Historical calendar: anniversary of the massacre by Ukrainians from the OUN\UPA of the civilian population of Polish village Wązownica in Jarosław County.
Today in our calendar we will look at the circumstances of this event.
One of the biggest crimes committed by Ukrainians within the borders of the post-Jaltan Poland was the massacre in the Brigand. The commander of the 6th UPA territory “San”, liable for operations in this area, was Myroslaw Onyszkiewicz ps. “Orest”. The same appointed the commander of the Tactical Episode “Bastion” and besides the commander of the “Mesnyky” henchmen Ivana Clawka ps. “Zalizniak” – erstwhile Sergeant of the Ukrainian Auxiliary Police (Ukrainische Hilfspolizei) in the service of Nazi Germany.
Members of the “Mesnyky” Kurenia (ukr. “Avengers”) besides recruited most of the erstwhile auxiliary police officers, whom at the turn of February and March 1944 Szpontak- “Zalizniak” brought to the forest and subjugated UPA. Of the advanced assurance that Claw- “Zalizniak” enjoyed with W. Sydor and M. Onyszkiewicz is evidenced, for example, by the fact that he besides took on the position of Head of Staff of the UPA "San" District.
However, he straight commanded only the sotnia (company) and then the curing "Mesnyky". This hen was peculiarly active in the districts of Lubaczów and Jarosławskie, where he fought both the Polish anti-communist guerrillas and MO, the army of KBW and NKVD and committed a number of crimes on the Polish population.
The first action of “Avengers” was to burn the village of Rudka on 19 April 1944 and execution 58 Poles, including women and children. At least 27 Poles were killed in attacks carried out on 30 April and 7 May 1944 in the village of Chotylub and Kowalówka in Lubaczów County.
On 3 May 1944, the sotnia “Zalizniaka” attacked the abandoned Polish population of Czyzanów in the Lubaczów district, burning 120 houses and killing about 20 Poles who had not escaped before. After crossing the Soviet-German front, “Zalizniak” hid with his sotnia close Verchrata in the territory of Lubaczów. There he conducted intensive training and recruitment so that in March 1945 he could turn the soot into a hen.
This allowed to intensify the actions which were attacking the administration and the Polish population. On the night of 27 to 28 March 1945, the “Mesnyky” hen hit simultaneously all MO stations in the territory of Lubaczowski, destroying 18 facilities and killing 30 MO officers and from 43 to 72 civilians. Thus “Zalizniak” started a bloody Ukrainian-Polish war, which lasted in east Rzeszów for 2 years. Only until 17 April 1945, 216 Poles and 65 Ukrainians were killed in the territory of Jarosław. The second were murdered for “success”.
The control of almost the full territory of Lubaczów by UPA caused that the Polish settlement of Wązownica, located in the centre of the area, became a stronghold in the formation's throat. In the village there was a tiny Polish self-defense AK, a MO station and 28 KBW soldiers, stationed in a granary on the grounds of a close farm.
In March 1945, the decision to destruct the Prisoner was made. The robbery in the village took place from 154 to 169 members of the OUN\UPA.
The action under the command of “Zalizniak” began on 17 April at 4 a.m. The attackers set fire to the village buildings with peculiar incendiary missiles (phosphorus missiles), besides utilized by German pacification troops. any of the upists were dressed in Polish military uniforms, which caused confusion among defenders and civilians. Many civilians died asking for aid with their murderers, whom they thought were Polish soldiers. any of the inhabitants besides died protecting themselves in the cellars, where they were strangled by smoke or found dead in flames.
After the first shots and fires started, a group of Ukrainian civilians entered the village, which entered the property of murdered Poles. The protection of the village was attempted spontaneously by priest Józef Mis. He collected respective men and gave them weapons and ammunition from the abandoned MO station. At the time of the withdrawal of the UPA branch from the Lover, an alerted 30-member branch of the National Military Unity under Bronisław Gliniak, ps. “Radwan” and members of the AK self-defense arrived.
Meanwhile, KBW soldiers, surrounded by the uppers in the farm, could not come to the villagers with help. The fight between the provisionally organized Polish forces and UPA took place after the UPA Division burned the Prisoners and murdered any of its inhabitants. This fight took place in the Bednarovo shrine.
According to various arrangements, 4 died in the fight against UPA, and saving their possessions 2 residents of the Prisoner. 3 defenders from the group organized by Father Bear were besides injured. In addition, 4 KBW soldiers and 2 members of the AK self-defense were killed and six were injured.
The Ukrainian side lost 8 to 13 dead and 13 to 17 wounded. Polish civilian victims are at least 120 people murdered by UPA.
Previous entry from our calendar is available Here..
We besides recommend:
Recollection of UPA attack on the Prisoner
