Військові дії під Ковелем за свідченнями джерел УПА (січень–березень 1944 р.)

Abstract

The armed confrontation in early 1944 in the proximity of Kovel within the context of the Soviet-German war is primarily known for the local victory of three incomplete German divisions over the army corps of the first Belarusian Front of the Red Army. Main role in this episode of the World War II was played by the coordinated actions of Wehrmacht and SS units – in particular, attempts to break through of the SS panzer company under the commander of Carl Nicollusi-Lek in the surrounded Kovel, and attack of the 4thWehrmacht panzer division by Dietrich von Sauken in the city, blocked by the Red Army. The actions, which took place in January-March 1944 didn’t change the balance of power at the Eastern front. But for some time they shifted the frontline in northwestern Volyn in the advantage of the German side. Also, to some extent, this victory helped German propaganda to maintain the fighting spirit of the army (which melted uncontrollably), just like a bit later, near Warsaw in August 1944. At the same time, since the formation of the German occupation, Volhynia has become a battlefield for a number of underground organization – primarily Ukrainian and Polish. This was caused by the polyethnic nature of the former Eastern Lands of the Second Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the specifics of the administrative management of Ukrainian territories by the Third Reich, German actions to "pacify" the local population. German side was actively promoting the incitement of ethnic hatred between Poles and Ukrainians. The latter resulted in a series of armed actions by units of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army and the Home Army (Armia Krajowa), directed against Polish and Ukrainian civil populace, respectively, in 1943. Active phase of this fight hadn’t stopped at the beginning of the following year. At that time, there were departments of UPA-North working in this region, reorganized after the Conference of military officers in 1942: from the Polish side in confrontation were involved 27th division of the Home Army and “Khlopsky’s batallions”. With the shifts of Soviet-German front line, Soviet partisans had begun to come to Volhynia, and they had an experience in confrontation both with German troops, UPA and AK.