Combat 50 grams. Legendary one hundred grams. On the procedure for issuing vodka to the troops of the army
This day in history:
ATTENTION! TODAY IS A VERY IMPORTANT DATE! DO NOT MISS!
On August 22, 1941, the USSR State Defense Committee adopted a resolution "On the introduction of vodka for supply in the active Red Army"
August 22, 1941 went down in history as the "birthday" of the famous "People's Commissar's hundred grams." On this day, the Chairman of the State Defense Committee (GKO) Soviet Union Joseph Stalin signed Decree No. 562 on the daily issuance of half a glass of “fuel” to the soldiers.
The text of the document read: "Starting from September 1, 1941, those who are on the front line of the army will be given 100 grams of vodka (strength of 40 degrees) per day."
The supply of vodka to the army was personally led by a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, People's Commissar of the Food Industry of the USSR Anastas Mikoyan, who did a lot to ensure that the Soviet soldier did not feel the need for the most necessary things at the front. The front commanders were obliged to monitor the distribution of the drink personally.
Subsequently (from May 1942 to November 1943), the procedure for supplying the Red Army with “fuel” changed several times. The circle of fighters entitled to vodka allowances, who served in different branches of the armed forces and in various combat positions: either narrowed or expanded; and the norms for issuing the coveted "drink": either increased slightly, or decreased.
From November 25 to December 31, 1942, with the beginning of a radical change during the Great Patriotic War, at the time of our first victories at Stalingrad, the Transcaucasian Front drank - 1.2 million liters of vodka, the Western Front - about 1 million, the Karelian Front 364 thousand, and the Stalingrad Front - 407 thousand liters.
November 23, 1943, 3 months after Battle of Kursk and forcing the Dnieper, which marked the completion of the turning point, Stalin finally approved the “People's Commissar's” norms: 100 g for the fighters on the front line and 50 g for the rest. And it was so until the very Victory.
Comrades! Note! From the People's Commissar one hundred grams. Everything else is from the evil one.
"People's Commissar's hundred grams" - a well-known expression from the description of the life of the war. It is present in today's memoirs of veterans of the Great Patriotic War (especially fake veterans). Writers who work in the field of military topics relish write about front-line vodka, commanders love to treat distinguished soldiers to it in feature films. For pseudo-historians who denigrate both our army and our war, vodka is an excellent opportunity to colorfully paint stories about drunken Red Army soldiers going on the attack, mocking cute German women.
Some blame vodka, and at the same time Stalin, that, accustomed to daily drinking at the front, the soldiers, returning home, became drunkards, became alcoholics, lost their human appearance.
Yes, and true front-line soldiers about the people's commissar hundred grams tell the most different things. There is no unity in their memories. Some of them prove that they never even smelled vodka at the front, while others brag about the liters they drink.
And how was it really? In order not to argue and not to prove that it all happened, or quite the opposite, I will cite several documents from the war period. Basically, these are original documents of 1941-42. For 43-45 years, there are few documents on this subject, mostly minor clarifications on the type of issuance of vodka to scouts.
It is possible that the decree of the State Defense Committee of November 42 operated without significant changes until the end of the war. There may have been subsequent decisions. But whatever it is, read what is there and draw your own conclusions.
I just want to draw the reader's attention to the fact that the people's commissar of defense has nothing to do with it, this is the decision of the State Defense Committee that vodka was issued only in the army and only to those who are at the forefront. In the rear districts one could only dream of vodka.
And where did the famous expression "people's commissar's one hundred grams" come from? And why precisely "commissar"?
Perhaps because the army was usually more familiar with the orders of the People's Commissar of Defense than with the decisions of the GKO. Following the Decree of the GKO, an NPO order comes out, which was probably brought to the attention of the personnel:
| Secret Ex. No. 1 |
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| Order of NPO USSR | |||||
| August 25, 1941 | №0320 | Moscow city | |||
On the issuance of 100 grams of vodka per day to frontline servicemen of the active army.
In pursuance of the decision of the State Defense Committee of August 22, 1941 No. 562ss, I order:
1. From September 1, 1941, to issue 40 ° vodka in the amount of 100 grams per person per day to the Red Army and the commanding staff of the front line of the army in the field. The flight crew of the Red Army Air Force, performing combat missions, and the engineering and technical staff serving the field airfields of the army in the field, should be given vodka on a par with the front line units.
2. Military councils of fronts and armies:
a) organize the issuance of vodka only for those contingents that are determined by the decision of the State Defense Committee, and strictly control its exact implementation:
b) ensure the timely delivery of vodka to the front lines of the active troops and organize reliable protection of its stocks in the field;
c) at the expense of the economic apparatus of the units and subdivisions, select special persons who will be responsible for the correct distribution of vodka portions, accounting for the consumption of vodka and maintaining income and expenditure records;
d) order the front-line quartermasters to submit information about the balances to the Main Quartermaster Directorate once every ten days and monthly, by the 25th day, an application for the required amount of vodka. The application shall be based on the exact number of active front line troops, approved by the military councils of the fronts and armies.
