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Shtrafbat

January 01, 1970

Shtrafbats (Russian: штрафбат, штрафной батальон) were Soviet penal battalions that fought on the Eastern Front in World War II.

The shtrafbats were greatly increased in number by Joseph Stalin in July 1942 via Order No. 227 (Директива Ставки ВГК №227). Order No. 227 was a desperate effort to re-instill discipline after the panicked routs of the first year of combat with Germany. The order—popularized as the "Not one step back!" (Ни шагу назад!, Ni shagu nazad!) Order—introduced severe punishments, including summary execution, for unauthorized retreats.[1]

In his order, Stalin also mentioned Hitler's successful use of penal battalions (known as Strafbataillon) as a means to ensure obedience among regular Wehrmacht units.

Organization edit

Pursuant to Order No. 227, the first penal battalions were originally authorized a strength of 800 men; penal companies were also authorized, consisting of between 150 and 200 men per company.[2] In addition to the battalions already serving with Armies, other battalions, subordinated to Fronts (the equivalent of Army Groups), were introduced. The first penal battalion deployed under the new policy was sent to the Stalingrad Front on August 22, 1942, shortly before German troops reached the Volga river. It consisted of 929 disgraced officers convicted under Order No. 227 who had been demoted to the lowest enlisted rank and assigned to the penal battalion. After three days of assaults against the Germans, only 300 remained alive.

The order entitled 'Status of Penal Units of the Army' (Положение о штрафных батальонах действующей армии) of November 26, 1942, by Georgy Zhukov (then a Deputy Commander-in-Chief), formally standardized Soviet penal units. Penal battalions or shtrafbats were set at 360 men per battalion,[2] and were commanded by mid-range and senior Red Army officers and political officers (politruks). Penal companies (штрафная рота, 100 to 150 per unit) were commanded by sergeants (NCOs) and privates.

Penal units consisted of two types of personnel: permanent and temporary. Permanent personnel were staff officers, company commanders, platoon leaders, political officers, and other junior commanders. Temporary personnel were the shtrafniki (punishees) who were sent to the unit for their crimes or wrongdoings in order to redeem themselves with their service.

In some penal units like the 8th Separate Penal (Officer) Battalion, platoons sometimes had up to 50 men, companies comprised 300 men, and the battalion could be as big as 850 men; which implies that a penal battalion was sometimes larger than a regular rifle battalion of the Red Army. Note that on paper, the battalion was to be commanded by a Colonel with two deputies, a chief of staff, and a political officer. The companies were to be commanded by Majors and their platoons by Captains.[3] This is probably because in this instance, the shtrafniki consisted of former officers of the Red Army.

The total number of people convicted to penal units from September 1942 to May 1945 was 422,700. Very few of them were known to have survived the war.[4]

Categories edit

Men ordinarily subject to penal military unit service included:

  • Those convicted of desertion or cowardice under Order No. 227. While cowardice under fire was sometimes punished with instant execution, soldiers or officers in rear areas suspected of having a "reluctance to fight" could (and frequently were) summarily stripped of rank and reassigned to a shtrafbat under Order 227.[5]
  • Soviet Gulag labor camp inmates.[6]

Infantry battalions edit

Penal battalion service in infantry roles was the most common use of shtrafniki, and viewed by many Soviet prisoners as tantamount to a death sentence. The term of service in infantry penal battalions and companies was from one to three months (the maximum term was usually applied to those qualifying for the death penalty, the standard punishment for Order No. 227). Standard rates of conversion of imprisonment terms into penal battalion terms existed. Convicts sentenced to infantry units were eligible for commutation of sentence and assignment to a Red Army line unit if they either suffered a combat injury (the crime was considered to be "cleansed in blood") or had accomplished extremely heroic deeds in combat.[7] They could also theoretically receive military decorations for outstanding service and if released were considered fully rehabilitated, though those suspected of political disloyalties remained marked men and often continued to be persecuted after the war's end.

Different commanders had different attitudes when releasing the shtrafniks from the unit and returning them to their regular units. 65th Army commander General Pavel Batov only rehabilitated shtrafniks who were killed or wounded in action and used the remaining shtrafniks until the end. General Alexander Gorbatov released all shtrafniks who had bravely fought in a battle, regardless of whether they were wounded or not.[3]

Air force edit

Pilots or gunners serving in air force penal squadrons (at one point known as корректировочная авиационная эскадрилья (Corrective Aviation Squadrons)[8]) were at a marked disadvantage in obtaining the remission of sentence via a combat injury since the nature of air combat usually meant that any injury was fatal. Pilots received no credit for missions flown, and were normally kept in service until they were killed in action. Former Soviet Air Force pilot Artyom Afinogenov recalled the use of air force penal squadrons near Stalingrad:

