Historical calendar: anniversary of the creation of the “Wisła” Operational Group. As a consequence of her actions, Ukrainian panic in Podkarpacie ended.
Today, in our calendar, we will look at the circumstances of the action “Wisła”.
With the banishment of the Germans and the establishment of the Polish-Soviet border on Bug and Sana, the panic of Death and NKVD intensified at the ends. As a result, the activities of Ukrainian nationalists in that area were importantly reduced. any commanders made decisions about moving to the Polish side of the border, where so far it was easier to function.
According to the Upowski naming, the areas of modern south-eastern Poland were Ukrainian cultural areas. They included the alleged ‘Zakerzonian Country’, which within the military territory no. 6 ‘Sian’, was to be joined to ‘Samostiya Ukraine’. The UPA troops were then reinforced by local boycotts and to a lesser degree Lemkos. This was usually done through forced conscription due to the fact that the locals did not identify besides much with Ukrainian national slogans.
German deserters and survivors from Wehrmacht and SS troops were besides found in the sonics, which were overtaken by the russian front. During the war storm of 1944 and 1945, a number of clashes between Polish and Ukrainian guerrillas took place. Like Volyn, murders and robberies were committed, but on a much smaller scale. This was due to a change in geopolitical conditions: Germany lost the war, and the situation of the CNS – UPA – changed dramatically.
From then on, Ukrainian leadership began to appeal to Western Allies. They were introduced as an anti-Hitler guerrilla, presently fighting russian terror. Propaganda was legitimized by Stepan Bander, who was released from the camp and treated as dissident in the west as a possible ally. As early as July 1944, the Ukrainian Chief Liberation Council (UHWR) was established, which presented itself in the west as a representation of free and democratic Ukraine.
In the early 1950s, she was moved to Munich. Since at least 1949, the flags have collaborated with British MI6 intelligence, as useful in acquiring information from the russian Empire's lands. UHWR besides received financial assistance from the US, for which Suczasna U Krajina magazine was issued, among others".
Due to the change of political line from fascist to democratic, it was decided to get free of SS troops and to limit the murders to civilians. The focus was on combating MO stations and Border defender (WOP) troops and obstructing the resettlement of the local Ukrainian population into the russian zone.
Initially, UPA had (especially in Bieszczady) an advantage over weak MO and WO units. The situation of the Polish side improved the targeting of larger military units in these areas in 1946. Unfortunately, LWP's front soldiers had no experience in fighting guerrillas who had mastered the tactics of impact and rebound to perfection.
In April 1946, the “Rzeszów” Operational Group was established, which fought UPA with the aid of mobile tiny units. Although more than 900 were liquidated and more than 1,000 banners were arrested, partisans failed to completely exterminate, which supplemented the losses of fresh drafts in mountain villages. There have been a number of Ukrainian crimes, e.g. in the Prisoner.
On 28 March 1947, in an ambush close the village of Jabłońka, General Karol Świerczewski arrived for inspection. The attack was carried out by Stepan Stebelski’s soot “Chrina”, but the circumstances of the death of the communist commander are not entirely clear. The conflicting accounts of the participants of the incidental and the fact that he received a gunshot wound both in the abdomen and in the back make him consider the version of betrayal by his own soldiers who had reason to kill the hated general – an alcoholic.
In any event, his death contributed to tightening the course of communist authorities towards the CNS – UPA. On March 29, 1947, KC PPR decided to carry out forced displacement of Ukrainian, Lemko and Boykovian populations from south-eastern Poland.
On 20 April, the “Wisła” Operational Group was established from military units sent to Podkarpata. The fresh operational union led General Stefan Mossor. Its goal was to fight Ukrainian gangs in the Sanok-Remysl-Lubacz area and carry out together with the State Repatriation Office a resettlement action that wanted to cut UPA off from stocks and recruitment base.
As part of the alleged “Wisła” action carried out from April to November 1947, about 140 1000 people were transported to the recovered lands. All the objectives of the operation have been met. Unbacked in sotno villages, they were shortly destroyed or forced to decision into the russian zone, or westward, by Czechoslovakia.
It is worth remembering that the suppression of Ukrainian panic was not only in the interests of communists, but besides in the Polish national interest. Therefore, average people frequently repeat that the “Wisła” action was the only good thing the communists did in Stalinist times.
Previous entry from our calendar is available Here..