3. The need for vodka for the month of September is determined by the Chief Quartermaster of the Red Army without submitting applications by the fronts. The order to put into effect by telegraph.
signature Khrulev
In the spring of 1942 the order of issuing vodka is changing. The order of the People's Commissar of Defense comes out, announcing a new decree of the State Defense Committee:
| Secret Ex. No. 1 |
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| Order of NPO USSR | |||||
| May 12, 1942 | №0373 | Moscow city | |||
On the procedure for issuing vodka to the troops of the army.
1. I declare for the exact and steady implementation of the Decree of the State Defense Committee No. GOKO-1727s dated May 11, 1942 “On the procedure for issuing vodka to the troops of the army in the field” (in the appendix).
2. I entrust the military councils of fronts and armies, commanders of formations and units with responsibility for the correct appointment and distribution of vodka for the allowance of military personnel in accordance with the announced Decree of the State Defense Committee.
3. Order and Resolution of the GOKO to be put into effect by telegraph.
4. Order NCO No. 0320 of 1941 to cancel.
Deputy People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR
lieutenant general of the quartermaster service signature Khrulev
Application:
| Secret |
| Decree of the State Defense Committee No. GOKO 1727s May 11, 1942 |
1. Stop from May 15, 1942. mass daily issuance of vodka to the personnel of the troops of the army in the field. 3. To all other servicemen of the front line, the issuance of 100 g of vodka. per person to produce on the following revolutionary and national holidays: November 7-8, December 5, January 1, February 23, May 1-2, July 19 (National Athlete's Day), August 16 (Aviation Day), September 6 (International Youth Day ), as well as on the day of the regimental holiday (formation of the unit). |
Note that now vodka is only at the forefront, and only for those who achieved success that day, i.e. attacked to no avail. Everyone else only on holidays. In units located outside the rear of the front, only seagulls.
That's it. By 200 On the day, Stalin thought it was too much, and now vodka is only on the offensive.
Following is the order of the People's Commissar of Defense on this matter:
| Secret Ex. No. 1 |
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| Order of NPO USSR | |||||
| June 12, 1942 | №0470 | Moscow city | |||
On the procedure for storing and issuing vodka to the troops of the army
Despite repeated instructions and categorical demands on the issuance of vodka in the army strictly for its intended purpose and in accordance with established standards, cases of illegal issuance of vodka still do not stop.
Vodka is issued to headquarters, commanders and units that do not have the right to receive it. Some commanders of units and formations and commanders of headquarters and departments, taking advantage of their official position, take vodka from warehouses, regardless of orders and established procedures. Control over the consumption of vodka by the military councils of the fronts and armies is poorly established. Accounting for vodka in units and warehouses is in an unsatisfactory state.
In accordance with the decision of the State Defense Committee of June 6, No. GOKO-1889s, I order:
1. The issuance of 100 grams of vodka per person per day should be made to servicemen only of those units of the front line that are conducting offensive operations.
2. To all other military personnel of the front line, the issuance of vodka in the amount of 100 grams per person should be made on the following revolutionary and public holidays: on the anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution - November 7 and 8, on Constitution Day - December 5, on New Year's Day - January 1 , on the day of the Red Army - February 23, on the days International holiday workers - on May 1 and 2, on the All-Union Day of the Athlete - July 19, on the All-Union Aviation Day - August 16, and also on the day of the regimental holiday (formation of the unit).
3. The release of vodka to armies and formations should be made only with the permission of the chief of logistics of the Red Army on the instructions of the General Staff of the Red Army, on the proposals of the military councils of the fronts and armies.
4. For the storage of vodka, organize special storage facilities at front-line and army food warehouses. Appoint a store manager and one storekeeper from among specially selected honest, verified persons who can ensure the complete safety of vodka. Seal storage facilities after receiving and discharging operations, put guards. Strictly verified persons should be assigned to the guard.
5. To the heads of the food supply departments of the fronts and the heads of the food supply departments of the armies, all the available vodka in the troops and warehouses as of June 15 should be strictly accounted for and immediately transferred for storage to the corresponding front and army warehouses.
6. Registration of the release of vodka is carried out by the head of the Main Directorate of Food Supply of the Red Army through the heads of departments and departments of the food supply of the fronts and armies based on the instructions of the head of the rear of the Red Army on the timing of the issuance and the number of units that are allowed to issue vodka.
7. I entrust the military councils of fronts and armies, commanders and military commissars with responsibility for the correct storage, expenditure and accounting of vodka, vodka dishes and containers.
