Finland[edit]
- Erillinen Pataljoona 21 (“Separate Battalion 21”) – A Finnish Army penal battalion founded in August 1941, from volunteering prisoners and leftists in protective custody, that fought in the Continuation War. Commanded by Major Nikke Pärmi, the distinguishing mark of Er.P 21 was the black V sewn into the sleeve of their uniform; these gave them the nicknames of “Pärmi’s Devils” and “Black Arrow”.[37]
Germany[edit]
- Strafbataillon (“Penal Battalion”) – A generic term for penal units in the Wehrmacht, fielded between 1942 and 1945. These units were poorly armed and often undertook what were essentially suicide missions.
- 999th Light Afrika Division – A Wehrmacht penal division stationed in Tunisia, originating from the 999th Africa Brigade in 1942. The unit consisted of individuals who held, or were perceived to hold, anti-fascist beliefs. The unit suffered heavy casualties in the North African campaign, and members were reportedly so unwilling to fight for Germany that they quickly surrendered their positions to Allied troops when confronted. After the unit transferred to Axis-occupied Greece, several members defected or began conducting anti-Nazi activities. The unit was disbanded in 1943.
- Dirlewanger Brigade – A Waffen-SS penal brigade consisting of convicted criminals who were not expected to survive their service. Formed in 1940 for counterinsurgency operations, it became notorious even among the Waffen-SS for the sheer depravity of its war crimes, being responsible for several mass murders in Eastern Europe.
Soviet Union[edit]
- Shtrafbat – Penal battalions of the Red Army and NKVD, composed of sentenced soldiers, political prisoners, and others deemed to be expendable, fighting on the Eastern Front of World War II. Established in 1942 by Joseph Stalin in Order No. 227, over 422,000 prisoners were placed into shtrafbats until their disestablishment following victory in Europe in May 1945, by which point very few had survived.
they could be armed with obsolete and civilian rifles, pistols and shotguns maybe even crank the squad to 12
