| Ukrainian People's Army | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1917–1921 |
| Country |  Ukraine |
| Type | Army |
| Role | Land warfare |
| Size | 100,000 personnel at its peak |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Commander | Symon Petliura |
TheUkrainian People's Army (Ukrainian:Армія Української Народної Республіки,romanized: Armiia Ukrainskoi Narodnoi Respubliky), also known as theUkrainian National Army (UNA) or by the derogatory termPetliurivtsi (Ukrainian:Петлюрівці,lit. '"Petliura's people"'), was the army of theUkrainian People's Republic (1917–1921). They were often quickly reorganized andUkrainized units of the formerImperial Russian Army and newly formed volunteer detachments that later joined the national armed forces. The army lacked a certain degree of uniformity, adequate leadership to keep discipline and morale. Unlike theUkrainian Galician Army, the Ukrainian People's Army did not manage to evolve a solid organizational structure, and consisted mostly of volunteer units, notregulars.[1]
When theCentral Rada came to power in Ukraine in spring of 1917, it was forced to promptly put together an army to defend Ukraine against theBolsheviks. Nearly all units of the newly created army wereUkrainianized from theImperial Russian Army. On March 29, 1917 the first organization of military forum the Ukrainian Military Club was organized at theKiev Military District on the initiative ofMykola Mikhnovsky. Also during 1917 there were threeAll-Ukrainian Military Congresses [uk] that elected their representatives to theCentral Rada. After the first such congress that took place on May 18–21, 1917 inKiev, theUkrainian General Military Committee was created.[2] The committee was placed in charge for creation and restructuring of the army. The head of the committee was elected the future first General Secretary of Military Affairs,Symon Petlyura.[2]
The next congress, defying a ban placed by theRussian Provisional Government, took place on June 18–23, 1917 in Kiev. At this congress theFirst Universal of the Central Rada was read and the first elections to that institution took place. The last congress took place on November 2–12, 1917 and also in Kiev. Due to the civil unrest that was initiated by theBolsheviks across the country also known as theOctober Revolution the congress took longer than its predecessors as it was interrupted for a few days in order to create the 1st Ukrainian Regiment for the Defense of Revolution (headed by Colonel Yuri Kapkan). The main requests of the congress were proclamation of the Ukrainian Democratic Republic, fullUkrainization of army and navy, and an immediate peace treaty.
At the time, the Central Rada did not see the need for astanding army, reinforced by conscription. Instead, a 'Free Cossack' concept (which was no different from amilitia) was introduced and ratified in November 1917.[1] Only when theBolsheviks invaded theUkrainian People's Republic, in December 1917, was the need for a regular standing army appreciated. The new organization was to include; eight infantrycorps and four cavalrydivisions. But these plans were never realized, as the Rada was overthrown in acoup led byPavlo Skoropadsky, who brought theHetmanate to power in Ukraine.[1] A temporary peace treaty with the Bolsheviks was also signed on 12 June 1918.[3]
After taking power, the Hetmanate government established its own plans for a standing army. These were to consist of 310,000 military personnel divided into eight territorial corps, with an annual budget of 1,254 millionkarbovantsi.[1] However, this army did not develop beyond the organizational stage, due to manydissident movements and gross unpopularity of the Hetmanate amongstpeasants and civilians. In November 1918, theDirectorate came to power in Ukraine, bringing with it yet another vision for the structure of the army. During this time, most units simply crossed from the Hetmanate to the Directorate with little organizational change occurring.[1]
The Bolsheviksfirst invaded the Ukrainian People's Republic in January 1918.[4] After several weeks of battle, theRed Army overwhelmed the fairly small Ukrainian force, and tookKiev on February 9. This forced the Central Rada to seek help from theCentral powers ofWorld War I. After signing theTreaty of Brest-Litovsk, the Ukrainian Army was to receive assistance in fighting the Red Army. AGerman-AustrianOperation Faustschlag offensive removed the Bolsheviks from Kiev in early March, and the Rada government returned to the capital. In April, the Red Army was forced to completely retreat from Ukraine, and a peace treaty was signed.[4][5][6][7][8] The German/Austro-Hungarian victories in Ukraine were due to the apathy of the locals and the inferior fighting skills of Bolsheviks troops compared to their Austro-Hungarian and German counterparts.[8]
The defeat in the open confrontation with the Bolsheviks and the temporary loss of a significant part of the territory sobered the leaders of theCentral Rada, who finally understood the need to have their own regular armed forces, and not a people's militia. For this reason, after returning to Kyiv, the Ministry of War and the General Staff developed a plan for the deployment of the army, according to which it was to consist of 16 infantry divisions (64 regiments), organized into 8 territorial corps (I Volyn Corps [uk],II Podilsky Corps [uk],III Kherson Corps [uk],IV Kyiv Corps [uk],V Chernihiv Corps [uk],VI Poltava Corps [uk],VII Kharkiv Corps [uk] andVIII Katerynoslav Corps [uk]), 4 cavalry divisions and 1 cavalry brigade (18 regiments).
