| Ukrainian Galician Army | |
|---|---|
| Українська галицька армія | |
 | |
| Active | 1918–1920 |
| Country |  West Ukrainian People's Republic |
| Allegiance | West Ukrainian People's Republic |
| Type | Army aviation Cavalry Infantry |
| Role | Aerial reconnaissance Aerial warfare Artillery observer Charge Close air support Cold-weather warfare Combined arms Counter-battery fire Direct fire Fire support Human wave attack HUMINT Indirect fire Intelligence assessment Military communications Military engineering Military intelligence Military logistics Mountain warfare Raiding Reconnaissance Shock tactics Tactical bombing Trench warfare |
| Size | 100,000 personnel at its peak |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Commander | see below |
TheUkrainian Galician Army (abbr.UGA;Ukrainian:Українська галицька армія [УГА],romanized: Ukrainska halytska armiia [UHA]), was the combined military of theWest Ukrainian People's Republic during and after thePolish-Ukrainian War. It was called theGalician army initially.
The Galician army was formed on the base of theUkrainian Sich Riflemen Legion and other ethnic Ukrainian units of theAustro-Hungarian Army, which were subjected to theUkrainian National Council and took part in theNovember Uprising inLviv. According to a 13 November 1918 law adopted by the Ukrainian National Council, generalmobilization of men aged between 18 and 35 was proclaimed in the whole territory controlled by the West Ukrainian Republic, with three military districts being organized in Lviv,Ternopil andStanislaviv. The army was subordinated to theState Secretariat of Military Affairs initially headed byDmytro Vitovsky. Head of the Ukrainian National Council served as the commander-in-chief of the Galician Army.[1]
Initially the army consisted of a mix of regular, semi-regular and guerrilla troops. By early December 1918 it counted approximately 30,000 soldiers and 40 artillery pieces and held a front running fromCisna in the southwest throughKhyriv,Peremyshl,Lviv,Yavoriv,Liubachiv,Rava-Ruska andBelz toKryliv in the north. In early 1919 all of the army's battle groups were united intocorps. Thousands of soldiers serving in the Austrian army, including those taken prisoner during theFirst World War, were also mobilized. By April 1919 the Galician army had 1412 officers and 52,200 soldiers, but was still outnumbered by Polish troops. Despite this, the Ukrainian forces could achieve a number of victories, but their successful offensive was stopped due to a ceasefire introduced by anEntente mission.[1]
After simultaneous offensives by Polish andRomanian forces in May 1919, parts of the army had to retreat toCarpatho-Ukraine, meanwhile the rest attempted acounteroffensive, which failed due to lack of equipment. As a result, on 28 June 1919 the army started a retreat across theZbruch river, into the territory of theUkrainian People's Republic.[1]
In late July - early August 1919 the Galician Army moved to theanti-Bolshevik front, and on 12 August joined the offensive of Ukrainian armies into the direction ofKyiv andOdesa. On 30 August Ukrainian forces entered Kyiv, but next day had to retreat due to thesimultaneous entry of the White Army into the city.[1]
Following atyphus epidemic, by November 1919 only 7% of the army's soldiers remained on the front. As a result, the Galician command signed anarmistice, and soon thereafter an alliance treaty with theVolunteer Army ofAnton Denikin, becoming known as "Ukrainian Galician Army".[1] The alliance was supported by mutual interests of both sides: the Whites aimed to use the Galician troops as a resource in their fight against the Bolsheviks, and, in perspective, against the newly createdPolish Republic; the Galician Army, meanwhile, received a chance to rest and hoped to access resources of the Entente in preparation for their expected fight against Poland in Galicia.[2]
Galician troops were subjected to the operative command ofNikolai Shilling, who headed Denikin's forces inNew Russia region, but particular units continued to be led by their previous commanders. Contacts between the two armies were facilitated by the fact, than many officers in both of them spokeGerman and were themselves of German or Austrian origin. According to the agreement, part of Galician Army's soldiers ill with typhus were directed for treatment to Odesa, which was then controlled by the Whites, where they met fellow Ukrainians taken prisoner or hiding. This led to a resurgence of Ukrainian cultural life in the city, including the opening ofProsvita societies, and a secret Ukrainian committee emerged with plans to use Galician troops in order to capture Odesa and the surrounding region. During an anti-White uprising organized by left-wing forces in early February 1920, soldiers of the Galician Army established contacts with localBorotbists and took part in patrolling of the city, preserving official neutrality.[2]
Following the defeat of the Whites by theBolsheviks, Galician troops joined the Red Army under the name of "Red Ukrainian Galician Army".[1] At the time 5000 active soldiers of the army were stationed inPodillia, meanwhile over 15,000 were ill with typhus. Reorganization of the army was performed byVolodymyr Zatonsky, who appointed GalicianCommunistVasyl Poraiko as its new commander. The previous command was arrested, transported toMoscow and eventually executed. Additionally, arevolutionary tribunal was established in the army.[3]
