![[LITOPYS UPA: Chronicle of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army]](/upa/images/litopys.jpg)
SERIES 1
VOLUME 33
INTRODUCTION
This volume contains documents and materials that pertain to Tactical
Sector"Lemko", commanded by Maj. Vasyl Martyn Mizernyi ("Ren"), which was part
of the UPA 6th MO "Sian" under command of Maj. Myroslav Onyshkevych ("Orest").
The Peremyshl Battalion was commanded by Col. "Konyk", and after his death in
1946, by Maj. Petro Mykolenko - Mykola Savchenko ("Baida"). The second, the
Lemko Battalion for the entire period of its existence was commanded by V.M.
Mizernyi ("Ren"), who was also the commander of the Tactical Sector"Lemko". Most
of the documents come from the Peter J. Potichnyj Collection on Insurgency and
Counter-Insurgency in Ukraine, located at the University of Toronto. Some of the
documents come from the Archive of ZCh OUN, or from the private collection of
Mr. Stepan Golash ("Mar"), who functioned as the Leader in Nadraion "Beskyd" and
was able to bring with him to the West many of his reports. The Memoirs of Dr.
M. Ripeckyj ("Horyslav"), were donated by him, and the memoirs of Mykhailo
Ozymko ("Zalizniak") were received from his wife with the help of Mr. Julian
Kotlar ("Levko").
The book is composed of six sections, each one of
which illustrates various aspects of the Tactical Sector's activity. The first
section offers information on the history of the "Lemko Battalion", beginning
with its organization in the autumn of 1944, crossing the front lines, return to
Zakerzonskyi Krai and its reorganization and activities in 1945. The document
"UPA na tretiomu etapi", relates the situation in which the UPA units found
themselves during the crossing of the front lines, and also about the Lemko
Zahin (Division), and the Lemko Battalion (Kuren) in the period of August 1944
and June 1945.
An important document which highlites the history of this
battalion are the memoirs of Dr. M. Ripeckyj ("Horyslav"), who not only served
in this unit but also helped organize it. Later on, until his departure by reid
to Western Germany in 1947, Dr. M. Ripeckyj was the Nadraionm Chief of the SB in
"Beskyd". The remaining documents of this section are "Zahalnyi zvit po zhovten'
1945" with some objections of M. Onyshkevych ("Bilyi"), which presents the
activities of military units until October 1945, "Operatyvni zvity poodynokykh
viddiliv" for January- November 1945, prepared by the Commander "Ren", "Vidpysy
operatyvnykh zvitiv from Nadraion "Beskyd" and "Kholodnyi Iar", two documents of
unknown authors, for 1945, which discuss the reorganization of the UPA units at
that time, a manuscript of a Tactical Sector report by unknown author and the
letter "Druzhe Komandyr!", by Capt. M. Onyshkevych ("Bilyi"), probably to his
superior Commander "Shelest", in which he informs him about the inspection of
the 26 UPA units in Tactical Sector"Lemko". The materials of this section
present a clear view of the organizational and military aspects that existed on
the territory of the Tactical Sector "Lemko".
The second section
contains exclusively "Operatyvni zvity" (Operational Reports) sent by the
Commander of the Tactical Sector"Lemko", "Ren" to Commander of the 6th MO "Sian"
Maj. Myroslav Onyshkevych ("Orest"). These reports encompass the most active
period of the UPA units in this terrain, namely, December 1945 and July 1946.
All of them are prepared very professionally, and in addition to detailed
descriptions of the more important battles with the Polish Army, illustarted by
"Operational diagrams", they present important details about the condition,
training, successes and failures, officers and non-commissioned officers, and
own and enemy casualties. The information about the enemy casualties are only
assessments and should be taken with a healthy dose of skepticism. But their own
casualties in men and materiel, the moral conditions among soldiers, gives us a
clear picture of the situation in which the UPA units of this Tactical Sector
operated.
In the third section are found reports of individual companies
or units, that were active in this terrain. All of them come from the period
between August 1945 and March 1947. Most of them desribe the activities of the
UPA units in Lemkivshchyna (the companies of "Khrin", "Myron", "Didyk",
Brodych", "Stakh"), but among them are found also interesting documents about
the UPA actiions in Peremyshl region, such as the attack on Bircha, and Kuz'myna
I October 1945, the battle in Iavirnyk Rus'kyi in July 1946, the capitulation of
an UPA platoon in August 1945 in a bunker. Encircled by the Polish troops all
UPA soldier surrendered (except one who was able to escape) with the exception
of the political officer "Lahidnyi" (Lev Futala), who not only did not give up,
but fought back, and for his stand and wounds was decorated by the Gold Cross of
Military Valor II Class. Here are also presented Chronicles of companies 94a
(commanded by "Burlaka"), and 96a (commanded by "Krylach"), although they are
not complete and do not cover the activities of these units for the period of
their existence.22
The fourth section collects several orders,
instructions and correspondence of the MO "Sian" Commander with the Commander of
22 For amore detailed information of the Peremyshl Battalion see: Litopys UPA,
Peremyshchyna-Peremys'kyi kurin. Knyha persha-Dennyk viddilu "Burlaky"
(Volodymyra Shchyhel's'koho, "Udarnyky" 4, 94 a), vol 13. Toronto, Litopys UPA,
1986, and Litopys UPA, Peremyshchyna-Peremys'kyi kurin. Knyha druha-Dennyky
sotni "Krylacha" (Iaroslava Kotsiolka), "Udarnyky" 6, 96 a. vol. 14, Toronto,
Litopys UPA, 1987. 27 Tactical Sector"Lemko", and Company Commanders "Hromenko",
"Burlaka", "Khrin", drafts of posthumos nominations of the UPA soldiers,
decorations and awarding of stars for the wounded soldiers of the Tactical
Sector "Lemko". Very interesting are the covering letters from Commander "Ren"
to "Oleh" (Myroslav Onyshkevych) because they show the periodicity and character
of reports. Instructions ("Vkazivky..." on how to write monthly military reports
were probably written by "Ren", but later formally aproved by the MO Commander,
show high organization and discipline among the UPA units in Zakerzonskyi Krai.
