In conversations about the Great Patriotic War Along with the T-34 tank and the Il-2 attack aircraft, the so-called “People’s Commissar 100 grams” regularly pop up.
Some call the alcohol allowance of Red Army soldiers one of the attributes Great Victory, others believe that it became the cause of the destructive addiction of not even one, but several generations of Soviet men.
But what was the situation in reality? Where did the notorious “People's Commissar 100 grams” come from and what role did they play in the war?
Cup from Peter the Great
The history of supplying soldiers with alcohol began long before the Bolsheviks. Even when Peter I The issuance of portions of “bread wine” to soldiers was introduced.
The tradition turned out to be very stable: from the end of the 18th century until 1908, the lower ranks of the Russian army in wartime were entitled to 3 glasses of “bread wine” per week, and non-combatants - 2 glasses. The volume of one glass was 160 grams. In peacetime, vodka was given to soldiers on holidays, but not less than 15 glasses per year. Plus, each commander had the right to “pour” his subordinates “to maintain health”: as a rule, this meant conducting classes and parades in the cold season or in bad weather.
A similar situation occurred in the Russian fleet. The only difference is that they drank more there. The naval regulations of Peter I prescribed a sailor 4 glasses of vodka per week, and starting in 1761, the dose was increased to one glass daily.
The time of Prohibition
In the last quarter of the XIX century, Russian doctors started a riot. In the context of a change in army recruitment from conscription to universal conscription, they discovered that young people from peasant families who did not drink alcohol in civilian life were returning home with an acquired bad habit.
The doctors’ recommendation was clear: stop issuing vodka in the army. But the Russian generals did not agree with this, believing that the dose of vodka given was insignificant and could not lead to serious consequences.
But in 1908, summing up the defeat in Russian-Japanese war, one of the reasons for which was cited as alcohol abuse among soldiers and officers, the Russian military department decided to stop issuing alcohol in the army. In addition, the sale of strong alcoholic beverages in soldiers' canteens was prohibited.
The People's Commissar asked for "sugreva"
The pause in the relationship between alcohol and the army lasted for 32 years. We remembered vodka at the height of the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939/1940. The Red Army suffered heavy losses not only from the actions of Finnish saboteurs, but also from colds, hypothermia and frostbite. People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR Kliment Voroshilov, puzzling over how to solve the problem, I remembered the tradition of “drinking to warm up.”
In January 1940, Voroshilov addressed Stalin request to give soldiers and commanders of the Red Army 100 grams of vodka and 50 grams of lard per day due to difficult weather conditions. The leader approved the proposal, and the distribution of alcohol began. At the same time, the norm for tank crews was doubled, and pilots were allowed to be given 100 grams of cognac.
It was then that the lard given out was called “Voroshilov ration”, and vodka was called “People’s Commissar 100 grams”. The distribution of alcohol in the Red Army was stopped along with the end of hostilities.
Front grams
They decided to repeat the experience of the Finnish campaign in the summer of 1941. Now, instead of frost, there was a very difficult situation at the fronts, when the soldiers had to withstand the powerful onslaught of the German military machine.
On August 22, 1941, Joseph Stalin signs a secret decree of the State Defense Committee (GKO):
“No. GKO-562s “On the introduction of vodka for supply in the active Red Army.”
Establish, starting from September 1, 1941, the distribution of 40° vodka in the amount of 100 grams per day per person to the Red Army and the commanding personnel of the first line of the active army.
Chairman State Committee Defense of I. Stalin".
August 25, 1941 Deputy People's Commissar of Defense, Lieutenant General Andrey Khrulev signs order No. 0320 “On issuing 100 grams of vodka per day to frontline military personnel of the active army.” Along with the soldiers fighting on the front line, pilots performing vodka should receive vodka. combat missions, as well as the engineering and technical staff of the airfields of the active army.
The distribution of 100 grams was resumed for everyone who was on the front line and led fighting. Photo: RIA Novosti / Alexander Kapustyansky
Rules of use: who and how much was allowed
No one was going to solder the army. The Soviet leadership monitored the situation closely and returned to this topic several times during the war.
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 made amendments to the draft resolution, prepared on May 11. Now only those military personnel who participated in offensive operations received vodka. The rest were given vodka only on holidays. These included revolutionary and public celebrations: the anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution (November 7 and 8), Constitution Day (December 5), New Year's Day (January 1), Red Army Day (February 23), International Workers' Day ( May 1 and 2), All-Union Sportsman's Day (July 19), All-Union Aviation Day (August 16), regimental holiday day (unit formation).
