Pavlo Shandruk
Encyclopedia
Pavlo Shandruk was a general
in the army of the Ukrainian National Republic, a colonel
of the Polish Army, and a prominent general of the Ukrainian National Army
, a military force that fought against the Soviets under German command at the close of World War II.
in the Volhynia
region (currently in the Ternopil oblast). He completed his studies in 1911 at the Nizhyn Institute majoring in history and languages and later underwent post graduate studies at the Alexandrovsk Military Academy in Moscow.
and the subsequent collapse of the Ukrainian National republic, he was interned in Kalisz
, Poland together with the remaining Ukrainian soldiers. He testified for Symon Petliura at Schwartzbard trial
along with Mykola Shapoval, and Oleksandr Shulhin.
Until 1936, he worked in different positions for the Ukrainian National Republic government in exile initially led by Symon Petliura. In 1936 he joined the Polish Army, after which he obtained further training in the Wyższa Szkoła Wojenna (Military High School). Upon the completion of his training he accepted a commission and was promoted to the rank of major in the Polish Army.
As a colonel he fought in the Polish Army in September 1939. On September 23 colonel Shandruk rescued the 19th Polish brigade from annihilation in a trap. After the war he received the Virtuti Militari
cross from Władysław Anders for this action. After capitulation, Shandruk, as Polish officer, was captured and sent to a German POW Camp, from where he was later released due to his injuries. After falling ill, he was arrested by the Gestapo
but set free before the Germans attacked
the Soviet Union
.
From 1940 till 1944 he worked as a cinema manager in Skierniewice. During this time he was employing and giving shelter to Polish friends, hunted by Gestapo.
and simultaneously became the commander of the newly formed Ukrainian National Army
into which all Ukrainian formations who had fought on the German side on the Eastern front were merged. (It came to about 50,000 men).
In April 1945 now General Shandruk joined the soldiers of the Ukrainian National Army
located at the front in Austria. On the 28th of April the UNA swore an oath of allegiance to Ukraine.
, surrendered to American and British forces in Austria. After that, he requested for a meeting with Polish general Władysław Anders in London, and asked him to protect the army against the deportation to Soviet Union. After the personal intervention of general Anders, Shandruk and his soldiers were accepted as Polish pre-war citizens (without checking whether they had Polish citizenship or not) and so, unlike most Ukrainian soldiers, they were not sent to the USSR. This provoked fierce protests from the Soviets.
and the USA. Shandruk penned a number of works regarding military history in Ukrainian, Polish and English. Among them
[* «Arms of Valor» (Нью-Йорк 1959) «Arms of Valor»] NY, 1959. He was the editor of the collection of documents regarding the Ukrainian-Russian war of 1920.
Shandruk was decorated with Polish Virtuti Militari
order for his performance in Polish Army during the September Campaign.
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
in the army of the Ukrainian National Republic, a colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
of the Polish Army, and a prominent general of the Ukrainian National Army
Ukrainian National Army
Ukrainian National Army was a World War II Ukrainian military group, created on March 17, 1945 in Weimar, Germany, and subordinate to Ukrainian National Committee....
, a military force that fought against the Soviets under German command at the close of World War II.
Biography
Shandruk was born on February 28, 1889 in the village of Borsuk, near KremenetsKremenets
Kremenets is a city in the Ternopil Oblast of western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Kremenets Raion , and rests 18 km north-east of the great Pochayiv Monastery...
in the Volhynia
Volhynia
Volhynia, Volynia, or Volyn is a historic region in western Ukraine located between the rivers Prypiat and Southern Bug River, to the north of Galicia and Podolia; the region is named for the former city of Volyn or Velyn, said to have been located on the Southern Bug River, whose name may come...
region (currently in the Ternopil oblast). He completed his studies in 1911 at the Nizhyn Institute majoring in history and languages and later underwent post graduate studies at the Alexandrovsk Military Academy in Moscow.
Military career
In the First World War Shandruk was the commander of the IIIrd Battalion of the 232nd Reserve Infantry Regiment of the Russian Imperial Army. With the outbreak of the Russian Revolution he joined the Ukrainian National Republic in its struggle against both White and Red Russian forces. He was successively in command of the Zaporozhian Independent Rifle Battalion, the 9th Infantry Regiment and the 1st Recruit Regiment of the Ukrainian National Republic forces. After the reorganization of the army in 1920, he led the 4th Brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division. After the failed Kiev OffensiveKiev Offensive
The 1920 Kiev Offensive , sometimes considered to have started the Soviet-Polish War, was an attempt by the newly re-emerged Poland, led by Józef Piłsudski, to seize central and eastern Ukraine, torn in the warring among various factions, both domestic and foreign, from Soviet control.The stated...
and the subsequent collapse of the Ukrainian National republic, he was interned in Kalisz
Kalisz
Kalisz is a city in central Poland with 106,857 inhabitants , the capital city of the Kalisz Region. Situated on the Prosna river in the southeastern part of the Greater Poland Voivodeship, the city forms a conurbation with the nearby towns of Ostrów Wielkopolski and Nowe Skalmierzyce...
