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The '''Nachtigall Battalion''' ({{lang-de|Battalion Ukrainische Gruppe Nachtigall}}), officially known as '''Special Group Nachtigall''',<ref name="Abbott">Abbot, Peter. ''Ukrainian Armies 1914-55'', p.47. Osprey Publishing, 2004. ISBN 1841766682</ref> was the subunit under command of the [[Abwehr]] special operation unit [[Brandenburgers|Lehrregiment "Brandenburg" z.b.V. 800]]. Along with the [[Roland Battalion]] it was one of two [[military unit]]s formed February 25, 1941 by head of the [[Abwehr]] [[Wilhelm Franz Canaris]], which sanctioned the creation of the "Ukrainian Legion" under German command. It was manned primarily by occupied Poland citizens of [[Ukrainians|Ukrainian]] ethnicity directed to unit by Bandera's [[OUN]] orders .<ref name="autogenerated1940">І.К. Патриляк. Військова діяльність ОУН(Б) у 1940—1942 роках. — Університет імені Шевченко \Ін-т історії України НАН України Київ, 2004 (No ISBN) p.271-278</ref>
⚫
[[File:Oberlander1.jpg|150px|right|thumb|[[KGB]] document on action against [[Theodor Oberländer]] and Ukrainian Nachtigall (1959).<ref>"'''С целью компрометации Оберлендера и украинских националистов, собранные УКГБ материалы''' широко использовались в местной и центральной прессе, кинохронике,а также на пресс-конференции в Москве. Кроме этого, были выявлены и '''соответственно подготовлены свидетели, выступавшие по данному делу на пресс-конференции в Москве и на суде в Берлине'''.С учетом достигнутых положительных результатов в проведении специальных мероприятий по Оберлендеру, прошу Вас наградитъ нагрудным знаком «Почетный сотрудник Госбезопасности». Объявить благодарность и наградить ценным подарком."[http://memorial.kiev.ua/images/stories/2008/02/nachtigal/007.jpg].(ГДА СБУ фонд 1, опис 4 за 1964 рік, порядковий номер 3, том 5, аркуш 195 Розсекречено: 24/376 від 05.02.2008 р. - original sygnature of document).</ref>]]The '''Nachtigall Battalion''' ({{lang-de|Battalion Ukrainische Gruppe Nachtigall}}), officially known as '''Special Group Nachtigall''',<ref name="Abbott">Abbot, Peter. ''Ukrainian Armies 1914-55'', p.47. Osprey Publishing, 2004. ISBN 1841766682</ref> was the first foreign legion of the [[Wehrmacht]]. Along with the [[Roland Battalion]] it was one of two [[military unit]]s formed in Germany prior to the outbreak of conflict with the Soviet Union. It was manned primarily by [[Ukrainians|Ukrainian]] nationals the Germans had released from Polish prison camps.<ref name="EH">Gutman, Israel. "[http://motlc.learningcenter.wiesenthal.org/text/x16/xm1688.html Nachtigall Battalion]". ''Encyclopedia of the Holocaust''. Macmillan Publishing Company: New York, 1990.</ref> Both Legion Nachtigall and Legion Roland were the only Eastern European volunteers to actually participate in the invasion of the Soviet Union with the German Army from the very beginning of the campaign.


In Germany, in November 1941 the Ukrainian personnel of the Legion was reorganized into the 201 [[Schutzmannschaft]] Battalion. It numbered 650 persons which serve for a year at Belarus before disbanding.<ref name="autogenerated1940">І.К. Патриляк. Військова діяльність ОУН(Б) у 1940—1942 роках. — Університет імені Шевченко \Ін-т історії України НАН України Київ, 2004 (No ISBN) pp 371-382</ref>
Many of the Ukrainian soldiers had joined the battalion in the hope of gaining military training and experience to use for the cause of Ukraine's liberation from the Soviets. Many of its members, especially the commanding officers, went on to form the [[Ukrainian Insurgent Army]] in 1942, after the battalion was disbanded.

