Bjorn Westlie. My Father’s War
(Translated from Norwegian by D. Nikandrov, M. Schchyrba; published by UCHS)
During the Second World War a young Norwegian Petter Westlie was a Nazi supporter and a Waffen-SS volunteer to fight for Gemany on the Eastern Front. When his son Bjorn grew up to realize his father’s actions, he broke off with him. It was only in many years that Brojn felt that his father wanted to tell his son about this past. Finally, Petter Westlie recorded the story on tape for him.
The story is about an unusual relationship between a man and his father, and also about the experience young Norwegians gained in military service after Nazi attack on the Soviet Union. The author researched all available historical sources to compare his father’s story with facts. He also made a trip in his father’s traces to the sites in Ukraine where the soldiers of invading military squads (including Petter Westlie) committed crimes against hundreds of thousands of civilians, foremost the Jews of Ukraine.
Announcements
MoreLatest News
-
International Scientific-Practical Conference “Unity in Diversity: The Historical, Socio-Cultural and Geopolitical Dimension of the EU’s Core Idea for Ukraine”
On May 14-15, 2026, Oles Honchar Dnipro National University hosted the International Scientific-Practical Conference Unity in Diversity: The Historical, Socio-Cultural and Geopolitical Dimension of the EU’s Core Idea for Ukraine. The event was held within the Erasmus+ Jean Monnet Module project European Multiculturalism as an Experience and a Path for Ukraine’s European Integration with financial support from the European Union.
[More] -
The XXVI I.B. Medvynsky All Ukrainian Competition of Student Research and Art Works “History and Lessons of the Holocaust”
On May 16-17, 2026, Kyiv hosted the XXVI I.B. Medvynsky All‑Ukrainian Competition of Student Research and Art Works History and Lessons of the Holocaust. This year, 106 entries were submitted from across Ukraine, with 52 reaching the final stage. Nearly 100 participants from 14 regions took part.
[More] -
Day of Remembrance for Ukrainians Who Rescued Jews During World War II
On the Day of Remembrance for Ukrainians who rescued Jews during World War II, Anatolii Podolskyi, Director of the Ukrainian Center for Holocaust Studies, took part in a conversation on Radio Kultura.
[More] -
Unveiling of the Stumbling Stone in honour of Isaak Libovych
On May 6, Kyiv unveiled its 15th Stumbling Stone in honour of Isaak Libovych. The ceremony, held on the Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism, was part of the international project One Stone - One Life. 80 Stumbling Stones for Kyiv.
[More] -
Exhibition “(No) Children’s Stories” in Kovel
After its run in Kyiv in April, the exhibition (No) Children’s Stories will be hosted in Kovel from May 5 to 22, 2026. Created by the Ukrainian Center for Holocaust Studies with support from the international project Paths of Memory III.
[More]