8. The order to put into effect by telegraph.
9. The order of the NCO of 1942 No. 0373 is canceled.
Deputy People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR
lieutenant general of the quartermaster service signature Khrulev
In November 1942 the order of issuing vodka is changing again. First, a GKO decree is issued, and then a new order of the People's Commissar of Defense
| GKO Decree No. 2507 November 12, 1942 On the issuance of vodka to military units of the active army from November 25, 1942. |
| 1. Start from November 25, 1942. the issuance of vodka to the troops of the army in the following order: a) 100 g. per person per day: units conducting direct fighting and those in the trenches at the forefront; intelligence units; artillery and mortar units attached to and supporting infantry and located in firing positions; combat aircraft crews in the performance of their combat mission; b) 50g. per person per day: regimental and divisional reserves; subdivisions and units of combat support performing work at the forefront; units performing responsible tasks in special cases, and the wounded, who are in the institutions of the field medical service, as directed by doctors. 2. To all other servicemen of the active army, the issuance of vodka in the amount of 100g. per person per day to produce on the days of revolutionary and national holidays specified by GKO Decree No. 1889 of June 6, 1942. 3. On the Transcaucasian front, instead of 100g. give out vodka 200g. fortified wine or 300g. table wine. 4. The military councils of the fronts and armies set monthly limits for the issuance of vodka. |
| Secret Ex. No. 1 |
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| Order of NPO USSR | |||||
| November 13, 1942 | №0883 | Moscow city | |||
1. In accordance with the resolution of the State Defense Committee dated November 12, 1942 No. 2507s from November 25 with. d. to start issuing vodka to the military units of the army in the following order:
a) 100 grams per person per day: to subdivisions of units conducting direct combat operations and located in the trenches at the forefront; intelligence units; artillery and mortar units attached to and supporting infantry and located in firing positions; combat aircraft crews in the performance of their combat mission;
b) 50 grams per person per day: regimental and divisional reserves; subdivisions and units of combat support performing work at the forefront; units performing responsible tasks in special cases (construction and restoration of bridges, roads, etc. in especially difficult conditions and under enemy fire), and the wounded who are in the institutions of the field medical service, as directed by doctors.
2. To all military personnel of the active army, the issuance of vodka in the amount of 100 grams per person per day should be made on the days of revolutionary and public holidays specified by the GOKO resolution No. 1889 of June 6, 1942.
3. On the Transcaucasian front, instead of 100 grams of vodka, issue 200 grams of fortified wine or 300 grams of table wine; instead of 50 grams of vodka, 100 grams of fortified wine or 150 grams of table wine.
4. The military councils of the fronts and armies, by orders of the front, the army, set monthly limits for the issuance of vodka to armies - units and produce consumption within the limit set for each month.
5. In spending the monthly limit of vodka, the fronts must report to the Main Directorate of Food Supply of the Red Army in order to receive a limit for the next month. In case of failure to submit a report by the fronts and consumption of vodka by the 10th day of the past month, the chief of the Main Directorate of Food Supply of the Red Army for the next month should not ship vodka to the fronts that have not submitted a report.
6. Set a limit on the consumption of vodka for the fronts from November 25 to December 31, 1942 in accordance with the application.
7. Head of the Main Directorate of Food Supply of the Red Army, brig engineer comrade. Pavlov and the head of the Military Communications of the Red Army, Major General of the Technical Troops Comrade. Deliver vodka to Kovalev in the quantities provided for by the limit:
Southwestern, Don and Stalingrad fronts - by November 16,
the rest of the fronts - by November 20 this year. G.
8. To the head of the Main Directorate of Food Supply of the Red Army to establish constant control over the consumption of vodka in strict accordance with this order.
9. The military councils of the fronts and armies to organize the return of empty containers of vodka to vodka factories and bottling stations of the People's Commissariat of Food Industry attached to the fronts. Military units that have not returned the container should not release vodka.
10. The order to put into effect by telegraph.
Deputy People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR
lieutenant general of the quartermaster service signature Khrulev
Application.
| LIMIT CONSUMPTION OF VODKA FOR THE MILITARY UNITS OF THE ACTIVE ARMY FROM NOVEMBER 25 TO DECEMBER 31, 1942 |
|
| Name of fronts and individual armies | Vodka consumption limit (in liters) |
| Karelian Front | 364000 |
| 7th Army | 99000 |
| Leningrad Front | 533000 |
| Volkhov Front | 407000 |
| North-Western Front | 394000 |
| Kalinin Front | 690000 |
| Western Front | 980000 |
| Bryansk Front | 414000 |
| Voronezh Front | 381000 |
| Bgo-Western Front | 478000 |
| Don Front | 544000 |
| Stalingrad Front | 407000 |
| Total 5691000 | |
| Transcaucasian Front 1200000 (wine) | |
| Secret Ex. No. 1 |
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| Order of NPO USSR | |||||
| January 13, 1943 | №031 | Moscow city | |||
With the announcement of the norms and procedure for issuing vodka to the technical staff of the Air Force units of the army
In addition to the order of the NCO of 1942 No. 0883 * with the announcement of the norms and "the procedure for issuing vodka to the personnel of units of the army in the field, I order:
1. In units of the Air Force of the active army and in units of the Air Force based on the territory of military districts, but equated by orders of NGOs to units of the active army, 50 grams of vodka per day per person and technical staff should be dispensed only on the days of sorties for combat missions of aircraft directly serviced them at the airports.
2. The procedure for issuing vodka is established according to a personal list compiled by the command of the air unit, approved by the commander of the air division.
3. Order to announce by telegraph.
Deputy People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR
signature Khrulev
| Secret Ex. No. 1 |
|||||
| Order of NPO USSR | |||||
| May 2, 1943 | №0323 | Moscow city | |||
On the procedure for issuing vodka to the troops of the army
In pursuance of the Decree of the State Defense Committee No. GOKO-3272s dated April 30, 1943, I order:
1. To stop from May 3, 1943, the mass daily distribution of vodka to the personnel of the troops of the army in the field.