Many of its members, especially the commanding officers, went on to the [[Ukrainian Insurgent Army]] and [[14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Ukrainian)|SS-Freiwilligen-Schützen-Division «Galizien»]] in spring 1943. <ref> Боляновський А.В. Дивізія «Галичина»: історія — Львів: , 2000. </ref>


==Formation and training==
==Formation and training==


Prior to Operation Barbarossa, the [[Stepan Bandera|Bandera's]] [[OUN]] actively cooperated with Nazi Germany. According to the [[National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine]] and other sources, OUN-R leader [[Stepan Bandera]] held meetings with the heads of Germany's intelligence, regarding the formation of "[[Nachtigall Battalion|Nachtigall]]" and "[[Roland Battalion|Roland]]" Battalions. February 25, 1941 head of the [[Abwehr]] [[Wilhelm Franz Canaris]] sanctioned the creation of the "Ukrainian Legion" under German command. The unit would have had 800 persons. [[Roman Shukhevych]] became a commander of the Legion from the OUN-R side. OUN expected that the unit would become the core of the future Ukrainian army. In the spring the OUN received 2.5 million marks for subversive activities against the USSR.<ref name="history.org.ua">Організація українських націоналістів і Українська повстанська армія. Інститут історії НАН України.2004р Організація українських націоналістів і Українська повстанська армія, Раздел 1 http://www.history.org.ua/LiberUA/Book/Upa/1.pdf стр. 17-30</ref><ref name="autogenerated1940">І.К. Патриляк. Військова діяльність ОУН(Б) у 1940—1942 роках. — Університет імені Шевченко \Ін-т історії України НАН України Київ, 2004 (No ISBN) p.273-275</ref> In the spring of 1941 the Legion was reorganized into 3 units. One of the units became known as [[Nachtigall Battalion]], a second became the [[Roland Battalion]], a third was inmmidiately dispatched into Soviet Union for sabotage of Red Army's rear.<ref name="autogenerated1940">І.К. Патриляк. Військова діяльність ОУН(Б) у 1940—1942 роках. — Університет імені Шевченко \Ін-т історії України НАН України Київ, 2004 (No ISBN) p.277-279</ref>
The formation of the unit began in [[Kraków]] in March, 1941. It consisted of 350 volunteers.
In May 1941, after training started, the German command decided to split a 700-strong Ukrainian Legion into two battalions: Nachtigall ("Nightingale") and Roland Battalion.
In May 1941, the German command decided to split a 700-strong Ukrainian Legion into two battalions: Nachtigall ("Nightingale") and Roland Battalion.
Training for Nachtigall took place in [[Neuhammer]] near Schlessig. On the Ukrainian side, the commander was [[Roman Shukhevych]] and on the German, [[Theodor Oberländer]]. (Oberländer was later to become minister for Immigration in the Federal Republic of Germany.) Ex-Brandenburger Oberleutnant Dr. Hanz-Albrecht Herzner was placed in military command of the Battalion.
Training for Nachtigall took place in [[Neuhammer]] near Schlessig. On the Ukrainian side, the commander was [[Roman Shukhevych]] and on the German, [[Theodor Oberländer]]. (Oberländer was later to become minister for Immigration in the Federal Republic of Germany.) Ex-Brandenburger Oberleutnant Dr. Hanz-Albrecht Herzner was placed in military command of the Battalion.
The Nachtigall unit was outfitted in the standard Wehrmacht uniforms. After entering Lviv, they placed blue and yellow ribbons on their shoulders<ref name="Chuyev">{{ru icon}} Chuyev, Sergei Ukrainskyj Legion - Moskva, 2006 pp. 179-184</ref>.
The Nachtigall unit was outfitted in the standard Wehrmacht uniforms. Before entering Lviv, they placed blue and yellow ribbons on their shoulders<ref name="autogenerated1940">І.К. Патриляк. Військова діяльність ОУН(Б) у 1940—1942 роках. — Університет імені Шевченко \Ін-т історії України НАН України Київ, 2004 (No ISBN) </ref>


== War with the Soviet Union ==
== War with the Soviet Union ==
Line 16: Line 18:
The Nachtigall Battalion traveled along with a Panzer-Jaeger Division and some tank units went along through [[Radymno]]-[[Lviv]]-[[Ternopil]]-[[Proskuriv]]-[[Vinnytsia]] path.
The Nachtigall Battalion traveled along with a Panzer-Jaeger Division and some tank units went along through [[Radymno]]-[[Lviv]]-[[Ternopil]]-[[Proskuriv]]-[[Vinnytsia]] path.



At the opening of the [[Operation Barbarossa|Barbarossa offensive]], on 30 June 1941, the Ukrainians began to dictate their terms of service. They ordered Herzner to arrange an attack on Lviv. The Ukrainians wished to infiltrate the city before the main German forces, and attempt to rescue all their Ukrainian compatriots held in the city's NKVD prison complex. The men knew that the moment the NKVD feared a German attack, they would execute the prisoners en masse. (Shukhevych's brother was in one of the prisons). Herzner replied to the unit that he could not agree to the operation without the consent of Oberländer, and as they were behind enemy lines, this was going to be almost impossible to obtain. When the Ukrainians persisted, Herzner gave the go-ahead.