Penal squadron pilots were sent to the most dangerous places, first of all, to Volga bridge crossings, where the future of Stalingrad was decided, to air fields and enemy tank concentrations. So it was only penal squadrons that were sent to attack these targets, yet these operational flights were not taken into consideration. You keep flying missions and killing Germans, yet it is held that nothing happens, so nothing goes on your record. To be released from penal service you have to be wounded in fighting. But when a military pilot is flying a mission, the first wound he receives may very often be the last one.[9]

The death rate among gunners serving in penal squadrons was exceptionally high. While prisoners assigned as gunners could theoretically clear their sentences after surviving ten missions, like the infantry they were frequently transferred to penal mine-clearing units before reaching this total.[2]

Combat service edit

Pursuant to Order No. 227, any attempt to retreat without orders, or even a failure to advance was punished by barrier troops ('zagraditel'nye otriady') or "anti-retreat" detachments of the Soviet counterintelligence organization known as SMERSH (Smert shpionam), Russian for "Death to spies".[1][2] Blocking detachments positioned at the rear would use heavy-handed discouragement towards retreat, but the most likely way that a soldier or officer would interact with a barrier troop was not through being cut down by a Maxim, but through arrest and drumhead court martial.[1][10] As a result, with nowhere else to go, the penal battalions usually advanced in a frenzy, running forwards until they were killed by enemy minefields, artillery, or heavy machine-gun fire. If the men survived and occupied their objective, they were rounded up and used again in the next assault.[2] In some cases, shtrafniks performed their duty very well even though there were no barrier troops blocking the unit's rear.[3]

The battalions were headed by staffs or ordinary soldiers and officers. While out of the line, discipline was enforced by an armed guard company, backstopped by NKVD or SMERSH detachments. Staff and guards were highly paid and got special pension benefits for their unpleasant and sometimes dangerous work. During the war, Soviet penal units were widely employed. Some units achieved considerable fame.

The simultaneous formation of penal units and ancillary rearguard blocking troops in Order No. 227 has occasionally led to a modern misconception that penal units were rearguarded by regular units of the Red Army. Although the practice of using regular army troops as a rearguard or blocking force was briefly implemented, it was soon discovered that the rearguard did not always carry out their orders with regards to penal unit personnel who retreated or fled from the Germans. Consequently, until the end of the war, the task of preventing unauthorized withdrawal of penal unit personnel from the battlefield was handled by the anti-retreat SMERSH detachments of the Soviet Red Army.[1]

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ a b c d Tolstoy 1981[page needed]
  2. ^ a b c d e Suvorov 1982[page needed]
  3. ^ a b c Pyl'cyn 2006
  4. ^ Krivosheev, G. F. (1997). Soviet Casualties and Combat Losses in the Twentieth Century. Greenhill Books. ISBN 978-1853672804. p. 92
  5. ^ Suvorov 1982[page needed] Deserters were not the only category under Order No. 227. Any officer or enlisted soldier who had demonstrated a reluctance to fight was normally stripped of rank and sentenced to a penal unit.
  6. ^ Alex Statiev (2010). "Penal Units in the Red Army". Europe-Asia Studies. 62 (5): 731. JSTOR 20750232.
  7. ^ Lebed 1997 [page needed]: "My father [then serving in a penal battalion] never shirked his duty...But there was a catch – in order to be transferred from the penal battalion to a regular unit, you had to shed your blood, to redeem yourself. But after the Finnish War, wisdom won out, and he was assigned to a line unit."
  8. ^ BSSA and Russian WikiSource
  9. ^ Voice of Russia, Interview of Artiom Afinogenov (2003), Article 2010-03-04 at the Wayback Machine (2003)
  10. ^ David M. Glantz, Colossus Reborn: The Red Army at War, 1941–1943 (Lawrence, Kansas: University of Kansas Press, 2005

References edit

External links edit

  • (in Russian)