2. The issuance of vodka at a rate of 100 grams per person per day should be made to servicemen only of those units of the front line that conduct offensive operations, and the military councils of the fronts and individual armies are responsible for determining which armies and formations to issue vodka.
3. To all other military personnel of the active army, the issuance of vodka in the amount of 100 grams per person per day should be made on the days of revolutionary and public holidays specified in the Decree of the GOKO No. 1889, paragraph 3 of June 6, 1942.
Deputy People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR
colonel-general of the quartermaster service signature Khrulev
| Secret copy No. 107 |
||
| Order of NPO USSR | ||
| June 22, 1943 | №0384 | Moscow city |
On the establishment of an additional allowance for military intelligence units at the front.
Taking into account a number of petitions from the military councils of the fronts and the request of the head of the Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Red Army, Lieutenant General Kuznetsov F.F. G.
I order:
Military intelligence units at the front are to be satisfied not according to norm No. 9, as indicated in the order, but according to norm No. 1, with the issuance in addition to norm No. 1:
Sugar - 15 grams
Sala-shpig - 25 - "-
Bread - 100 - "-
Vodka - 100 - "-
Vodka is issued only on the days of combat missions.
People's Commissar of Defense
Marshal of the Soviet Union I. STALIN
That's it. It doesn't hurt to walk around. It seems that there is no reason to blame front-line vodka for the fact that men drank themselves after the war. Under such and such conditions, you will not forget the taste of vodka for the war. And it doesn’t look like the fighters were drunk before the attack. And where else can you get vodka in the war? There are no shops at the front. The local population has nothing to eat, but will they transfer products for moonshine?
Sources and literature
1. Russian Center for Storage and Study of Documents recent history(RTSKHIDNI). Fund 644, inventory 1, files 7,34, 43, 69, 303.
2. Military-historical magazine No. 5-1995.
3. Institute of Military History of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. Fund 4, inventory 11, file 65, sheet. 413-414.
4. Institute of Military History of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. Fund 4, inventory 11, file 71, sheet. 191 - 192.
"People's Commissar's 100 grams" were introduced during the Finnish war. Regarding how much they drank in the Red Army on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War, there are different opinions often contradicting each other.
1. When did they start pouring?
When did the Russian army begin to "pour"? In a broad historical perspective, this tradition dates back to the time of Peter the Great, when soldiers began to be given portions of the so-called "bread wine".
Until 1908, during the fighting, the lower ranks of the active army received three cups (160 grams) of vodka per week, non-combatants - 2 cups each. The annual norm of issuing vodka on holidays was 15 cups. In addition, the officer could reward distinguished fighters at his own expense.
With the outbreak of the First World War, Prohibition was introduced in the Russian Empire, but the sailors still continued to receive a “portion of wine”.
2. People's Commissariat 100 grams
For the first time, "People's Commissar's 100 grams" were approved in January 1940 during the Finnish War. The authorship of this idea belongs to Kliment Voroshilov
It was he who proposed to Stalin to issue an order on the issuance of soldiers of the Red Army daily 50 grams of fat ("Voroshilovsky ration") and 100 grams of vodka (100 grams of People's Commissar). The norm of tankers was doubled, and the pilots, as the elite of the armed forces, were given 100 grams of cognac each.
From January 10, 1940 to the beginning of March, more than 10 tons of vodka and 8.8 tons of cognac were drunk by the Red Army soldiers.
3. "Vodka regulations"
The norms for issuing vodka to the Red Army soldiers and commanders during the Great Patriotic War changed several times. The first GKO decree, number 562cc, was issued on August 22, 1941. It said: “To establish, starting from September 1, 1941, the issuance of 40 ° vodka in the amount of 100 grams per day per person to the Red Army and the commanding staff of the first line of the army in the field.”
On August 25, a clarifying order was also issued "On the issuance of 100 grams of vodka per day to the military personnel of the front line of the army." It said that combat pilots and the engineering and technical staff of airfields should receive vodka in the same volumes as the soldiers of the Red Army who fought on the front line.
On June 6, 1942, by a new decree of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the mass distribution of vodka in the Red Army was stopped. Stalin himself amended the draft resolution, prepared as early as May 11. Now only those military personnel who participated in offensive operations received vodka. The rest of the vodka relied only on holidays. It is significant that Stalin personally crossed out the International Youth Day from the list of holidays on which it was supposed to “pour”.
On November 12, 1942, the issuance of 100 grams was reintroduced for those who participated in the hostilities on the front line. The reserve troops, the soldiers of the construction battalion, who worked under enemy fire and the wounded (if doctors allowed) were ordered to give out 50 grams of vodka per day. On the Transcaucasian front, instead of 100 grams of vodka, they were given 200 grams of port or 300 grams of dry wine. Already on April 30, 1943, a new GKO decree No. 3272 “On the procedure for issuing vodka to the troops of the army in the field” was issued. The order was approved to stop issuing vodka to personnel from May 1 of this year, 100 grams were now supposed only for front line soldiers participating in offensive operations, and for everyone else - on public and revolutionary holidays. After the Battle of Kursk, at the end of August 1943, units of the NKVD and railway troops began to receive vodka for the first time.
