Adolf to Azov

OUN or Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, was a paramilitary which was first organized in 1920 to help fight for Ukrainian independence. They originally formed in Prague, after the Soviets took over Ukraine after World War 1. Before World War Two OUN was a terrorist organization which mainly focused on attacking Polish Officials, who were deemed as enemies. During World War Two, as the Germans were coming to power, Poles started attacking the German population living in Poland.

This helped form an alliance between the OUN and the Nazis. OUN were very helpful to the Germans during operation Barbarossa work intelligence and sabotage missions, on the Germans behalf. When World War Two started OUN split, with two rival leaders Stefan Bandera and Andrey Melnik.

The name Stefan Bandera had become synonymous with terror against poles. He was a violent man, who was young at the time. His methods caused many disagreements with Adrey Melnik, which formed a type of Rivalry. In 1941 Stephan Bandera went to Lemberg, modern day Lvov, to proclaim himself as the leader of Ukraine, claiming the Germans were backing him. This led the Nazis to become embarrassed, by his behavior. Even the German Nazis didn’t want to be associated with Stephan Bandera. The German leadership instructed Bandera to refrain from politics. This causes Bandera to turn his attention to Melnik, where the two-faction fight of OUN to fight each other. Melnik fought back, and a civil war nearly started. Luckily the Germans ended up arresting both men, which end the dispute. Both men were released from prison, when the Germans wanted to build up a Ukrainian partisan network.

However, Bandera now was both anti-communist, antisemitic, anti-pole, and now anti-Germanic. When America was later looking for recruits as contact for their connection in Ukrainian partisan group, they found out about this story, they knew this would be their guy.