Battle Of Radovychi
420 – 1,570 Germans
- 3 armored vehicles
- 1 armored train
3 wounded
106–208 killed
11 captured
- 1 armored train damaged
The Battle of Radovychi (Ukrainian: Битва під Радовичами, , 7–9 September 1943) was one the largest battles between Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and German forces during World War II. It took place near the village of Radovychi in Volyn Oblast, Ukraine. Around 1,000 Ukrainian partisans defeated 2,000 Germans.
Background
In the village of Zasmyki there was a large Polish self-defence base, where the population who survived the UPA massacres against Poles, carried out mainly in July and August 1943, took shelter. UPA partisans from the "Turiv" group intended to destroy this Polish resistance point. To this end, they first carried out a purge of Poles in the village of Radovychi (Radowicze) on 5 September 1943, located a few kilometres south-west of Zasmyki.
Battle
However, while preparing the attack on 7 September, the UPA encountered German soldiers, who were taken by surprise and suffered a severe defeat, losing five dead and eleven captives. The next day, the Germans sent an infantry battalion against the UPA, supported by an armoured train, three armoured cars and artillery, which the Ukrainian partisans also had at their disposal. As a result of the bloody clash, the UPA units were apparently forced to withdraw, losing 16 dead and three wounded. However, the UPA avoided being broken up and inflicted heavy losses on the Germans, which was considered a success. According to Ukrainian sources, the Germans lost 208 killed and wounded. This figure is believed to be an overestimate. Wincenty Romanowski reported only 26 killed Germans, who were buried in the cemetery in Kovel.
References
- ^ Naukova Dumka. Volodymyr Dziobak, “Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists and Ukrainian Insurgent Army”. 2005.
- ^ Romanowski, Wincenty (1993). ZWZ-AK na Wołyniu, 1939-1944 (in Polish). Lublin University. pp. 217–218. ISBN 83-228-0314-1.
Na kuriń w okolicach Radowicz natknęła się maszerująca w kierunku Włodzimierza kolumna Niemców w sile 420 ludzi. Wywiązała się bitwa, zakończona trzeciego dnia. Artyleria ze sprowadzonego przez Niemców pociągu pancernego prowadziła bezkuteczny ogień, bez możliwości rozpoznania zalesionego terenu, i raziła własne oddziały. Ukraińcy określili swe straty na 16 zabitych i 3 rannych, a niemieckie – na 203 zabitych i rannych.
- ^ Grzegorz Motyka. “Ukrainska Partyzantka 1942–1960”. Warsaw, 2006.
- ^ Andriy Bolyanovskyi, “The Struggle of the OUN—UPA against the Nazi Occupation Regime 1943. Ukrainian Insurgent Army in the struggle against the totalitarian regimes”. Lviv, 2004.
- ^ Motyka 2006, p. 213.
- ^ "Rzeczpospolita Zasmycka - Leksykon - Teatr NN". teatrnn.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2023-10-18.
- ^ Motyka 2006, p. 213: "Partyzanci zapewne zostali zmuszeni do odejścia, ale starcie oceniono jako zwycięskie".
- ^ Motyka 2006, p. 213-214.
Bibliography
- Motyka, Grzegorz (2006). Ukraińska partyzantka 1942–1960 (in Polish). Warsaw: RYTM. ISBN 83-7399-163-8.
51°03′30″N 24°35′37″E / 51.05833°N 24.59361°E
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