Ukrainian Waffen-SS Mutiny

In August 1944, in eastern France, a battalion of Ukrainian volunteers, part of a the 30th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS, staged a mutiny against their German overseers. The unit had been formed from Ukrainians, Russians, Armenians, and others, who originally had to fight against the Red Army, but were tranfered to France instead. After negotiations with the French Resistance, led by Simon Doillon, the Ukrainians agreed to join the French Forces of the Interior (FFI) under certain conditions, including the complete elimination of the German command. On a march, the mutiny began when Ukrainian officers, led by Major Lev Hloba, signaled the attack. In brutal, close-quarters combat, the Ukrainians killed their German commanders and soldiers. Within an hour, hundreds of Germans, including 25 SS officers, lay dead. One Ukrainian had been killed and six were wounded, of whom two would later die. The men joined the French resistance, some of which later fought in Indochina after WW2.