops had harassed Germans retreating up the twin roads from Dijon and Bescancon...

[Unbreakable]

Couple of days ago Estonian government approved document recognizing veterans who fought in German army against USSR as ⌠fighters for freedom■.

According to act all ⌠Estonian citizens who offered resistance to occupation of Estonia by Soviet Union and Germany - fighting for restoration of Estonian independence - are recognized as fighters for freedom■.
Link in Russian - http://www.gazeta.ru/2006/06/01/oa_202009.shtml

Estonian legion was created in 1942, since 1944 known as #20 SS Division.
(BTW there were two Russian SS divisions √ #29 and #30)

Estonia (EU/NATO member) seems to be much more civilized country than Ukraine.
Our ⌠holuys■ are refusing even to recognize OUN/UPA as Ukrainian Heroes √ not to say about 14th division┘

Slava Ukraini! - Geroyam Slava!

Slava Naciyi! - Smert' Vorogam!

[MichaelB_PL]

Originally Posted by Unbreakable

Estonia (EU/NATO member) seems to be much more civilized country than Ukraine.
Our “holuys” are refusing even to recognize OUN/UPA as Ukrainian Heroes – not to say about 14th division…

1. Did the Estonian SS murder civilians like UPA did?
2. Was the Estonian SS a nazi-like organisation ideologically, as OUN/UPA were?

Ideologically and practically, OUN/UPA had more in common with the Nazis than either Estonian SS or SS Galizien.

BTW, while the SS Galizien did't commit many war crimes like German SS or UPA did, one thing comes to my mind: Huta Pieniacka.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huta_Pieniacka

"Huta Pieniacka (Ukrainian: Гута Пеняцька, Huta Penyats'ka) was a Polish village of about 1,000 inhabitants (as of 1944) in Tarnopol Voivodship, now in Ukraine, about 50 km away from Ternopil, beside the Ukrainian village of Holubytsya (Ukrainian: Голубиця) in Brody Raion of Lviv Oblast. Almost all the villagers were brutally murdered on February 28, 1944 and the village burnt down.

The Warsaw branch of Polish Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) started an investigation on the crime in November 1992. The investigation was subsequently suspended between 1997 and 2001 and is now conducted by KrakСw branch of the Institute. According to the investigation, the people in the village were murdered by police units of Ukrainian Division "Galizien" of Waffen-SS.[1] Several Ukrainian historians deny the role of the Ukrainian SS in the killings, and attribute them entirely to German SS units.[2]

On February 28, 1989 a memorial was built on the place of the previous village but was soon destroyed . A new monument commemorating the victims was erected in 2005."



Michael

[Spak]

Hi guys,

Dobko - Go Oilers!

War Crimes... how about Hate Crimes. To bad MichaelB_PL didn't live in Canada or the U.S. because what he is doing amounts to nothing less than a Hate Crime. Does Ukraine has laws against inciting hatred towards ethnic groups? I think information should be gathered and forwarded to organizations in the U.S and Canada which could be used in the future to bring Hate Crime charges against these people should they ever show up in North America.

Please correct me if I am wrong, but when did UPA/OUN share Nazi ideology. Not even close! Slander! When did any Ukrainian political power ever promote a totalitarian agenda? Never!

Regards,

John Spak

[MichaelB_PL]

Originally Posted by Spak

Hi guys,

Dobko - Go Oilers!

War Crimes... how about Hate Crimes. To bad MichaelB_PL didn't live in Canada or the U.S. because what he is doing amounts to nothing less than a Hate Crime.

Really? Why?

Does Ukraine has laws against inciting hatred towards ethnic groups?

I think information should be gathered and forwarded to organizations in the U.S and Canada which could be used in the future to bring Hate Crime charges against these people should they ever show up in North America.

Actually, it's a bit ironic, since I'm attacking OUN/UPA here and OUN/UPA was basically a fascist organisation promoting hate toward other nationalities, which commited genocide among other things. The paragraph you wrote about has a meaning bit like "Michal is doing a hate crime because he's saying the Nazis were evil war criminals".

Please correct me if I am wrong, but when did UPA/OUN share Nazi ideology. Not even close! Slander! When did any Ukrainian political power ever promote a totalitarian agenda? Never!

I'm afraid you have no idea what UPA/OUN actually was - and while ignorance is no crime, you are guilty of it. Please read more about OUN/UPA, with special emphasis on:

1) Organised genocide of Polish civilian population of Volynia.
2) Hate propaganda of OUN/UPA in the 20-40s directed vs other nationalities.
3) Armed terror and murder directed at other Ukrainians


BTW you can learn more about it here Photos of UPA's victims , photos of UPA war crimes included.

Michael

[benda]

Originally Posted by MichaelB_PL

1. Did the Estonian SS murder civilians like UPA did?
2. Was the Estonian SS a nazi-like organisation ideologically, as OUN/UPA were?

Ideologically and practically, OUN/UPA had more in common with the Nazis than either Estonian SS or SS Galizien.

Michael, it seems to me that the only one goal you want to achieve in life is to "unmask" UPA. Otherwise I don't understand how SS - whether Estonian or Galician - can be "less nazi-like" than any other organization.

[Serhii]

I'm afraid you have no idea what UPA/OUN actually was - and while ignorance is no crime, you are guilty of it. Please read more about OUN/UPA, with special emphasis on:

Does it mean that we, Ukrainians, know nothing about our history and have to listen to and agree with your interpretation ? Strange approach. Then I'd like you to read latest Ukrainian serious ( not poor Polish and Russian propaganda) books on the problem. They are available now - we can speak openly at last , not only listen to your and your Russian colleagues lies.

1) Organised genocide of Polish civilian population of Volynia.

Before it everyone should learn about so called pacification on those Ukrainian lands ( = Polish state terrorism against Ukrainians) , etc. And very simple question - How and why did that Polish civilian population come to Ukrainian lands ? Who were occupants ?

2) Hate propaganda of OUN/UPA in the 20-40s directed vs other nationalities.

Oh my , Poles didn't allow Ukrainians to use the same stairs in buildings in L'viv and other our cities, to enter any university , etc., etc... only because of our nationality. And they did it on our land. Invalid Polish state was an example of hate propaganda and policy towards Ukrainians. OUN/UPA - was our answer. What did you expect to receive ?

3) Armed terror and murder directed at other Ukrainians
Michael

So , you defend Ukrainians - nice to hear, you'd better not... Your colleagues , Russian chauvinists , have the same intention. We know why. As far as I know right now you in Poland have a very loud scandal concerning Catholic priests - agents of KGB . So, even those holy people collaborated with secret services and did id in a peace time. Don't you know about thousands of kgbists put into West Ukraine to kill and rob, etc. It looks you're on their side. Hope one day we will learn all about those criminals and their supporters. Your holy kgb fathers could explain a lot as well. Will see...