One of the most important orders, is the "Nakaz, usim komandyram viddiliv UPA,
boivok ta inshykh zbroinykh chastyn na tereni VO 6". This order dated 9
September 1945 and its attachment also of the same date, signed by "Lir"
(another pseudonym of Iaroslav Starukh), the highest political leader in
Zakerzonskyi Krai, gives clear instructions and tasks for the UPA units, to
obstruct the policy to resettle Ukrainians to the USSR, and where this is
impossible to destroy all Ukrainian villages and in this way, to prevent the
settlement of Poles in the territory. The use of the resettlement action for the
purposes of legalizing sick members of the underground and their transfer to
Eastern Ukraine is also quite interesting. No less important is the prohibition
to burn Polish villages, and also to "give the action the anti-Bolshevik, and
not an anti-Polish character".
These are followed by the Orders of MO
Commander Maj. Myroslav Onyshkevych ("Orest"), and Tactical Sector Commander
Maj. Vasyl Martyn Mizernyi ("Ren"). From the point of miliotary discipline is
the Order Nr. 3 from 1946 from Vommander of Tactical Sector"Lemko". In it are
reported some abuses of individual soldiers and commanders with respect to the
underground "civilian network", Ukrainian and Polish population, and his demand
to court martial all deserters, but also all members of the underground that
participate in pillage, marauding or hard drinking. The order also emphasizes
greater need for conspiracy, and duties of commanders and soldiers with respect
to fallen and wounded comrades. This order also regulates disciplinary
punishments, and the reporting of company commanders, because, as the order
states "the monthly report is not simply a reflection of military proves of the
commander of a unit or a subunit, and his work and the work of his unit, but,
most importantly, is a source for the history of the UPA liberation struggle.
These reports should be written in a manner so that one can learn about all
efforts of the UPA soldiers which they gave in the building of the Ukrainian
Sovereign United State."
The fifth section contains reports of the UPA
raids on the territory of TS"Lemko", as for example in Krynytsia region, but
also in Slovakia, Polish territories in Peremyshl region, and the Great Raid of
the UPA units to Western Germany in 1947 written by the Platoon Leader of
"Hromenko" company, Mykhailo Ozymko ("Zalizniak").
The report about the
raid in Krynytsia region gives interesting information about the situation of
Ukrainian population in this territory during the months of November-December,
1945, a a detailed description of villages after the resettlement action, but
also talks about difficult organizational dillemmas, that the underground must
solve in this westernmost part of Ukrainian lands.
The detailed reports
of Commanders "Myron", "Karmeliuk" and "Taras" (U-6), about the raids in
Slovakia come next, followed by a report about the meeting of "Khrin's" company
with the soldiers and officers of the Czechoslovak Army, and descriptions of
several raids of platoons of "Hromenko" company in Polish areas of Peremyshl
region.
The memoir of the Platoon Leader Mykhailo Ozymko ("Zalizniak")
is valuable because it shows a difficult situation in which the UPA units found
themselves during the Akcja Wisla on the terrain of the Tactical Sector "Lemko".
He ends his memoir with the entry for June 30, 1947, having described in detail
the previous 28 days of the march of "Hromenko" company in Slovakia, which after
heavy fighting with the Polish Army and harrassment by the Czechoslovak troops
with heavy losses (from 140 men only 36 came to Germany as an organized unit),
nevertheless made it to Germany and surrendered its weapons to United States
occupational authorities on September 11, 1947.
The sixth section
contains documents which illustrate how the question of training of military
cadres was dealt with in the UPA. The documents of the Col. "Konyk"
Non-Commissioned Officers School show the six week program of the school, the
list of participants, results of the exams and its battle activities against the
Polish Non-Commissioned Officers School. The materials of the book give us a
broad and interesting view on the situation in the Tactical Sector"Lemko" and
the activities of both UPA battalions in this territory.
The editors are
grateful to Members of the Lemko Advisory Commission, Mr. Stefan Golash, Dr.
Modest Ripeckyj and Irena Kaminska for their invaluable suggestions and advice.
Petro J. Potichnyj
Ivan Lyko
![[Return to Main Page]](/icons2/icon-litopys.gif){kind=icon}