===Lviv===
===Lviv===


As part of the 1st Brandenberg Battalion the 330 soldiers of the Nachtigall Battalion entered Lviv on June 30 at 4.30 a.m.<ref name="Chuyev"/>.
As part of the 1st Brandenberg Battalion the first soldiers of the Nachtigall Battalion entered Lviv on June 29. <ref>Дружини українських націоналістів у 1941&nbsp;— 1942 роках.&nbsp;— Без місця видання, 1953.&nbsp;— С. 6, 109&nbsp;— 110. (Teams of Ukrainian Nationalists in 1941-42 - 1953, 109</ref>


⚫
The Battalion took up guard of strategic objects the most important of which was the radio station on the [[Vysoky Zamok]] Hill in the centre of Lviv. From the radio station, the proclamation of the Act of Ukrainian Independence was proclaimed..<ref name="autogenerated1940">І.К. Патриляк. Військова діяльність ОУН(Б) у 1940—1942 роках. — Університет імені Шевченко \Ін-т історії України НАН України Київ, 2004 (No ISBN) </ref>
The Ukrainians fixed bayonets and attacked the Soviet defenses outside Lviv. They fought fiercely, taking no prisoners. Soviet defenses crumbled and the battalion reached the NKVD prison, only to find that the NKVD had already executed all the prisoners, and the courtyard was filled with hundreds of corpses. Among the dead was Roman Shukhevych's brother, Yuri.


The Nachtigall servicemen participated and organized the [[Declaration of Ukrainian Independence, 1941|declaration of independence]] proclaimed by [[Yaroslav Stetsko]] on June 30. Battalion chaplaine [[Ivan Hrynokh]] made a speach after declaration meeting was end. The German administration however did not support this activities but did not act harshly against orginizers until mid of September 1941 . <ref> ОУН в 1941 році: документи: В 2-х ч Ін-т історії України НАН України К. 2006 ISBN 966-02-2535-0</ref>
⚫
The Battalion took up guard of strategic objects the most important of which was the radio station on the [[Vysoky Zamok]] Hill in the centre of Lviv. From the radio station, the proclamation of the Act of Ukrainian Independence was proclaimed.


The first [[Company (military unit)|company]] of the Nachtigall Battalion left Lviv with the [[Brandenburgers|Brandenburg]] on July 7 in the direction of [[Zolochiv]]. The remainder of the unit joined later during their eastward march towards [[Zolochiv]], [[Ternopil]] and [[Vinnytsia]].<ref name="autogenerated1940">І.К. Патриляк. Військова діяльність ОУН(Б) у 1940—1942 роках. — Університет імені Шевченко \Ін-т історії України НАН України Київ, 2004 (No ISBN)</ref> The unit participated in action against [[Stalin Line]] were some of it members were awarded by Germans.
The Nachtigall servicemen supported the declaration of independence of [[Ukraine]] proclaimed by [[Stepan Bandera]], [[Yaroslav Stetsko]] and [[Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists|his followers]] on July 1. The Nazis, however, did not and immediately ordered Bandera to rescind the proclamation. When he refused, the Nazis set out to destroy the Ukrainian nationalist movement. Bandera was arrested and spent the duration of the war in the [[Sachsenhausen concentration camp]]. Two of his brothers died in Auschwitz<ref>[http://www.infoukes.com/politics/cbs60minutes/kuropas/ Article on defamation of Ukrainians]</ref>.


On it way the soldiers of Nachtigall participated in the slaughter of Jews.<ref>Ivan Kazymyrovych Patryliak, Viis’kova diial’nist’ OUN(b) u 1940-1942 rokakh (Kyiv: NAN Ukraїny, 2004) p 361-362 - " постріляли всіх стрічних нам жидів"</ref><ref name="ReferenceA">Per Anders Rudling University of Alberta (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) The Shukhevych Cult in Ukraine: Myth Making with Complications. World War II and the (Re)Creation of Historical Memory in Contemporary Ukraine An international conference September 23–26, 2009 Kyiv, Ukraine</ref> Only during the march at three villages of the [[Vinnytsia]] region "all Jews which were met" were shot.<ref> "... скрепив нашу ненависть нашу до жидів, що в двох селах ми постріляли всіх стрічних жидів. Під час нашого перемаршу перед одним селом... ми постріляли всіх стрічних там жидів" from Nachtigal third company activity report Центральний державний архів вищих органів влади та управління України (ЦДАВО). — Ф. 3833 . — Оп. 1. — Спр. 157- Л.7 </ref>
The Nachtigall Battalion left Lviv with the [[Brandenburgers|Brandenburg]] and Alpine divisions on July 7 in the direction of [[Proskuriv]]. Together they fought in difficult battles near [[Vinnytsia]].<ref name="Chuyev"/>


