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Ukrainians in the German Armed Forces During the Second World War
Author(s) -
Khromeychuk Olesya
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
history
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.12
H-Index - 15
eISSN - 1468-229X
pISSN - 0018-2648
DOI - 10.1111/1468-229x.12129
Subject(s) - german , ukrainian , world war ii , context (archaeology) , political science , spanish civil war , economic history , law , history , archaeology , philosophy , linguistics
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 article 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.