January 01, 1970
shtrafbat, russian, штрафбат, штрафной, батальон, were, soviet, penal, battalions, that, fought, eastern, front, world, shtrafbats, were, greatly, increased, number, joseph, stalin, july, 1942, order, Директива, Ставки, ВГК, order, desperate, effort, instill, . Shtrafbats Russian shtrafbat shtrafnoj batalon were Soviet penal battalions that fought on the Eastern Front in World War II The shtrafbats were greatly increased in number by Joseph Stalin in July 1942 via Order No 227 Direktiva Stavki VGK 227 Order No 227 was a desperate effort to re instill discipline after the panicked routs of the first year of combat with Germany The order popularized as the Not one step back Ni shagu nazad Ni shagu nazad Order introduced severe punishments including summary execution for unauthorized retreats 1 In his order Stalin also mentioned Hitler s successful use of penal battalions known as Strafbataillon as a means to ensure obedience among regular Wehrmacht units Contents 1 Organization 2 Categories 2 1 Infantry battalions 2 2 Air force 3 Combat service 4 See also 5 Notes 6 References 7 External linksOrganization editPursuant to Order No 227 the first penal battalions were originally authorized a strength of 800 men penal companies were also authorized consisting of between 150 and 200 men per company 2 In addition to the battalions already serving with Armies other battalions subordinated to Fronts the equivalent of Army Groups were introduced The first penal battalion deployed under the new policy was sent to the Stalingrad Front on August 22 1942 shortly before German troops reached the Volga river It consisted of 929 disgraced officers convicted under Order No 227 who had been demoted to the lowest enlisted rank and assigned to the penal battalion After three days of assaults against the Germans only 300 remained alive The order entitled Status of Penal Units of the Army Polozhenie o shtrafnyh batalonah dejstvuyushej armii of November 26 1942 by Georgy Zhukov then a Deputy Commander in Chief formally standardized Soviet penal units Penal battalions or shtrafbats were set at 360 men per battalion 2 and were commanded by mid range and senior Red Army officers and political officers politruks Penal companies shtrafnaya rota 100 to 150 per unit were commanded by sergeants NCOs and privates Penal units consisted of two types of personnel permanent and temporary Permanent personnel were staff officers company commanders platoon leaders political officers and other junior commanders Temporary personnel were the shtrafniki punishees who were sent to the unit for their crimes or wrongdoings in order to redeem themselves with their service In some penal units like the 8th Separate Penal Officer Battalion platoons sometimes had up to 50 men companies comprised 300 men and the battalion could be as big as 850 men which implies that a penal battalion was sometimes larger than a regular rifle battalion of the Red Army Note that on paper the battalion was to be commanded by a Colonel with two deputies a chief of staff and a political officer The companies were to be commanded by Majors and their platoons by Captains 3 This is probably because in this instance the shtrafniki consisted of former officers of the Red Army The total number of people convicted to penal units from September 1942 to May 1945 was 422 700 Very few of them were known to have survived the war 4 Categories editMen ordinarily subject to penal military unit service included Those convicted of desertion or cowardice under Order No 227 While cowardice under fire was sometimes punished with instant execution soldiers or officers in rear areas suspected of having a reluctance to fight could and frequently were summarily stripped of rank and reassigned to a shtrafbat under Order 227 5 Soviet Gulag labor camp inmates 6 Infantry battalions edit Penal battalion service in infantry roles was the most common use of shtrafniki and viewed by many Soviet prisoners as tantamount to a death sentence The term of service in infantry penal battalions and companies was from one to three months the maximum term was usually applied to those qualifying for the death penalty the standard punishment for Order No 227 Standard rates of conversion of imprisonment terms into penal battalion terms existed Convicts sentenced to infantry units were eligible for commutation of sentence and assignment to a Red Army line unit if they either suffered a combat injury the crime was considered to be cleansed in blood or had accomplished extremely heroic deeds in combat 7 They could also theoretically receive military decorations for outstanding service and if released were considered fully rehabilitated though those suspected of political disloyalties remained marked men and often continued to be persecuted after the war s end Different commanders had different attitudes when releasing the shtrafniks from the unit and returning them to their regular units 65th Army commander General Pavel Batov only rehabilitated shtrafniks who were killed or wounded in action and used the remaining shtrafniks until the end General Alexander Gorbatov released all shtrafniks who had bravely fought in a battle regardless of whether they were wounded or not 3 Air force edit Pilots or gunners serving in air force penal squadrons at one point known as korrektirovochnaya aviacionnaya eskadrilya Corrective Aviation Squadrons 8 were at a marked disadvantage in obtaining the remission of sentence via a combat injury since the nature of air combat usually meant that any injury was fatal Pilots received no credit for missions flown and were normally kept in service until they were killed in action Former Soviet Air Force pilot Artyom