The German refusal to accept the OUN(b)’s June 30 proclamation of Ukrainian independence in L’viv led to a change of the Nachtigall battalion direction. As the result, the battalion was recalled to Germany.<ref>Дружини українських націоналістів у 1941&nbsp;— 1942 роках.&nbsp;— Без місця видання, 1953.&nbsp;— С. 110 &nbsp;— 110. (Teams of Ukrainian Nationalists in 1941-42 - 1953, 110 "По нараді з командиром Р.Шухевич вислав письмо до Команди що наша частина не є здібна дальше воювати. Цілий легіон було стягнено з фронту та відправлено назад до Нойгаммеру</ref><ref>Ivan Kazymyrovych Patryliak, Viis’kova diial’nist’ OUN(b) u 1940-1942 rokakh (Kyiv: NAN Ukraїny, 2004) p 361-362</ref>
On orders of [[Adolf Hitler]], Stepan Bandera and Yaroslav Stetsko were arrested by the Gestapo in Lviv. The news of the arrests immediately caused the members of the Battalion to become disillusioned with regards to Nazi politics in Ukraine. Members of the battalion immediately called for the release of Bandera and Stetsko..<ref name="Chuyev"/> In Vinnytsia, Battalion Nachtigall refused to continue fighting for the Germans. On August 13, 1941 the Nachtigall Battalion received orders in Vinnytsia to travel to [[Neuhammer]] in Germany. Upon arrival at Neuhammer, the Battalion was disarmed at gunpoint.


==Belarus and liquidation of the Unit==
==Belarus and liquidation of the Unit==
Line 36: Line 38:
After review of their contracts both the Nachtigall and Roland battalions were disbanded and the soldiers were transported to [[Frankfurt-an-der-Oder]] where a new formation was negotiated - the 201st Ukrainian Schutzmannschaft Battalion named after [[Yevhen Konovaletz]].
After review of their contracts both the Nachtigall and Roland battalions were disbanded and the soldiers were transported to [[Frankfurt-an-der-Oder]] where a new formation was negotiated - the 201st Ukrainian Schutzmannschaft Battalion named after [[Yevhen Konovaletz]].


This formation was organized October 21, 1941 out of 4 regiments, the commanders were: 1st - R. Shukhevych, 2nd - M. Brigider, 3rd Sidor, 4th Pavlyk. The formal commander of the Battalion became Major E. Pobyhushchy, however, the German officer Moch became the actual Commander of the Battalion.<ref name="Chuyev"/>
This formation was organized October 21, 1941 out of 4 regiments, the commanders were: 1st - R. Shukhevych, 2nd - M. Brigider, 3rd Sidor, 4th Pavlyk. The formal commander of the Battalion became Major E. Pobyhushchy, however, the German officer Moch became the actual Commander of the Battalion.<ref name="Chuyev">{{ru icon}} Chuyev, Sergei Ukrainskyj Legion - Moskva, 2006 pp. 179-184</ref>


The Battalion were given German Police Uniforms without national symbols.
The Battalion were given German Police Uniforms without national symbols.
Line 42: Line 44:
Commander Moch was not liked by the Ukrainians. He was previously only a civilian police officer and had never taken part in any battles.<ref name="Chuyev"/>
Commander Moch was not liked by the Ukrainians. He was previously only a civilian police officer and had never taken part in any battles.<ref name="Chuyev"/>