, Poland together with the remaining Ukrainian soldiers. He testified for Symon Petliura at Schwartzbard trial
Schwartzbard trial
The Schwartzbard trial was a sensational 1927 French murder trial that resulted in a mistrial of international proportions. At the trial Sholom Schwartzbard was accused of murdering the Ukrainian immigrant and head of the Ukrainian government-in-exile Symon Petlura in Paris...
along with Mykola Shapoval, and Oleksandr Shulhin.
Until 1936, he worked in different positions for the Ukrainian National Republic government in exile initially led by Symon Petliura. In 1936 he joined the Polish Army, after which he obtained further training in the Wyższa Szkoła Wojenna (Military High School). Upon the completion of his training he accepted a commission and was promoted to the rank of major in the Polish Army.
As a colonel he fought in the Polish Army in September 1939. On September 23 colonel Shandruk rescued the 19th Polish brigade from annihilation in a trap. After the war he received the Virtuti Militari
Virtuti Militari
The Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war...
cross from Władysław Anders for this action. After capitulation, Shandruk, as Polish officer, was captured and sent to a German POW Camp, from where he was later released due to his injuries. After falling ill, he was arrested by the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
but set free before the Germans attacked
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
.
From 1940 till 1944 he worked as a cinema manager in Skierniewice. During this time he was employing and giving shelter to Polish friends, hunted by Gestapo.
The Ukrainian National Army
In February 1945 he accepted the position of the head of the Ukrainian National CommitteeUkrainian National Committee
Ukrainian National Committee was a Ukrainian political structure, created on March 17, 1945 in Weimar with the intention to release Ukrainian Nazi-sponsored military units from German command...
and simultaneously became the commander of the newly formed Ukrainian National Army
Ukrainian National Army
Ukrainian National Army was a World War II Ukrainian military group, created on March 17, 1945 in Weimar, Germany, and subordinate to Ukrainian National Committee....
into which all Ukrainian formations who had fought on the German side on the Eastern front were merged. (It came to about 50,000 men).
In April 1945 now General Shandruk joined the soldiers of the Ukrainian National Army
Ukrainian National Army
Ukrainian National Army was a World War II Ukrainian military group, created on March 17, 1945 in Weimar, Germany, and subordinate to Ukrainian National Committee....
located at the front in Austria. On the 28th of April the UNA swore an oath of allegiance to Ukraine.
Surrender
On May 8, 1945, Shandruk and the 1st UNA Division, the main part of the Ukrainian National ArmyUkrainian National Army
Ukrainian National Army was a World War II Ukrainian military group, created on March 17, 1945 in Weimar, Germany, and subordinate to Ukrainian National Committee....
, surrendered to American and British forces in Austria. After that, he requested for a meeting with Polish general Władysław Anders in London, and asked him to protect the army against the deportation to Soviet Union. After the personal intervention of general Anders, Shandruk and his soldiers were accepted as Polish pre-war citizens (without checking whether they had Polish citizenship or not) and so, unlike most Ukrainian soldiers, they were not sent to the USSR. This provoked fierce protests from the Soviets.
Post WWII
Later, he lived in GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and the USA. Shandruk penned a number of works regarding military history in Ukrainian, Polish and English. Among them
[* «Arms of Valor» (Нью-Йорк 1959) «Arms of Valor»] NY, 1959. He was the editor of the collection of documents regarding the Ukrainian-Russian war of 1920.
Shandruk was decorated with Polish Virtuti Militari
Virtuti Militari
The Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war...
order for his performance in Polish Army during the September Campaign.
Sources
- «Arms of Valor» (Нью-Йорк 1959)
- Боляновський А. Шандрук Павло // Довідник з історії України. — 2-е видання. — К., 2001. — С. 1068.
- Біляїв Володимир. На неокраянім крилі… — Донецьк: Східний видавничий дім, 2003.
- Паньківський К. Роки німецької окупації. Нью-Йорк — Торонто 1965.
- P.Abbott, E.Pinak. Ukrainian Armies 1914-55, Men At Arms n°412, Osprey publishing, 2004 Leeds UK. ISBN 1-84176-668-2 (с 41)