Pavlo Shandruk

Infobox Military Person
name=Pavlo Shandruk
Павло Шандрук
lived=February 28 1889-February 15 1979


caption=Pavlo Shandruk in General of the UNA
nickname=
placeofbirth= Borsyku Ternopil Oblast Ukraine
placeofdeath= Trenton, New Jersey USA
allegiance=
branch=Army
serviceyears=
rank=General
unit=
commands=
battles=First World War
awards=Virtuti Militari cross
relations=
laterwork=

Pavlo Shandruk ( _uk. Павло Шандрук, _pl. Pawło Szandruk) February 28 1889 Volyn - February 15 1979) Trenton, USA was a general in the army of the Ukrainian National Republic, a colonel of the Polish Army, and a general of the Ukrainian National Army, a military force that fought against the Soviets under German command at the close of World War II.

Biography

Shandruk was born in February 28, 1889 in the village of Borsuk, near Kremenetz in the Volyn 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 Offensive and the subsequent collapse of the Ukrainian National republic, he was interned in Kalisz, Poland together with the remaining Ukrainian soldiers.

Until 1936, he worked in different positions for the Ukrainian National Republic government in exile initially led led by Simon Petlura. 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 a the 19th Polish brigade from annihilation in a trap. After the war fro this action he received the Virtuti Militari cross from Władysław Anders.

After capitulation, Shandruk, as an officer of the Polish army, 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.

The Ukrainian National Army

In February 1945 he accepted the position of the head of the Ukrainian National Committee and simultaneously became the commander of the newly-formed Ukrainian National Army into which all Ukrainian formations who had fought on the German side of the Eastern front were collected. (Approximately 50 thousand soldiers).

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 allegence to Ukraine.

Surrender

In May 1945 Shandruk and the 1st UNA Division surrendered to the US forces in Austria.

After capitulation he met with general Władysław Anders. After personal intervention of general Władysław Anders, Shandruk and his soldiers were accepted as Polish pre-war citizens (without any check whether they had Polish citizenship or not) and therefore were not sent to USSR, as most of other Ukrainian soldiers. It meets with fierce protests of USSR.

Post WWII

Later, he lived in Germany and the USA. Shandruk penned a number of works regarding military history in Ukrainian, Polish and English. Among them [* [http://www.galiciadivision.com/lib/shandruk «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.

ources

* [http://www.galiciadivision.com/lib/shandruk «Arms of Valor» (Нью-Йорк 1959)]
* "Боляновський А." Шандрук Павло // Довідник з історії України. — 2-е видання. — К., 2001. — С. 1068.
* [http://ukrlife.org/main/cxid/bilajiw1_karav.htm "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)
*