On April 17, 1918 corps commanders were appointed. The first draft of recruits was planned for mid-October 1918, for which the network of local military administration bodies at the county and provincial levels began to be restored. However, other people had to take on the practical implementation of the planned measures.
In December 1918, after theDirectorate's coming to power, the army reached its peak at an estimated 100,000 recruits.[9] These armed forces proved to be neither battleworthy nor well-organized.[10] At the time most ofPavlo Skoropadskyi'sUkrainian State forces changed sides and joined the Directory.[10]
In January 1919, Ukraine declared war onSoviet Russia, after the latter established a provisional government inKharkiv, proclaiming theUkrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. Simultaneously, theWest Ukrainian People's Republic had takenLviv, thereby beginninga war with theSecond Polish Republic.[3] In January 1919, the Ukrainian People's Republic and the West Ukrainian People's Republicunited, but their institutions continued to function separately.[11] By July[11]West Ukrainian People's Republic had been completely occupied by Polish forces, and Kiev by Soviet forces.[4][12]Symon Petlyura became thecommander in chief of the new Ukrainian Army, which improved its order and discipline.[10] Special inspectors with wide authority were introduced, similar toBolshevik commissars.[10] The army grew as 35,000 soldiers of central Ukraine were joined by 50,000Galicians.[10] Having this force, the army of the UNR launched a successful campaugn against Kiev andOdessa in August 1919.[10] But eventually the united armies suffered severe casualties, fighting simultaneously against thePolish army,Denikin'sWhites and the Bolsheviks.[10] An epidemic ofspotted fever contributed to this defeat.[10] Therefore, Ukraine signed an armistice with theEntente[citation needed] and later with Poland in May 1919.[13][dubious –discuss]
After failing to capture Kiev on their own, the Ukrainian army signed theTreaty of Warsaw with Poland, in April 1920.[14] Under the treaty, Ukrainian forcesfought side by side with Polish forces against Soviet Russia and other Ukrainian 'Red' movements (Denikin, the Germans and the Entente had long since been expelled from Ukraine). Following a decisive failure in theKiev offensive, Ukrainian presence only decreased in the seesaw Polish-Soviet war.[15] Finally, Soviet Russia and Poland signed theTreaty of Riga on March 18, 1921, ending the war. The small remnants of the Ukrainian People's Army either resorted toguerrilla warfare or joined the Polish Army.[1]
The headquarters of the Ukrainian Armed forces was called theGeneral Bulawa.The original structure of the army, as designated by theTsentralna Rada, planned to organize an optimistic eight infantry corps and four cavalry divisions. But these plans were never realized due to the internal struggle for power in Ukraine. Instead, the army was hastily formed of various armed volunteer units and "Free Cossacks".[1] But in May 1919 (long after theDirectorate assumed power), the Ukrainian people's army was forced to reorganize after its manpower dropped from 100,000 to 15,000 in just five months of warfare withSoviet Russia.[9] According to then Ukrainian politicianVolodymyr Vynnychenko, this dramatic decrease in manpower occurred mainly because ofcommunist propaganda.[10] The new, semi-organized structure was made up of five brigade-sized "army groups" and a large number of Free Cossacks:
In May 1920 in the middle of thePolish-Soviet War, the army was once again forced to reorganize, after its strength more than doubled in size.[9] The new structure included: sixinfantry and onecavalrydivision. Each infantry division was to have threebrigades armed withartillery, a cavalryregiment and anengineer regiment. The single cavalry division had six mounted regiments. The formation of six reserve brigades was also attempted, but this was only partially successful. The reinforcement brigades were later made into an under strength, two brigade machine gun division. Thus, the structure was, as follows:[16]
