Defense of Przebraże
Defence of Przebraże | |||||||
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Part of the Massacres of the Poles in the Volhynia and Galicia during the Polish–Ukrainian ethnic conflict in the World War II | |||||||
The Polish Self–Defense bases and centers in the Wołyń Voivodeship in 1943 | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Ukrainian Insurgent Army |
Polish Self–Defense Home Army Soviet partisans | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Dmytro Klyachkivsky Yuriy Stelmaschuk |
Ludwik Malinowski Albert Wasilewski Henryk Cybulski Jan Rerutko Nikolay Prokopyuk | ||||||
Units involved | |||||||
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Strength | |||||||
4–5 July: 1,000 men[1] 31 July: 3,500 men[2] 30–31 August: 3,000–6,000 men[3] 15 October: Unknown |
4–5 July: 500 men 31 July: Unknown 30–31 August: 1,467–1,667 men 15 October: Unknown | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
400 killed[4] 40 captured[5] | 10 killed[6][2] | ||||||
550 Polish civilians were murdered[6][2] |
The Defence of Przebraże (Polish: Obrona Przebraża, Ukrainian: Оборона Пшебража; 4 July — 15 October, 1943) was fought between the Ukrainian Insurgent Army against the Polish Self–Defense, Home Army and Soviet partisans in the Łuck County of the Wołyń Voivodeship. The Northern Operational Group under the command of Dmytro Klyachkivsky and 3rd Operational Group “Turiv” under the command of Yuriy Stelmaschuk tried fourth times to destroy and conquer the largest Polish Self–Defense base and center in the Volhynia. But unfortunately, the UPA never did it.[7]
Location
The Przebraże settlement was located 10 km (6 mi) south of Troscianiec and 25 km (16 mi) north-east of Lutsk, the capital of Polish Volhynia before the
Background
In late 1942,
Creation
Some time in April 1943, Poles in Przebraże under former
To avoid clashes with the Germans, a weapon permit from local German authorities in
Polish units in Przebraże numbered some 500 men, they were divided into four companies and a mounted scouts platoon. In mid-1943 their number grew to 1,000. Reconnaissance patrols would check the surrounding area by day and at night, so that the settlement would not be caught by surprise. A defence line was created around Przebraże and neighbouring settlements, which consisted of foxholes and barbed wire. The length of barbed wire totalled around 20 km (12 mi) and the size of the “camp” - 6 km (3.7 mi) from east to west and 7 km (4.3 mi) from north to south.
Population in 1943
As news of atrocities spread across Volhynia, up to 28,000 Poles from neighbouring villages and settlements came to Przebraże. The number of refugees grew day by day; several houses accommodated up to five families, others had to live in temporary mud huts. A field hospital was organized and as skirmishes with Ukrainians were frequent, beds were usually full.
In June 1943 Polish units from Przebraże scouted the area, telling all Poles to leave their houses and move to the fortified settlement. Unfortunately, not all agreed to move and their reluctance later proved to be fatal.[7]
Ukrainian attacks
At the beginning of the summer of 1943, local Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) commanders suggested that Henryk Cybulski, Ludwik Malinowski and their men should meet and talk. Delegates of both sides met four times, the Poles grew suspicious. Reportedly, the talks were a trap, the Ukrainians wanted to kill Cybulski. Thus, negotiations were terminated.[7]
July 5, 1943 attack
On July 5, 1943, UPA units tried to attack Przebraże, burning nearby villages and murdering their inhabitants. Shocked refugees would come to the settlement, often only dressed in their underwear. The defence line was then attacked in several places, the battle lasting throughout the night. The next day, July 6, was just as hectic, as Ukrainian units surrounded the settlement and attacked it from all sides. After several hours they gave up, 10 Poles died.
As soon as the Ukrainians had left, mounted scouts scoured the area. They counted as many as 550 massacred Poles, those who had refused to move to Prżebraze. The surrounding villages, such as Majdan Jezierski, Dermanka, Budy, Huta and Dobra, were burned.[7]
Other attacks
A second attack took place on July 12, the UPA concentrated its forces on the village of Rafalowka. The Polish side managed to force the enemy to flee, but this was not the end. As Henryk Cybulski wrote in his memoirs, throughout the summer of 1943 the "war for grain" persisted. The number of Poles in Przebraże was too high and its defenders realized that it was impossible to feed so many people. Thus, in April and July 1943, Polish peasants, guarded by patrols, were harvesting crops, transporting it to the settlement. The Ukrainians would attack the peasants, killing several.[7]
The last major attack took place on August 31, 1943. Ukrainian forces numbered around 10,000 men, including a 4,000 strong unit from the area of Lviv and 5,000 drafted local peasants, armed with axes and scythes.[9] [citation needed]. They worked out a detailed plan of attack (codename "Kublo"); their headquarters were established in the village of Swozie.