On November 12, 1942, the conditions for issuing alcohol were changed again. The distribution of 100 grams was resumed for everyone who was on the front line and engaged in combat operations. Those who served in the rear - divisional and regimental reserves, construction battalions working under enemy fire, as well as the wounded (with the permission of doctors) - were entitled to 50 grams of vodka per day. On the Transcaucasian front, it was decided to give out 200 grams of port wine or 300 grams of dry wine instead of 100 grams of vodka.
On April 30, 1943, State Defense Committee decree No. 3272 “On the procedure for issuing vodka to the troops of the active army” was issued:
"1. To stop, as of May 3, 1943, the daily mass distribution of vodka to the personnel of the active army.
2. The distribution of vodka at the rate of 100 grams per day per person shall be carried out to military personnel only of those units of the front line that conduct offensive operations, and the determination of exactly which armies and formations to issue vodka rests with the military councils of the fronts and individual armies.
3. All other military personnel in the active army shall be issued vodka in the amount of 100 grams per person per day on the days of revolutionary and public holidays.”
This norm lasted until 1945. After the victory over Germany and militaristic Japan, the distribution of alcohol in the Soviet army was stopped.
Only the crews of nuclear submarines remained in a “privileged” position; during combat campaigns, they were given alcohol in the form of dry wine in the amount of 100 grams per day.
For benefit or harm - no clarity
Among veterans who went through the war, the attitude towards the “People's Commissar 100 grams” is different. Some believed that such a dose really helped relieve stress and dull the feeling of fear, others believed that vodka did not bring anything good. By the way, no one forced me to drink. The number of those who were not addicted to either tobacco or vodka during the war is very significant.
Strict control and repeated changes in the rules for issuing alcohol in the direction of tightening show that the Kremlin did not believe in the success of the “drunk army”.
Like the tsarist generals, the Soviet commanders believed that the main problem not in the “People’s Commissar’s 100 grams,” but in the attempts of some soldiers and officers to achieve “continuation of the banquet.”
At the beginning of the war, during the period of heavy losses of the Red Army, military personnel received alcohol at payroll units, dividing between the living portions of alcohol intended for the dead. And in the final phase of the war, the headache for the command became large volumes“trophy” alcohol captured from the Germans, as well as gift alcohol that was presented Soviet soldiers grateful residents of liberated cities and villages.
Alcohol abuse was punished mercilessly: an officer caught drinking risked demotion in rank, or even the end of his career. Another question is that even such strict measures did not stop everyone. Doctors still cannot agree on whether the “Narkom’s 100 grams” saved people from stress and overload or formed an alcohol addiction.
But we can say with all certainty that the stories about “100 grams” as a factor of Victory are no more true than the statements that the Wehrmacht was not defeated Zhukov With Rokossovsky, and “General Frost”.
FROM CIVIL TO FINNISH
Stalin and Voroshilov were drinkers. Nikita Khrushchev recalled an incident during the Civil War: “When Stalin was in Tsaritsyn, he went to grain procurements and at the same time took measures to organize the defense of Tsaritsyn. Voroshilov retreated there from Ukraine with the 5th Army, and there they met with Stalin. Stalin said that Lenin summoned him to Moscow with a report on the state of affairs. Then Lenin says to him: “Father, I received information that you are drinking there: you drink yourself and get others drunk. You can’t do this!”
In general, both the “leader of the peoples” and the “first marshal” knew the effects of alcohol “in combat conditions” quite well. In any case, in January 1940, during the Finnish military campaign, People's Commissar Voroshilov turned to Stalin with a request: in connection with severe weather conditions, and the frost was below forty, the soldiers and commanders were given one hundred grams of vodka and 50 grams of lard per day. The Secretary General immediately agreed. The norm was doubled for tank crews, and it was decided to give pilots, as the elite of the Armed Forces, 100 grams of cognac. From January 10 to early March 1940, Red Army soldiers drank more than 10 tons of vodka and 8.8 tons of cognac. Well, two new concepts appeared in the troops: “Voroshilov ration” (vodka and lard) and “People’s Commissar 100 grams”...
