Omelian Herman

Omelian Herman (pseudonym "Orlyk") was an activist of the Organization of the Ukrainian Nationalists, a sergeant in the Roland Battalion, an adjutant to the commander of the 201st Schutzmannschaft Battalion, and a company commander in the 1st Battalion, 29nd Regiment, 14th SS Division Galicia.

Military career Sergeants of the Roland Battalion, from left to right: Richard Yary, Yevhen Pobihushchyi, platoon commanders Omelian Herman and Liubomyr Ortynskyi.

A company of the Roland Battalion at the training camp. In the first row, from left to right: major Yevhen Pobihushchyi, platoon commanders Liubomyr Ortynskyi, Omelian Herman and Ivan Makarevych

The merger of the Roland Battalion and the Nachtigall Battalion into the 201st Schutzmannschaft Battalion in Frankfurt an der Oder. In the first row, from left to right: Vasyl Sydor, Omelian Herman, Roman Shukhevych, Yevhen Pobihushchyi, Volodymyr Lun

He was an active participant in the and served as the commander of a platoon in the Roland Battalion.

After the formation of the 201st Schutzmannschaft Battalion, he served as the adjutant to its commander, Yevhen Pobihushchyi. He distinugished himself in battle against the Soviet partisans. Pobihushchyi wrote in his memoirs:

According to Ukrainian historian Roman Ponomarenko, after the disbandment of the 201st Battalion, Herman and Pobihushchyi were among a group of fifteen of the battalion's officers who did not follow Roman Shukhevych into the underground Ukrainian Insurgent Army but instead went on to form part of the officer corps of the 14th SS Division Galicia.

In June 1944, Herman was made a company commander in the 1st Battalion of the Galicia Division's 29th Waffen-Grenadier Regiment. Ukrainian historian Andrii Bolianovskyi lists Herman as the commander of the 1st Company (sotnia) of the 1st Battalion (kurin) as of 28 June, during the time of the deployment of the division into the lands of western Ukraine. as commander of the 2nd sotnia of the 1st kurin. On 19 July, Herman and his company (sotnia) went into combat after the remnants of the 29th Regiment received an order to support Wehrmacht units defending Olesko.