Since Khrushchev's "thaw", some historians have carefully cultivated and "cultivate" to this day one "terrible and terrible" myth. This is a tale about how a barrage detachment, originally created with a well-defined, reasonable and decent goal, has now turned into a horror movie.
What is this?
The very concept of this military unit is very vague, it says, in particular, about "performing certain tasks on a certain sector of the front." This can even be understood as the formation of a separate special-purpose platoon. Both the composition and the number and tasks of the barrier detachments changed several times throughout the war. When did the first barrage detachment appear?
History of occurrence
It should be remembered that in 1941 the legendary NKVD was divided into two diverse objects: the committee of internal affairs and the department of state security (NKGB). Counterintelligence, from which the detachments went, was separated from the composition of the People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs. At the end of July 1941a special directive was issued on work in wartime, after which the formation of special units began.
It was then that the very first barrage detachment was created, the task of which was to detain deserters and "suspicious elements" in the front line. These formations did not have any "execution right", they could only detain the "element" with its subsequent escort to the authorities.
Again, when both departments were united again, the barrage detachment came under the jurisdiction of the NKVD. But even then, no special “relaxations” were made: members of the formations could arrest deserters. In special cases, which included only episodes of armed resistance, they had the right to be shot. In addition, special detachments had to fight traitors, cowards, alarmists. Order of the NKVD No. 00941 dated 1941-19-07 is known. It was then that special companies and battalions were created, staffed by NKVD troops.
What was their function?
It was these barrage units that played the most significant role in the Second World War. Again, there were no “mass executions” in their jurisdiction: these units were supposed to create defensive lines to protect against German counterattacks and detain (!) Deserters with their transfer to the investigating authorities over the next 12 hours.
If a person simply fell behind his unit (which was normal in 1941), again, no one shot him. In this case, there were two options: either the serviceman was sent to the same unit, or(more often) they were reinforced by the nearest military unit.
In addition, in the Second World War, the barrage detachments played the role of a "filter" through which people who had escaped from German captivity, and those individuals in the front line whose testimony was in doubt, were passed. There is a case when such a detachment caught a group of German spies … by paper clips! The commandants noticed that the “seconded Soviet servicemen” on their documents (ideal, by the way) had brand new stainless metal clips! So there is no need to consider the fighters of the internal troops as murderers and sadists. But this is how many modern sources portray them…
The fight against banditry and the role of the 33rd detachment
One of those tasks that some categories of historians for some reason "forget" about was the fight against banditry, which in some regions took frankly menacing proportions. So, for example, the 33rd barrage detachment (North-Western Front) showed itself.
Especially a company detached from the B altic Fleet. Even several armored cars were "seconded" to it. This detachment operated in the Estonian forests. The situation in those parts was serious: there was practically no desertion in the local units, but the local Nazi units really interfered with the army. Small gangs constantly attacked small groups of military personnel and civilians.
Estonian events
As soon as the "narrow specialists" from the NKVD entered the game, the perky mood of the bandits quickly faded away. In July 1941 it wasbarrier detachments participated in the cleansing of the island of Virtsu, recaptured as a result of a counterattack by the Red Army. Also along the way, the discovered German outpost was completely destroyed. Many bandits were neutralized, the pro-fascist organization in Tallinn was crushed. Barrage detachments also participated in reconnaissance activities. The formation we have already mentioned, acting “on behalf of” the B altic Fleet, directed its own aircraft at the discovered positions of the Germans.
During the battle for Tallinn, the same detachment participated in the hardest battle, covering (and not shooting) the retreating soldiers and repulsing the German counterattacks. On August 27, there was a terrible battle, during which our people repeatedly threw back a stubborn enemy. It was only through their heroism that an organized retreat was possible.
During these battles, more than 60% of the entire personnel of the barrage detachment, including commanders, were killed. Agree, this is not very similar to the image of the "cowardly commandant", hiding behind the backs of his soldiers. Subsequently, the same formation participated in the fight against the bandits of Kronstadt.
Directive of the Commander-in-Chief of September 1941
Why did the barrage units have such a bad reputation? The thing is that September 1941 was marked by an extremely difficult situation at the front. The formation of special detachments was allowed in those units that managed to establish themselves as "unstable". Just a week later, this practice spread to the entire front. And what, there are barrage detachments of the NKVDshot thousands of innocent soldiers? Of course not!
