Ukrainian Sich Riflemen
Encyclopedia
Legion of Ukrainian Sich Riflemen was a Ukrainian unit within the Austro-Hungarian Army
during the First World War.
in 1918 the unit was stationed in southern Ukraine. Former unit soldiers participated in the formation of Sich Riflemen
, a military unit of the Ukrainian People's Republic
. In 1919 the Ukrainian Sich Riflemen expanded into the Ukrainian Galician Army
. They participated in the Polish–Ukrainian War around Lviv
and suffered heavy losses. On May 2, 1920, the unit was disbanded.
A number of Ukrainian paramilitary and youth organizations formed in Galicia as early as 1894, the result of growing national consciousness of Galicia's Ukrainians. In 1900 in Sniatyn
(modern Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast
) a Scouting
organization Sich
was founded by lawyer and social activist Kyryl Trylyovsky. As these organisations were forming all over Galicia they were augmented by youth sport organizations (Sokil
) (Falcon). By 1912 smaller Sich companies appeared in many Ukrainian communities, where young people were being brought up on the ideas of the Cossack Zaporozhian Sich. Along with the Scouting organizations a Women's Organizational Committee was set up to train nurses. The Ukrainian Sich Union was coordinating Scout companies in Lviv and in the provinces, and printed their own newspaper, "The Sich News". By the start of the First World War there were at least 2000 of these types of organizations in Galicia and Bukovyna
In 1911 Lviv
philosophy
student Ivan Chmola organized a secretive paramilitary organization, Plast
, composed of young men and women from Lviv University and various other schools. This organization attracted several prominent individuals who would later play an important role in the creation of the Sich Riflemen, men such as Petro Franko, the son of poet Ivan Franko
. These enthusiasts not only trained in the use of firearms but, more importantly, prepared military manuals, translated military terminology and lobbied the Austrian authorities to legalize the Ukrainian paramilitary organizations. They were greatly influenced by similar Polish paramilitary organizations, such as Związek Strzelecki
, that were quite numerous, well-organized and--unlike the Ukrainian organizations--legal. The Plast society published its own newspaper, "Vidhuk", and organized Lviv's Ukrainian youth. However, all attempts to legalize it were blocked by the local authorities, who were mostly Poles.
There are indications that Kyryl Trylovsky translated similar statutes from the Polish paramilitary manuals and submitted them to the Austrian authorities as justification for legalizing the organizations. True or not, the Sich society was finally legalized in the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria
on March 18, 1913. The first Sich Riflemen company was set up in Lviv, and was soon augmented by Ivan Chmola and members of Plast. Legalization of the Sich Riflemen gave an impetus to other Ukrainian organizations, and the ranks of Scouting organizations all over the province subsequently swelled up.
In the spring of 1913 the Ukrainian Sich League was formed in Lviv, and a statute of the Ukrainian Sich Riflemen (USS) was drafted. On January 25, 1914, another Sich Riflemen company was organized in Lviv, numbering over 300 members. Thus there were two Sich companies: USS-1 for students and USS-2 for workers and peasants. In Galicia alone by the First World War there were 96 Sich companies. Plast was transformed into a Scouting organization and had branches in many towns and villages. From these Scouting societies the Sich Riflemen would continue to draw their recruits well after the war. Nowadays, Plast continues to be the largest Scouting organization in Ukraine.
Initially there was no unanimity among the founders of the League as to its goals: some wanted complete independence of the Ukrainian people from the Austro-Hungarian empire, and some wanted limited autonomy within the empire. The pro-Austrian faction prevailed, and only units loyal to the Habsburg monarchy were allowed to exist. From the inception the Sich Riflemen saw Russia as their main enemy and were preparing for "liberation of Ukrainian lands" from the Russian Empire. In Galicia and Bukovyna Sich Riflemen were also circulating a magazine called "Vidhuk" ("Review"). In 1914 a statute of USS was published, which established the order of service, uniforms of the units and provided military terminology and commands in the Ukrainian language. That same year ammunition and rifles were bought that would equip a 10,000-man company of Sich Riflemen that paraded through Lviv on June 28, 1914.
