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What was a Strafbataillon?

Introduction Strafbataillon (English: “penal battalion”) is the generic term for penal units that were created from prisoners during the Second World War in all branches of the Wehrmacht. Soldiers, criminals and civilians sentenced to those units were generally poorly armed and required to undertake dangerous high-casualty missions. The Strafbataillon were operated and administered by the… Read More

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What was Order No. 227?

Introduction Order No. 227 (Russian: Приказ № 227}, romanised: Prikaz No. 227) was an order issued on 28 July 1942 by Joseph Stalin, who was acting as the People’s Commissar of Defence. Refer to World War II, Shtrabats, Barrier Troops, and Strafbataillon. It is known for its line “Not a step back!” (Ни шагу назад!,… Read More

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What were Shtrafbats?

Introduction Shtrafbats (Russian: штрафбат, штрафной батальон) were Soviet penal battalions that fought on the Eastern Front in World War II (refer to Barrier Troops). 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-instil discipline… Read More

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Who was Wolfgang Luth?

Introduction Wolfgang Lüth (15 October 1913 to 14 May 1945) was the second most successful German U-boat captain of World War II. His career record of 46 merchant ships plus the French submarine Doris sunk during 15 war patrols, with a total tonnage of 225,204 gross register tons (GRT), was second only to that of… Read More