HOT SUMMER OF FORTY-FIRST
In the summer of 1941, troops began to issue vodka in July. Although the order of the People's Commissar of Defense No. 0320 was signed not by the People's Commissar himself, but by his deputy, Lieutenant General of the Quartermaster Service, Khrulev, and appeared only on August 25, 1941. But in this case, Khrulev was only a performer. Three days before the order, a GKO decree signed by Stalin was issued under the heading “Soviet. secret" with the following content (see photo).
The order clarifying the resolution with the title “On issuing 100 grams of vodka per day to front-line military personnel of the active army” noted that pilots performing combat missions and the engineering and technical staff of airfields of the active army should receive vodka on an equal basis with the soldiers fighting on the front line.
Vodka was transported to the fronts in railway tanks (approximately 43 - 46 tanks per month). Then it was poured into barrels or milk cans and sent to units and units. Where possible, alcohol could also be served in glass containers.
By the way, the GKO resolution also indicated the strength of vodka - 40 degrees... They went on the attack with vodka, and they also used it to commemorate their fallen comrades. And there was no need to keep warm in the summer - it was needed in the fall, winter and in early spring next year, 1942...
PHYSICAL WORKER'S DAY? POUR IT UP!
The decline in the morale of the troops after the defeats near Kharkov and in the Crimea forced Stalin to once again put the issue of vodka at the forefront. In May 1942, he decided that the issuance of “People's Commissar 100 grams” needed to be differentiated. Nevertheless, the signing of the GKO resolution was postponed until June. Stalin himself made serious editorial changes to the document (see photo).
The project provided for “to maintain the issuance of vodka only to military personnel of front-line units who have had success in the fight against the Nazi invaders, increasing it to 200 g per day,” but Stalin made corrections with his red pencil. The text now retained “People’s Commissar” only for those parts of the front line whose military personnel were conducting offensive operations. From now on, the rest of the front line servicemen were given 100 grams only on holidays. These included revolutionary and public celebrations: the anniversary October revolution November 7 and 8, Constitution Day on December 5, Red Army Day on February 23, All-Union Aviation Day on August 16, regiment holiday (unit formation) and for some reason All-Union Sportsman's Day on July 19. International Youth Day September 6th, present in the project, “ best friend children" decisively crossed out...
"WEAPON OF VICTORY"
On November 12, 1942, a week before the Soviet troops went on the offensive at Stalingrad, the State Defense Committee again regulated the distribution of alcohol to the troops. Both the resolution and the order became more liberal: 100 grams were poured out to everyone who was on the front line and engaged in hostilities. The artillerymen and mortarmen, who supported the infantry with fire, were not spared either. The rear - regimental and divisional reserves, the construction battalion, which “worked under enemy fire,” and the wounded (with the permission of doctors) were now given 50 grams per day. Well, the Transcaucasian Front was allowed to issue 200 grams of port wine or 300 grams of dry wine per day instead of vodka. Behind last month In 1942, the Western Front drank almost a million liters of vodka, the Stalingrad Front - 407 thousand liters, and the Transcaucasian Front - 1.2 million liters of wine...
Later, the standards for issuing alcohol in the active army were again adjusted. On April 30, 1943, Stalin signed GKO Resolution No. 3272 “On the procedure for issuing vodka to the troops of the active army.” The order of the NGO stated: “1. To stop, as of May 3, 1943, the daily mass distribution of vodka to the personnel of the active army. 2. The distribution of vodka at the rate of 100 grams per day per person shall be carried out to military personnel only of those units of the front line that are conducting offensive operations, and the determination of which armies and formations to issue vodka rests with the military councils of the fronts and individual armies. 3. All other military personnel in the active army shall be issued vodka in the amount of 100 grams per person per day on the days of revolutionary and public holidays.”
Right after Battle of Kursk For the first time, NKVD units and railway troops were included in the vodka consumption limit list, which consumed as much vodka from November 25 to December 31, 1943 as the entire North Caucasus Front.
The issuance of vodka to units of the active army was canceled due to the surrender fascist Germany only in May 1945...
AND THERE WAS A CASE
I’m happy to serve the “Afghans” alcohol mashine
In the Soviet army, personnel were not allowed to drink alcohol. In addition to 100 grams of dry wine per day for sailors on nuclear submarines during a combat campaign.
They say that many took this ration in turns with their comrades - to double or even triple the dose. In the ground forces, self-made “miracles of technology” came to the aid of those suffering in the form of all kinds of distillation cubes of the most intricate configuration.
