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[OUN OFFICER ON UKRAINIAN GUERILLA TACTICS] Zimoiu v bunkri. Spohadi-khronika` 1947/48 [i.e. Bunker dwelling during the Winter. Memories-chronicle 1947/48]

Khrin [pseud. Stebelskyi], Stepan

Item #2324

Na chuzhini (Augsburg): V-vo "Do Zbroi", 1950. 142, [2] pp. 20 x 15 cm (7 ⅘ x 6 in). Illustrated publisher’s wrapper. In Ukrainian. Together with an 8-page booklet titled Spysok pozhertv na "Fond Misii UPA" that provides a list of UK, US and Canadian donors contributing towards the Ukrainian insurgent army. Fine condition, rare for the Ukrainian books of 1940s. Numbers in pencil on the half-title. Owner’s inscription on p. 5, in Ukrainian using a Latin transcription: Ču knuhy ja oderzav postoju… 28.2.57. Stuthart-Plininhen [I received this book by mail… 28.2.57. Stuttgart-Plieningen]: with the latter being a district in the German city of Stuttgart. With this information we can conclude the book belonged to a Ukrainian who either lived in or visited NATO-allied Western Germany.

The cover depicting a patrol soldier bearing grim forest service (and somewhat resembling the author) is signed “D”, details regarding the artist remain unclear.

The author of the book, Stepan-Taras Stebelskyi, more known under pseudonyms Tsap and Khrin, was born in 1914. From adolescence he became heavily involved in Ukrainian nationalist activities. Stebelskyi, a professional officer educated in a Polish cadet school, was highly praised by his army comrades as an officer who created and led an engineering corp. Given the opportunity, Stebelskyi willingly joined both military Ukrainska povstanska armiia (UPA) and political Orhanizatsiia ukrainskykh natsionalistiv (OUN). He endured years of hardships and pain in the name of his sovereignty ideals and was incarcerated as a “political prisoner for” a number of years. Stebelskyi eventually rose to the rank of Major and received both Silver and — posthumously — Golden crosses of the Ukrainian Insurgents. His nickname “Khrin” has a double meaning: it’s “horseradish” in Ukrainian, but, considering other
Ukrainian nationalist’ nicknames, might as well mean cursing “khrin” as in khrin tobi! [to hell with you!], an eloquent appeal to the Russian occupants.

As a soldier, Khrin was relentlessly fighting both Poles and Russians: he is credited with the association of Polish Gen. Karol Świerczewski. This operation was met with anger and led to
a wave of Polish counter-attacks on Ukrainian nationalists in the Western Ukraine. During one of the standoffs, Khrin was shot and his wounds resulted in complete arm paralysis. Still, he
planned and led battle operations. Stebelskyi died fighting: in battle, trying to deliver important information.

From his biographical info, it’s relatively easy to see that Stebelskyi was busy on the battlefield. However, his comrades gathered available notes and published at least two books: the present one and Kriz smikh zaliza: as the present edition, it was published during the 1950's already after the author's death. Such publications were able to appear only on the grounds with a relative freedom of speech, lucky Ally-regulated DP camps enjoyed it and the local administration provided options to publish nationalistic and “counter-Soviet” literature. The title Bunker dwelling during the Winter is not an euphemism, but rather a description of Stebelskyi’s literal experience during 1947-1948 Winter in an underground hideout. The book is divided in chapters but it is primarily a collection of information, notebooks, reference material and description revolving around a specific guerilla fighting method characteristic for Ukrainian nationalists of 1940-1960’s: digging a fortified bunker hidden in forest to plan and carry out short, deadly attacks at the army top officials. Stebelskyi describes the daily routines, organizational processes and everyday difficulties of a secretive life in a forest. The soldiers in the bunker are portrayed not only as militia focused on targeted assassinations; but also as individuals communicating with local villagers, spreading nationalist ideas and strengthening support networks for the future operations. Although the insurgency failed and was largely
obsolete by the 1960’s, bunkers proved to be a unique and quite effective method for compact, dispersed and highly motivated military groups. The Russian NKVD had to invent new types of weapons and tactics to counter them. Even after WWII, the NKVD and the Soviet army spent years battling nationalists hiding in such bunkers, despite all available resources and army force.

Price: $550.00