But what if the soldiers still took a step back? Or ten steps back? What would Stalin do about it?
Oh yes, absolutely, orders similar to Stalin’s Order No.227 have been issued many many times in history! Here I’m gonna give just one single most relevant and ironic example.
A little introduction first: On the 28th of July 1942 when the German summer offensive of 1942, code-named Case Blue, was in full swing, the Wehrmacht was advancing rapidly toward Stalinrad, the Red Army made headlong retreats all over the southern front, its soldiers surrendered in growing numbers.
To reestablish discipline in the Soviet Army against Nazi Germany, Stalin issued Order No.227 which gave birth to the famous slogan “Not a step back!”.
But what if the soldiers still took a step back? Or ten steps back? What would Stalin do about it?
Order No.227 also gave birth to the creation of “blocking detachments”.
The Feldgend-armerie never saw any fighting, they stayed safely in the rear with their gear and snatched anybody who retreated, threw them back to the hellish front line or executed them in place.
Many German refugees were horrified when they marched past ‘gallows alleys’ where SS and Feldgendarmerie had hanged deserters.
Placards had been tied around their necks, such as ‘I was a coward but died just the same’ or ‘Here I hang because I did not believe in the Führer.’
No official records were kept of the summary execution of deserters carried out by the Feldgendarmerie, but anecdotal evidence suggests that on the XI SS Corps sector, many, including a number of Hitler Youth, were hanged from trees on the flimsiest of proof.
Many German soldiers were genuinely trying to rejoin their units (after their home leaves, sick leaves, getting lost …) when they’re grabbed and executed by the Feldgendarmerie.
Soviet reports claimed that the Feldgendarmerie summarily executed about 25,000 Germans for cowardice in 1945 alone.
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