Here is a fragment of correspondence between an “Afghan” officer (he is in the picture) and “KP” military observer Colonel Viktor BARANTS:
I also had a powerful device in Afghanistan (inherited from an old battery commander). The coil is a fuel pipe from a GAZ-66, the container is a tank from a PAK-70. The stream was as thick as a finger!
Baranets: - How much did you have to drink to transition from a vertical to a horizontal position for prone shooting?
The battalion had its own bakery, so yeast was almost always available. And they took Yugoslav jam as a basis. Or just sugar, condensed milk... Two or three days were enough - and now the mulka (aka mash) is ready! Often there was not enough patience, and already at the brewing stage everything was drunk. The smell was pleasant, at least not fusel. Sometimes they experimented with double distillation, but rarely...
"People's Commissars hundred grams"- a well-known expression from the description of life during the war. It is present in today’s memories of veterans of the Great Patriotic War ( especially fake veterans). Writers who work in the field of military issues write relishingly about front-line vodka; in feature films, commanders love to treat distinguished soldiers with it. For pseudohistorians, denigrating both our army and our war, vodka is an excellent reason to colorfully paint stories about drunken Red Army soldiers going on the attack, mocking lovely German women.
Some people blame vodka, and at the same time Stalin, that the soldiers, accustomed to daily drinking at the front, returned home, drank themselves to death, became alcoholics, and lost their human appearance.
And true front-line soldiers tell very different things about the People’s Commissar’s hundred grams. There is no unity in their memories. Some of them prove that at the front they didn’t even smell the smell of vodka, others boast about the liters they drank.
What was it really like? In order not to argue and prove that this was all true or even the opposite, I will cite several documents from the war period. These are mainly original documents from 1941-42. For the years 43-45 there are few documents on this matter, mostly minor clarifications such as the distribution of vodka to intelligence officers.
It is possible that the GKO resolution 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.
On the introduction of vodka for supply in the active Red Army
Establish starting from September 1, 1941. dispensing vodka 40 degrees in the amount of 100g. per day per person (Red Army soldier) and commanding personnel of the front line troops of the active army.
Chairman of the State Defense Committee I. Stalin
I just want to draw the reader’s attention to the fact that the People’s Commissar of Defense had nothing to do with this, it was the decision of the State Defense Committee that vodka was given out only in the active army and only to those who are on the front line. In the rear districts one could only dream of vodka.
Where did the famous expression “People's Commissar's hundred grams” come from? And why exactly “People's Commissars”?
Perhaps because the army was usually more familiar with the orders of the People's Commissar of Defense than with the decrees of the State Defense Committee. Following the Decree of the State Defense Committee, an order of the NGO is issued, which was probably communicated to personnel:
On the distribution of 100 grams of vodka per day to frontline military personnel of the active army.
In pursuance of the resolution of the State Defense Committee of August 22, 1941 No. 562ss, I order:
1. From September 1, 1941, distribute 40° vodka in the amount of 100 grams per person per day to Red Army soldiers and commanding officers of the front line of the active army. The flight personnel of the Red Army Air Force performing combat missions and engineering technical staff servicing the field airfields of the active army, vodka is distributed on the same basis as units of the front line.
2. Military councils of fronts and armies:
a) organize the distribution of vodka only for those contingents determined by the resolution of the State Defense Committee, and strictly control its exact implementation:
b) ensure timely delivery of vodka to the front lines of active troops and organize reliable protection of its reserves in the field;
c) at the expense of the economic apparatus of units and divisions, allocate special persons who will be held responsible for the correct distribution of vodka portions, accounting for vodka consumption and maintaining income and expenditure records;
d) order the front quartermasters to submit information about the balances to the Main Quartermaster Directorate once every ten days and monthly by the 25th a request for the required amount of vodka. The application is 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 will be determined by the Chief Quartermaster of the Red Army without submitting requests from the fronts. The order is to be put into effect by telegraph.
Deputy People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR
In the spring of 1942 The procedure for issuing vodka is changing. An order is issued from the People's Commissar of Defense announcing a new GKO resolution:
On the procedure for issuing vodka to troops in the active army.
1. I announce for the exact and strict execution of the Resolution of the State Defense Committee No. GOKO-1727s dated May 11, 1942 “On the procedure for issuing vodka to the troops of the active army” (attached).
2. I place responsibility on the military councils of fronts and armies, commanders of formations and units for the correct assignment and distribution of vodka for the allowance of military personnel in accordance with the announced Resolution of the State Defense Committee.