Two months later the First World War broke out and the newly established Supreme Ukrainian Council published in the Lviv newspaper, "Dilo", a call for Galician Ukrainians to form volunteer units for the war with the Russian Empire. The Ukrainian leaders in Austria-Hungary hoped that the formation of these units would advance the cause of national liberation. They also sought to dispel the suspicions that some Galician Russophiles
held that the area's Ukrainians were sympathetic to Russia. The Austrian war ministry was not prepared for this initiative of the Supreme Ukrainian Council and allowed creation of a unit with only 5,000 men. The first volunteers were mainly members of Ukrainian nationalist organizations such as Sich, Sokil and Plast.
Austro-Hungarian Army
The Austro-Hungarian Army was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint army , the Austrian Landwehr , and the Hungarian Honvédség .In the wake of fighting between the...
during the First World War.
Scope
The unit was formed in August 1914 on the initiative of the Supreme Ukrainian Council. It was composed of members of different Ukrainian paramilitary organizations in Galicia, and participated in hostilities on the Russian front. After World War I, with Austria's disintegration, the unit became the regular military unit of the West Ukrainian People's Republic. During German and Austrian occupation of UkraineUkraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
in 1918 the unit was stationed in southern Ukraine. Former unit soldiers participated in the formation of Sich Riflemen
Sich Riflemen
The Sich Riflemen Halych-Bukovyna Kurin were one of the first regular military units of the Army of the Ukrainian People's Republic. The unit operated from 1917 to 1919 and was formed from Ukrainian soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian army, local population and former commanders of the Ukrainian Sich...
, a military unit of the Ukrainian People's Republic
Ukrainian People's Republic
The Ukrainian People's Republic or Ukrainian National Republic was a republic that was declared in part of the territory of modern Ukraine after the Russian Revolution, eventually headed by Symon Petliura.-Revolutionary Wave:...
. In 1919 the Ukrainian Sich Riflemen expanded into the Ukrainian Galician Army
Ukrainian Galician Army
Ukrainian Galician Army , was the Ukrainian military of the West Ukrainian National Republic during and after the Polish-Ukrainian War. -Military equipment:...
. They participated in the Polish–Ukrainian War around Lviv
Lviv
Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
and suffered heavy losses. On May 2, 1920, the unit was disbanded.
Origins and formation
Sniatyn
Sniatyn is a city located in the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, in western Ukraine along the Prut river. It is the administrative center of the Sniatynsky Raion , and is located at around . The current estimated population is around 10,500 ....
(modern Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast
Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast
Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast is an oblast in western Ukraine. Its administrative center is the city of Ivano-Frankivsk. As is the case with most other oblasts of Ukraine this region has the same name as its administrative center – which was renamed by the Soviets after the Ukrainian writer, nationalist...
) a Scouting
Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
organization Sich
Sich
A sich is the administrative and military centre for Cossacks and especially the Zaporizhian Cossacks. It is derived from the Ukrainian word siktý, "to chop", meaning to clear a forest for an encampment, or to build a fortification with the trees that have been chopped down.The Zaporizhian Sich...
was founded by lawyer and social activist Kyryl Trylyovsky. As these organisations were forming all over Galicia they were augmented by youth sport organizations (Sokil
Sokil
Sokil may refer to:* Sokil Kyiv, a Ukrainian professional ice hockey team* Maria Sokil , a famous Ukrainian opera singer- See also :* List of places named Sokil* Sokal * Sokol...
) (Falcon). By 1912 smaller Sich companies appeared in many Ukrainian communities, where young people were being brought up on the ideas of the Cossack Zaporozhian Sich. Along with the Scouting organizations a Women's Organizational Committee was set up to train nurses. The Ukrainian Sich Union was coordinating Scout companies in Lviv and in the provinces, and printed their own newspaper, "The Sich News". By the start of the First World War there were at least 2000 of these types of organizations in Galicia and Bukovyna
In 1911 Lviv
Lviv
Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
student Ivan Chmola organized a secretive paramilitary organization, Plast
Plast
The Plast National Scout Organization of Ukraine commonly called Ukrainian Plast or simply Plast is the largest Scouting organization in Ukraine.-First Phase: 1911-1920:...
, composed of young men and women from Lviv University and various other schools. This organization attracted several prominent individuals who would later play an important role in the creation of the Sich Riflemen, men such as Petro Franko, the son of poet Ivan Franko
Ivan Franko
Ivan Yakovych Franko was a Ukrainian poet, writer, social and literary critic, journalist, interpreter, economist, political activist, doctor of philosophy, the author of the first detective novels and modern poetry in the Ukrainian language....