On December 1, 1942 after the expiration of their contracts, the members of the Legion refused to take an oath of allegiance to Adolf Hitler. As a result, the 201 st Battalion was disbanded and taken in convoy to Lviv. Its officers were arrested and placed in the jail on Lonsky street. [[Roman Shukhevych]] however, the highest ranking Ukrainian officer, escaped. He eventually came to command the [[Ukrainian Insurgent Army]] (UPA), an armed national resistance movement which fought (from the underground and by guerilla tactics) against both the Nazis, against Nazi-allies, but also against the Polish units of [[Armia Krajowa]], communist [[Armia Ludowa]], [[People's Republic of Poland|Polish-Communist agents]] and later on against the Soviet forces, until the early 1950s<ref name="EH"/>.
On December 1, 1942 after the expiration of their contracts, the members of the Legion refused to take an oath of allegiance to Adolf Hitler. As a result, the 201 st Battalion was disbanded and taken in convoy to Lviv. Its officers were arrested and placed in the jail on Lonsky street. [[Roman Shukhevych]] however, the highest ranking Ukrainian officer, escaped. He eventually came to command the [[Ukrainian Insurgent Army]] (UPA), an armed national resistance movement which fought (from the underground and by guerilla tactics) against both the Nazis, against Nazi-allies, but also against the Polish units of [[Armia Krajowa]], communist [[Armia Ludowa]], [[People's Republic of Poland|Polish-Communist agents]] and later on against the Soviet forces, until the early 1950s<ref name="EH">Gutman, Israel. "[http://motlc.learningcenter.wiesenthal.org/text/x16/xm1688.html Nachtigall Battalion]". ''Encyclopedia of the Holocaust''. Macmillan Publishing Company: New York, 1990.</ref>.


The German command suggested to all those who had been in the Battalion to gather in [[Lublin]] to form a new unit, however, not one of the Ukrainians signed up, only few showed up.<ref name="Chuyev"/>
The German command suggested to all those who had been in the Battalion to gather in [[Lublin]] to form a new unit, however, not one of the Ukrainians signed up, only few showed up.<ref name="Chuyev"/>
Line 55: Line 57:


==Controversy==
==Controversy==
⚫
[[File:Oberlander1.jpg|150px|right|thumb|[[KGB]] document on action against [[Theodor Oberländer]] and Ukrainian Nachtigall (1959).<ref>"'''С целью компрометации Оберлендера и украинских националистов, собранные УКГБ материалы''' широко использовались в местной и центральной прессе, кинохронике,а также на пресс-конференции в Москве. Кроме этого, были выявлены и '''соответственно подготовлены свидетели, выступавшие по данному делу на пресс-конференции в Москве и на суде в Берлине'''.С учетом достигнутых положительных результатов в проведении специальных мероприятий по Оберлендеру, прошу Вас наградитъ нагрудным знаком «Почетный сотрудник Госбезопасности». Объявить благодарность и наградить ценным подарком."[http://memorial.kiev.ua/images/stories/2008/02/nachtigal/007.jpg].(ГДА СБУ фонд 1, опис 4 за 1964 рік, порядковий номер 3, том 5, аркуш 195 Розсекречено: 24/376 від 05.02.2008 р. - original sygnature of document).</ref>]]
[[Image:Shukhevych stamp 2007.jpg|thumb|200px|A Ukrainian postage stamp (2007) honouring the Ukrainian Commander of the Nachtigall Battalion - Roman Shukhevych on the 100th anniversary of his birth]]
[[Image:Shukhevych stamp 2007.jpg|thumb|200px|A Ukrainian postage stamp (2007) honouring the Ukrainian Commander of the Nachtigall Battalion - Roman Shukhevych on the 100th anniversary of his birth]]



See: [[Controversy regarding the Nachtigall Battalion]]
See: [[Controversy regarding the Nachtigall Battalion]]

Revision as of 10:41, 21 September 2010

The Nachtigall Battalion (German: Battalion Ukrainische Gruppe Nachtigall), officially known as Special Group Nachtigall,[1] was the subunit under command of the Abwehr special operation unit Lehrregiment "Brandenburg" z.b.V. 800. Along with the Roland Battalion it was one of two military units formed February 25, 1941 by head of the Abwehr Wilhelm Franz Canaris, which sanctioned the creation of the "Ukrainian Legion" under German command. It was manned primarily by occupied Poland citizens of Ukrainian ethnicity directed to unit by Bandera's OUN orders .[2]

In Germany, in November 1941 the Ukrainian personnel of the Legion was reorganized into the 201 Schutzmannschaft Battalion. It numbered 650 persons which serve for a year at Belarus before disbanding.[2]

Many of its members, especially the commanding officers, went on to the Ukrainian Insurgent Army and SS-Freiwilligen-Schützen-Division «Galizien» in spring 1943. [3]