3. The Order and Resolution of the State Defense Committee shall be put into effect by telegraph.
4. Order of NKO No. 0320 of 1941 to be cancelled.
Lieutenant General of the Quartermaster Service KHRULEV
Application:
Resolution of the State Defense Committee No. GOKO 1727c
1. Stop on May 15, 1942. mass daily distribution of vodka to active army personnel.
3. All other front line military personnel will be given 100g of vodka. per person on the following revolutionary and national holidays: November 7-8, December 5, January 1, February 23, May 1-2, July 19 (National Sports Day), August 16 (Aviation Day), September 6 (International Youth Day) ), as well as on the day of the regimental holiday (formation of the unit).
I.Stalin
Note that now vodka is only on the front line, and only to those who achieved success that day, i.e. attacked and to no avail. For everyone else, only on holidays. In parts located outside the rear of the front, there are only seagulls.
State Defense Decree No. 1889
As a change to the State Defense Committee resolution of May 11 this year. The State Defense Committee decides:
1. Stop on May 15, 1942. mass daily distribution of vodka to active army personnel.
3. All other front line military personnel will be given 100g of vodka. produce on revolutionary and national holidays.
4. Resolution of the State Defense Committee of August 22, 1941. No. 562 cancel.
I.Stalin
That's it. 200g each per day, Stalin considered it too much, and vodka is now only in the offensive.
The following is the order of the People's Commissar of Defense on this matter:
Order of NGOs of the USSR
On the procedure for storing and issuing vodka to active army troops
Despite repeated instructions and categorical demands that vodka be issued to the active army strictly for its intended purpose and according to established standards, cases of illegal issuance of vodka still do not stop.
Vodka is issued to headquarters, command personnel and units that are not entitled to receive it. Some commanders of units and formations and command staff of headquarters and departments, taking advantage of their official position, take vodka from warehouses, regardless of orders and in accordance with the established procedure. Control over the consumption of vodka by the military councils of the fronts and armies is poorly established. Vodka accounting in units and warehouses is in an unsatisfactory state.
In accordance with the resolution of the State Defense Committee of June 6 this year. No. GOKO-1889s, I order:
1. Vodka, 100 grams per day per person, shall be issued to military personnel only of those front line units that are conducting offensive operations.
2. All other front-line military personnel will be issued vodka in the amount of 100 grams per person 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 Red Army Day - February 23, on International Workers' Day - May 1 and 2, on All-Union Sportsman's Day - July 19, on All-Union Aviation Day - August 16, as well as on the day of the regimental holiday (formation of a unit).
3. The release of vodka to armies and formations must be carried out only with the permission of the chief of logistics of the Red Army according to instructions General Staff The Red Army, according to the representations of the military councils of the fronts and armies.
4. To store vodka, organize special storage facilities at front-line and army food warehouses. Appoint a storage manager and one storekeeper from among specially selected honest, trusted individuals who can ensure the complete safety of the vodka. After receiving and disbursing operations, seal the storage facilities and place a guard. Strictly vetted persons should be assigned to the guard.
5. The heads of the food supply departments of the fronts and the heads of the food supply departments of the armies should take into account all available vodka in the troops and in warehouses as of June 15 and immediately transfer it for storage to the corresponding front-line and army warehouses.
6. Registration of the issue 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 food supply of the fronts and armies, based on the instructions of the chief of rear of the Red Army on the timing of issuance and the number of units authorized to issue vodka.
7. I entrust the military councils of fronts and armies, commanders and military commissars with responsibility for the correct storage, consumption and accounting of vodka, vodka glassware and containers.
8. The order shall be put into effect by telegraph.
9. Order of the NGO of 1942 No. 0373 cancel.
Deputy People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR
Lieutenant General of the Quartermaster Service KHRULEV
In November 1942 The procedure for issuing vodka is changing again. First, a decree of the State Defense Committee is issued, and then a new order of the People's Commissar of Defense
1. Start from November 25, 1942. issuing vodka to troops in the active army in the following order:
a) 100g each. per person per day: to units conducting direct combat operations and located in the trenches at the forefront; reconnaissance units; artillery and mortar units attached to and supporting infantry and located in firing positions; crews of combat aircraft upon completion of their combat mission;
b) 50g each. per person per day: regimental and divisional reserves; combat support units and units carrying out work in forward positions; units performing responsible tasks in special cases, and the wounded located in field medical service institutions, as directed by doctors.
