BETWEEN HITLER ANDSTALIN,UKRAINEIN WORLD WAR II, THE UNTOLD STORY
In March 1945, as World War II was ending in Europe, the US war correspondent Edgar Snow wrote, in part, “The whole titanic struggle, which some are apt to dismiss as Russian glory, was first of all a Ukrainian war. No fewer than 10 million people had been lost to […]Ukrainesince 1941. The Allies won the war, butUkrainepaid the bill.” In fact his article, published in “The Saturday Evening Post” (a popular magazine inUSAat that time) was entitledUkrainePays the Bill. This publication explains, at least in part, how that payment was made.
This 120 page book was meant to be a companion to the prize-winning documentary film of the same title and published in 2004, but it can readily stand on its own. Actually, for those unfamiliar with the topic it should be recommended to first read or at least review this book and only then view the film. This way the events and people presented in the film would be better understood and appreciated. However, it should also be noted that persons with deep knowledge of this topic can increase their understanding of the war period after reading this book.
The focus of the book is primarily on the 1941-1945 period, but it also includes important events, preceding World War II and some discussion about what happened after the war officially ended. Not surprisingly, a brief comparison of Hitler and Stalin is mentioned. Authors argue that although “Hitler and Stalin ideologies appeared to be dissimilar, in application they were both based on the same general principles […] opposition was to be destroyed by the most expedient means.” Everyone knows that Hitler started with the Holocaust of the Jewish population, but few realize that Ukrainians were scheduled next. That is because Ukrainian land was the so called ‘Breadbasket of Europe’ and was needed by Hitler as living space for German expansion. And Stalin actually preceded Hitler when in 1933 he organized the genocide of Ukrainian peasants. Then in 1945 Stalin wanted to relocate the remaining Ukrainians toSiberia. According to Nikita Khrushchev, it did not happen only because there were just too many of them.
Some of the sub-topics include: Carpatho-Ukraine, the German-Soviet pact of non-aggression, ostarbeiter slave labour, the resistance, the Polish-Ukrainian conflict, the Holocaust in German-occupied Ukraine, Ukrainians in the Red Army, Western aid to the Soviet war effort, and the displaced persons camps. The entire text is heavily illustrated with photographs, maps, caricatures, posters, and the like. Additionally, even though this is not a scholarly publication, it is extensively footnoted – a total of 173 scholarly footnotes. Of special importance to potential researchers there is a bibliography of English language sources (95 books), of listing of six documentary films onUkraineduring the twentieth century, and two documentary exhibits available in CD and online versions.
One of the more informative parts of this publication is a simple one page table listing estimated population losses (military and civilian) during World War II in 19 countries/nations that were involved as combatants or suffered occupation by one or both sides of the war. Not surprisingly,Ukraineranks first on this list with ten million losses (4.1 military and 5.9 civilian). The occupiers of Ukraine are shown as number two - Germany (6.5 million), and number three – Russia (without the former Soviet republics that are independent today), 5.7 million. The table also shows the losses of each country/nation as a percent of pre-war population. In this column, with 23.8 percent, is also number one, whileGermanylost 9.1 percent andRussiaonly 2.9 percent. All these numbers come from sources published since 1975. So how could Edgar Snow have known about the ten million in 1945? Both the book and the film do not disclose his sources, but it is known that he visitedUkrainetwice (1943, 1945) and was able to see the horrible devastation of cities and the countryside. Thus, it is likely he made an educated guess. Another version points at Stalin, who at that time was maneuvering to getUkrainequalified as a charter member of the United Nations.
The three authors (professor emeritus, librarian emeritus, and a veteran newspaper editor-in-chief) and the editorial group have done a superb job in putting this book together. This publication and the film of the same title should appear to a wide audience outside of the Ukrainian diaspora community. It will be especially useful to any student, regardless of ethnic background, that needs to write a senior paper, a Masters thesis, or select a Ph.D. dissertation topic. Anyone who is interested in twentieth century history should have these sources in their home library, and educators and librarians should ensure that it is available in school and university libraries.
Major Petro R. Sodol, US Army (Ret.). Author: UPA: They Fought Hitler and Stalin (1987).
