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THE RCAF OFFICER WHO BROUGHT HITLER’S WAFFEN SS TO CANADA
By David Pugliese
In May both the Globe and Mail newspaper and CBC’s As It Happens radio show carried laudatory reports about a Royal Canadian Air Force veteran and his efforts to bring Ukrainian refugees to Canada in the aftermath of the Second World War.
Flight Lt. Bohdan Panchuk was the man behind the Ukrainian Canadian Servicemen’s Association (UCSA), which supported the cultural and social needs of Canadians of Ukrainian heritage serving overseas during the Second World War. Panchuk was also involved in the effort that saw as many as 30,000 Ukrainian refugees brought to Canada after the war.
The media focus on Panchuk, who died in 1987, came about because Ukrainian groups in Canada and the United Kingdom were honouring him and the UCSA by unveiling a stained glass window on the 75th anniversary of the Victory in Europe.
By all accounts Panchuk contributed to Canada’s war effort and helping Ukrainian refugees from war-torn Europe.
But missing from the accolades in the Globe article and the CBC broadcast were the details about some of the Ukrainian “refugees” that Panchuk managed to convince the Canadian government to accept – 2,000 members of Adolf Hitler’s Waffen SS.
Panchuk was able to get members of the 14th Waffen SS Division Galicia into Canada by lying about their past.
Members of the unit had surrendered to Allied forces and were being held in a camp in Italy. In an attempt to hide the SS connection, the unit had changed its name in the last few days of the war to the First Division Ukrainian National Army.
Panchuk was trying to get Canada to accept large numbers of soldiers from the unit but he had a major problem. The Canadian government would not accept as immigrants anyone who voluntarily served in the German military. Not only had the Ukrainians voluntarily served in Hitler’s war machine but they had eagerly signed up for the Waffen SS, which had been declared a criminal organization by the Nuremberg war crimes tribunal.
Those who served in the 14th Waffen SS Division Galicia had taken an oath to Hitler and had received education in Nazi doctrine. Ukrainian officers had been trained at SS facilities in the Dachau concentration camp. In fact, some of the division’s members have noted in their memoirs that concentration camp prisoners were required to remove their hats as a sign of respect for the Ukrainian SS. Unit members were given SS tattoos under their left arm indicating their blood group. Leadership of the division included some key figures who had been directly involved in the Holocaust.
As part of his efforts to have Canada accept the Ukrainian SS soldiers, Panchuk pushed a “positive narrative portraying the former Galicians as an anti-Soviet” German Army unit, noted Ukrainian historian Olesya Khromeychuk. She is the author of the book “Undetermined Ukrainians” which looks at the various narratives surrounding the 14th Waffen SS Division Galicia.
No mention was made of the SS. Instead, the Ukrainians were portrayed by Panchuk as being victims, having been forced into the division against their will.
If Canadian immigration officials had actually probed deeply into the background of the 14th Waffen-SS division they would have found few victims in its ranks. “The volunteers (of the Galician Division) committed themselves to German victory, the New European Order, and to Adolf Hitler personally,” explained Per Anders Rudling, a historian of Eastern European history and Associate Professor at the Department of History at Lund University, Sweden. The division not only fought the Polish Home Army but it took part in the crushing of the Slovak National Uprising and hunted down anti-Nazi partisans in Slovenia. There were also allegations of war crimes being committed by division members.
While some in the Canadian government didn’t probe deeply into the background of the Ukrainian “refugees,” British government bureaucrats knew who they were dealing with and were more than happy to dump the SS troops into Canada’s lap. “The Division was an SS division and technically all of its officers and senior NCOs are liable for trial as war criminals,” noted a report from Britain’s Under-Secretary of State.
The British government also knew only cursory background checks had been conducted into the division members and their activities during the war. In 2005 the release of new documents from the British archives outlined the extent of the efforts in the late 1940s to pawn off members of 14th Waffen SS Division Galicia on to Canada. “What little we know of their war record is bad,” wrote Beryl Hughes, who was handling the issue for Britain’s Home Office. “We’re still hoping to get rid of the less desirable Ukrainian PoWs either to Germany or Canada,” Hughes added in another note in 1948.
Even Panchuk knew he was dealing with some unsavoury individuals but that didn’t stop him in his deception. “We must defend the principle of the refugees and DPs (displaced persons) and victims of war, but, in actual fact, God forbid and protect us if some of these parasitic bandits ever get into Canada,” he wrote to a colleague, John Karasevich.