Afinogenov recalled the use of air force penal squadrons near Stalingrad Penal squadron pilots were sent to the most dangerous places first of all to Volga bridge crossings where the future of Stalingrad was decided to air fields and enemy tank concentrations So it was only penal squadrons that were sent to attack these targets yet these operational flights were not taken into consideration You keep flying missions and killing Germans yet it is held that nothing happens so nothing goes on your record To be released from penal service you have to be wounded in fighting But when a military pilot is flying a mission the first wound he receives may very often be the last one 9 The death rate among gunners serving in penal squadrons was exceptionally high While prisoners assigned as gunners could theoretically clear their sentences after surviving ten missions like the infantry they were frequently transferred to penal mine clearing units before reaching this total 2 Combat service editPursuant to Order No 227 any attempt to retreat without orders or even a failure to advance was punished by barrier troops zagraditel nye otriady or anti retreat detachments of the Soviet counterintelligence organization known as SMERSH Smert shpionam Russian for Death to spies 1 2 Blocking detachments positioned at the rear would use heavy handed discouragement towards retreat but the most likely way that a soldier or officer would interact with a barrier troop was not through being cut down by a Maxim but through arrest and drumhead court martial 1 10 As a result with nowhere else to go the penal battalions usually advanced in a frenzy running forwards until they were killed by enemy minefields artillery or heavy machine gun fire If the men survived and occupied their objective they were rounded up and used again in the next assault 2 In some cases shtrafniks performed their duty very well even though there were no barrier troops blocking the unit s rear 3 The battalions were headed by staffs or ordinary soldiers and officers While out of the line discipline was enforced by an armed guard company backstopped by NKVD or SMERSH detachments Staff and guards were highly paid and got special pension benefits for their unpleasant and sometimes dangerous work During the war Soviet penal units were widely employed Some units achieved considerable fame The simultaneous formation of penal units and ancillary rearguard blocking troops in Order No 227 has occasionally led to a modern misconception that penal units were rearguarded by regular units of the Red Army Although the practice of using regular army troops as a rearguard or blocking force was briefly implemented it was soon discovered that the rearguard did not always carry out their orders with regards to penal unit personnel who retreated or fled from the Germans Consequently until the end of the war the task of preventing unauthorized withdrawal of penal unit personnel from the battlefield was handled by the anti retreat SMERSH detachments of the Soviet Red Army 1 See also editBarrier troops used by the Red Army to prevent panic or unauthorized withdrawal by front line soldiers Strafbattalion the prisoner battalions in the German Wehrmacht during World War II Russian penal military units similar prisoner battalions established in modern Russia during the invasion of UkraineNotes edit a b c d Tolstoy 1981 page needed a b c d e Suvorov 1982 page needed a b c Pyl cyn 2006 Krivosheev G F 1997 Soviet Casualties and Combat Losses in the Twentieth Century Greenhill Books ISBN 978 1853672804 p 92 Suvorov 1982 page needed Deserters were not the only category under Order No 227 Any officer or enlisted soldier who had demonstrated a reluctance to fight was normally stripped of rank and sentenced to a penal unit Alex Statiev 2010 Penal Units in the Red Army Europe Asia Studies 62 5 731 JSTOR 20750232 Lebed 1997 page needed My father then serving in a penal battalion never shirked his duty But there was a catch in order to be transferred from the penal battalion to a regular unit you had to shed your blood to redeem yourself But after the Finnish War wisdom won out and he was assigned to a line unit BSSA and Russian WikiSource Voice of Russia Interview of Artiom Afinogenov 2003 Article Archived 2010 03 04 at the Wayback Machine 2003 David M Glantz Colossus Reborn The Red Army at War 1941 1943 Lawrence Kansas University of Kansas Press 2005References editConquest Robert Kolyma The Arctic Death Camps Methuen Press 1978 ISBN 978 0 670 41499 4 Hatch Gardner N American Ex prisoners of War Non Solum Armis Turner Publishing Company 1988 ISBN 978 1 56311 624 7 Krivosheev G F Soviet Casualties and Combat Losses in the Twentieth Century London Greenhill Books 1997 ISBN 978 1 85367 280 4 available online in Russian 1 Lebed Alexander Gen My Life and My Country Regnery Publishing 1997 ISBN 978 0 89526 422 0 Manazeev Igor A Penal Corps on the Kalinin Front Journal of Slavic Military Studies Vol 15 Issue 3 September 2002 OCLC 201968754 Mawdsley Evan The Stalin Years The Soviet Union 1929 1953 Manchester University Press 2003 ISBN 978 0 7190 6377 0 Pyl cyn Aleksandr Penalty Strike The Memoirs of a Red Army Penal Company Commander 1943 45 Stackpole Books 2006 ISBN 978 0 8117 3599 5 Suvorov Viktor Inside the Soviet Army Hamish Hamilton 1982 ISBN 0 241 10889 6 Tolstoy Nikolai Stalin s Secret War New York Holt Rinehart amp Winston 1981 ISBN 0 03 047266 0External links editYefim Golbraikh memoirs including his serving commander of a penal company in Russian Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Shtrafbat amp oldid 1195205896, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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