Defense of Kopanki
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The Defense of Kopanki (Polish: Obrona Kopanków, Ukrainian: Оборона Копанків; 11–20 April 1944) was fought between the Kingdom of Hungary against the Company Haydamaky, which belongs to the 17th Tactical District of Berezhany in the 3rd Operational Group Lysonia, which is part of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army and Kusch Units of the Ukrainian Self–Defense under the command of Volodymyr Vereschynskyi. The battle took place in the Kałusz County of the Stanisławów Voivodeship.[1][2]
Battle[edit]
On 11 April 1944, at 13:00, ten Hungarian soldiers dressed in German uniforms arrived in the village of Kopanki. They immediately started numerous pacification actions of the local villagers. As a result, the Ukrainian inhabitants began to flee in panic, to preserve their lives.[1][unreliable source?] The Hungarian soldiers responsible for the attack proceeded with the massacre, chasing the fleeing residents and shooting at them. The incident left seven people dead and as many wounded. Among the victims were four men, nine women and one child.[1][unreliable source?] After the massacre, the perpetrators set fire to 26 Ukrainian households using incendiary bullets. The Hungarians made sure that the residents could not extinguish the fire, deliberately preventing any attempt to save their possessions.[1][unreliable source?]
On 12 April 1944, an armoured car with twelve Hungarian soldiers from Kałusz entered the village of Kopanki.[1][unreliable source?] These soldiers pelted two houses with grenades, after which they got from the village. According to the testimony of Ukrainian civilians, these were the same soldiers who had taken part in the attack the day before, differing only in their uniforms.[1][unreliable source?]
On 13 April 1944, at 11 a.m., about 200 people, including Hungarian soldiers and armed Polish civilians, arrived in the village of Kopanki. The purpose of their visit was the final destruction of the village. Among the civilians were also women and children who were to participate in the act of violence, robbery and arson.[1] The Haydamaky company of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, under the command of Volodymyr Vereshchinsky, which has an estimate of 36 fighters stood up to defend the village.[1][unreliable source?] The UPA successfully repelled the attackers, recovering 8 truckloads of looted property and killing around 50-60 people.[1][unreliable source?] Some of them retreated behind the Sivka River, where many of them drowned in panic. Ukrainian civilians took an active part in the defence, using tools such as axes, scythes and pitchforks.[1][unreliable source?] At 17:00 a considerable force of Polish armed units[citation needed] from the town of Kalusz arrived[citation needed] in the village, which forced the Ukrainian insurgents to temporarily retreat into the forest. However, after a short time, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army launched a counterattack, driving the Poles out of the village. Later, even stronger military assistance arrived from Hungarian armed units, which included three armoured cars. They began firing on the Ukrainian insurgents with machine guns, grenade launchers.[1][unreliable source?]
On 15 April, Polish armed troops from the town of Kałusz again arrived in the village, using nine trucks. They burned seven houses and then proceeded to the village of Negówka, where they started burning houses, an estimate of six Ukrainian civilians were killed. At 15:00, two armed cars and ten trucks with Polish soldiers arrived in the village. A 'Haydamaky' company from the 17th Berezgan Tactical District came to the aid of the Kopanki residents and to attack the Polish. As a result of the clash, one armed vehicle was burned, several carts and horses were destroyed, and 20 Polish and three Ukrainian soldiers were killed in the fight. The Polish, who went to the village of Negówka, encountered a blockade of Ukrainian insurgents there and began a rapid retreat. The local Ukrainian population began a pursuit, resulting in 3 Poles being captured.[1][unreliable source?]
In total, the Home Army and Kingdom of Hungary burned around 350 farms and murdered 16 Ukrainian civilians in the village.[citation needed]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 "Повідомлення про антиукраїнські акції польських збройних формувань у селі Копанки [Notification of the anti-Ukrainian actions by the Polish armed units in the village of Kopanki]" (in Ukrainian). 3 July 2018.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 УПА в світлі документів з боротьби за Українську Самостійну Соборну Державу 1942—1950 рр. Т. 2 (Бойові дії УПА) [The UPA in the light of documents of the struggle for the Ukrainian Independent Cathedral State 1942-1950, Vol. 2 (Combat actions of the UPA)] (in Ukrainian). 1960.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link) Search this book on
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