Formation and training

Prior to Operation Barbarossa, the Bandera's OUN actively cooperated with Nazi Germany. According to the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and other sources, OUN-R leader Stepan Bandera held meetings with the heads of Germany's intelligence, regarding the formation of "Nachtigall" and "Roland" Battalions. February 25, 1941 head of the Abwehr Wilhelm Franz Canaris sanctioned the creation of the "Ukrainian Legion" under German command. The unit would have had 800 persons. Roman Shukhevych became a commander of the Legion from the OUN-R side. OUN expected that the unit would become the core of the future Ukrainian army. In the spring the OUN received 2.5 million marks for subversive activities against the USSR.[4][2] In the spring of 1941 the Legion was reorganized into 3 units. One of the units became known as Nachtigall Battalion, a second became the Roland Battalion, a third was inmmidiately dispatched into Soviet Union for sabotage of Red Army's rear.[2] In May 1941, the German command decided to split a 700-strong Ukrainian Legion into two battalions: Nachtigall ("Nightingale") and Roland Battalion. Training for Nachtigall took place in Neuhammer near Schlessig. On the Ukrainian side, the commander was Roman Shukhevych and on the German, Theodor Oberländer. (Oberländer was later to become minister for Immigration in the Federal Republic of Germany.) Ex-Brandenburger Oberleutnant Dr. Hanz-Albrecht Herzner was placed in military command of the Battalion. The Nachtigall unit was outfitted in the standard Wehrmacht uniforms. Before entering Lviv, they placed blue and yellow ribbons on their shoulders[2]

War with the Soviet Union

Four days before the attack on the Soviet Union, the Battalion was moved to the border. On the night of June 23-24, 1941, the Battalion crossed the border near Przemyśl and entered battle with Soviet forces while traveling in the direction of Lviv. Nachtigall participated in the battles on the 29th June as part of the 17th Army.

The Nachtigall Battalion traveled along with a Panzer-Jaeger Division and some tank units went along through Radymno-Lviv-Ternopil-Proskuriv-Vinnytsia path.


Lviv

As part of the 1st Brandenberg Battalion the first soldiers of the Nachtigall Battalion entered Lviv on June 29. [5]

The Battalion took up guard of strategic objects the most important of which was the radio station on the Vysoky Zamok Hill in the centre of Lviv. From the radio station, the proclamation of the Act of Ukrainian Independence was proclaimed..[2]

The Nachtigall servicemen participated and organized the declaration of independence proclaimed by Yaroslav Stetsko on June 30. Battalion chaplaine Ivan Hrynokh made a speach after declaration meeting was end. The German administration however did not support this activities but did not act harshly against orginizers until mid of September 1941 . [6]

The first company of the Nachtigall Battalion left Lviv with the Brandenburg on July 7 in the direction of Zolochiv. The remainder of the unit joined later during their eastward march towards Zolochiv, Ternopil and Vinnytsia.[2] The unit participated in action against Stalin Line were some of it members were awarded by Germans.

On it way the soldiers of Nachtigall participated in the slaughter of Jews.[7][8] Only during the march at three villages of the Vinnytsia region "all Jews which were met" were shot.[9]

The German refusal to accept the OUN(b)’s June 30 proclamation of Ukrainian independence in L’viv led to a change of the Nachtigall battalion direction. As the result, the battalion was recalled to Germany.[10][11]

Belarus and liquidation of the Unit

After review of their contracts both the Nachtigall and Roland battalions were disbanded and the soldiers were transported to Frankfurt-an-der-Oder where a new formation was negotiated - the 201st Ukrainian Schutzmannschaft Battalion named after Yevhen Konovaletz.

This formation was organized October 21, 1941 out of 4 regiments, the commanders were: 1st - R. Shukhevych, 2nd - M. Brigider, 3rd Sidor, 4th Pavlyk. The formal commander of the Battalion became Major E. Pobyhushchy, however, the German officer Moch became the actual Commander of the Battalion.[12]

The Battalion were given German Police Uniforms without national symbols. On March 16, 1942 the battalion was given orders to travel east and arrived in Belarus to replace the Latvian battalion. The Ukrainians formally were under the command of General J. Jakob. On arrival the group was broken up into 12 groups guarding a territory of 2400 square kilometers. In August 1942 the 201 battalion was responsible for the guarding of roads and bridges in the region along the supply line Mogilev - Vitebsk - Lepel. Commander Moch was not liked by the Ukrainians. He was previously only a civilian police officer and had never taken part in any battles.[12]

On December 1, 1942 after the expiration of their contracts, the members of the Legion refused to take an oath of allegiance to Adolf Hitler. As a result, the 201 st Battalion was disbanded and taken in convoy to Lviv. Its officers were arrested and placed in the jail on Lonsky street. Roman Shukhevych however, the highest ranking Ukrainian officer, escaped. He eventually came to command the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), an armed national resistance movement which fought (from the underground and by guerilla tactics) against both the Nazis, against Nazi-allies, but also against the Polish units of Armia Krajowa, communist Armia Ludowa, Polish-Communist agents and later on against the Soviet forces, until the early 1950s[13].

