Not One Step Backward

I guess in a war, sometimes it all comes down to who you are more afraid of. That was the position the Russian soldiers found themselves in on July 28, 1942. After an agreement not to invade each other’s nation, Hitler began his advance into Russia anyway. Soviet dictator, Joseph Stalin knew that is men would be afraid, because Hitler was known to be crazy. Stalin had to find a way to make sure that his men would not take the easy way out due to the fear of the German army. Everyone knew that Hitler’s army would stop at nothing in their pursuit of victory, because they had no choice. They knew that Hitler would kill them for showing fear. The German army was far more afraid of Hitler, that they were of Stalin’s army or anyone else. Stalin was going to have to have a way to make his men stay on point. So, on July 28, 1942, Stalin issued Order Number 227, which was famously known as the “Not one step backward” order, in response to German advances into Soviet territory. The order stated, “Panic makers and cowards must be liquidated on the spot. Not one step backward without orders from higher headquarters! Commanders who abandon a position without an order from higher headquarters are traitors to the Motherland.” That put Stalin’s army between a rock and a hard place.

Germany’s early victories against Russia gave Hitler confidence about his plans to capture Leningrad and Stalingrad. However, the attack on Stalingrad was considered reckless by Hitler’s generals due to Russia’s superior manpower. A determined Hitler wouldn’t listen, and the heavy toll was taken on German resources and troops by a determined Soviet force, bolstered with additional men and supplies. Nevertheless, the Germans then turned their sights on Leningrad. Stalin needed to “motivate” both officers and civilians alike in their defense of Leningrad, bringing about the need for Stalin’s Order Number 227.

On the same day the order was issued, Russian peasants and partisans in the Leningrad region killed a German officer named Adolf Beck, who was responsible for transporting agricultural products from occupied Russia to Germany or to German troops. The Russian patriots also burned down the granaries and barns where these agricultural goods were stored before being shipped. A partisan pamphlet issued an order of its own, “Russians! Destroy the German landowners. Drive the Germans from the land of the Soviets!” The people were patriots, and they were determined to fight for their country.