Penal Battalions

I would first like to say that I am a new follower of the Eastern Front mod and would like to congratulate you on a job well done! Furthermore, I saw it necessary to register here on the forum to present my first idea.

What little I know of Penal Battalions is that they were made up of the convicted. I read somewhere that the battalions were often used to test the defenses of the enemy by throwing these fellows out onto the field. I wouldn't know how historically correct this would be, but I'm assuming it's pretty spot on.

Anyway, my idea would be to make these guys a step below your basic Conscripts, or perhaps units to be called in at the last minute. Let me know what you all think of this idea!

Penal squads are represented in the game by NKVD squads/strafynie (sp?) troops. They are the upgrade of standard conscripts and cannot retreat.

Actually OP didn't asked about them, he suggested that penal troops (men with nothing to lose and with nothing to live for) should be the REAL cannon fodder, not conscripts.

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As for me, I like it - Penal squads half-armed with Mosins, have low combat value, cannot retreat - looks like step-down from regular soldiers, which conscripts are.

Last edited December 3, 2010 at 2:56 PM by ReckLESS

I thought it was a good idea but it's not a priority. I guess it would've been better if it was a Ostheer suggestion, haha. Anyway, good luck!

The Ostheer had penal batallions. Perhaps this could be a unit for OH?

That's a good idea! Similar to the Soviet's Conscripts.

Keromalas wrote:
That's a good idea! Similar to the Soviet's Conscripts.

No, the idea of having german penal battalions is bad, because it was these very troops that have committed so many crimes against the civilian population of Ukraine, Belarus, etc. Check wiki for SS-Sturmbrigade Dirlewanger, if my word is not enough (though, the article in english appears to me to be more than incomplete and far more flattering to these "men" than they deserve).
Basically these felony criminals (murderers, rapists, and so on - just like their commander) had never proven themselves to be of any value against regular soviet forces.
With that said, if you don't favour the idea of concentration camps in CoH, you shouldn't favour that one just as well.

Last edited December 9, 2010 at 6:14 PM by IJoe

I don't think it would be good for ostheer to have that unit. Ostheer doesn't need a cloned unit in their ranks ;).