UWW

The UVV armlet

In spring 1943 the Ukrainians who served in Wehrmacht and in some of the Schutzmannschaft Bataillonen were put together into Ukrainian Liberation Army (UVV). The former 'hiwi', some UPA members, volunteers from Eastern Ukraine, 200 persons from Vlasov Officers' school in Saubersdorf and Soviet prisoners of war also became also the members of UVV.

By 1942 backed by General Kestring, who was responsible for the Ostbatallionen formation, the strength of UVV was 50.000 persons. By the war end it became 80.000 already. UVV became the part of Wehrmacht and a lot of German officers strengthened it. Omelyanovich-Pavlenko was the commander, Colonel Petro Krizhanivsky -- the chief headquarters officer, the first deputy commander -- M.Kapustyansky. In 1945 after the formation of UNA the 1st UVV battalion joind the 2nd UNA division and some other UVV detachments became the part of the 1st UNA division (the former 14th SS Grenadiers "Galicia" division).


But the larger UVV part remained the independent detachment. In 1945 its units were transfered from Southern France to Prague to help the 2nd UNA division. The greater part of UVV soldiers and officers were killed in the struggle against Bolsheviks. And those captured were repatriated and died in Siberian camps.

The Uniform and Insignia.

The UVV personnel was fitted with the standard Wehrmacht uniform. Under the chief officer of Wehrmacht ground forces order from April 29, 1943 (N 5000/43) the Ukrainian volunteers and the UVV personnel wore the same tabs and shoulder-straps as in Russian units and yellow-blue oval cockade and yellow-blue armlet with trident and letters UVV.