MATISHOV G.G., AFANASENKO V.I. Order 227 of the People’s Commissariat of Defense “Not One Step Back!”. Penal Companies and Penal Battalions in the Large Bend of the Don River in the Summer and Autumn of 1942

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15688/jvolsu4.2018.1.1

Gennadiy G. Matishov

Academician, Member of the Presidium of RAS, Academic Adviser,

Southern Scientific Centre of RAS,

Prosp. Chekhova, 41, 344006 Rostov-on-Don, Russian Federation

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https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6595-6172

Vladimir I. Afanasenko

Senior Researcher,

Southern Scientific Centre of RAS,

Prosp. Chekhova, 41, 344006 Rostov-on-Don, Russian Federation

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https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9624-7048


Abstract. This year marks the 75th anniversary of Order 227 of July 28, 1942, known as the Order “No one step back!”. This Order reflected the crisis situation on the southern flank of the Soviet-German front and the disastrous results of the Red Army defeats. The Order outlined severe measures for establishing discipline in the troops and for preventing unauthorized retreat. Distributed to the Combat Army, the Order provoked contradictory, in most cases positive assessments by soldiers and commanders who fought in the large bend of the Don at that time. 6 penal battalions and more than 30 penal companies, several dozens of barrier troops were formed and took part in battles in the large bend of the Don in the August-September of 1942. G.G. Matishov characterizes the circumstances of issue of Order 227 and draws the conclusion. V.I. Afanasenko reveals the data about penal units in the large bend of the Don in the summer and autumn of 1942.

Key words: the Great Patriotic War, large bend of the Don, Order 227, penal companies and penal battalions, barrier troops.

Citation. Matishov G.G., Afanasenko V.I. Order 227 of the People’s Commissariat of Defense “Not One Step Back!”. Penal Companies and Penal Battalions in the Large Bend of the Don River in the Summer and Autumn of 1942. Vestnik Volgogradskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Seriya 4, Istoriya. Regionovedenie. Mezhdunarodnye otnosheniya [Science Journal of Volgograd State University. History. Area Studies. International Relations], 2017, vol. 23, no. 1, pp. 6-12. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15688/jvolsu4.2018.1.1.

Лицензия Creative Commons

Order 227 of the People’s Commissariat of Defense “Not One Step Back!”. Penal Companies and Penal Battalions in the Large Bend of the Don River in the Summer and Autumn of 1942 by Matishov G.G., Afanasenko V.I. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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