"Russian TV series Shtrabat (Penal Battalion)" Topic

Watched this 11 episode tv series on Youtube, each is 45 -50 minutes. Thought the acting was quite good and not as bloody/gory as say Hacksaw Ridge but did not pull punches on the use or treatment of the Russians who manned these units. It focuses on a few characters with flashbacks and seperate scenes. The poorest part was while all but the 8th episode is captioned in English it isn't perfect in translation. The last episode has a few scenes of the German command and the translation seems better. ( I know neither) Episode 8 with a Orthodox priest seems the most interesting but the on video has only the opening credits so watched one without captions. I watch lots of Russian movies without knowing a word of dialogue. I certainly think if you have the time check a episode out.

YouTube link

I'll have to check those out.

Should have added the link but haven't figured out how to copy a erl from my YouTube app. I think its from 2004 but was only posted end of last year.

Absolutely nothing to do with the Original Post, but……it brought to mind that great scene from the movie "Beau Geste" (1939):

J. Carrol Naish's character (Rasinoff) tells the English brothers (Gary Cooper and Ray Milland) that their new commander at Fort Zindernouf, Sergeant Major Markoff (Brian Donlevy), had risen to his current rank in the French Foreign Legion after having previously been cashiered from a Russian Army Siberian Penal Battalion for cruelty.

They say discipline is brutal in the Legion, but those Penal Battalions -- Mercy!

Watched the full series on DVD. Said there was subtitles but no. Still not too hard to follow. Everyone hates the Commissars who spend most of their time talking smoking and drinking with interspersed action (very good) scenes. Worth a watch. Alan

I think that bit about Markoff comes from PC Wren. I've also heard it said that Ungern-Sternberg, who would go on to become the White Russian commander of the Asiatic Cavalry Division and a minor Buddhist deity, was relieved from pre-war command in a Cossack regiment for cruelty. You have to stop and wonder at the concept.

In the scenario for TSATF, "The Wind, The Frog, and The Lion," the Berber Warden holding the German Ambassador in his prison is described as a "Former Turkish prison guard who was cashiered from the service after the complaints of his fellow guards about his cruel and barbarous treatment of prisoners."

Great minds run in the same channels (though idiots think alike).

Jeff Baumal and "Last Stand Dan" are running this game at RECON in May. Helluva game to be played!

TVAG

After started watching started looking into penal battalions both Russian and German. The Russians filled their units with real and imagined criminals and any Russians who were at one point pow's but escaped. The first unit was totally formed by former officers who were turned into foot soldiers. There were if I remember over 400.000 members in these battalions and the very end I think it lists the Penal units but it didnt havd Englsh subtitles but recognized some terms giving me the idea it is a extensive list of these.
Their statistics of survival is not very good.

Was there anything to identify soldiers of a Russian Penal battalion? I doubt there was a special uniform…but was there an arm band? Anything like that?

Was just posing another tv series I watched. The uniforms were very plain but no marking and as many were disgraced officers there is no rank markings. Even the one former theif who is the acting NCO is in no official capacity as far as I can tell. From what I havd resd some units were very poorly armed or mostly unarmed. The very good thing is weapons seem to be of thd correct period.