4. Did you drink?
According to the documents, they drank a lot during the Great Patriotic War. Especially on the front lines. However, the memories of front-line soldiers on this topic are very contradictory. Fyodor Ilchenko, who arrested Field Marshal Paulus, was a senior lieutenant during the Battle of Stalingrad. He recalled: “Without alcohol it was impossible to win ... frost.
Front-line 100 grams became more expensive than shells and saved soldiers from frostbite, as they spent many nights in an open field on bare ground ... ". Dmitry Vonlyarsky, who fought in the reconnaissance of the marines, has completely different memories: “At the front, before an attack, they sometimes gave one hundred grams, but in our battalion it was very strict. I believe that in a combat situation, alcohol "for courage" is unacceptable. If you're a coward, then get drunk don't get drunk - you'll still be one. And if you are a man, you will be him in any situation ... ". The director Pyotr Todorovsky also spoke negatively about the role of alcohol at the front. During the war, he was a platoon leader. “Of course, before the battle they went and handed out vodka to the fighters. For courage, as expected.
A tank of alcohol appeared on the front line, and one hundred grams for some, one hundred and fifty grams for others. The older fighters didn't drink. Young and unshelled drank. They were the first to die. The "old men" knew that one should not expect good from vodka. Army General Nikolai Lyashchenko recalled: “Enthusiastic poets called these treacherous hundred grams “combat”. Greater blasphemy is hard to imagine. After all, vodka objectively reduced the combat capability of the Red Army.” Grigory Chukhrai also spoke negatively about the “People’s Commissar’s 100 grams”: “They gave us these notorious “one hundred grams” in the landing, but I didn’t drink them, but gave them to my friends. Once, at the very beginning of the war, we had a strong drink, and because of this there were big losses. Then I made a vow to myself not to drink until the end of the war.
5. Endemic drunkenness?
Of course, the allegations that the Red Army defeated Nazi Germany thanks to vodka can be considered a myth and a harmful delusion. A drunken army is unfit for combat by definition.
It is no coincidence that Georgy Zhukov ordered to blow up the tanks with alcohol left by the Germans. Sergeant Vladimir Ivanovich Trunin, who went through the entire war, recalled that they, tankers, were forbidden not only to drink at the front, but also to smoke - there were cartridges with shells in the tanks, while the diesel engine was running, there was a danger of detonation from the vapors of the oil tank heated to 130 degrees.
Vodka, according to the veteran, was given only in rifle units, and even then irregularly. Many of the vodka turned out to be, or changed their “weave” for more necessary things in the war. The supply of units with “fuel” ended at the end of the war, but many veterans were never able to abandon the usual 100 grams. This gave rise to the post-war growth of alcoholism in the country.
When did the Russian army begin to "pour"? In a broad historical perspective, this tradition dates back to the time of Peter the Great, when soldiers began to be given portions of the so-called "bread wine". Until 1908, during the fighting, the lower ranks of the active army received three cups (160 grams) of vodka per week, non-combatants - 2 cups each.
The annual norm of issuing vodka on holidays was 15 cups. In addition, the officer could reward distinguished fighters at his own expense. With the outbreak of the First World War, Prohibition was introduced in the Russian Empire, but the sailors still continued to receive a “portion of wine”.
People's Commissariat 100 grams
For the first time, "People's Commissar's 100 grams" were approved in January 1940 during the Finnish War. The authorship of this idea belongs to Kliment Voroshilov. It was he who proposed to Stalin to issue an order on the issuance of soldiers of the Red Army daily 50 grams of fat ("Voroshilovsky ration") and 100 grams of vodka (100 grams of People's Commissar).
The norm of tankers was doubled, and the pilots, as the elite of the armed forces, were given 100 grams of cognac each. From January 10, 1940 to the beginning of March, more than 10 tons of vodka and 8.8 tons of cognac were drunk by the Red Army soldiers.
"Vodka regulations"
The norms for issuing vodka to the Red Army soldiers and commanders during the Great Patriotic War changed several times. The first GKO decree, number 562cc, was issued on August 22, 1941.
It said:
"Establish, starting from September 1, 1941, the issuance of 40 ° vodka in the amount of 100 grams per person per day to the Red Army and the commanding staff of the first line troops of the army."
On August 25, a clarifying order was also issued "On the issuance of 100 grams of vodka per day to the military personnel of the front line of the army." It said that combat pilots and the engineering and technical staff of airfields should receive vodka in the same volumes as the soldiers of the Red Army who fought on the front line. On June 6, 1942, by a new decree of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the mass distribution of vodka in the Red Army was stopped. Stalin himself amended the draft resolution, prepared as early as May 11. Now only those military personnel who participated in offensive operations received vodka. The rest of the vodka relied only on holidays. It is significant that Stalin personally crossed out the International Youth Day from the list of holidays on which it was supposed to “pour”.
