A blog by an association of SS Galichina veterans called “Combatant News” in Ukrainian includes an autobiographical entry by Yaroslav Hunka that says he volunteered to join the division in 1943. In posts to the blog dated 2011 and 2010, Hunka describes 1941 to 1943 as the happiest years of his life.
More on Hunka in a bit, but first, some historical groundwork.
The 14th Waffen SS Division, also known as SS Galichina or the First Ukrainian Division, left behind a chilling legacy of atrocities committed during World War II. Among these heinous acts, one of the most horrifying was the Huta Pieniacka massacre, where the unit burned 500 to 1,000 Polish villagers alive.
Formed in 1943 and comprised of recruits from the Galicia region in western Ukraine, it played a role in implementing Nazi genocidal policies, including the “final solution.” During its existence, SS Galichina was visited by the head of the SS, Heinrich Himmler, in 1944, who praised the division for its willingness to slaughter Poles, underscoring its complicity in the Nazi agenda of extermination and domination.
The Nuremberg Trials, a watershed moment in the pursuit of justice after WWII, unequivocally condemned the Waffen-SS as a criminal organization responsible for a litany of heinous acts, including the persecution and extermination of Jews, brutalities in concentration camps, and the murder of prisoners. During the trials, the International Military Tribunal declared the Waffen-SS to be a criminal organization responsible for mass atrocities, including the “persecution and extermination of the Jews, brutalities and killings in concentration camps, excesses in the administration of occupied territories, the administration of the slave labor program, and the mistreatment and murder of prisoners.”
Despite the damning verdicts, thousands of SS Galichina veterans were allowed to resettle in the West after the war, with approximately 2,000 finding refuge in Canada. The fact that monuments honoring this division still stand in Canada, Australia, and the suburbs of Philadelphia and Detroit has sparked justified outrage among Jewish groups, who have called for their removal.
On Friday, September 22, the Speaker of the House of Commons, Anthony Rota, described Hunka as a WWII veteran who fought for Ukrainian independence against the Russians but did not address the deeply troubling aspects of Hunka’s service. The Canadian Parliament ovation for Hunka, a veteran of SS Galichina, led by Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy, further highlights the urgent need for a candid examination of U.S. support for their war against Russia.
Again, what side are we on?
The Old Blog in the Desert 