Helped by artillery, they attacked from the south. The Przebraże defenders asked local Home Army units and the
Polish counterattacks
To prevent attacks on Przebraże, the self-defence forces conducted counter-attacks on UPA bases situated in villages close to the base, which constantly posed a gravely threat to its security. On 12 July 1943 after the first attack on the base, Henryk Cybulski led 3 companies on a raid on the UPA base in the village of Trościaniec, which lay 7 km to the north, destroying it and dispersing the UPA garrison.[10] On 2 August 1943 a raid destroyed the UPA base at Jaromla, which lay 5 km to the north east.[11]
At the end of September, 1943 a 100-man unit from Przebraże, with the soldiers of the Rafałówka and Komarówek self-defences, conducted a joint counter-attack which destroyed the UPA base at Hauczyce, 8 km south of Przebraże, eliminating a constant threat to Rafałówka. A raid against the UPA NCO training school in Omelno on 5 October 1943 was carried out as a joint operation with colonel’s Prokopiuk unit. Taking part in it were 300 Polish troops and 150 Soviet partisans, against 200 UPA troops, including 120 UPA students at the school. The school was destroyed, but UPA lost over 10 men only. A similar action was undertaken on the night of 27/8 October 1943 when a joint party with Prokopiuk’s partisans attacked Słowatycz. UPA losses were several dozen men. A 100 Uzbek deserters from the German Army, who were serving in the UPA forces were taken prisoner and went over to the Soviet partisans.
A raid against UPA was undertaken around Żurawicz on 26 November 1943. It had a significant impact on the supply of provisions for Przebraże. After obtaining reconnaissance reports that Ukrainian nationalists in Żurawicz held over 1,000 requisitioned cattle, a large force of about 740 defenders of Przebraże struck the village, seizing the cattle and large quantities of flour and grain.[7] On 31 December 1943 after receiving intelligence information about the upcoming attack on Przebraże, the same unit ambushed a large force of UPA troops moving south on the road to Przebraże. Taken by surprise the UPA troops fled in disorder suffering many losses.[7]
Aftermath
In February 1944, Volhynia was occupied by the Red Army. As the UPA was considered an enemy of the Soviet regime, the Soviet military forces put a stop to the attacks by the UPA.[7]
In 1945 Poles from this part of Volhynia were forced by Soviet authorities to move to the area of Niemodlin, in Opole Voivodeship, the land that had belonged to Germany before the war.
In 2004 Ukrainian authorities cleaned the Polish cemetery. A victory flag, woven by women from Przebraże in September 1943, can be seen in the Museum of the Polish Army in Warsaw.
See also
- Ludwik Malinowski
- Henryk Cybulski
- Kuty (Kąty) defence
- 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS Galizien (1st Ukrainian)
- 27th Polish Home Army Infantry Division
- Operation Vistula
- Anti-Polonism
- Huta Stepanska
- Janowa Dolina
- Koliyivschyna
- Nachtigall
- Operation Tempest
- Pawłokoma massacre
- Poryck Massacre
Notes
- ISBN 978-83-7399-339-6.
- ^ ISBN 978-83-60748-01-5.
- ISBN 978-83-7399-339-6.
- ISBN 978-83-7399-339-6.
- ISBN 978-83-7399-339-6.
- ^ ISBN 978-83-7399-163-7.
- ^ OCLC 139140318
- ^ After the massacre of the population of Ostrow, a weapons permit was issued by the Kreislandwirt of Kiwerce for 15 captured Russian rifles, which were obtained from the German arsenal
- ^ Władysław Filar, Przebraże pastion polskiej samoobrony na Wołyniu, 2007 - pages 90/91, based on the master's thesis of Stefan Chojnecki " Samoobrona ludnosc polskiej na Wolyniu w latach 1943-1944", Henryk Cybulski, " Czerwone noce " 1969 - Atak Na Przebraze, pages 255/256
- ^ Władysław Filar, Przebraże bastion polskiej samoobrony na Wołyniu, pages 73-74
- ^ Władysław Filar, Przebraże bastion polskiej samoobrony na Wołyniu, page 77.
Sources
- ISBN 978-83-7399-339-6
- Henryk Cybulski, Czerwone noce "O powstaniu i przetrwaniu organizacji samoobrony ludnosci polskiej we wsi Przebraże na Wolyniu w latach 1943-1944". Wyd. MON, Warszawa 1969 r., wyd. I. stron 377
- Grzegorz Motyka. Ukrainska partyzantka 1942-1960. Rytm Oficyna Wydawnicza, 2006. ISBN 83-7399-163-8. Przebraze: strony 328-329, 339, 349.
- Józef Sobiesiak, Prżebraże. Wyd. MON. Warszawa 1969 r. Wyd. I,. wyd. II 1971.
- Filip Ozarowski, Gdy plonal Wolyn, Chicago 1996, ISBN 0-9655488-0-5
- Apoloniusz Zawilski, Polskie fronty 1918-1945, t. 1, Warszawa 1997, ISBN 83-86857-23-4
References
- Description of the interbellum Przebraze Archived 2008-08-08 at the Wayback Machine (Polish)
- History of Przebraże
- Life of Ludwik Malinowski