Yaroslav Kornilovich Kunitsky ( Ukrainian: Yaroslav Kornilovich Kunitsky ; February 26, 1926 , Bryukhovichi - March 6, 2009 , Toronto ) - Sturmsharfuhrer of the 14th SS Waffen-Grenadier Division “Galichina”, one of its youngest officers.
| Yaroslav Kunitsky | |
|---|---|
| Ukrainian Yaroslav Kunitsky | |
| Date of Birth | February 26, 1926 |
| Place of Birth | Bryukhovichi , Poland |
| Date of death | March 6, 2009 (83 years old) |
| Place of death | Toronto Canada |
| Affiliation |  Germany |
| Type of army | infantry |
| Years of service | 1943-1945 |
| Rank |  untersturmfuhrer |
| Part |  14th SS Waffen-Grenadier Division "Galicia" |
| Battles / wars | The Second World War |
Biography
Born in Bryukhovichi (Peremyshlyany County). Parents: priest Father Cornel, Joseph's mother. Sisters: Stephanie, Maria, Lydia. Brother Theophanes. He graduated from a public school in Bukachevtsi (Rogatinsky district), where his father was a priest. He graduated from the 2nd Ukrainian state gymnasium in Lviv. The family took refuge in the Cathedral of St. Jura during the war years. According to some reports, Kunitsky even tried to help local Jews.
March 15, 1943 Kunitsky was mobilized in the 14th division of the SS. Until February 15, 1944, he was trained in Heidelager in the 5th machine gunner unit, from February 16 to April 1, he served in the battle group of Colonel Byersdorf in the Lyubachevsky District, from April 14 to July 12, 1944 he took training courses for junior officers in Lavenburg, from 15 From July to December 15 he studied at the officer school of Braunschweig. After completing the exercises in Czech Leshan from January 2 to March 17, 1945 he went to the front, arrived near Felbach on March 20 with the rank of SS Untersturmfuhrer and joined the 29th Grenadier Regiment in the Jaeger company.
He was captured in Italy, from May 1945 to November 1946 he was held captive, after which he emigrated to Canada, where he lived the rest of his life.
The most common photograph on the Internet of the young Kunitsky, in which he wears the SS Sturmsharfuhrer’s buttonhole, is often signed as “Yaroslav Ovad” [1] .
Notes
Links
- Visti Combatant Magazine, 2009
- MEASURE YAROSLAV KUNITSKY (March 12, 2009) (Ukrainian)
- YAROSLAV KUNITSKY (September 25, 2009) (Ukrainian)