LETTER TO THE EDITOR (04/02/00)

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

More information on Galicia Division

Dear Editor:

Regarding the article by Ingert Kuzych "Focus on Philately" (March 5), I would like to share some views.

To begin with, I found the article interesting because I also possess in my collection some envelopes and stamps pertaining to the Galicia Division. On occasion, I wondered if they were actually stamps, labels or what. And I had no knowledge of the value of these items. Therefore, I thank the writer for his article.

However, as I read the article, I noted some mistakes. And that is the reason I am responding.

To begin with, the 14th Waffen SS "Galicia" Division, known in the concluding weeks of the war as the 1st Ukrainian Division of the Ukrainian National Army, had various name titles. But the division was never titled or referred to as a "Sharpshooter Division." As for plans to establish five independent regiments, in actuality only four were created. They were numbered 4 through 7. As for these regiments, they never "served as a reserve for the division." In fact, all of its personnel were eventually incorporated into the Division.

It is true that in the beginning stages of the Galicia Division the formation was largely a German officered division. However, the claim that "the Galicia Division command and the technical corps consisted entirely of German officers" is not correct. In fact, by mid-1944, the division eventually attained many of its own native officers. At the time of its deployment, about 150 Ukrainian officers deployed with the division. In addition, the division never had a technical corps.

The division did not see its first action in "mid-June." Actually, its first echelons began to deploy on June 28, 1944. On July 15, the division's 30th Infantry Regiment engaged the attacking Soviet forces. On July 16 the entire division was committed into combat.

Unfortunately, among many Ukrainians and some Western writers, there still exists the false myth that the division was "not yet fully trained and [was] inadequately supported." It is true that in the concluding months of the war in 1945 the men who entered the division were not properly trained because German training areas were now being overrun by the advancing Allied armies and there was a lack of resources and munitions. But this was not the case with those who entered the division in 1943 and early 1944.

In fact, the division which deployed to the eastern front in late June/early July of 1944 was exceptionally well-trained, armed and equipped. Among its Ukrainian officers and non-commissioned officers, a number had combat experience. Some were former members of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and had fought the Nazis, others were veterans of the Polish Army of 1939, and others had served in the French Army in 1940. A number were also veterans of the pre-1939 Czecho-Slovakian army. Others had served in other armies. As for weaponry and equipment, the division possessed the newest models. Among its inventory was a battery of 88mm artillery - a weapons system most German divisions did not even possess.

In combat, the Galicia Division was not "virtually wiped out." Approximately 10,500 soldiers (and not 14,000) deployed. From this strength, in the aftermath of the Battle of Brody, about 3,000 ex-Brody fighters were assembled by late September 1944. However, in the upcoming weeks and months, many others drifted back into the division. By April 1945, some 2,300 additional Galicia Division soldiers had returned for a total of 5,300. These men returned from various places. The UPA, various German units that finally released them and some via the Soviet Army.

Although about 5,300 returned, many others remained within the UPA. Others continued to hide out among the civilian population in western Ukraine while others ended up in the Soviet army. And a small number (as instructors) remained within the German service.

As for casualties, almost 2,700 division soldiers were killed or seriously wounded. About 900 others, some wounded, were captured. Of course, these are heavy casualties. However, had it not been for the superb training received by the division, the casualty rate would have been significantly higher. After all, the Galicia Division had encountered massive Soviet forces south of Brody and a massive amount of firepower was directed against the division.

It is important to note that in the aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union many ex-Brody combatants suddenly re-emerged. Previously, it had been believed that these individuals had been killed. Among these were those who had remained in the UPA but in the Khrushchev era had returned home. Others, such as those who hailed from Galicia, returned home following the division's successful break-out from encirclement. Discarding their uniforms, they simply remained in their home regions and succeeded in finding a way of life.

Others, upon returning home, were not so lucky. Drafted into the Soviet army after July 1944 and unable to escape back to the division, they remained in the Soviet service until the end of the war. Discharged in 1945, they were sent back home. And, of course, a number of the prisoners of war also survived. In due time, they also returned home.

As for Adolf Hitler, he actually did authorize some tactical withdrawals in the vicinity of Brody. Noting the German withdrawal (which, incidentally, was poorly conducted), the Soviets sensed a moment of opportunity and attacked sooner than the date their planners had initially established.

The division was not "in January of 1945 transferred to Austria to fill gaps in the front." Rather, on January 31, 1945, the division was ordered into the region of southeastern Austria/northwestern Yugoslavia. (Currently the Republic of Slovenia). By February 28, the division was in place. It remained there until the end of March. On April 1 it marched to the northeast. The division was ordered to assist in repulsing a major Soviet offensive. Its mission was not to fill gaps but rather, to halt a major thrust. This the Galicia Division accomplished with distinction.

Gen. Pavlo Shandruk never "joined the division in April 1945." Rather, he conducted an inspection tour of the division. His plan was to incorporate the division into the newly forming Ukrainian army.

I am the author of a book on the Galicia Division. Within its pages, many of the myths and inaccuracies pertaining to the division are examined. And I hope that some day, the true story will be known by all. Thank You.

Michael O. Logusz
Sterling, N.Y.

The writer is a major in the U.S. Army Reserve. His book is titled "Galicia Division: The Waffen-SS 14th Grenadier Division, 1943-1945."

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