On 13 February 1920 a brigade consisting of Galician Ukrainians was formed by local Red Army command in Odesa, however, on 6 March the decision was abolished. Following the participation of Galician soldiers in a demonstration dedicated to the birthday ofTaras Shevchenko, during which they carriedblue-and-yellow flags and sang thenational anthem, the Bolsheviks ordered Galicians to leave Odesa and rejoin the rest of the "Red Galician Army" in Podillia.[2]
Following the reformation of the army's brigades, its units were allocated to the12th and14th Soviet armies, disrupting its unified structure. The new command engaged in Communist propaganda ofclass struggle, and the soldiers were forbidden to use Ukrainian national symbols and previousmilitary awards. This contributed to the growth of anti-Bolshevik views among the staff.[3]
In April 1920 two brigades of the "Red Galician Army" army left the Reds in order to rejoin theforces of the Ukrainian People's Republic, which were then inalliance with Poland.[1] Only one Galician brigade continued fighting against the Poles as part of the 44thTarashcha division of the Red Army, but was defeated nearMakhnivka, with most of its officers being interned by Polish authorities inTuchola. The desertion of Galician brigades led to repressions against those of its members who remained in Bolshevik-controlled territory, and many of its officers were executed.[3] As a result, the Galician Army de-facto ceased to exist.[1]
The Ukrainian Galician Army obtained its arms from Austrian depots and from the demobilized Austrian and German troops who streamed throughGalicia by the hundreds of thousands following the collapse of the Central Powers at the end ofWorld War I. However, the centers of Austria's military industry lay far from Galicia, and subsequent difficulty with resupply was a major factor in the Galicians losing their war against Poland.
The government of theWest Ukrainian People's Republic was well organized and was able to mobilize over 100,000 people by spring 1919, 40,000 of whom were battle-ready. Due to the Ukrainians' generally poor socioeconomic status, the army had a disproportionately low ratio of officers to other ranks. In the Austro-Hungarian Army, ethnic Ukrainians accounted for only two out of 1,000 officers (in comparison, Poles had made up 27/1,000 officers in the Austrian military).
As a result, although most of the junior rank officers were Galicians the government of the West Ukrainian People's Republic relied largely on former high-ranking officers of the defunct Russian Army, such as GeneralMykhailo Omelianovych-Pavlenko, to take on the post of commander and general staff. It also staffed many positions with unemployed Austrian and German officers. For this reason, the German language was the easiest way for officers to communicate with each other and was the dominant language among the staff.[4] Despite these measures, only approximately 2.4% of the army consisted of officers.
The Ukrainian Galician Army reached its greatest strength in June 1919, when it had 70,000 to 75,000 men, including reserves. It had very limited cavalry but artillery, consisting of ex-Austrian pieces, was a strong point. The UHA had two or three armored cars and two armored trains. The UHA's air force, organized byPetro Franko (son of the poetIvan Franko), fielded 40 airplanes, and until April 1919 enjoyed air superiority over the Polish forces.
A former unit of theAustro-Hungarian Army, the 1st Brigade ofSich Riflemen (Січові Стрільці), became the elite force of the Ukrainian Galician Army during the war against Poland. It was formed in 1914 by former members of youth and paramilitary organizations and fought in Galicia and Ukraine against theRussian Empire throughout the First World War. At its peak this brigade had 8,600 men, not all of whom fought in Galicia.
The Ukrainian Galician Army fielded a Jewishbattalion (Жидівський Курінь УГА) recruited from Jewish university and high school students inTernopil and led by LieutenantSolomon Leimberg [uk].[5] Formed in June, 1919, it attained a strength of 1,200 men and participated in combat against Polish forces in July 1919 and subsequently against theBolsheviks. The battalion was decimated by atyphus epidemic in late 1919 and its surviving soldiers were subsequently reassigned to other units within the Ukrainian Galician Army.[6]
The Army consisted of numerous military formations which later were organized into four Corps. The Corps were further divided into brigades composed of several regular military units.
Territorially the West Ukrainian People's Republic was divided into three Military Oblasts centered inLviv,Ternopil, andStanyslaviv, with four okruhas (districts) in each.
Західно-Українська Народна Республіка 1918–1923. Енциклопедія. Т. 1: А–Ж. Івано-Франківськ : Манускрипт-Львів, 2018. 688 с. ISBN 978-966-2067-44-6 (Ukrainian)
Західно-Українська Народна Республіка 1918–1923. Енциклопедія. Т. 2: З–О. Івано-Франківськ : Манускрипт-Львів, 2019. 832 с. ISBN 978-966-2067-61-3 (Ukrainian)
Західно-Українська Народна Республіка 1918-1923. Енциклопедія. Т. 3: П - С. Івано-Франківськ: Манускрипт-Львів, 2020.576 с. ISBN 978-966-2067-65-1 (Ukrainian)
Західно-Українська Народна Республіка 1918-1923. Енциклопедія. Т. 4: Т - Я. Івано-Франківськ: Манускрипт-Львів, 2021.688 с. ISBN 978-966-2067-72-9 (Ukrainian)
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