What are these “SS Galichina” combatants? In 1941, Hitler’s ideologists called for Ukrainian male youth volunteers to join their armed groups “Nakhtigal” and “Roland,” designed for waging a war of terror and sabotage against the Red Army. However, failing to have them infiltrate the Soviet Army troops, the Fascists used them on the occupied territory in Western Ukraine.
From the very first days of the Great Patriotic War Ukrainian volunteers proved to be staunch supporters of the Hitlerite Germany. Male youths from “Nakhtigal” and “Roland” despised the Jews and Poles, hated the intelligentsia. They used to look through telephone directories for their victims’ addresses. It was they who hung 20 persons on the balcony of the Lvov Opera House. They shot and killed common citizens, including infants. In July 1941, these pro-Hitler Ukrainians murdered 36 prominent figures of science and culture in Lvov. The numbers of their victims are estimated at hundreds. That’s where to one’s mind come prophetic words of Dmitry Dontsov, ideologist of the Ukrainian nationalism: “Under certain circumstances even banditry could become a means of establishing law and order. One must only know how to discipline that banditry and how to coordinate its chaotic actions.”
After using Ukrainian legions for killing civilians in Ukraine, Hitlerites sent them out to Belarus to fight partisans. In late 1942 Ukrainian members of punitive expeditions were brought back from Belarus and ordered “to go on leave.” Six months later, Fascists called those on leave back to service and got them armed. At that time 84,000 Ukrainians voiced their readiness to fight for the Great Germany. Among them were also members of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists. However, official Berlin chose just 13,000 persons for its new formation, including all graduates from the Ivano-Frankovsk grammar school for boys. The formation was named the 14th Galichina Waffen SS Division, known among Ukrainians as the “SS Galichina.” They were trained at Hitler’s bases in Poland, Holland, and Germany. The training was conducted in German.
All senior positions in the “SS Galichina” were held by German officers. Ukrainians were allowed to be in charge only of smaller units. Fascists allowed mercenaries to publish their own newspaper, to wear a picture of the lion in the buttonhole, to march into battle under an yellow-and-blue flag, and to greet commanders with “Heil, Hitler!”. In their military oath, “SS Galichina” volunteers swore allegiance to God Almighty, pledging to spare neither life nor health in their armed struggle, under the Ukrainian National Banner, for their Nation and Ukraine, pledging to execute all commands of their superiors and keep their official missions secret.
The “SS Galichina” underwent baptism of fire in 1944 near the town of Brody, where they were encircled by the Soviet Army. Most of them were killed at that time. Those who survived found shelter in the woods where they were soon captured. About 3000 people fled to Poland. Hitlerites sent them out to Slovakia and Yugoslavia to fight against partisans. In May 1945, they surrendered to US and British troops.
After WWII many former “SS Galichina” combatants were convicted. Those who remained in the West appeared to be more lucky. Until now they wear SS uniform on big holidays, according to a documentary “SS in the Great Britain,” shown on the British television in January 2001.
In 1945-46, the International War Crimes Tribunal in Nuremberg declared “Nakhtigal”, “Roland” and “SS Galichina” to have been criminal formations. They exterminated the Jews, prisoners of concentration camps, violated rules of treatment of war prisoners, and committed atrocities on the occupied territory.
The attempt of the Ivano-Frankovsk municipal council to rehabilitate “SS Galichina” mercenaries is in breach with the Ukrainian legislation because this issue is a prerogative of the Ukrainian parliament alone. Under pressure from the Russian foreign ministry and Russian communities in Ukraine, municipal authorities in Ivano-Frankovsk have departed for the time being from their decision, setting up a special commission for in-depth investigation of legal and historical validity of this move. Meanwhile “SS Galichina” men seem to have become good friends of Ukrainian deputies, state bodies and patriotic organizations who today declare them to be “heroes” and “people of national authority.”
Many dissidents used to recall unbecoming behavior of former war criminals at the Soviet camps for political prisoners. For example, Anatoly Marchenko wrote in his book “Giving Evidence” that those who “first collaborated with Fascists are now collaborating with the prison administration, it’s all the same for them since their main task is to live through their term fairly good and to get released as soon as possible. When at large, … they would adjust quickly and would live happily thereafter. They even might make their way in the world and become some kind of chiefs.”
Anatoly Marchenko died in a political prison in 1986, while Ukrainian former SS men are awaiting social benefits and pensions from the state.