Not everyone was fooled. Some members of the Canadian-Ukrainian community knew exactly who these “refugees” were and Panchuk’s campaign faced strong opposition from the Association of United Ukrainians in Canada, Khromeychuk, the historian, revealed in her book. “It is clear that Mr. Panchuk and his Association either forgets the facts, that no Canadian could forget or feels that Canadians have already forgotten their sons who have fallen on the battlefields of Europe,” the association wrote to Canadian immigration officials. “Ukrainian Division (Galicia) was part and parcel of the Hitler army. It was against them that our Canadian boys fought on the battlefields of Italy. Many a Canadian son remained over there, shot by the VERY ONES that Mr. Panchuk would wish your Department to bring to Canada.”
But pressure from the nationalist Ukrainian lobby in Canada as well as the British government was too great and Panchuk was successful. As many as 2,000 members of 14th SS Division Galicia arrived in Canada in the 1950s and immediately started to whitewash and cover up their past.
The effectiveness of that whitewash was on display in 2020 – neither the CBC nor the Globe and Mail appeared to have a clue about the SS connection to Panchuk’s “refugees.” The Globe article even has a photo of Panchuk visiting members of “Ukrainian Division Galicia” in 1947 as they awaited their release from the PoW camp in Italy. Globe journalists and photo editors were oblivious that those in the photo were members of the notorious 14th Waffen SS Division Galicia. 12 LikesShare
COMMENTS (16)
Anthony Nash 3 years ago · 0 Likes
A Non asks: “Why is it that David Pugliese and Esprit de Corps choose to ignore Quebec’s Bill 21, which has a real-world impact in 2020, and, instead, choose to go after 90-year olds for events that happened 70 years ago and which have zero impact in 2020?”
How about the fact that Esprit de Corps is a military history magazine? If A Non wants articles on Quebec’s current Bill 21 and its effect on the Jewish community in Quebec then go to Macleans magazine or the Montreal Gazette which have both covered this non-military topic extensively. Macleans had a large article last year on this specific topic.
And as to A Non’s claim about the lack of coverage on the story of Canadians Edwin Barnard Martin, John Gordon Galaher and George Hale (of The Essex Scottish Regiment) and Arthur James Cryderman (of the Saskatoon Light Infantry) being part of the Waffen SS, that’s not true. That topic was written about in Esprit de Corps four years ago. And the Latvian SS was written about last year. But I would like to see articles on the Estonian and Dutch SS and the incident regarding the murder of Canadian prisoners of war by the 12th SS Panzer Division. I enjoyed the article on the Panzerfaust from last year and would like to see more on weapons of the Second World War, both Allied and Axis. Keep up the good work. Esprit de Corps is one of my favourite magazines…that’s why I keep subscribing.
Nicholas McAdam 3 years ago · 0 Likes
The four Canadians who joined the British Friekorps (or Free Corps) were all captured. Research by British historian Adrian Weale has identified 54 men who belonged to this unit at one time or another, some for only a few days. At no time did this “unit” – if you can call it that, reach more than 27 men in strength. The British Friekorps saw very limited action against the Russians and has not been accused of taking part in any war crimes.
Contrast that to the 14th SS Galicia. More than 60,000 Ukrainians volunteered and around 14,000 were selected. Some of the volunteers had already taken part in the murder of Jews when they served in Ukrainian police units supporting other SS units. As the article outlines the 14th SS took part in war crimes as well.
“A Non” is obviously a troll from the Ukrainian Canadian-Nazi sympathizer community just here stir up trouble.
His statement that Quebec Premier “Francois Legault’s CAQ’s Bill 21 bans Orthodox Jews from the civil service in exactly the same spirit as the Galician Division shooting Jews” should tell you all you need to know about the stupidity of this troll.
A Non 3 years ago · 0 Likes
“The four Canadians who joined the British Friekorps (or Free Corps) were all captured. Research by British historian Adrian Weale has identified 54 men who belonged to this unit at one time or another, some for only a few days. At no time did this “unit” – if you can call it that, reach more than 27 men in strength”
For one thing, it is “Freikorps,” not “Friekorps.”
For another, according to Esprit de Corps/David Pugliese logic, “They all swore the same oath to Adolf Hitler.” Yet, for some reason, neither Esprit de Corps nor David Pugliese ever get around to condemning Edwin Barnard Martin, John Gordon Galaher, George Hale (of the Essex Scottish Regiment) and Arthur James Cryderman (of the Saskatoon Light Infantry.) Foreign-born Canadians with non-WASP names who served in the SS? Yes, all the time. Natural-born Canadians with WASP names who served in the very same SS as the Galician? Crickets.
“The British Friekorps[sic] saw very limited action against the Russians and has not been accused of taking part in any war crimes.”
