The penal battalion

[777mais777]

Found by chance on the internet and wanted to know your opinion about this:
I'll try to give a number of myths and their denials.

1. The penal battalion was very much, war won almost one the penal battalion.
The Fact. the penal battalion accounted for only 1.4% of the total number of Red Army. Don't you think that the 1.4% is not enough to win the war alone the penal battalion?

2. Right behind the line of the offenders were trenches with troops of the NKVD, who shot at all, who fled to the rear, from machine-guns.
The Fact. Why is practically no one who was in a penal battalion, has seen these terrible band stop detachment. Detachments really were, but they were in the rear parts, and they had a lot of functions. Deserters were shot, but already after the fact, after the capture and the tribunal.

3. The penal battalion have gotten their weapons in the battle, if they gave one rifle for three.
The Fact. Штрафбаты were well armed. In those days, when the PCA was still classified, they have to adopt the penal battalion, in a company of submachine gunners. Often in the memoirs of offenders are mentioned flame-throwing affiliated companies, mortar, etc.

4. In penal battalion recruited some of criminals.
The Fact. Here it is necessary to say separately. the penal battalion were ONLY (!!!) to officers, has committed any of the offences. Ranks from lieutenant to colonel.
Criminals, privates and sergeants sent in separate penal COMPANIES. The difference is significant.

5. The penal battalion went into battle under escort.
The Fact. the penal battalion often performed tasks, where the convoy is simply unreal. For example, a raid on the enemy's rear. Imagine battalion, which is hidden moves on the enemy's rear under escort. Funny? Exactly.

6. The penal battalion commanded by the same penalty box.
The Fact. the penal battalion and the penalty companies commanded ONLY (!!!) staff officers, and some of the best. Because in a penal battalion was given the title above, than, say, the commander of the usual battalion.

7. The penal battalion used as cannon fodder.
The Fact. It is a myth only partly. the penal battalion really threw on the most complex areas, etc.
But! Imagine battalion, composed of some of the officers, that is, the professional military. Quite difficult to call such a part of "cannon fodder".

8. The penal battalion invented the tyrant Stalin.
The Fact. Nothing of the kind. the penal battalion appeared from the germans before 1941.
However, their penal battalion mainly performed the functions of fortification in more dangerous areas.

[Pac-Fish]

This may sound dumb. But what is a penal battalion

[Max 'DonXavi' von B.]

This may sound dumb. But what is a penal battalion

A battalion of soldiers who were recruited to fight instead of being imprisoned.

[777mais777]

Punitive military units - military units, in which in time of war as a punishment sent soldiers who have committed crimes (except serious crimes, for which relied death penalty).

During the Second world war punitive military units existed in the form of penal battalions and penalty mouth.(Order №227)

[Desert_Fox]

Dangerous topic...

[GodlikeDennis]

I thought this would be a thread wanting Strafynie back in the game.

[Paciat]

the penal battalion accounted for only 1.4% of the total number of Red Army. Don't you think that the 1.4% is not enough to win the war alone the penal battalion?
...
the penal battalion were ONLY (!!!) to officers, has committed any of the offences. Ranks from lieutenant to colonel.
Criminals, privates and sergeants sent in separate penal COMPANIES. The difference is significant.
...

You mean that 1,4% of the Red Army were officers that commited offenses? A lieutenant commands 26-55 men (by modern NATO standards) so 2-3% of the men in an army are LTs. Soviet army woudnt have any officers if this was true.

Maybe some of the info you have there is about "the penal battalion" for officers, some is about all penal units in the Red Army.
Anyway nice piece of info.

[Tankbuster]

Penal battalion Invented Tyrant Stalin?

[777mais777]

The question about who "invented" a penal battalion still debatable as the entry from the diary of chief of staff of the Land forces of Germany Franz Halder shows that the penal battalion of the germans appeared before: on July 9, 1941. Reports to the head of the organizational department of the OKH major general Walter Buhl: "the Organization"penal battalions" was a good idea", and the soviet order no.227 appeared only on July 28, 1942.
Post Merge: October 13, 2011, 11:59:57 AMThe criminals were in penalty units, officers of the penal battalion, their only difference is the level assigned to them jobs from the soviet leadership.

[Mad hatters in jeans]

This may sound dumb. But what is a penal battalion

Think of a choice between summary execution and being forced to fight. There you have a penal battalion.

[Pac-Fish]

TY for clarifying

[Pauly3]

yeah i dont think it was a very nice job
in the german army they also had to search for mines, with sticks...

[Pac-Fish]

Option 1: Run into minefield with grenades 
Option 2: Poke mines with sticks 
Option 3: You offically become "Deutsch Wehrpflichtige" 
Option 4/; Get shot XP

I pick option 2 

P.S. - I used Google translate

[Cranialwizard]

P.S. - I used Google translate

Don't do that. It's so bad. Seriously.

[Pac-Fish]

Did it translate it wrong . I obviosly wouldn't know if that was correct