2. All other military personnel in the active army will be given vodka in the amount of 100g. per person per day to produce on the days of revolutionary and national holidays specified by the State Defense Committee Resolution 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. Military Councils of fronts and armies set monthly limits for the issuance of vodka.
I.Stalin
Order of NGOs of the USSR No. 0883
On the issuance of vodka to military units of the active army from November 25, 1942
1. In accordance with the resolution of the State Defense Committee of November 12, 1942 No. 2507c, from November 25 this year. d. begin issuing vodka to military units of the active army in the following order:
a) 100 grams per person per day: to units of units conducting direct combat operations and located in the trenches in forward positions; reconnaissance units; artillery and mortar units attached to and supporting infantry and located in firing positions; crews of combat aircraft upon completion of their combat mission;
b) 50 grams per person per day: regimental and divisional reserves; combat support units and units carrying out work in forward positions; units performing important tasks in special cases (construction and restoration of bridges, roads, etc. in particularly difficult conditions and under enemy fire), and the wounded located in field medical service institutions, as directed by doctors.
2. All military personnel in the active army shall be issued vodka in the amount of 100 grams per person per day on the days of revolutionary and public holidays specified by 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. Military councils of fronts and armies, by orders of the front and army, establish monthly limits for the distribution of vodka to army units and make consumption within the limits established for each month.
5. When the monthly limit of vodka is used up, the fronts must report to the Main Directorate of Food Supply of the Red Army to receive the limit for the next month. If the fronts fail to submit a report and the vodka is used up by the 10th of the past month, the head of the Main Directorate of Food Supply of the Red Army for the next month will not ship vodka to the fronts that did not submit the report.
6. Set a limit on vodka consumption for the fronts from November 25 to December 31, 1942, according to the appendix.
7. To the Head of the Main Directorate of Food Supply of the Red Army, Brigengineer Comrade. Pavlov and the Chief of 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:
To the Southwestern, Don and Stalingrad fronts - by November 16, to the remaining fronts - by November 20 of this year.
8. The Head of the Main Directorate of Food Supply of the Red Army shall establish constant control over the consumption of vodka in strict accordance with this order.
9. The military councils of the fronts and armies should organize the return of released vodka containers to vodka factories and bottling points of the People's Commissariat for Food Industry attached to the fronts. Military units To those who have not returned the container, do not release vodka.
10. The order shall be put into effect by telegraph.
Deputy People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR
Lieutenant General of the Quartermaster Service KHRULEV
Application.
VODKA CONSUMPTION LIMIT FOR MILITARY UNITS OF THE ACTING ARMY FROM NOVEMBER 25 TO DECEMBER 31, 1942
Name of fronts and individual armies Vodka consumption limit (in liters):
Karelian Front - 364,000
7th Army - 99,000
Leningrad Front - 533,000
Volkhov Front - 407,000
Northwestern Front - 394,000
Kalinin Front - 690,000
Western Front - 980,000
Bryansk Front - 414,000
Voronezh Front - 381,000
Southwestern Front - 478,000
Don Front - 544,000
Stalingrad Front - 407,000
Transcaucasian Front - 1,200,000 (wine)
Total: 5,691,000
Order of NPOs of the USSR No. 031
With the announcement of the norms and procedures for issuing vodka to the technical staff of the Air Force units of the active army
In addition to the NPO order of 1942 No. 0883 * with the announcement of the norms and procedure for issuing vodka to the personnel of active army units, 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, vodka is issued 50 grams per day per person and technical personnel only on the days of flights on combat missions of aircraft directly serviced them at airfields.
2. The procedure for issuing vodka is established according to a personal list drawn up by the command of the air unit, approved by the commander of the air division.
3. The order is announced by telegraph.
Deputy People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR
Order of NGOs of the USSR No. 0323
On the procedure for issuing vodka to troops in the active army
In pursuance of Resolution of the State Defense Committee No. GOKO-3272s dated April 30, 1943, I order:
1. Stop the daily mass distribution of vodka to the personnel of the active army troops from May 3, 1943.
2. The distribution of vodka at the rate of 100 grams per day per person shall be carried out to military personnel only of those units of the front line that are conducting offensive operations, and the determination of which armies and formations to issue vodka rests with the military councils of the fronts and individual armies.
3. All other military personnel in the active army are to be issued vodka in the amount of 100 grams per person per day on the days of revolutionary and public holidays specified in GOKO Resolution No. 1889, paragraph 3 of June 6, 1942.