The German command suggested to all those who had been in the Battalion to gather in Lublin to form a new unit, however, not one of the Ukrainians signed up, only few showed up.[12]

Assessment

Russian historian V. Chuyev states that despite the ending, OUN achieved its ultimate goals - 600 members of their organization had received military training and had battle experience and these men took positions as instructors and commanders in the structure of the newly formed Ukrainian Insurgent Army.[12]

S. Bandera wrote: "The end of DUN was such: the revolutionary columns were commanded by Roman Shukhevych with a small party of officers who had not only undergone military training, but had come to a clear understanding of military tactics. The most important, they brought with them - an understanding of organization, strategies and tactics of partisan fighting, and the German method of dealing with partisan groups. This knowledge was very useful in the formation and activities of the UIA and in its future conflicts.[12]

During its short history the Nachtigall Battalion had 39 casualties and had 40 wounded soldiers.[12]

Controversy

KGB document on action against Theodor Oberländer and Ukrainian Nachtigall (1959).[14]
A Ukrainian postage stamp (2007) honouring the Ukrainian Commander of the Nachtigall Battalion - Roman Shukhevych on the 100th anniversary of his birth


See: Controversy regarding the Nachtigall Battalion

The Simon Wiesenthal Center states that between June 30 and July 3, 1941, in the days that the Battalion was in Lviv the Nachtigall soldiers together with the German army and the local Ukrainians participated in the killings of Jews in the city. The pretext for the pogrom was a rumor that the Jews were responsible for the execution of prisoners by the Soviets before the 1941 Soviet withdrawal from Lviv. The encyclopedia of the Holocaust states that some 4,000 Jews were kidnapped and killed at that time.[13] It further states that the unit was removed from Lviv on July 7 and sent to the Eastern Front. On their way through Zolochiv and Ternopil to the area of Vinnytsya, Nachtigall troopers participated in pogroms against Jews[13].

The Polish side contends that members of the Nazi-led Nachtigall battalion also participated in the massacres of Polish professors, including the ex-Polish Prime minister Kazimierz Bartel, Tadeusz Boy-Żeleński and others, in Lwów in 1941. See Massacre of Lviv professors.

The Russian side states: "That on June 30 in Lviv the German administration started mass repressions. The commander of the Einzatzgruppen C Dr. Rasch had incriminated the death of those incarcerated in the Lviv jails to the "Jews from the NKVD" which became the spark for the terror against the Jews and Poles of Lviv. In the bloody murder of the Jews the Einsatzgruppen under the command of SS-Brigadeführer Karl Eberhard Schenhardt took prominence. The sections of this group under the command of H. Krüger and W. Kutschman on July 4 murdered 23 Polish professors and their families. On July 11, 2 more were killed, and later the former prime-minister of Poland, Professor Bartel. In the Autumn of 1941 a ghetto was formed in Lviv".[12]

Canadian Investigation: Involvement of any members of the Nachtigall Battalion in the war crimes have not yet been established. The Canadian Commission on War Criminals in Canada (Deschênes Commission) that look into allegations of war criminals residing in Canada, has not named any of the members of the Nachtigall Battalion. Moreover, it concluded, that units collaborating with the Nazis should not be indicted as a group and that mere membership in such units was not sufficient to justify prosecution. [15]

World opinion: An international commission was set up at The Hague in the Netherlands in 1959 to carry out independent investigations. The members were four former anti-Hitler activists, Norwegian lawyer Hans Cappelen, former Danish foreign minister and president of the Danish parliament Ole Bjørn Kraft, Dutch socialist Karel van Staal, Belgian law professor Flor Peeters, and Swiss jurist and member of parliament Kurt Scoch. Following its interrogation of a number of Ukrainian witnesses between November 1959 and March 1960, the commission concluded: "After four months of inquiries and the evaluation of 232 statements by witnesses from all circles involved, it can be established that the accusations against the Battalion Nachtigall and against the then Lieutenant and currently Federal Minister Oberländer have no foundation in fact.[16]"

The Ukrainian side states that none of the allegations have been proven by any documents. That the Battalion's main priority was securing the radio station, newspapers and proclaiming Ukrainian independence[17].

