The 14. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS (ukrainische Nr. 1) was formed in April 1943 from volunteers from western Ukraine (known as Galicia when it was controlled by Austria-Hungary), including Polizei Bataillon 201, the Volyn Battalion (also known as the Ukrainian Self-Defence Unit, 31. SD Punitive Detachment) and the Ukrainische Schutzmannschaft Bataillon 204. The division was made up of Eastern Catholics and was allowed chaplains. Training of the troops began in Debica before the division was moved to Silesia April 1944 for further training.
By early 1944 the division was still in training but the SS-Kampfgruppe Beyersdorff was formed from the combat ready components including Waffen-Grenadier-Regiment der SS 29, Waffen-Grenadier-Regiment der SS 30 and miscellaneous support elements under the command of SS-Obersturmbannführer Friedrich Beyersdorff. The Kampfgruppe was used for anti-partisan operations in southeastern Poland.
It was sent to the front at Brody in Ukraine in June 1944 where the inadequately armed division was almost destroyed (only 3.000 reached the German lines) after being encircled.
Up until the last battle, the division consisted not only of German soldiers, but also of Ukrainians from Galicia.These Ukrainians are soft inside and fickle, and lack much in comparison to fighting German soldiers.
The holding together and leadership of such men who are not used to war and lack hardness, and over and above that the carrying out of the most difficult orders in battle, such as those of the Brody pocket, requires the most of a responsible leader.
During the further continuation of the battle, numerous volunteers of the division fled due to their inner cowardice, and in some cases used weapons to threaten their leaders and NCO's. During this crisis, it was again the decisive presence of the divisional commander, who was there in person to re-establish the situation by inflicting the required brutal measures against any whiners, that saved the situation.
It was soon rebuilt and elements of it was used to combat the Slovakian uprising in 1944 as SS-Kampfgruppe Wildner and SS-Kampgruppe Wittenmeyer before it was sent to Sovenia to fight the partisans.
The division was transferred to the forming Ukrainian National Army under General Pavlo Shandruk in April 1945.
While in Italy these men were screened by Soviet and British missions and neither then nor subsequently has any evidence brought to light which would suggest that any of them fought against the Western Allies or engaged in crimes against humanity. Their behaviour since they came to this country has been good and they have never indicated in any way that they are infected with any trace of Nazi ideology.
This division was, for a while known as Division “Galizien”, which is German for “Galicia”. Not to be confused with the Spanish region of the same name, this refers to a region in central Europe now divided between Poland and Ukraine. While the division was in fact recruited from Ukrainian volunteers, it was initially declared a “Galician” unit purely for reasons of official Nazi racial politics.
A collar insignia with the rampant lion of Galicia was issued in late 1943.
In November 1944 a new collar insignia was issued showing the trident of Volodymyr the Great, but few of these were issued.
Two sleeve badges were worn by the division, the first one had a golden rampant lion with three golden crowns. In April 1945 when it was transferred to the Ukrainian National Army (UNA) and became 1. UNA Division a new sleeve badge started to be used displaying a trident on a gold and blue shield with "YBB" above.
Recruitment poster "Stand Up to Fight Bolshevism in the Ranks of the Galicia Division"
1. "The Waffen-SS: Hitler's Elite Guard at War 1939-1945" by George H. Stein, page 194-195.
2. Report from the Commission of Inquiry on War Criminals in Canada (Deschênes Commission) 1985-1986, page 252.
3. "Pure Soldiers or Bloodthirsty Murderers?: The Ukrainian 14th Waffen-SS Galicia Division" by Sol Littman page 78, footnote 38 and "Galicia Division: The Waffen-SS 14th Grenadier Division 1943 - 1945" by Michael O. Logusz, page 463 footnotes 34.
4. "Murderous Elite: The Waffen-SS and its complete record of war crimes" by James Pontolillo, page 51-52.