Following the reformation that took place among the Ukrainian military units the older Russian rank structure and insignia were dropped and replaced with those of theHetmanate times. Most notable is the introduction of the rank of Otaman that replaced the General ranks of the Russian army. The army headquarters became known as theGeneral Bulawa. The military representative in theDirectorate of Ukraine,Symon Petliura was given the rank of the Chief Otaman. The new position was introduced by the former Russian General and later OtamanOleksander Hrekov.
Ranks (in descending order) since end of 1917:
Ranks have altered in June 1918, but only for officers:
Several projects of standard uniform for the Ukrainian People's Army were introduced during 1917-1921, but most of them had a temporary character. The first order concerning uniforms was issued by Symon Petliura on 30 December 1917 and introducedchevrons,gorget patches and blue-and-yellowcockades for Ukrainian soldiers. On 8 January 1919 another order was adopted, according to which greyzhupans, pants and fur hats were to be introduced as campaign uniform, meanwhile the parade uniform was to consist of a long blue zhupan, redsharovary and a Cossack hat.
However, due to loss of control over most of the Ukrainian territory by the government, it was impossible to realize the project of a single uniform standard, and by summer 1919 Ukrainian soldiers continued wearing various uniforms inherited from theRussian andAustro-Hungarian armies. In order to distinguish own soldiers from the enemy, the command adopted chevrons and triangles of various colours, which were to be placed on sleeves and designated allegiance to various army branches.
The common headwear among soldiers of both the Ukrainian People's Republic and theUkrainian Galician Army werepeaked caps modelled on headgear of theBritish Army. Some units, such as theSich Riflemen, were equipped with steel helmets, adorned with bluerhombuses with yellowtryzubs. Officers of the People's Army worefrenches with four pockets, meanwhile common soldiers were usually dressed ingimnasterkas,khaki pants and fastened boots.[18]
The Ukrainian Military Cemetery inAleksandrów Kujawski is the final resting place of 17 soldiers of the Ukrainian People's Army who were interned inAleksandrów Kujawski internment camp in December 1920 and died during their stay there (before the camp was disbanded in the autumn of 1921).[19] The cemetery is located on Narutowicz Street in Aleksandrów Kujawski. It was entered into the register of historic monuments on 7 June 1995.[19]
The cemetery was established during the camp's existence by other interned individuals. In 1921,Edward Mycielski-Trojanowski [pl] donated a piece of land adjacent to the barracks of the internment camp for this purpose.[20] On July 24 of the same year, the officers in the camp organized a collection among the internees to fund the establishment of the cemetery and the erection of a monument.[20] They collected 20,000Polish marks, which enabled them to tidy up the graves and prepare a design for the commemorative burial mound. The internees themselves carried out the cleaning and construction of the monument.[20]
According to a description of the burial mound made shortly after its construction, it appeared as follows:[20]
On the mound, a black Zaporozhian cross was erected. In the center of the cross was placed thecoat of arms – the trident, and on its arms, an inscription in Ukrainian: 'To the fighters for the freedom of Ukraine, officers and soldiers of the 4th and 6th Divisions'. On the other side, there was an inscription: 'Pro Ukraine libertate mortuis' and in Polish: 'To the heroes of the fight for the freedom of Ukraine, 4th and 6th Ukrainian Divisions – 1921'.
