UKRAINIAN LEGION OF SELF-DEFENSE (the 31st SECURITY BATTALION SD): VOLYN PERIOD

The German command established contact with the underground of the OUN(M) in Volhynia in the fall of 1943. The result was negotiations on the creation of a separate military unit, which later received the name Ukrainian Legion of Self-Defense (ULS). It is emphasized that the name was used among combatants, and for the German command the legion remained the 31st Security Battalion of the SD. The author describes the recruitment of the unit, the raid of a special group to the south of Volyn in order to attract other members of the OUN(m) to the legion. The problem of the relationship between the OUN(m) and the OUN(b) in the summer of 1943, the accession of Melnyk’s military units to the UPA is raised. The influence of these events on the formation of the ULA is investigated. It is established that the Melnykivtsi, persecuted by the OUN(b) Security Service and other partisans, were forced to go into an illegal position. Joining the ranks of the unit was seen as one of the strategies for their own salvation. The process of the direct formation of the ULS in the village of Pidhaitsi near Lutsk, where a raiding group from the south of Volyn and other members of the OUN(m) were relocated, is revealed. Based on the memoirs of combatants, it is established that in Pidhaitsi the Melnykivtsi failed to increase the size of the unit to a full-fledged battalion, compared to the time of its stay in Poland. At the stage of formation the unit was involved in anti-guerrilla operations. The author examines the participation of the ULS in the implementation of Nazi policy, in particular, punitive and repressive measures against the local population. It is established that due to the lack of proper training and coordination, the ULS in Volyn suffered losses due to tactical planning errors and careless handling of weapons. The study resulted in the thesis that the ULS was ineffective in fighting against the Red Army, and that its combat readiness was low due to the presence of a large number of combatant families in the unit. Keywords: OUN(m), Melnykivtsy, Volyn, Ukrainian Legion of Self-Defense, battalion, combatants.