These detachments obeyed the division commanders, were armed with vehicles and heavy equipment. The main task is to maintain order, to help the command of the units. Members of the barrage detachments had the right to use military weapons in cases where it was necessary to urgently stop the retreat or eliminate the most malicious alarmists. But that rarely happened.
Varieties
Thus, there were two categories of detachments: one consisted of NKVD soldiers and caught deserters, and the second prevented the willful abandonment of positions. The latter had a much larger staff, since they consisted of Red Army soldiers, and not fighters of internal troops. And even in this case, their members had the right only to shoot individual alarmists! No one has ever shot their own soldiers en masse! Moreover, if there was a counterattack, it was the “animals from the barrage detachments” who took the entire blow, allowing the fighters to retreat in an organized manner.
Results of work
Judging by 1941, these units (the 33rd barrage detachment especially distinguished themselves) detained about 657,364 people. 25,878 people have been officially arrested. 10,201 people were shot by the verdict of the military field court. Everyone else was sent back to the front.
The barrage detachments played a significant role in the defense of Moscow. Since there were simply sorely lacking combat-ready units to defend the city itself, the NKVD personnel were literally worth their weight in gold, theyorganized competent defensive lines. In some cases, barrage detachments were created at the local initiative of the authorities and internal affairs bodies.
July 28, 1942, the Stavka issues the notorious order No. 227 of the NPO. He ordered the creation of separate detachments in the rear of unstable units. As in the previous case, the fighters had the right to shoot only individual alarmists and cowards who arbitrarily left their positions in battle. The detachments were provided with all the necessary transport, and the most capable commanders were put at their head. There were also separate barrage battalions at the division level.
The results of the military operations of the 63rd detachment
By mid-October 1942, 193 army detachments were created. By this time, they managed to detain 140,755 Red Army soldiers. 3980 of them were arrested, 1189 servicemen were shot. All the rest were sent to the penal unit. The Don and Stalingrad directions were the most difficult; an increased number of arrests and detentions was recorded here. But these are “little things”. It is much more important that such units provided real assistance to their colleagues in the most critical moments of the battle.
This is how the 63rd barrage detachment (53rd army) showed itself, coming to the aid of its unit, to which it was "seconded". He forced the Germans to stop the counteroffensive. What conclusions follow from this? Simple enough.
The role of these formations in restoring order was very great, they also managed to return a considerable number of military personnel back to the front. So,One day, the 29th Rifle Division, in whose flank the advancing German tanks managed to break through, began to retreat in a panic. Lieutenant of the NKVD Filatov, at the head of his squad, stopped the fleeing, together with them going to combat positions.
In an even more difficult situation, the barrage unit under the command of the same Filatov made it possible for the fighters of a badly battered rifle division to retreat, and she herself began a battle with an enemy breaking through, forcing him to retreat.
Who were they?
In critical situations, the soldiers did not shoot their own, but competently organized the defense and led the offensive themselves. Thus, there is a case when the 112th Rifle Division, having lost almost 70% (!) Of its personnel in the most difficult battles, received an order to retreat. Instead of them, a barrage detachment of Lieutenant Khlystov took over the position, which held the position for four days, doing this until reinforcements arrived.
A similar case - the defense of the "dogs of the NKVD" of the Stalingrad railway station. Despite their numbers, which were significantly inferior to the Germans, they held their positions for several days and waited for the approach of the 10th Infantry Division.
Thus, barrage units are "last chance" units. If the fighters of the line unit leave their positions unmotivated, the members of the barrage battalion will stop them. If a military formation suffers the heaviest losses in a battle with a superior enemy, the "frontiers" give them the opportunity to retreat and continue the battle themselves. Simply put, barrage detachments are military units of the USSR, during the battleplaying the role of defensive "bastions". Units made up of NKVD troops, among other things, could be engaged in identifying German agents and catching deserters. When was their work completed?
Finishing work
By order of October 29, 1944, the barrage detachments in the Red Army were disbanded. If the personnel were recruited from ordinary linear units, similar formations were formed from them. The NKVD soldiers were sent to special "flying detachments", whose activity was to purposefully catch bandits. There were practically no deserters by that time. Since the personnel of many detachments were recruited from the best (!) fighters of their units, these people were also often sent for further study, forming a new backbone of the Soviet Army.
Thus, the “bloodthirstiness” of such units is nothing more than a stupid and dangerous myth that offends the memory of people who liberated the countries captured by the Nazi troops.
