A June 1944 engagement between Polish Home Army forces and Ukrainian Insurgent Army and Waffen-SS Galicia units in occupied southeastern Poland.
Key Facts
- Date
- 1–2 June 1944
- Location
- Ulhówek and Rzeczyca, Tomaszów County, Lublin Voivodeship
- Polish commander
- Zenon Jachymek
- Polish force
- Home Army & Peasant Battalions, Operational Group Łódź
- Opposing force
- Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and 14th Waffen-SS Grenadier Division Galicia
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the German occupation of Poland in 1944, ethnic and political tensions in the Lublin region pitted Polish underground resistance forces against both Ukrainian Insurgent Army formations and German-aligned Waffen-SS units, creating a volatile multi-sided conflict in the villages of Ulhówek and Rzeczyca.
On 1–2 June 1944, Polish Home Army and Peasant Battalion units of the Operational Group Łódź, commanded by Zenon Jachymek, fought the UPA's 3rd Operational Group Turiv and the Waffen-SS 14th Grenadier Division Galicia near the villages of Ulhówek and Rzeczyca in Tomaszów County.
The battle was part of the broader pattern of violent inter-ethnic and resistance conflicts in southeastern Poland during the final years of World War II, contributing to the ongoing struggle between Polish, Ukrainian, and German forces in the Lublin Voivodeship region.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Zenon Jachymek.
Side B
2 belligerents