The activities of the Nachtigall Battalion continue to remain controversial. A study of the massacre in Lviv based on documents of the time was made by de Zayas in his book The Wehrmacht War Crimes Bureau, 1939-1945 University of Nebraska Press, Rockport, Maine, 2000 edition [18].

References

  1. ^ Abbot, Peter. Ukrainian Armies 1914-55, p.47. Osprey Publishing, 2004. ISBN 1841766682
  2. ^ a b c d e f g І.К. Патриляк. Військова діяльність ОУН(Б) у 1940—1942 роках. — Університет імені Шевченко \Ін-т історії України НАН України Київ, 2004 (No ISBN) p.271-278 Cite error: The named reference "autogenerated1940" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  3. ^ Боляновський А.В. Дивізія «Галичина»: історія — Львів: , 2000.
  4. ^ Організація українських націоналістів і Українська повстанська армія. Інститут історії НАН України.2004р Організація українських націоналістів і Українська повстанська армія, Раздел 1 http://www.history.org.ua/LiberUA/Book/Upa/1.pdf стр. 17-30
  5. ^ Дружини українських націоналістів у 1941 — 1942 роках. — Без місця видання, 1953. — С. 6, 109 — 110. (Teams of Ukrainian Nationalists in 1941-42 - 1953, 109
  6. ^ ОУН в 1941 році: документи: В 2-х ч Ін-т історії України НАН України К. 2006 ISBN 966-02-2535-0
  7. ^ Ivan Kazymyrovych Patryliak, Viis’kova diial’nist’ OUN(b) u 1940-1942 rokakh (Kyiv: NAN Ukraїny, 2004) p 361-362 - " постріляли всіх стрічних нам жидів"
  8. ^ Per Anders Rudling University of Alberta (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) The Shukhevych Cult in Ukraine: Myth Making with Complications. World War II and the (Re)Creation of Historical Memory in Contemporary Ukraine An international conference September 23–26, 2009 Kyiv, Ukraine
  9. ^ "... скрепив нашу ненависть нашу до жидів, що в двох селах ми постріляли всіх стрічних жидів. Під час нашого перемаршу перед одним селом... ми постріляли всіх стрічних там жидів" from Nachtigal third company activity report Центральний державний архів вищих органів влади та управління України (ЦДАВО). — Ф. 3833 . — Оп. 1. — Спр. 157- Л.7
  10. ^ Дружини українських націоналістів у 1941 — 1942 роках. — Без місця видання, 1953. — С. 110  — 110. (Teams of Ukrainian Nationalists in 1941-42 - 1953, 110 "По нараді з командиром Р.Шухевич вислав письмо до Команди що наша частина не є здібна дальше воювати. Цілий легіон було стягнено з фронту та відправлено назад до Нойгаммеру
  11. ^ Ivan Kazymyrovych Patryliak, Viis’kova diial’nist’ OUN(b) u 1940-1942 rokakh (Kyiv: NAN Ukraїny, 2004) p 361-362
  12. ^ a b c d e f g Template:Ru icon Chuyev, Sergei Ukrainskyj Legion - Moskva, 2006 pp. 179-184
  13. ^ a b c Gutman, Israel. "Nachtigall Battalion". Encyclopedia of the Holocaust. Macmillan Publishing Company: New York, 1990.
  14. ^ "С целью компрометации Оберлендера и украинских националистов, собранные УКГБ материалы широко использовались в местной и центральной прессе, кинохронике,а также на пресс-конференции в Москве. Кроме этого, были выявлены и соответственно подготовлены свидетели, выступавшие по данному делу на пресс-конференции в Москве и на суде в Берлине.С учетом достигнутых положительных результатов в проведении специальных мероприятий по Оберлендеру, прошу Вас наградитъ нагрудным знаком «Почетный сотрудник Госбезопасности». Объявить благодарность и наградить ценным подарком."[1].(ГДА СБУ фонд 1, опис 4 за 1964 рік, порядковий номер 3, том 5, аркуш 195 Розсекречено: 24/376 від 05.02.2008 р. - original sygnature of document).
  15. ^ Wasyl Veryha. Along the Roads of World War II. War Criminals in Canada? (Commission of Inquiry on War Criminals Report)
  16. ^ Alfred M. de Zayas, The Wehrmacht War Crimes Bureau, 1939-1945 , University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln and London, 1979, pp. 214-227
  17. ^ Template:Uk icon The history which we do not know or do not want to know - Dzerkalo Tyzhdnia
  18. ^ The Lviv Massacre

Sources

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