On November 12, 1942, the issuance of 100 grams was reintroduced for those who participated in the hostilities on the front line. The reserve troops, the soldiers of the construction battalion, who worked under enemy fire and the wounded (if doctors allowed) were ordered to give out 50 grams of vodka per day. On the Transcaucasian front, instead of 100 grams of vodka, they were given 200 grams of port or 300 grams of dry wine.
Already on April 30, 1943, a new GKO decree No. 3272 “On the procedure for issuing vodka to the troops of the army in the field” was issued. The order was approved to stop issuing vodka to personnel from May 1 of this year, 100 grams were now supposed only for front line soldiers participating in offensive operations, and for everyone else - on public and revolutionary holidays. After the Battle of Kursk, at the end of August 1943, units of the NKVD and railway troops began to receive vodka for the first time.
Did they drink?
According to the documents, they drank a lot during the Great Patriotic War. Especially on the front lines. However, the memories of front-line soldiers on this topic are very contradictory.
Fyodor Ilchenko, who arrested Field Marshal Paulus, was a senior lieutenant during the Battle of Stalingrad.
He recalled:
Without alcohol it was impossible to win ... frost. Front-line 100 grams became more expensive than shells and saved soldiers from frostbite, as they spent many nights in an open field on bare ground.
Dmitry Vonlyarsky, who fought in the intelligence of the Marine Corps, has completely different memories:
At the front, before an attack, they sometimes gave one hundred grams, but in our battalion it was very strict. I believe that in a combat situation, alcohol "for courage" is unacceptable. If you're a coward, then get drunk don't get drunk - you'll still be one. And if you are a man, you will be him in any situation ...
The director Pyotr Todorovsky also spoke negatively about the role of alcohol at the front. During the war, he was a platoon leader.
Of course, before the battle they went and handed out vodka to the fighters. For courage, as expected. A tank of alcohol appeared on the front line, and for some - one hundred grams, for others - one hundred and fifty. The older fighters didn't drink. Young and unshelled drank. They were the first to die. The “old men” knew that one should not expect good from vodka.
Army General Nikolai Lyashchenko recalled:
Enthusiastic poets called these treacherous hundred grams "combat". Greater blasphemy is hard to imagine. After all, vodka objectively reduced the combat capability of the Red Army.
Grigory Chukhrai also spoke negatively about the "People's Commissar's 100 grams":
We were given these notorious "one hundred grams" in the landing, but I did not drink them, but gave them to my friends. Once, at the very beginning of the war, we had a strong drink, and because of this there were big losses. Then I made a vow to myself not to drink until the end of the war.
General drunkenness?
Of course, the allegations that the Red Army defeated Nazi Germany thanks to vodka can be considered a myth and a harmful delusion. A drunken army is unfit for combat by definition. It is no coincidence that Georgy Zhukov ordered to blow up the tanks with alcohol left by the Germans.
Sergeant Vladimir Ivanovich Trunin, who went through the entire war, recalled that they, tankers, were forbidden not only to drink at the front, but also to smoke - there were cartridges with shells in the tanks, while the diesel engine was running, there was a danger of detonation from the vapors of the oil tank heated to 130 degrees. Vodka, according to the veteran, was given only in rifle units, and even then irregularly.
Many of the vodka turned out to be, or changed their “weave” for more necessary things in the war. The supply of units with “fuel” ended at the end of the war, but many veterans were never able to abandon the usual 100 grams. This gave rise to the post-war growth of alcoholism in the country.
According to the documents, they drank a lot during the Great Patriotic War. Especially on the front lines. However, the memories of front-line soldiers on this topic are very contradictory.
Fyodor Ilchenko, who arrested Field Marshal Paulus, recalled the days of the Battle of Stalingrad: “It was impossible to win without alcohol ... frost. Front-line 100 grams became more expensive than shells and saved soldiers from frostbite, as they spent many nights in an open field on bare ground ... "
Dmitry Vonlyarsky, who fought in the reconnaissance of the marines, has completely different memories: “At the front, before an attack, they sometimes gave one hundred grams, but in our battalion it was very strict. I believe that in a combat situation, alcohol "for courage" is unacceptable. If you're a coward, then get drunk don't get drunk - you'll still be one. And if you are a man, you will be him in any situation ... "
The director Pyotr Todorovsky also spoke negatively about the role of alcohol at the front. During the war, he was a platoon leader. “Of course, before the battle they went and handed out vodka to the fighters. For courage, as expected. A tank of alcohol appeared on the front line, and one hundred grams for some, one hundred and fifty grams for others. The older fighters didn't drink. Young and unshelled drank. They were the first to die. The “old men” knew that one should not expect good from vodka.”
Army General Nikolai Lyashchenko wrote: “Enthusiastic poets called these treacherous hundred grams “combat”. Greater blasphemy is hard to imagine. After all, vodka objectively reduced the combat capability of the Red Army.”
Grigory Chukhrai also spoke negatively about the “People’s Commissar’s 100 grams”: “They gave us these notorious “one hundred grams” in the landing, but I didn’t drink them, but gave them to my friends. Once, at the very beginning of the war, we had a strong drink, and because of this there were big losses. Then I made a vow to myself not to drink until the end of the war.
78 years have passed since the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, and people still talk about the “People's Commissar's hundred grams”. The issuance of state-owned vodka to military personnel remained too deeply in the memory of the people.