Except that a Canadian court-martial condemned Martin, Galaher and Hale for aiding and abetting the Nazis.
“His statement that Quebec Premier “Francois Legault’s CAQ’s Bill 21 bans Orthodox Jews from the civil service in exactly the same spirit as the Galician Division shooting Jews” should tell you all you need to know about the stupidity of this troll.”
When Orthodox Jews complained about Legault banning them from he civil service, Legault’s response was “We could have gone further…” which means that he has not excluded Galician-style actions against Quebec Jews while using the Notwithstanding Clause to the Charter of Rights to get away with it.
And lest anyone else say that Legault/the CAQ are “civilians,” the SS, both Canadian and Ukrainian, were administratively answerable to the Ministry of the Interior and not to the War Ministry, and only opconned to the military, so, it can be very easily argued that unlike the Heer, they were civilians.
““A Non” is obviously a Nazi sympathizer”
Then riddle me this. If I actually was a Nazi sympathiser, why would I be condemning (and asking Esprit de Corps and David Pugliese to condemn) Francois Legault, Edwin Barnard Martin, John Gordon Galaher, George Hale and Arthur James Cryderman?
Michael Stopford 3 years ago · 0 Likes
Wow…a piece of history I didn’t know about. Fascinating. I saw a comment on the other related article and agree that you really have to wonder why the Ukrainian Canadian community has put up a monument to these Nazi supporters (yes, since they fought for Uncle Adolf in a Waffen SS unit they are supporting the Nazi cause and regime) and never one for Canadian Ukrainians who fought on OUR side against the Nazis. I’m sure Esprit de Corps will get some flak for this article but it’s hard to argue with the facts that have been presented. Keep up the good work.
A Non 3 years ago · 0 Likes
” why the Ukrainian Canadian community has put up a monument to these Nazi supporters (yes, since they fought for Uncle Adolf in a Waffen SS unit they are supporting the Nazi cause and regime)”
At least they admit to the Nazi link. Neither Esprit de Corps nor David Pugliese have ever once mentioned the names Edwin Barnard Martin, John Gordon Galaher and George Hale (of the Essex Scottish Regiment) or Arthur James Cryderman (of the Saskatoon Light Infantry), all natural-born Canadians who, as revealed by British Intelligence officer Adrian Weale in 1994, served in the Waffen-SS alongside the Galician Division.
Yuriy Sobeshchakov 3 years ago · 0 Likes
For A Non
The quote
“This story makes it seem like these post-war Ukrainian SS immigrants were the only Canadians to have served in Hitler’s SS.”
Find, please, where the author said that among the Waffen SS Galicia troopers were Canadians.
A Non 3 years ago · 0 Likes
They settled in Canada and became Canadian. To argue that they were not Canadian simply because they were born someplace else is like saying that Doctors Theresa Tam and Peter Donnelly are not Canadian simply because they were not born here.
Yuriy Sobeshchakov 3 years ago · 0 Likes
For Tom Lockhart.
The total number of Soviet prisoners of war in the foreign press is determined at around 5.5 million people. Returned from captivity 1,836,562. About 1 million were sent for further military service; 600,000 – to work in the industry as part of workers’ battalions, and 233.4 thousand – to the GULAG camps, as compromised themselves in captivity.
Yuriy Sobeshchakov 3 years ago · 0 Likes
Unfortunately, in the post-war period, Canadian justice did not cooperate with the military prosecutor’s office of the Soviet Union; if it were not so, then the Canadian government would have all the evidence of the criminal activities of the SS Division Galicia, as well as each member of this Waffen SS unit.
A Non 3 years ago · 0 Likes
“Unfortunately, in the post-war period, Canadian justice did not cooperate with the military prosecutor’s office of the Soviet Union”
Considering that there was this thing called the Cold Wat pitting the Stalin against the free world, of which Canada was a part, this was not a surprise. Stalin had capable leaders like Tuckachewski, as well as innocent generals like Pavlov and Shtern executed, so cooperating with Soviet Justice had the exact same value as cooperating with Roland Freisler or Charles I’s Star Chamber.
Tim Crowley 3 years ago · 0 Likes
Flight Lt. Bohdan Panchuk should be commended for his work on the Ukrainian Canadian Servicemen’s Association and taking care of Ukrainian-Canadian military personnel serving our Canada during the Second World War. Well done.
And he should be roundly condemned and denounced for his major role in arranging for up to 2,000 Waffen SS from 14th Division Galicia to come to Canada. That is beyond disgusting and a clear betrayal by Flight Lt. Panchuk of the Canadians who died fighting the Nazis.
