POLISH VOLUNTEERS IN THE CARPATHIAN SICH 1938–1939.

Abstract

The article “Ochotnicy z Polski w szeregach Siczy Zakarpackiej 1938–1939” Polish volunteers in the ranks of Carpathian Sich 1938–1939 covers information concerning the recruitment and relocation of Ukrainian volunteers from Poland. The article presents one of many episodes from Ukrainian history – the history of Ukrainian state which was established  in March 1939 and lasted for a few days only, due to the anexation of the area by Hungary and Mikóls Hortheg and finally abolished on 18’th March 1939. During the existence of Carpathian Ruthenia the then government formed the national armed forces (the Carpathian Sich) which was intended to provide for the state The hereby publication is based on reference materials from Ukrainian archives in Lviv, as well as on related literature. The publication is a beginning to a discussion on the above mentioned topic being unknown to the contemporary historiography. The article consists of two integral parts. The first one describes the methods of recruitment of Ukrainian volunteers in Poland, the way of their transfer through the Polish-Czechoslovakian border to the territory of Carpathian Ukraine. The study of Polish source material by the conducted by the author points out that Carpathian Sich organized by the Carpatho-Ukraine government, having neither international suport nor the mass influx of volunteers also from Poland to its ranks would not be able to exist.  This part also covers  information concerning the organization and protection of Polish-Czechoslowakian border by Polish border control on the territory of the Carpathians. The article presents the then Polish authorities` attitude towards their citizens of Ukrainian origin, who decided to join the Carpathian Sich in hope to create an independent Ukraine. As a result, they were deprived of their nationality and left as stateless persons. When discussing the subject matter, the author presents it in the context of international circumstances which developed in that time in the Middle Eastern Europe. The author presents fragments of records of interviews of the arrested persons by the Polish Border Guard during the attempt to cross the border illegally which deserve particular attention. The above mentioned fragments of arrest records depict organization of recruitment of volunteers to the Carpathian Sich on the territory of Poland on the one hand and show the strong support  of the idea of establishing an independent Ukrainian state on the other hand. The complementation of the article are the attachments with statistical data of people, who succeeded to get to the territory of Carpathian Ukraine indicating that it was a massive movement.The second part, being an attachment to the article, presents registration of 106 Polish people [residing on the territory of Lesko, Przemyśl and Drochobycz County], who due to their service in Carpathian Sich, were deprived of their Polish citizenship under art. 11 law 2 from 20’th January 1920 concerning the Polish citizenship. The author presents the list of persons with Ukrainian nationality (from the Lesko, Przemyśl and Drohobycz country) in the following order: name and surname, date of birth, place of birth, place of residence and county, which allowed for finding the identity of the person presented in the lists. Personal details of the formation’s members who fought against Hungarian troops in 1938 which are to be found in the lists emphatically indicate that Carpathian Sich organization involved almost all Ukrainian male population residing in the border area.

Keywords: Carpathian Ukraine, Carpathian Sich, Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, agitation, the method of recruitment to the formation, Ukrainian volunteers, couriers, Prosvita reading rooms, border protection system, illegal border crossing, Border Guard, Border Protection Corps, detention of persons, investigation of persons, loss of Polish citizenship, governon country, Official Gazette of the Republic of Poland.