Przebraże Defence
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The Przebraże Defence was the World War II defence of Przebraże, a Polish settlement, located in Lutsk county, Volhynian Voivodeship, near the village of Troscianiec. In the years 1919–1939, the settlement belonged to the Second Polish Republic; now, together with the whole of Volhynia, it is part of Ukraine.
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[edit] Location
The Przebraże settlement was located 10 kilometers south of Troscianiec and 25 kilometers north-east of Lutsk, the capital of Volhynia. The area was swampy, with numerous peat bogs and forests. West of the settlement was the Konopla river. The population consisted of Poles, who settled there in the XVII century. They were descendants of several szlachta families, that came to Volhynia from Mazowsze. However, the surrounding villages were mostly inhabited by Ukrainians. In 1938, Przebraze had 200 houses and some 1150 inhabitants.
[edit] War years
In late 1942, Ukrainian nationalists began attacks on Polish settlements in Volhynia (see: Massacres of Poles in Volhynia). Throughout 1943, these incidents moved westwards from one county to another, in May reaching the area of Kowel. Polish population and the weak Volhynian units of the Home Army were completely taken by surprise. After initial shock, however, the Poles started to organize self-defence, later, out of these units the Polish 27th Home Army Infantry Division was created.
[edit] Creation of self-defence
Some time in April 1943, Poles in Przebraze under former Polish Army officers Henryk Cybulski (AKA “Harry”) and Ludwik Malinowski (a veteran of the Polish-Soviet War), decided to create a self-defence force, which would help them fight back future Ukrainian attacks. The area to defend was vast, with several surrounding smaller settlements, such as Cholopiny, Jazwiny, Mosty and Zagajnik. Night guards were placed, armed with weapons found in the fields after the border battles of the 1941 German Invasion of the Soviet Union and Sten guns made by the Przebraze gunsmithery. Also, Poles bought weapons from Hungarian soldiers stationed in Volhynia, and constructed two anti-tank guns, made of parts of Soviet tanks, destroyed in June 1941.
To avoid clashes with the Germans, a weapon permit from local German authorities in Kiwerce was obtained. According to the memoirs of Henryk Cybulski, the German commander of Kiwerce was bribed with a pig and gold jewelry, after which he signed a document that stated: “Hereby authorized inhabitants of the village of Przebraze are allowed to use weapons to fight forests gangs, which harm interests of the German Reich”.
Altogether, Polish units in Przebraze numbered some 500 men, divided into 4 companies and a mounted scouts platoon. In mid-1943 their number grew to 1,000. The reconnaissance patrols would check the surroundings day and night, so that the settlement would not be caught by surprise. Around Przebraze and neighboring settlements, a defence line was created, which consisted of manholes and barbed wire. Altogether, the length of barbed wire was around 20 kilometers and the size of the “camp” - 6 kilometers from east to west and 7 km from south to north.
It should be noted that the Poles were often warned of future attacks by friendly Ukrainians - two men from Troscianiec and a man named Demczuk from Jaromle.
[edit] Population in 1943
As news of atrocities spread across Volhynia, up to 28,000 Poles from neighboring villages and settlements came to Przebraze, looking for safety. Number of refugees grew day by day, in several houses up to 5 families were stationed, others had to live in temporary mud huts. A field hospital was organized for the sick and wounded and as skirmishes with Ukrainians were frequent, beds were usually full.
In June 1943 Polish units from Przebraze scouted the area, telling all Poles to leave their houses and move to the fortified settlement. Unfortunately, not all agreed to move and their reluctance later turned out to be fatal.
[edit] Ukrainian attacks
At the beginning of summer of 1943, local UPA, Ukrainian_Insurgent_Army, commanders suggested that Henryk Cybulski, Ludwik Malinowski and their men should meet and talk. Delegates of both sides met each other for four times, and Poles grew suspiciuos. Reportedly, the talks were a trap, and Ukrainians wanted to kill Cybulski. Thus, conversations were terminated.
[edit] July 5, 1943 attack
On July 5, 1943, UPA units tried to attack Przebraze, burning neighboring villages and murdering their inhabitants. Shocked refugees would come to the settlement, often dressed in their underwear. Then, the defence line was attacked in numerous spots, the battle lasted whole night. Next day, July 6, was very hectic, as Ukrainian units surrounded the settlement and attacked it frontally from all sides. After several hours they gave up, killing 10 Poles.
As soon as the Ukrainians had left, mounted scouts scoured the area. They counted as many as 550 massacres Poles, those who refused to move to Przebraze. All surrounding villages were burned, such as Majdan Jezierski, Dermanka, Budy, Huta and Dobra.
[edit] Other attacks
Second attack took place on July 12, and UPA concentrated its forces on the village of Rafalowka. Polish side managed to force the enemy to flee, but this was not the end. As Henryk Cybulski wrote in his memoirs, throughout the summer of 1943 the “war for grain” persisted. The number of Poles in Przebraze was too high and its defenders realized that it was impossible to feed so many people. Thus, in July and April 1943, Polish peasants, guarded by patrols, were harvesting crops, transporting it to the settlement. The Ukrainians would attack the peasants, killing several of them.
Last major attack took place on August 31, 1943. Ukrainian forces of Bandera, numbered around 10,000 men, including a 4,000 strong unit from the area of Lwów.[citation needed] They worked out a detailed plan of attack (codename “Kublo”); their headquarters were established in the village of Swozie.
Helped with artillery, they stormed from the south. Przebraze defenders asked local Home Army units for help, also Soviet partisan forces of Nikolay Prokopiuk, numerous in the area and themselves threatened by Ukrainians, joined the Poles. As a result, UPA, attacked from rear, relented, losing more than 100 men.
[edit] Aftermath
In February 1944, Volhynia was liberated by the Red Army. As the UPA was considered an enemy of the Soviet regime, the authorities stopped the attacks by the UPA.
In 1945 Poles from this part of Volhynia were forced to move to the area of Niemodlin, in Opole Voivodeship, the land that had belonged to Germany before the war. In 2004 Ukrainian authorities cleaned the Polish cemetery. A triumphant flag, weaved by women from Przebraze in September of 1943, can be seen in the Museum of the Polish Army in Warsaw.
[edit] Sources
- Henryk Cybulski, Czerwone noce ["O powstaniu i przetrwaniu organizacji samoobrony ludnosci polskiej we wsi Przebraze na Wolyniu w latach 1943-1944"]. Wyd. MON, Warszawa 1969 r., wyd. I. stron 377
- Grzegorz Motyka. Ukrainska partyzantka 1942-1960. Rytm Oficyna Wydawnicza, 2006. ISBN 83-7399-163-8. Przebraze: strony 328-329, 339, 349.
- Józef Sobiesiak, Przebraze. Wyd. MON. Warszawa 1969 r. Wyd. I,. wyd. II 1971.
- Filip Ozarowski, Gdy plonal Wolyn, Chicago 1996, ISBN 0-9655488-0-5
- Apoloniusz Zawilski, Polskie fronty 1918-1945, t. 1, Warszawa 1997, ISBN 83-86857-23-4
