On February 28, 1944, 1 of the most violent massacres on the Polish population during planet War II – the pacification of the Pianiacka Huta. The village, mainly inhabited by Poles, became the mark of a criminal operation carried out by Ukrainian soldiers from the 4th Galician Volunteer SS Police Regiment, assisted by troops of the Ukrainian Insurgency Army (UPA) and Ukrainian chauvinists and local residents. The full operation took place under German command.
This massacre is part of the context of an extended extermination policy aimed at the Polish population of East Kres, led by Ukrainian nationalist formations and SS troops from 1943 to 1945. Huta Pieniacka, like many another Polish towns in this area, has become a victim of violent repression and cultural cleansing.
The direct origin of the massacre was a skirmish which occurred a fewer days earlier – 23 February 1944. A branch of Polish self-defense stationed in the village clashed with the patrol of Ukrainian policemen from the 4th SS Police Regiment “Galizen”, supported by UPA units. 2 Ukrainian soldiers were killed as a consequence of the fighting and 8 were injured. In retaliation, the Germans held a solemn ceremony of those who were killed in Brody, as a sign of further repression.
An additional reason for the attack was the information given to the Germans that there were russian guerrillas in Pieniacka Huta, with whom the local Poles cooperated. Although the guerrillas had already left the village on 22 February, it was adequate for the attackers to carry out a bloody pacification.
In the morning of 28 February 1944, the village was surrounded by about 500-600 soldiers from Ukrainian SS police formations, supported by UPA fighters and local Ukrainians. The operation was commanded by German officers.
After the village's lap, an intense fire began to force the population to leave their homes and uncover any possible hiding places. Ukrainian soldiers then entered the Pieniacka Huta, searching for buildings and gathering residents at the central points of the village – in the church and school. Those who tried to hide were brutally murdered at the scene.
Polish residents were subjected to cruel interrogations. The attackers tried to extract information about contacts with russian guerrillas. Kazimierz Wojciechowski, the commander of the self-defense unit, was peculiarly brutally treated, which was flooded with flammable substances and set on fire alive. The executions were besides carried out by wounded russian guerrillas who were hiding in the village.
In the afternoon, a mass extermination of residents began. People were moved out of the church and school in respective twelve groups, then locked up in wooden farm buildings and barns, which were then set on fire. Those who tried to escape were shot. The village was completely burned down – only the church and school survived, which served as temporary prison for Poles gathered there.
As a consequence of this bestial action, over 850 Poles – men, women, old people and children – lost their lives. any sources say that as many as 1,000 people may have been killed. any 160 people survived the massacre, who managed to hide from the attackers or escape.
The crime in Pieniacka Huta is 1 of the bloodiest events related to the activities of the 14th Division of the SS Grenadiers "Galizen" and UPA. After pacification German and Ukrainian troops left the village, leaving behind a sea of debris and human bodies.
At the site of the erstwhile village of Huta Pieniacka, in the territory of present-day Ukraine, there is simply a monument commemorating the victims of the massacre of 28 February 1944. The monument was unveiled in 2005 and is an crucial memorial site for both families of victims and historians investigating the tragedy of the Polish population in the east Borders.
The monument suffered vandalism respective times. The most serious incidental occurred in January 2017, erstwhile the monument was blown up. Part of the structure and the plaque with the names of the murdered residents were destroyed. The perpetrators of this act were not officially established, and the event sparked a wave of tensions in Polish-Ukrainian relations.
After publishing the case and protests from Poland, the monument was partially renovated. In March 2017, the Ukrainian authorities restored it to its first state, however, traces of harm were inactive visible.
Patrick Kownacki
