Ukrainian UPA Genocide of Poles Counteracted Dziemianczuk

Polish Self Defence In Volhynia, by Wladyslaw Dziemianczuk. 1999

How Poles Fought Back Against the Ukrainian (OUN-UPA) Genocide of Poles in Volyn (Wolyn)

This is one of the few English-language books on this little-known genocidal event. During the German occupation of prewar eastern Poland during WWII, Ukrainian collaborators massively assisted the Nazis in the extermination of the local Jews. In March 1943, with few Jews remaining, some 5,000 members of the Ukrainian collaborationist police (soon to be joined by 8,000-9,000 others members of this police) deserted their posts. (p. 24). They kept their weapons, and formed the nucleus of murderous separatist bands (the UPA–so-called Ukrainian Insurgent Army), now putting their Jew-killing skills to use against the rural Poles. Local Ukrainian peasants were also revolutionized, recruited, and conscripted (by force if necessary) as killers.

Over 30,000 documented Volhynian Polish men, women, and children were sadistically murdered. Owing to incomplete coverage, the actual projected total was actually about 70,000. (p. 28).

OUN-UPA apologists have said that the murderous acts were not genocidal, but only a tactic designed to scare the Poles into leaving “their” lands. The falseness of these claims is demonstrated by the OUN-UPA murders of Poles known to be in the process of leaving. For example, one massacre survivor recounted telling his Ukrainian neighbor and friend about his plans to flee to central Poland. The Ukrainian agreed to warn him of any danger, but instead returned that night with an OUN-UPA group and murdered his family. (pp. 48-51).

Some Ukrainian clergy encouraged the genocide of Poles, blaming Poles for Ukrainians’ problems and employing obvious exterminationist language (Poles as weeds growing on Ukrainian soil). (p. 30, 64). Ukrainian bishops Polikarp and Sheptytsky belatedly (August 10, 1943) called for an end to the “hostilities”, but this was dismissed by the OUN-UPA: “A letter is a letter, because that is politics, but Poles must be cut down anyway.” (p. 31).

The terrorized Poles, at first not realizing the scale of the unfolding genocide against them, eventually established fortified villages (SAMOOBRONY) in defense. The official Polish Underground order to develop fortified villages did not come until May 17, 1943, by AK (A. K.–Armija Krajowa) Colonel Kazimierz Damian Babinski “Lubon”. (p. 16). This was months after the start of the OUN-UPA genocide against the Poles.

The Poles were hampered by an acute shortage of arms. One fortified village, Huta Stepanska, swelled to 16,000-18,000 destitute souls (p. 97)–the survivors of massacres and burnings of all the surrounding villages. The Polish defenders had only 40 firearms, (p. 40) yet managed to beat-off an OUN-UPA attack force that enjoyed at least a 10:1 ratio. (p. 87). Being nearly out of ammunition, the defenders subsequently conducted a mass evacuation. Though several hundred Poles were killed during the evacuation, tens of thousands of others saved their lives by coming to the Germans and “volunteering” for forced labor in the Reich.

At least 21 fortified Polish Volhynian villages, which are listed by name (p. 18), are known to have been well-armed enough to withstand OUN-UPA onslaughts at least until the arrival of the Red Army in early 1944 (after which the Soviets disarmed them.). The best known of these was Przebraze, located in Luck (Lutsk) district. (p. 19-23). It consisted of a series of hamlets converted into fortified bastions, complete with obstacles, barbed wire, etc. It had 120 armed defenders in June 1943, and 1,200 of them in September 1943.

Mobile Polish guerrilla units were developed in order to prevent overwhelming force from being delivered against any one base at any one time. Most of these Polish guerrillas were eventually consolidated to form the 27th Volhynian Division of the AK. In contrast to the 70,000 defenseless Volhynian Poles who lost their lives at the hands of the OUN-UPA rezuny (cutthroats), the lives of a total of some 150,000 Volhynian (Wolyn) Poles were saved by the Polish guerrillas and the defended Volhynian Polish villages. (p. 21).

Official AK orders forbade acts of retaliation against the OUN-UPA which would involve the killing of Ukrainian women and children. (p. 17). One AK commander, Mikolaj Kunicki “Mucha”, reported capturing several UPA attackers, including a sergeant who had a list in his possession of 17 Poles he had killed, for which he endeavored to get awarded and decorated. “Mucha” ordered the UPA sergeant to be tortured to death, and the remaining UPA men to be hanged. (pp. 44-45).