Ukrainians in German armed forces during the Second World War

Khromeychuk, Olesya (2015) Ukrainians in German armed forces during the Second World War. History, 100 (343). 704–724. ISSN 0018-2648

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Abstract

During the Second World War large numbers of inhabitants of central, eastern and southern Europe joined the German Armed Forces. Among them were around 250,000 soldiers who identified themselves as Ukrainian. They served in the Wehrmacht, as well as the Waffen SS; a considerable number of them also served in the auxiliary police. They were motivated to join the German Armed Forces by a combination of different factors. This paper aims to shed some light on the broad range of circumstances that facilitated the recruitment of thousands of Ukrainians to fight on the side of the Third Reich. It discusses several well-known formations that were comprised of Ukrainians, such as the Nachtigall and Roland battalions and the Waffen SS ‘Galicia’ Division, as well as other units that have not been widely discussed in an academic context. During the Second World War large numbers of inhabitants of central, eastern and southern Europe joined the German Armed Forces. Among them were around 250,000 soldiers who identified themselves as Ukrainian. They served in the Wehrmacht, as well as the Waffen SS; a considerable number of them also served in the auxiliary police. They were motivated to join the German Armed Forces by a combination of different factors. This paper aims to shed some light on the broad range of circumstances that facilitated the recruitment of thousands of Ukrainians to fight on the side of the Third Reich. It discusses several well-known formations that were comprised of Ukrainians, such as the Nachtigall and Roland battalions and the Waffen SS ‘Galicia’ Division, as well as other units that have not been widely discussed in an academic context.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	ukraine ,german armed forces,waffen ss,world war ii,collaboration
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities > School of History
Depositing User:	Pure Connector
Date Deposited:	28 Jan 2016 13:06
Last Modified:	21 Oct 2022 01:11
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/56827
DOI:	10.1111/1468-229X.12129

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