Pahirya O. Relations Between OUN(b) and UPA and the Hungarian Armed Forces in 1942 - 1945

This thesis looks at the relations between OUN(b) and UPA and the Hungarian armed forces in 1942 - 1945. Based on a wide range of sources, the thesis reveals the background of relations between Ukrainian nationalistic underground resistance movement and the Hungarian occupation army on the territory of Western Ukraine during the Second World War, its course and evolution from armed struggle to peaceful negotiations on a non-aggression pact. After the defeat of the Hungarian Second Army in the Battle of Stalingrad in the early 1943, one branch of Hungarian occupational troops was gathered in Volyn and Polissya region to pacify local partisans and to secure lines of communication in the German rear area. The formation of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and the launch of its armed struggle against German occupiers and their satellites led to a confrontation between UPA and Hungarian troops, which lasted through Autumn 1943. The reluctance of Hungarian soldiers to fight further for German interests on the Eastern Front, fruitless losses in numerous clashes with Ukrainian insurgents and UPA's proactive position in defending Ukrainian population against occupiers persuaded the Hungarian command that peace negotiations with Ukrainian partisans were essential.