The battle of Gurbani: the biggest battle of the red Army in Bandera

History 16/02/20 the Battle of Gurbani: the biggest battle of the red Army in Bandera

After the battle of Kursk, the Soviet troops finally seized the strategic initiative and began the liberation of Ukraine. In November 1943 from the Germans was purified Kiev, then in the first half of 1944 the Korsun-Shevchenko and the Lvov-Sandomierz operation to liberate the territories West of the Dnieper. At this time, the red army faced the units of the Ukrainian insurgent army (UPA)*.

Free Ukraine

After the defeat of the Nazis at Kursk in summer 1943, the Red Army rapidly approaching the Dnieper. The Germans quickly reinforced their positions. To repel the offensive of the Soviet troops was prepared and in the organization of Ukrainian nationalists (OUN)*, one of whose leaders was Stepan Bandera. For these purposes, we carried out urgent mobilization of the armed wing of the organization – Ukrainian insurgent army (now banned in Russia as extremist organization).

Her skeleton was made by people from Western Ukraine that separates nationalist ideas and practice radical anti-Soviet. Organizationally, the UPA was divided into several Autonomous from other units: the “West” (Lviv), “North” (Volyn) and “East”. The main fighting units were battalions (300-500 soldiers) and company (100-150 people) and a platoon of 30-40 soldiers. The arms were rifles, machine guns and even wedgies and Hungarian antitank guns.

According to historians, by January 1944, that is before the commencement of operations of the red Army on the right Bank Ukraine, the number of UPA was about 80 thousand people. Of them are constantly under the gun there were about 30 thousand, the rest were scattered throughout the villages and cities and were involved in combat operations as necessary.

First in the fight with Bandera to take part of the 1st Ukrainian front under the command ofm General of the army Nikolai Vatutin. The nationalists initially tried not to get involved in major clashes with the red Army, preferring the tactics of small attacks.

the War in a big way

this went on for several months, until March 27 near the village of Lipki in the Rivne region the Soviet troops surrounded two battalions of Bandera. The battle lasted about six hours. The place was destroyed about 400 bandits, and the rest were pushed back to the river.

When you try to cross it by swimming drowned about 90 people, taken prisoner by the red army were only nine people – all that remained of the two battalions of the UPA. In the report the name of Joseph Stalin said that among the dead was identified one of the commanders named Gamal.

Another major battle occurred two days later near the village of Baskin in the same Rivne region. A guerilla in a few hundred people were caught by Soviet fighters off guard. The UPA bandits were driven to the river and began crossing. And all anything, but on the opposite Bank they expect the subsidiary company red army. In the end, the loss of the nationalists amounted to more than 100 people.

the Climax

But the biggest fight between the red Army and the UPA has occurred 21-25 April 1944, near the tract of Gorby Rivne region. The battle was preceded by an attack of Bandera in late February, General Vatutin, as a result of which he died. To crack down on armed nationalist troops of the 1st Ukrainian front, which after the death of Vatutin took command of Georgy Zhukov, has allocated an additional one cavalry division, artillery, and eight tanks.

by the UPA in the battle involved units of the division “the North” with a total population of about five thousand people. Soviet troops had a significant advantage, having 25-30 thousand fighters. As for the tanks, then, according to one, there were eight pieces, according to other sources, the Soviet command has deployed 15 units of armored vehicles. Has information about the use of army aviation. Despite ChisLenno advantage of the Soviet units, on the side of Bandera was a perfect knowledge of the terrain and to some extent the help of the local population.

the battle was an attempt of a breakthrough of the main forces of Bandera through the front line on the German army controlled territory. It went on for a few days, the battle finally ended with a decisive victory of the red Army. Destroyed more than two thousand soldiers of the UPA, the prisoners were taken about a thousand. The loss of the Soviet troops amounted to about a thousand men killed and wounded. Despite the fact that the remaining Bandera was able to break through to the Germans, the backbone of the division “the North” was destroyed. This greatly facilitated the task of further liberation of Western Ukraine.

Another major operation against Bandera was held by the red Army in the midst of the Lvov-Sandomierz operation. 22-27 August, Soviet rifle and cavalry units conducted a RAID on the fortified places and camps of the UPA in Lviv region. Destroyed more than 3.2 thousand bandits, prisoner captured more than a thousand. The Soviet troops as trophies went to the armored vehicle, car, 21 machine guns and five mortars.

Battue war

In 1945, at the last stage of the great Patriotic war, when the front line moved far to the West, against the “survivors” are mainly used in so-called RAID tactics. The gist of it was that the first was carried out reconnaissance, to invoke the power of the nationalists in open battle. When they were drawn, the case enters the main Soviet forces. Such a tactic was much more effective than searching for armed bandits in the mountains and forests.

RAID operations are also sometimes conducted in a big way. So, in April 1945, the 50-strong group under the command of General Mikhail Marchenkova defeated the forces of the UPA in the Carpathian mountains on the line of the new Soviet-Polish border. Destroyed more than thousands of Bandera, several thousand arrested.

After the war, the surviving nationalists finally perwill ECODAT to the tactics of guerrilla warfare. To do away with the Bandera underground was only the beginning of 1950-ies.

* the organization banned in Russia

Ivan Proshkin

Source:
© Russian Seven

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