. These enthusiasts not only trained in the use of firearms but, more importantly, prepared military manuals, translated military terminology and lobbied the Austrian authorities to legalize the Ukrainian paramilitary organizations. They were greatly influenced by similar Polish paramilitary organizations, such as Związek Strzelecki
Zwiazek Strzelecki
Związek Strzelecki "Strzelec" was a Polish paramilitary cultural and educational organization created in 1910 in Lwów as a legal front of Związek Walki Czynnej, and revived in Poland in 1991....
, that were quite numerous, well-organized and--unlike the Ukrainian organizations--legal. The Plast society published its own newspaper, "Vidhuk", and organized Lviv's Ukrainian youth. However, all attempts to legalize it were blocked by the local authorities, who were mostly Poles.
There are indications that Kyryl Trylovsky translated similar statutes from the Polish paramilitary manuals and submitted them to the Austrian authorities as justification for legalizing the organizations. True or not, the Sich society was finally legalized in the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria
Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria
The Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria was a crownland of the Habsburg Monarchy, the Austrian Empire, and Austria–Hungary from 1772 to 1918 .This historical region in eastern Central Europe is currently divided between Poland and Ukraine...
on March 18, 1913. The first Sich Riflemen company was set up in Lviv, and was soon augmented by Ivan Chmola and members of Plast. Legalization of the Sich Riflemen gave an impetus to other Ukrainian organizations, and the ranks of Scouting organizations all over the province subsequently swelled up.
In the spring of 1913 the Ukrainian Sich League was formed in Lviv, and a statute of the Ukrainian Sich Riflemen (USS) was drafted. On January 25, 1914, another Sich Riflemen company was organized in Lviv, numbering over 300 members. Thus there were two Sich companies: USS-1 for students and USS-2 for workers and peasants. In Galicia alone by the First World War there were 96 Sich companies. Plast was transformed into a Scouting organization and had branches in many towns and villages. From these Scouting societies the Sich Riflemen would continue to draw their recruits well after the war. Nowadays, Plast continues to be the largest Scouting organization in Ukraine.
Initially there was no unanimity among the founders of the League as to its goals: some wanted complete independence of the Ukrainian people from the Austro-Hungarian empire, and some wanted limited autonomy within the empire. The pro-Austrian faction prevailed, and only units loyal to the Habsburg monarchy were allowed to exist. From the inception the Sich Riflemen saw Russia as their main enemy and were preparing for "liberation of Ukrainian lands" from the Russian Empire. In Galicia and Bukovyna Sich Riflemen were also circulating a magazine called "Vidhuk" ("Review"). In 1914 a statute of USS was published, which established the order of service, uniforms of the units and provided military terminology and commands in the Ukrainian language. That same year ammunition and rifles were bought that would equip a 10,000-man company of Sich Riflemen that paraded through Lviv on June 28, 1914.
Two months later the First World War broke out and the newly established Supreme Ukrainian Council published in the Lviv newspaper, "Dilo", a call for Galician Ukrainians to form volunteer units for the war with the Russian Empire. The Ukrainian leaders in Austria-Hungary hoped that the formation of these units would advance the cause of national liberation. They also sought to dispel the suspicions that some Galician Russophiles
Ukrainian Russophiles
The focus of this article is part of a general political movement in Western Ukraine of the nineteenth and early 20th century. The movement contained several competing branches: Moscowphiles, Ukrainophiles, Rusynphiles, and others....
held that the area's Ukrainians were sympathetic to Russia. The Austrian war ministry was not prepared for this initiative of the Supreme Ukrainian Council and allowed creation of a unit with only 5,000 men. The first volunteers were mainly members of Ukrainian nationalist organizations such as Sich, Sokil and Plast.
Literature
- Orest SubtelnyOrest SubtelnyOrest Subtelny is a Canadian historian. Born in Kraków, Poland, he received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1973. Since 1982 he has been a professor in the departments of History and Political Science, York University, Toronto, Canada.-Career:...
. Ukraine. A history. University of Toronto press. 1994. ISBN 0-8020-0591-0. - Paul Robert Magocsi. The Roots of Ukrainian Nationalism: Galicia As Ukraine's Piedmont. University of Toronto Press. 2002. ISBN 0521819881.
- Encyclopedia of Ukraine on Line. Ukrainian Sich Riflemen.
- Stepan Ripetsky. Ukrainian Sich Riflemen. On line version.