Ukrainian peoples republic army1917-21

[Askold]

Thanks! A bit of Navy:

Raising the Ukrainian flag on cruiser "Hetman Ivan Mazepa" (former "Pamiat Merkuria"), Nov 25, 1917


Vadym Bohomolets, aidy to chief naval judge:



The ships are decorated on occasion of Hetman's birthday, 1918

[Botan]

Very interesting topic with a bunch of good pictures.

Askold Could I ask you about something?

I found out those pictures and a short description from "Insignia magazine No 12", that in book "Ukrains'ka Galic'ka Armiia" (Army of the Western Ukraine"), published in Winnipeg in 1958 by Dmitro Mytykiuk there is chapter about Air force by Ivan Fostakovskyy. He wrote, that after set up a Alliance with Poland in 1920 UNR adopted blue and yellow chequerboard to avoid shooting each other by mistake. In that book are two photos of planes with that chequerboard on pages 224 and 226. Unfortunately I can't get that book

The point is that I'm looking for photos or a good evidence of usage that markings on concrete type of plane. Could you help me, or maybe could you tell me where shall I look for?

[Askold]

Hello Botan,

I actually have this book at home and the photos are indeed there (one photo is very unclear, but you can see the checkerboard on the other one). I will try to scan them for you, when I get a chance. In a mean time, here is another interesting document. This was drawn in 1950's by a famous Ukrainian uniformologist Bytynsky, together with the help of former UGA pilots:

[Askold]

P.S. Just to add, there was another variant for Ukrainian pilots with the Polish airforce. It was blue yellow square slashed diagonally. I have archival drawing of it somewhere in one of my books, will also scan it.

[michael mills]

Why did Skoropadsky adopt the Caucasian unifrom he is shown wearing in the photographs?

Although that uniform had been adopted by the Cossack Regiments of the Imperial Russian Army, it was totally unrelated to Ukrainian tradition and history, and not at all like the costume of the Ukrainian Cossacks of the 17th and 18th Centuries.

Was Skoropadsky's adoption of the Caucasian uniform a sign of his being really a Russian Imperialist rather than a Ukrainian nationalist?

It is a historical fact that his secret aim was to reunite Ukraine with the Russian Empire after the overthrow of the Bolshevik regime.

[Askold]

I belive the reason for the "caucasian" looking uniform is much simpler - with time, that became known as the cossack uniform. Back then people assumed that that was the cossack look - most cossack units in Russian Empire adopted the caucasian look as their uniform.

[Botan]

Hello Botan,

I actually have this book at home and the photos are indeed there (one photo is very unclear, but you can see the checkerboard on the other one). I will try to scan them for you, when I get a chance. In a mean time, here is another interesting document. This was drawn in 1950's by a famous Ukrainian uniformologist Bytynsky, together with the help of former UGA pilots:

Thank you in advance, it will be very helpful.
That picture is interesting for two reasons.
First, I wonder about lack of markings on tail, it seems to be impossible.
Secondly, Brandenburg C.I is something new to me. 1st zaporozhski air regiment of Army of UNR got 2 Sopwith 5F.1 Dolphin, 4 Albatros (J.I or J.II) and 1 LVG C.V.

P.S. Just to add, there was another variant for Ukrainian pilots with the Polish airforce. It was blue yellow square slashed diagonally. I have archival drawing of it somewhere in one of my books, will also scan it.

I know about it. I wonder if it was used.

BTW, Did the Ukrainian use Nieuport 27 during 1918-1920 period?

[JP1992]

Where the Ukraines in WW1 & WW2 a very effective fighting force? I always though they had a rather large population such as that of Russia so could of at least used mass waves / attrition to their advantage.

It seems they had heavily German influenced uniforms in WW1 & Russian influenced ones thereafter.

JP1992.

[Rick Peck]

Interesting posts.
The Ukraine Air Force just after World War one is a subject I have just started looking into.
Thanks everyone for posting photo's and I hope there is more to come.
I have seen the Alb. JI painting which by the way is very nice.
Rick

[Askold]

Where the Ukraines in WW1 & WW2 a very effective fighting force? I always though they had a rather large population such as that of Russia so could of at least used mass waves / attrition to their advantage.

It seems they had heavily German influenced uniforms in WW1 & Russian influenced ones thereafter.

JP1992.

- Its a difficult question, because in the short period of time (1917-21), Ukraine as we know it was divided into three separate republics - the UNR (Ukraine) and ZUNR (West Ukraine, Galicia), faced three regime changes (Democracy under UNR, monarchy under the Hetman and Directory under Petliura). In those four years Ukraine was also engaged in constant warfare on all the sides - Bolsheviks in the North, Poles/Hunarians in the West, White-Russians in the South-East. With Axis allies collapsing, there was no supplies of any kind and Allies preffered to supply Poland and White-Russians. Add the raiding anachist armies and the typhus plague - Ukraine never had a chance for any real existence or any stable front to recuperate or re-organize itself. I would say that despite few small victories, due to external and internal instabilies, lack of international support and lack of supplies, Ukrainian forces was rather average.

[Ñancul]

Excellent infornación the Ukrainian Armed Forces, during the brief period of independence of Ukraine from 1919 - 1921