As the article noted, The Association of United Ukrainians in Canada correctly pointed out that, “It is clear that Mr. Panchuk and his Association either forgets the facts, that no Canadian could forget or feels that Canadians have already forgotten their sons who have fallen on the battlefields of Europe. Ukrainian Division (Galicia) was part and parcel of the Hitler army. It was against them that our Canadian boys fought on the battlefields of Italy. Many a Canadian son remained over there, shot by the VERY ONES that Mr. Panchuk would wish your Department to bring to Canada.”
As an aside, I thought the comments from “A Non” were bizarre, if not downright stupid. To criticize Esprit de Corps, a military magazine, for remaining “silent” about Quebec’s Bill 21 (a civilian law which has nothing to do with the Canadian military or military history) shows that “A Non” has no clue what the magazine is about…and is simply here to further whatever agenda they are promoting.
A Non 3 years ago · 0 Likes
” To criticize Esprit de Corps, a military magazine, for remaining “silent” about Quebec’s Bill 21 (a civilian law which has nothing to do with the Canadian military or military history) “
Bill 21 is an anti-Semitic action, just like those perpetrated by the Galician Division. Legault even warned Jews who complained about Bill 21 “We could have gone further…”
Moreover, since most historians view the Soviet partisans–under which the Nazis subsumed Eastern Jews–as having a marginal at best impact on the outcome of the war, the Galician Division’s massacre of Jews was a political act. The Jews of the East were overwhelmingly unarmed and posed zero threat to the German effort against the Red Army, so the Galician Division murdering them was as political as Bill 21’s targeting Jews in 2020.
Fred Ward 3 years ago · 0 Likes
I really enjoyed this article. I knew a little about this story but have always wondered how 2,000 Waffen SS – a pretty high number – made it to Canada. From my research the Ukrainian SS members made up the bulk of those SS who slipped into our country. Some however came from Latvia, some from Estonia and Lithuania. But 14th SS accounted for the majority. Keep up the history articles Esprit de Corps!
A Non 3 years ago · 0 Likes
Interesting, but partial (in both senses of the word) story. This story makes it seem like these post war Ukrainian SS immigrants were the only Canadians to have served in Hitler’s SS. The quote
““It is clear that Mr. Panchuk and his Association either forgets the facts, that no Canadian could forget or feels that Canadians have already forgotten their sons who have fallen on the battlefields of Europe,” the association wrote to Canadian immigration officials. “Ukrainian Division (Galicia) was part and parcel of the Hitler army. It was against them that our Canadian boys fought on the battlefields of Italy. Many a Canadian son remained over there, shot by the VERY ONES that Mr. Panchuk would wish your Department to bring to Canada.””
completely ignores the fact that, at the very same time the Galician Division was serving in the Waffen SS, so were Edwin Barnard Martin, George Hale and John Gordon Galaher of the Essex Scottish Regiment, a fact that was published news at the time
So, pace Olesya Khromeychuk, not all Canadians fought against Hitler during WWII. Indeed, four served in the Waffen SS alongside the Galician Division. It is high time that Esprit de Corps acknowledge that natural-born Canadians, who had previously served in the Canadian Army, had also served in the Waffen-SS. To continue to deny this by omission lends credence to those who argue that Esprit de Corps singles out Eastern European members of the Waffen-SS while remaining silent on the fact that natural-born Canadians, Veterans of the Canadian Army, also served in the Waffen SS.
Moreover, The youngest of the Galician Division, if any are still alive, is in his 90’s and not in a position to do much harm in 2020. By contrast, Quebec’s Francois Legault’s CAQ banned Orthodox Jews from the Civil Service with Bill 21.
Which is more harmful in 2020, a 90-some year old former SS member, or a Provincial Government banning Orthodox Jews from joining the civil service?
Moreover, the United Nations condemned Legaults and the CAQ’s Bill 21
If the UN can condemn Legault’s and the CAQ’s Bill 21, why do Esprit de Corps and David Pugliese, always enthusiastic about condemning Eastern European SS of seven decades ago, remain silent on Bill 21?
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:TaTuP0XtjfIJ:collections.museedelhistoire.ca/warclip/objects/common/webmedia.php%3Firn%3D5031211+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ca
In addition, British Intelligence Officer Adrian Weale noted in his book Hitler’s Englishmen that a fourth Canadian, Arthur James Cryderman of the Saskatoon Light Infantry, also served in Hitler’s SS.
Tom Lockhart 3 years ago · 0 Likes
There was probably pressure to turn them over to the Russians, where their likely fate would have been the firing squads. The Russians regarded even their own liberated PoWs as “traitors” for being captured. I’m guessing Panchukknew all this.
An interesting story.