Deputy People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR
Colonel General of the Quartermaster Service KHRULEV
Order of NGOs of the USSR No. 0384
On the establishment of additional allowances 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 F. F. Kuznetsov, in amendment to NKO order No. 0072 of April 19 this year.
I order:
Military reconnaissance units at the front will be content 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 grams
Bread - 100 grams
Vodka - 100 grams
Vodka is issued only on days of combat missions.
People's Commissar of Defense
Marshal Soviet Union I. STALIN
That's it. It won't hurt to walk around. There is no reason to blame front-line vodka for the fact that men became drunkards after the war.. Under such and such conditions of delivery, you will not forget the taste of vodka during the war. And it doesn’t look like the fighters were drunk before the attack. Where else can you get vodka during the war? There are no shops at the front. The local population has nothing to eat, but they will convert the food into moonshine?
Sources and literature:
1. Russian center for storing and studying documents modern history(RCKHIDNI). Fund 644, inventory 1, files 7,34, 43, 69, 303.
2. Military history magazine No. 5-1995.
3.Institute military history Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.Fond
4.Institute of Military History of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. Fund:
4, inventory 11, file 71, l. 191 - 192.
4, inventory 11, file 65, l. 413-414.
You can find many references to the use of alcoholic beverages by soldiers to achieve one or another effect in battle. But where did this habit come from in the Russian army, who approved it, and how did alcohol affect the combat effectiveness of soldiers? And what is “People's Commissar 100 grams”? It’s worth looking into, because the fact that vodka was in the Red Army from the very beginning is a fact beyond doubt.
The history of the alcohol norm
It is known that the emperor was the first to give alcohol to soldiers in Russia. Then it was called The essence was that during the campaign, soldiers periodically drank wine, while officers, if desired, could replace it with cognac. Depending on the severity of the hike, this norm could be increased or decreased. Everything was quite strict with this. Thus, a quartermaster who did not promptly take care of supplying his unit with alcohol could even be deprived of his head. It was believed that this undermined the morale of the troops.
The tradition was picked up by many Russian tsars and emperors, but it was changed and supplemented many times. For example, wine was given to guard units in fortresses and cities. At the same time, combatant ranks received three portions per week, non-combatant - two. During the hikes, we drank vodka, which was previously diluted with water and eaten with breadcrumbs. It was customary for officers to be given tea with rum. In winter, sbiten and wine were more relevant.
It was a little different in the navy - here the sailor was necessarily given a glass, that is, 125 grams of vodka per day, but for misconduct the sailor was deprived of this opportunity. For merit, on the contrary, they gave out a double or triple dose.
How did the "People's Commissar's grams" appear?
The history of the emergence of alcohol standards in Soviet army, which was called "People's Commissar 100 grams" originates from the People's Commissar (People's Commissar) of Military and Naval Affairs of the USSR - During Finnish war he asked Stalin to allow the distribution of alcohol to the troops in order to warm the personnel in severe frosts. Indeed, at that time temperatures on the Karelian Isthmus reached 40 degrees below zero. The People's Commissar also argued that this could raise the morale of the army. And Stalin agreed. Since 1940, alcohol began to reach the troops. Before the battle, the soldier drank 100 grams of vodka and ate it with 50 grams of lard. Tankers were then entitled to double the quota, and pilots were generally given cognac. Since this caused approval among the soldiers, the norm began to be called “Voroshilov’s”. From the time of introduction (January 10) to March 1940, the soldiers drank about 10 tons of vodka and about 8 tons of cognac.
In the Great Patriotic War
The official “birthday” of the People’s Commissars is June 22, 1941. Then the terrible war of 1941-1945 came to our land - the Great Patriotic War. It was on its first day that Stalin signed order number 562, which authorized the issuance of alcohol to soldiers before battle - half a glass of vodka per person (strength - 40 degrees). This applied to those who were directly on the front line. The same was true for pilots performing combat missions, as well as airfield maintenance personnel and engineers and technicians. Responsible for carrying out the Supreme Order was the People's Commissar of the Food Industry A.I. Mikoyan. It was then that the name “People's Commissar 100 grams” was first heard. Among mandatory conditions there was a distribution of the drink by the front commanders. The regulations provided for the supply of alcohol in tanks, after which the vodka was poured into cans or barrels and delivered to the troops. There was, of course, a limitation: it was allowed to transport no more than 46 tanks per month. Naturally, in the summer such a need disappeared, but in winter, spring and autumn the norm was relevant.
