PUBLISHED EYEWITNESS MEMORIES AS A SOURCE FOR STUDYING THE LABOUR MOBILIZATION OF THE GALICIAN POPULATION TO GERMANY IN 1941-1944

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to analyze information about the policy of the Nazi occupation authorities in the territory of the Halychyna district, aimed at recruiting and transporting the able-bodied local population to work in Germany during the Soviet-German war, based on the published memories of eyewitnesses. The article highlights information about the peculiarities of the propaganda policy of the German occupation authorities, the purpose of which was to attract as many workers as possible to meet the economic needs of the Third Reich. Information about the activities of individual organizations (Ukrainian Central Committee, Ukrainian National Association, German Labor Front, etc.) was highlighted. One of the activities of these organizations was to provide comprehensive assistance to Galician workers at factories and in agriculture in Germany. A significant role in the work was assigned to the Ukrainian Central Committee, as it directly dealt with the affairs of Galician workers (certificates of Ukrainian nationality, cultural and material assistance, etc.) and assistance to their families. Information is provided on the methods of recruitment, transportation, and living conditions of Galician workers in Germany. The author also presents information about mass roundups of the local population for the purpose of transporting them to Germany and using them in the industrial and agricultural sectors of the Reich. Data on the participation in sabotage actions of members of the OUN-UPA with the aim of preventing the forced deportation of the Galician population to Germany are provided. In addition, information is provided on ways to avoid deportation to Germany and the consequences that awaited fellow villagers and families of the fugitives. The article draws attention to the data on the number of Galician people deported to Germany and the approximate share of workers in various fields of labor (factories, plants, agriculture, etc.). To summarize, we note that on the basis of published eyewitness accounts, the author analyzes the problem under study, namely the labor mobilization of the Galician population to Germany for the purpose of using it for the economic needs of the Third Reich.