APRIL 28, THE 73TH ANNIVERSARY SINCE FOUNDATION OF THE SS "GALICIA" DIVISION

The Galician Grenadier Division was founded in the war years of 40s. The idea of creation a Ukrainian military division had great support among the population of Galician region and especially by the representatives of intelligentsia of the Western Ukraine. Up to 80 thousands of local men were ready to join the volunteer division in the start of its creation and this is the most eloquent evidence of the people's sentiments caused by news about thrusting of the Red Army, despite all arguments of the Soviet historians.

Of particular note is the fact, that after the defeat in 1943 at Stalingrad and on other fronts was clear that Germany was losing the war. Despite that the Galician youth didn't leave the ideas of creation a regional military unit. considering the fact, that the region was occupied by the German forces? Of course was, but the Ukrainians of Galicia had no illusions about Bolshevism and that war was considered by them as an intercivilisational conflict, as a war between the European and the Asian civilisaions.

In March of 1943 Otto Wachter, a governor of the Galicia district known by his positive relation to the Ukrainian national movement initiated close cooperation with the Ukrainian Central Committee in Cracow. On those times the committee served as a coordinational center for the activities of a number of Ukrainian civic and cultural organizations as well as assisted for Ukrainian fugitives from the Bolsheviks. 

Later Wachter asked permission for the formation of the police regiment "Galicia" and this initiative was supported by Himmler, who proposed in turn to turn the regiment into a division in nearest future. Thereafter a military board was established in Lviv headed by Alfred Bizants, a former colonel of the Ukrainian Galician Army, who had great respect among locals. But in fact the council powers were minimal and the German military leadership had ignored all advices of the Ukrainian military, which lead to catastrophic consequences in nearest future.

In the negotiations with the Wehrmacht leadership the UKrainian military insisted on performing of the following requirements: the Division had to be a Ukrainian military unit in the German army, which had to be reflected in the name, external insignias and command structure; the Division refused to take part in combat operations against Ukrainians.

The volunteers, who were willing to join the division were not only residents of the Galician region, but also from Volyn, even some captives from the Red Army.

As of June 18, 1943 total number of people willing to join the division was 84 thousand, however, only 52 thousand of them passed a medical examination. In result 17,200 recruits went to a training camp.

On June 28, 1944 the first echelon of the SS "Galicia" Grenadier Division was sent to the front. According to the plan the DIvision had to be deployed in the Stanislaw region (Ivano-Frankivsk now), but the plan was changed in last moment and it was moved to the town of Brody, which was extremely important for the Red Army as a springboard for further offensive on Lviv. According to military archives and memories of the Red Army officers, when Stalin had learned that the Galician Division was deployed in Brody, he ordered to destroy the Ukrainian unit by any price.

When the Red Army launched attack, the German high command made a controversial decision, instead to direct the division in full force to the battlefield they decided to direct just its separate regiments to patch up the breaks in the Wermacht first defense line. As the result, separate parts of the Galicia Division have come under the fire of enemy artillery, Katyusha mortars, tanks and aircraft.

Only Lord knows how many Ukrainian volunteers fell and been taken prisoner in that battle. But, despite the fact, that the  results of Ukrainian military activities of 40's were different from the events of the First World War, and the Galicia Division doesn't became a sprout of new Ukrainian national army, thousands of the division's soldiers had joined the UPA ranks and continued the struggle for their ideals.