The Galician Division 1943-45: Ukrainian Volunteers and Conscripts in the Waffen SS

Author(s): David McCormack 

ISBN: 9781781558720
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A fascinating examination of the Galician Division of the Waffen SS that has unmistakable parallels in present-day Ukraine.
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  • A searing narrative that challenges long-standing myths and falsehoods concerning the Ukrainians that served in the German-led Waffen SS ‘Galician’ Division

  • An absorbing new history based on painstaking research that has allowed the author to delve deeper into the controversial German military culture and doctrine of ‘absolute destruction’

  • Interesting period photography, some of which are previously unpublished

In this absorbing new history, David McCormack debunks many of the myths surrounding the Galician Division and provides an objective appraisal of the volunteers and conscripts who, to this day, are both lauded as heroes and vilified as criminals in the media and academic circles.

Now, in the context of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine under the pretext of ‘denazification’, it is more critical than ever to uncover the truth of this country’s wartime relationship with Nazi Germany.

Ever since its disbandment in May 1945, the memory of the Galician Division, a Ukrainian Waffen SS formation, has been dogged by unsubstantiated claims of war crimes and spurious media attacks. But what were the circumstances in 1943 that led thousands of Ukrainians to volunteer to fight in Hitler’s crusade against Bolshevism?

Why, the following year, did coercion replace incentivisation as a means of recruitment? Did, as has been claimed, Ukrainian soldiers adopt the German doctrine of ‘absolute destruction’ in occupied zones? And why, in recent years, have Ukrainian nationalists chosen to fly the flag of the Galician Division at rallies and football matches?

BOOK ISBN 9781781558720
FORMAT 234 x 156 mm
BINDING Hardback
PAGES 208 pages
PUBLICATION DATE 27 October 2022
TERRITORY UK and Worldwide
ILLUSTRATIONS 30 photographs




David McCormack graduated with first-class honours in Contemporary Military and International History. A regular contributor of Japanese-based historical articles to the International Academic Forum’s Eye Magazine, he has also had eight articles entitled Japan at War published by the Armourer Magazine (2005-2006). 


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