On August 22, 1941, the State Defense Committee of the USSR adopted the famous resolution "On the introduction of vodka for supply in the active Red Army." So the official start was given to the supply of active combat units with vodka at public expense. But in fact, front-line hundred grams are much longer. It has its roots in the imperial past of Russia.
At the beginning of the 18th century, no attention was paid to the addiction to alcohol, but they considered “bread wine” necessary for warming and raising morale. For a century and a half, the lower ranks of the Russian army in wartime received 3 cups of “bread wine” per week for combatants and 2 cups for non-combatants. The volume of one cup was 160 grams. Thus, the lower rank of military service received 480 grams of "bread wine" per week. In peacetime, in contrast to periods of hostilities, soldiers received vodka on holidays, but not less than 15 cups a year.
In addition, regimental officers had the right to reward distinguished soldiers at their own expense, “putting down” vodka to them. The fleet was supposed to have 4 glasses of vodka per week, and since 1761 the dose to the lower ranks of the fleet was increased to 7 glasses of vodka per week. Thus, the sailors drank even more soldiers of the ground forces. The last vodka was supposed, first of all, to maintain health during parades and drills in the cold season, as well as during campaigns.
Only to late XIX centuries, doctors drew attention to the unhealthy situation in the army. They found that soldiers returning from service were deeply addicted to alcoholic beverages and could no longer return to a sober life. Therefore, the doctors began to insist on the abolition of the prescribed cups, but the generals of the Russian army did not immediately succumb to their persuasion. It was believed that vodka helped the soldiers to relax, in addition, it was a cheap and popular way to reward soldiers for good behavior.
Only in 1908, after Russo-Japanese War, wherein Russian empire was defeated, it was decided to cancel the issuance of vodka in the army. This decision was due to the fact that the command came to the conclusion that the drunkenness of soldiers and officers had an effect on reducing the combat effectiveness of the army. It was forbidden not only to issue vodka to soldiers, but also to sell it in regimental shops. Thus, in Russian army For the first time, a "dry law" was introduced, which, of course, was not respected, but at least the state itself ceased to be involved in the issuance of vodka to soldiers.
The situation changed 32 years later, in 1940. The then People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR Kliment Efremovich Voroshilov "took care" of the Red Army men. Comrade Voroshilov himself knew a lot about alcohol and considered it useful for raising the health and morale of the personnel of units of the army in the field. The Soviet-Finnish war was just going on, when People's Commissar Voroshilov turned personally to Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin with a request to issue soldiers and commanders of combat units of the Red Army 100 grams of vodka and 50 grams of fat per day. This request was motivated by severe weather conditions on the Karelian Isthmus, where the Red Army units had to fight. Frosts reached -40 ° C and Voroshilov believed that vodka with bacon would at least slightly alleviate the position of the military.
Stalin went to meet Voroshilov and supported his request. The troops immediately began to receive vodka, and the tankers received a double portion of vodka, and the pilots were supposed to give out 100 grams of cognac daily. As a result, only from January 10 to March 10, 1940, more than 10 tons of vodka and 8.8 tons of cognac were consumed in the active units of the Red Army. The Red Army began to call the alcoholic "bonus" "Voroshilov ration" and "People's Commissar's 100 grams."
As soon as the Great Patriotic War began, the leadership of the USSR and the command of the Red Army decided to return to the practice of issuing the "Voroshilov ration". Already in July 1941, vodka began to enter the troops, although the very resolution of the State Defense Committee of the USSR, signed by Joseph Stalin, appeared only in August 1941. The ruling emphasized:
To establish, starting from September 1, 1941, the issuance of 40 ° vodka in the amount of 100 grams per person per day to the Red Army and the commanding staff of the first line of the army in the field.
These words were signed by Comrade Stalin himself.
Three days after the adoption of the resolution, on August 25, 1941, Deputy People's Commissar of Defense for Logistics, Lieutenant-General of the Quartermaster Service Andrey Vasilievich Khrulev signed order No. 0320, clarifying Stalin's decree. The order “On the issuance of 100 grams of vodka per day to front line servicemen of the active army” stated that in addition to the Red Army soldiers themselves and commanders fighting on the front line, pilots performing combat missions, engineers and airfield technicians are entitled to receive vodka. The delivery of vodka to the troops was organized and put on stream. It was transported in railway tanks. In total, at least 43-46 tanks of strong alcohol were delivered to the troops every month. From the tanks they filled barrels and cans and transported vodka to units and subunits of the Red Army.
However, the mass distribution of vodka did not contribute to the combat successes of the Red Army. In the spring of 1942, the command decided to slightly change the plan for issuing vodka to the personnel of the army in the field. It was decided to leave the issuance of vodka only for military units operating on the front line and having success in battle. At the same time, the amount of vodka issued was increased to 200 grams per day.
But Stalin intervened, who personally amended the new document. He left the "Voroshilov ration" only for the Red Army soldiers of those units and subunits that were conducting offensive operations against enemy troops. As for the rest of the Red Army, they relied on vodka in the amount of 100 grams per person only on revolutionary and public holidays as an encouragement. On June 6, 1942, a new GKO Decree No. 1889s “On the procedure for issuing vodka to the troops of the army in the field” was issued, with amendments made by Comrade Stalin.
