Shtraf Company

A Shtraf Company was made up of a group of Soviet soldiers who had either ran from the enemy during combat, made defeatist comments or willingly surrendered territory. Usually, soldiers who had made these offences were executed immediately by the Company Commissar. (see Commissar) Alternatively, the offender could join a Shtraf Company. This decision was of the Commissar's discretion. The men of the Shtraf Company had to perform suicidal jobs in order to be forgiven for their crimes. These jobs could include: Walking through an enemy minefield, assaulting an enemy tank etc. If the offender in a Shtraf Company was killed or injured during one of these jobs, he would be forgiven of his crimes, and he could rejoin his regular company. Shtraf Companies were most common in World War 2. The Soviets called World War 2; The Great Patriotic War. (see The Great Patriotic War)

References

Phil Yates, Eastern Front, 2009, ISBN 978-0-9864514-1-6..