fundamental German SS oath would have been for the Germans to accept into their armed forces
members who were openly declaring recalcitrance and insubordination.
The Ukrainian motivation for permitting the formation of the Galicia Division was threefold: (1)
the existence of the division would serve to improve German treatment of Ukrainians in the
occupied territories, (2) the Division would form the nucleus of a national army which might
promote Ukrainian aspirations to statehood, and (3) the Division would be thrown into the fight
to oppose the Soviet re-occupation of Ukraine.
Even though both Canada and the U.S. have Nazi-hunting units within their respective Justice
Departments, not a single member of the Division has ever been convicted of any war crime and
none has ever been charged. The absence of evidence of any wrongdoing not only of the Division
as a whole, but also of any member of the Division, during his membership in the Division or
before or after, is widely recognized. Judge Jules Deschenes, heading Canada's Commission of
Inquiry on War Criminals, concluded that:
The members of the Galicia Division were individually screened for security
purposes before admission to Canada. Charges of war crimes against members of
the Galicia Division have never been substantiated, neither in 1950 when they
were first preferred, nor in 1984 when they were renewed, nor before this
Commission. ... In the absence of evidence of participation in or knowledge of
specific war crimes, mere membership in the Galicia Division is insufficient to
justify prosecution. (Jules Deschenes, Commission of Inquiry on War Criminals,
1986, p. 12)
Judge Deschenes cites a 1947 report of a British Screening Commission which was filed just prior
to the Galicia Division being moved from Italy to Britain (note that these are the words of the
1947 British Screening Commission, not of Judge Deschenes):
They probably were not, and certainly do not now seem to be at heart
pro-German, and the fact that they did give aid and comfort to the Germans can
fairly be considered to have been incidental and not fundamental. (in Jules
Deschenes, Commission of Inquiry on War Criminals, 1986, p. 253)
A 1950 British Foreign Office report to the Canadian Department of External Affairs concerning
the Galicia Division was also cited by Judge Deschenes (note that these are the words of the
1950 British Foreign Office, not of Judge Deschenes):
While in Italy these men were screened by Soviet and British missions and
neither then nor subsequently has any evidence been brought to light which
would suggest that any of them fought against the Western Allies or engaged in
crimes against humanity. Their behaviour since they came to this country has
been good and they have never indicated in any way that they are infected with
any trace of Nazi ideology. ... From the reports of the special mission set
up by the War Office to screen these men, it seems clear that they volunteered
to fight against the Red Army from nationalistic motives which were given
greater impetus by the behaviour of the Soviet authorities during their earlier
occupation of the Western Ukraine after the Nazi-Soviet Pact. Although
Communist propaganda has constantly attempted to depict these, like so many
other refugees, as "quislings" and "war criminals" it is interesting to note
that no specific charges of war crimes have been made by the Soviet or any
other Government against any members of this group. (in Jules Deschenes,
Commission of Inquiry on War Criminals, 1986, p. 252)
Judge Deschenes concludes:
It is an acknowledged fact that the members of the Division were volunteers who
had enlisted in the spring and summer of 1943, essentially to combat the