On the front slope of the mound, the internees placed a red sandstone plaque with an inscription in Ukrainian:Chaj woroh znaje, szczo kozaćka syła/szcze ne wmerła pid jarmom tyrana/szczo kożna stepowa mohyła/ce wiczna niepimszczena rana (English:Let the enemy know that the Cossack strength has not yet died under the yoke of the tyrant, that every steppe grave is an eternal, unavenged wound).[21]
During the interwar period, the Ukrainian cemetery in Aleksandrów Kujawski became a significant site for annual religious services and patriotic ceremonies, gathering emigrant communities from across thePomerania andKuyavia regions. The cemetery, often referred to by Ukrainians as the "Cossack Grave", was a symbol of remembrance for the Ukrainian struggle for independence.[22] On 29 May 1927, for the first time, amemorial service was held at the cemetery in honor ofSymon Petliura, a prominent Ukrainian leader. The service was conducted by FatherStefan Rudyk from theOrthodox parish of St. Nicholas in Toruń [pl]. From that year onwards, services in memory of Petliura and other deceased participants in the Ukrainian fight for independence became a tradition in Aleksandrów Kujawski, attracting Ukrainians from the entire region. These ceremonies were often followed by commemorative academies.[22]
In 1930, the "Cossack Grave" was renovated by a group of emigrants under the supervision of M. Czocha.[23] In 1932, for the first time, the ceremony honoring Petliura was combined with the celebration of the anniversary of the revival of the Ukrainian army.[24]
Viktor Babicz, a participant in the 1939 ceremonies, recalled:[25]
We would arrive for the morning mass at the local Orthodox church, which on that day could not accommodate all the faithful. People came to Aleksandrów Kujawski from all possible directions. Around ten o'clock, everyone would gather around the market square. Here, units of former soldiers of the Ukrainian People's Army began to form. Commands and orders from the senior officers could be heard. The Ukrainian Military Cemetery was well-maintained and decorated with flowers.
AfterWorld War II, the Ukrainian emigrant communities in Kuyavia and Pomerania, including those in Aleksandrów Kujawski andToruń, became dispersed. As a result, the cemetery was abandoned after 1945.[26]
The initiative to restore the cemetery was taken up in the spring of 1991 by Emilian Wiszka and Colonel Szymon Smetana, with the support of local authorities,[26] particularly the mayor of Aleksandrów Kujawski, Zdzisław Nasiński, and his deputy, Stanisław Krysiński.[27] Between April 1992 and the spring of 1993, cleanup and restoration work was carried out. The original fencing was restored using the remaining posts, and a new commemorative plaque was created with the original inscription in the same font.[26] The work was performed by theLviv-based companyNekropolis.[28] The project was overseen by theUnion of Ukrainians in Poland [pl] and the Ukrainian Embassy in Poland, with Sławomir Mąkowski leading the coordinating committee.[29]
The renovated cemetery was officially reopened on 12 June 1993 with an ecumenical service attended by Orthodox, Greek Catholic, Lutheran, and Roman Catholic clergy.[26] The service included Catholic BishopBronisław Dembowski ofWłocławek, Greek Catholic MetropolitanJan Martyniak ofPrzemyśl and Warsaw, Orthodox ArchbishopSzymon Romańczuk ofŁódź andPoznań, and Lutheran Pastor Jerzy Molin.[30] The independent Ukrainian government was represented by the Ukrainian Ambassador to Poland,Hennadiy Udovenko, and Minister of Defense Volodymyr Mulawa. In his speech, the mayor of Aleksandrów Kujawski emphasized the importance of commemorating shared history in the context of European integration.Jerzy Rejt [pl], chairman of the Union of Ukrainians in Poland, spoke about the necessity of reconciliation between the two nations to prevent future conflicts.[30]
Since that year, an ecumenical service has been held at the cemetery every first Saturday in June.[19]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)