Most of the Red Army soldiers could now see vodka only on the days of the anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution (November 7 and 8), the days of the International Workers' Day (May 1 and 2), the Red Army Day (February 23), the Constitution Day (December 5), New Year(January 1), All-Union Athlete's Day (July 19), All-Union Aviation Day (August 16), as well as on the days of the formation of their units. Interestingly, Stalin crossed out International Youth Day on September 6 from the list of "vodka" days. Obviously, Joseph Vissarionovich still believed that a youthful holiday and vodka are slightly incompatible concepts.
Several months passed and on November 12, 1942, the issuance of 100 grams of vodka was again restored for all Red Army units operating on the front line. Servicemen of reserve units, construction battalions, as well as wounded Red Army soldiers received rations of 50 grams of vodka per day. It is interesting that in units and subunits stationed in Transcaucasia, instead of vodka, it was supposed to give out 200 grams of port wine or 300 grams of dry wine. Apparently, it was easier from an organizational point of view.
Nevertheless, after a few months, the reform of the issuance of vodka again followed, associated with turning points at the front. So, on April 30, 1943, the State Defense Committee of the USSR issued a new Decree No. 3272 "On the procedure for issuing vodka to the troops of the army in the field." It emphasized that from May 1, 1943, the issuance of vodka to the personnel of the Red Army and the Red Army was stopped, with the exception of military personnel participating in offensive operations. All other military personnel again received the opportunity to drink at public expense only on the days of revolutionary and public holidays.
In May 1945, after the victory over Nazi Germany, the issuance of vodka in units and subunits was completely stopped. The only exceptions were submariners, who received 100 grams of dry wine per day while the submarines were on alert. But this measure was dictated, first of all, by considerations of maintaining the health of military personnel.
It should be noted that the Red Army men themselves were very ambiguous about the "Voroshilov ration". Of course, at first glance, one would expect that almost any Soviet soldier was insanely happy with the "People's Commissar's hundred grams." In fact, if you look at the memories of people who actually fought, this was not entirely true. Young and unfired soldiers drank, they were the first to die.
Older men were well aware that vodka only temporarily removes fear, does not warm at all, and its use before a fight can do more harm than help. Therefore, many experienced Red Army soldiers refrained from drinking alcohol before the battle. Some of them changed alcohol from especially drinking colleagues for some more necessary products or things.
Director Pyotr Efimovich Todorovsky fought since 1942, having got to the front as a seventeen-year-old boy. In 1944 he graduated from the Saratov military infantry school and was assigned as a mortar platoon commander to the 2nd battalion of the 93rd rifle regiment of the 76th rifle division. Participated in the liberation of Warsaw, Szczecin, the capture of Berlin. He finished the war with the rank of lieutenant, was wounded, shell-shocked, but until 1949 he continued to serve in the Red Army near Kostroma. That is, he was a quite experienced officer, whose memories of the war can be trusted. Peter Todorovsky emphasized:
I remember that vodka was dispensed only before the attack. The foreman walked along the trench with a mug, and whoever wanted, poured himself. The young people drank first. And then they climbed right under the bullets and died. Those who survived after several fights treated vodka with great caution.
Another well-known director, Grigory Naumovich Chukhrai, was drafted into the Red Army even before the start of the war, in 1939. He first served as a cadet of the 229th separate communications battalion of the 134th rifle division, then was sent to the airborne units. He went through the entire war as part of the airborne units on the Southern, Stalingrad, Don, 1st and 2nd Ukrainian fronts. He served as the commander of the communications company of the 3rd Guards Airborne Brigade, the chief of communications of the Guards Regiment. He was wounded three times and received the Order of the Red Star. Chukhrai recalled about the "Voroshilov ration" that even at the very beginning of the war, the soldiers of his unit drank heavily and this ended deplorably for the unit, there were heavy losses. After that, Grigory Naumovich refused to drink, and held out until the very end of the war. Chukhrai did not drink his “Voroshilovsky ration”, but gave it to his friends.
Philosopher and writer Alexander Alexandrovich Zinoviev during the Great Patriotic War in the spring of 1941 was enrolled in a tank regiment, then sent to study at the Ulyanovsk military aviation school, which he graduated in 1944 with the rank of junior lieutenant and was assigned to the 2nd Guards Assault aviation corps. Zinoviev participated in battles in Poland and Germany, received the Order of the Red Star. The writer admitted that it was after graduating from the aviation school that he began to regularly "lay behind the collar." He, as a combat pilot, was entitled to 100 grams for sorties, and he, like other officers of the squadron, used this opportunity:
Well, I gradually got involved. Then he drank a lot, but he was not a physiological alcoholic. If there was no booze, then I didn't want to.
However, many front-line soldiers treated vodka much more warmly. It is no coincidence that folk songs were composed about the people's commissar's one hundred grams, they were remembered in proverbs and sayings decades after the war. For some front-line soldiers, unfortunately, the habit of drinking remained for the rest of their lives, fell on the experienced impressions, which often only aggravated the situation.
