THE SUPREME OTAMAN SYMON PETLIURA NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS SCHOOL ("SVITLANA") ATTACHED TO "SICH" AND IVAN BOGUN UPA DETACHMENTS (1943–1944)

The main idea of this article is that the Supreme Otaman Symon Petliura School (alias "Svitlana") attached to the "Sich" (later Ivan Bogun) Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) Detachment was one of the first non-commissioned officers schools within the UPA created to reinforce its troops with combat leaders independently. The author's purpose was to understand how the partisan army trained its NCOs at early stages of its development.The article illustrates that the Symon Petliura NCOs School was established on May, 30 1943 and operated until January, 18 1944. In the courseof this period, it managed to train two classes of cadets of about 150 men, who subsequently became section and platoon leaders, and military instructors.The training was conducted in Svynaryn Forest on the edge of Verba and Turiysk districts in Volhynia Oblast (guerilla camp "Sich"), and lasted for 10 hours daily. It included: drill, marksmanship and weapon studies, tactical training, guard service, military discipline and army regulations studies. Cadets with best results were taken to continue their studies in UPA officers schools.Not only did cadets study theory but also they had to engage in warfare along with UPA combatant forces. The "Svitlana" School took part in fights of Antonivka, Koniukhy and Radovychi (with Nazi troops); Stavky (with Soviet partisans) and Dominopol, Zasmyky and Kupychiv (Kupiczów, with Polish partisans). When the tension of warfare was at its peak, the NCOs School stopped its educative process and operated as fighting element.During its lifetime, the NCOs School was subordinate to the "Sich" Detachment staff, Prince Sviatoslav Battalion of the Ivan Bogun Detachment and Ivan Bogun Detachment staff directly. After the detachment had been defeated by the Soviet partisans in January, 1944, the NCOs School ceased to exist.Supreme Otaman Symon Petliura NCOs School became a part of UPA training system and provided combat leaders for insurgent units operating within Volodymyr and Gorokhiv OUN District area.