To Battle: The Formation and History of the 14th Galician Waffen-Ss Division

Rating:
Summary: A welcome counterblast
Review: It is about time that a serious history of the Ukrainian Division Galcia was published and this is certainly that. Much rubbish has been circulated about these men as "war criminals" when, in fact, as Melnyk demonstrates, they were an armed force that was raised to fight against the reimposition of Soviet rule over Ukraine. That they failed to secure a free Ukraine is not the point, they tried. For their valour and defiance they were denigrated by Soviet spokesmen and their fellow travellers in the West until 1991, and, in some cases, even after the USSR's collapse. Melnyk has done a great service to the truth with this book, an antidote to the hatemongers and propagandists who have tended to attract media interest. My only quibble with this book is that Mr Melnyk did not include a chapter on the post-war disinformation campaign waged against the Division's veterans, for that is truly a fascinating story in and of itself, yet to be told. This is a must have book for any serious student of Ukraine and eastern Europe in the Second World War.

Rating:
Summary: A welcome counterblast
Review: It is about time that a serious history of the Ukrainian Division Galcia was published and this is certainly that. Much rubbish has been circulated about these men as "war criminals" when, in fact, as Melnyk demonstrates, they were an armed force that was raised to fight against the reimposition of Soviet rule over Ukraine. That they failed to secure a free Ukraine is not the point, they tried. For their valour and defiance they were denigrated by Soviet spokesmen and their fellow travellers in the West until 1991, and, in some cases, even after the USSR's collapse. Melnyk has done a great service to the truth with this book, an antidote to the hatemongers and propagandists who have tended to attract media interest. My only quibble with this book is that Mr Melnyk did not include a chapter on the post-war disinformation campaign waged against the Division's veterans, for that is truly a fascinating story in and of itself, yet to be told. This is a must have book for any serious student of Ukraine and eastern Europe in the Second World War.

Rating:
Summary: History of the Ukrainian Division raised by the Waffen-SS
Review: Melnyk has researched and written an excellent account of this interesting division. This is an objective, academic study by a scholar of military history. The detail is precise, particularly on matters of training and operational deployment. The author has also reproduced a number of intriguing documents, statistics and photographs for this infantry unit. This work also provides a good introduction to the question of Ukrainian nationalism, autonomy and hatred for the Communist Russian oppressor. Recommended!

Rating:
Summary: History of the Ukrainian Division raised by the Waffen-SS
Review: Melnyk has researched and written an excellent account of this interesting division. This is an objective, academic study by a scholar of military history. The detail is precise, particularly on matters of training and operational deployment. The author has also reproduced a number of intriguing documents, statistics and photographs for this infantry unit. This work also provides a good introduction to the question of Ukrainian nationalism, autonomy and hatred for the Communist Russian oppressor. Recommended!

Rating:
Summary: Definitive story of the Ukrainian Volunteer Division in WW2.
Review: There are a number of historical accounts of the Ukrainians that served in the German Waffen-SS from 1943 to 1945. Michael James Melnyk's "To Battle: The Formation and History of the 14th Galician Waffen-Ss Division" is by far the best and most accurate history to date.
He gives a balanced account of the reasons behind the Nazi creation of the division and the motivations of the Ukrainians that eventually joined and fought for the Third Reich. It is a complex tale that Melnyk relates. Hopefully, it it will help dispell the misinformation about the Ukrainian division that are spread by those sympathetic or hostile to those that served in the division.

Lastly, the book contains many never before seen photographs of the division during training and combat.

This book is a must for anyone that is at all fascinated by the foreign volunteer formations that fought for the Germans during world war 2.

Rating:
Summary: To battle...and win!!
Review: This book about the 14th Galician Division of the Waffen-SS by Michael James Melnyk is just simply a must for all people interested in the foreign soldiers serving within the german ranks during WW2. It is a precisly and objective researched work on that subject. This is the first book worth to be announced "serious"! There is so much crap, referring to easteuropean veterans fighting together with the germans, on the market that it was really about time a book came out that would satisfy any reader interested in the history and fate of those soldiers from Galicia/Ukraine. And not only in reading but also in finding new and never before seen photomaterial. This author did more than just a great job and I'm very happy to own a copy myself. There is no more to say... This book is highly recommanded!!!
I'd give the book a five +!!!!