However , the division destroyed several Polish communities in western Ukraine during the winter and spring of 1944 . Specifically , the 4th and 5th SS Police Regiments have been accused of murdering Polish civilians in the course of anti-guerilla activity . At the time of their actions , these units were not yet under Divisional command , but were under German police command . Yale historian Timothy Snyder noted that the division 's role in the Massacres of Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia was limited , as the murders were primarily carried out by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army . Heinrich Himmler in a speech to the soldiers of the 1st Galician division stated : In June 2013 , the Associated Press published an article stating that an American , Michael Karkoc , who was alleged to be a former " deputy company commander " in the Division , was implicated in war crimes committed before he joined the Division in 1945 . According to Associated Press , before joining the Division Karkoc had previously served as a " lieutenant " of the 2nd Company of the German SS Police-led Ukrainian Self Defense Legion ( USDL ) . The USDL was a paramilitary police organization in the Schutzmannschaft . Karkoc was found living in Lauderdale , Minnesota . Michael Karkoc , arrived in the United States in 1949 and became a naturalized citizen in 1959
Massacres of Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia
Massacres of Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia
14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Galician)