Staatsschutzkorps Galizien
SSK-Galizia (Staatsschutzkorps Galizien)
"Shield of Order in the East."
Origins and Creation
The SSK-Galizia (State Protection Corps of Galicia) was established in late 1944, in response to the chaos and partisan uprisings that swept across Ukraine during the Slavic Revolt. Following the assassination of Reichskommissar Erich Koch by Ukrainian insurgents, the German administration in the region collapsed into disorder and fragmentation.
To contain this growing instability, the SS leadership—especially under the influence of Reinhard Heydrich’s Eastern Office—proposed the creation of a buffer-state military apparatus, loyal to the Reich but composed primarily of ethnically vetted local auxiliaries. Thus, the SSK-Galizia was born as both a military entity and a provisional state authority in Western Ukraine.
Purpose and Structure
SSK-Galizia serves as a "firewall state"—its primary functions include:
- Suppressing nationalist and communist insurgencies in the former Reichskommissariat Ukraine.
- Acting as a military counterweight to the emerging National Ukrainian Assembly.
- Guarding critical infrastructure: railways, oil fields, and Waffen-SS supply routes.
It is governed as a semi-autonomous military protectorate of the Reich, though technically outside the jurisdiction of the civil administration in Berlin.
Leadership: SS-Gruppenführer Fritz Freitag
The commanding figure behind SSK-Galizia is SS-Gruppenführer Fritz Freitag, a seasoned officer who previously served in the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Galician).
Freitag is a ruthless pragmatist, fluent in Ukrainian, and known for his anti-communist convictions. He was chosen for his ability to command respect among local collaborators while remaining fully loyal to SS doctrine.
Under his leadership, Galizia has become a zone of militarized authoritarianism, balancing Germanic oversight with Ukrainian auxiliaries.
Forces and Operations
The SSK-Galizia fields several regiments of anti-partisan infantry, composed of former Wehrmacht collaborators, Ukrainian ultranationalists, and Baltic volunteers.
- Units are trained by the SS-Führungshauptamt.
- They wear modified Waffen-SS uniforms with a Galician golden lion emblem on the arm.
- Known for harsh tactics: village purges, reprisal raids, and internal purges of suspected infiltrators.
Political and Strategic Status
Though not formally recognized by many Axis governments, Galizia operates as a de facto protectorate.
It serves German interests by dividing the Ukrainian front between loyal and rebellious territories. Internally, it is brutal but stable—for now. Tensions persist with:
- The National Ukrainian Assembly to the east.
- Soviet-aligned militias in the north.
- Polish resistance on its western borders.
Current Status (1946)
Despite the Reich’s decline in the East, SSK-Galizia remains a stronghold of SS influence. Freitag continues to expand the corps, envisioning Galizia as the last loyal bastion of German order in Ukraine. It may be isolated—but it is well-armed, fanatically loyal, and determined to crush any flame of Slavic rebellion.