It is possible that the idea of giving vodka to retreating units was inspired by psychological attacks Germans: drunken soldiers walked towards machine guns full height, without hiding. This had a profound effect on the already disadvantaged Soviet troops.
Further application of the norm in the troops
In connection with the defeat of the Red Army near Kharkov, adjustments were made to the order. Now it was decided to differentiate the distribution of vodka. From June 1942, it was planned to distribute alcohol only to those units that achieved success in battles with the Nazi invaders. At the same time, the “People’s Commissar” norm should have been increased to 200 grams. But Stalin decided that vodka could only be issued to units conducting offensive operations. The rest could see her only on holidays.
In connection with the battles near Stalingrad, the State Defense Committee decided to restore the old norm - from now on 100 grams were given to everyone who went on the attack on the front line. But there were also innovations: the artillerymen and mortarmen, who provided support for the infantry during the offensive, also received a dose. A little less - 50 grams - was poured to the rear services, namely reservists, construction troops and the wounded. The Transcaucasian Front, for example, used, due to its location, wine or port (200 and 300 grams, respectively). During the last month of fighting in 1942, a lot was drunk. The Western Front, for example, “destroyed” about a million liters of vodka, the Transcaucasian Front - 1.2 million liters of wine, and the Stalingrad Front - 407 thousand liters.
Since 1943
Already in 1943 (April), the standards for issuing alcohol were changed again. GKO Resolution No. 3272 stated that the mass distribution of vodka to units would be stopped, and the norm would be given only to those units that were conducting offensive operations on the front line. Everyone else received "People's Commissar's grams" only on holidays. The distribution of alcohol was now the responsibility of the front or army councils. By the way, such troops as the NKVD and railway troops fell under the limit, since their alcohol consumption was very high.
Many veterans, reminiscing, said that this norm did not exist everywhere. In some units, for example, it was issued only on paper, but in reality there was no distribution of alcohol. Others, on the contrary, testify that this was practiced, and on a massive scale. So the true state of affairs is not known for certain.
The issuance of the norm was finally abolished due to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945. However, the Soviet troops fell in love with this kind of norm so much that the tradition was preserved until the collapse of the USSR. In particular, this was done by the military personnel of the Afghan contingent. Of course, such things were done secretly, since the command would not pat soldiers on the head for drinking alcohol during combat operations.
Mentioning a similar alcohol standard in the Red Army, it should also be said that the Wehrmacht, against which it fought, was also not particularly sober. Among the soldiers, the most popular alcoholic drink was schnapps, and the officers drank champagne, which was supplied from France. And, if you don’t take alcohol into account, they didn’t disdain other substances either. So, in order to maintain vigor during combat operations, soldiers took medications - Pervitin, for example, or Isophane. The first one was called "penzershokolade" - "tank chocolate". It was sold openly, with soldiers often asking their parents to send them Pervitin.
Results and consequences of application
Why was alcohol given during the war? This question, upon careful consideration, can give dozens of different answers. Which of them will be closest to the truth?
As stated in the resolution, alcohol was given out in winter in order to warm up frozen soldiers. However, any doctor will confirm that alcohol only creates the appearance of warming, in fact the situation does not change in any way.
Also, knowing the effect alcohol has on the human brain, it can be argued that it was taken to raise morale. Indeed, in many situations when initiative or recklessness of soldiers was necessary, they were extinguished by the instinct of self-preservation. Narkomovskaya vodka effectively suppressed along with the main fears. But it also dulled reflexes and perception, and participating drunk in battle was not the best best idea. That is why many experienced fighters deliberately refused to drink before a fight. And, as it turned out later, they did the right thing.
The effect of alcohol on the psyche and physical condition
Among other things, vodka had an effective effect if the human psyche was subjected to severe stress, as often happens in war. Alcohol saved many fighters from severe nervous shock or even madness. However, it is impossible to say with certainty whether it is positive or Negative influence alcohol in war has an effect on the army.
Yes, vodka, even though it has all the positive qualities described above, was still harmful. One can only imagine the scale of the army’s losses, because alcohol intoxication in battle almost always meant certain death. In addition, we must not lose sight of the very fact of constant alcohol consumption, which can cause alcoholism, and in some cases, death. also shouldn’t be written off. So “People's Commissar's 100 grams” have both positive and negative sides.
The USSR never supported drunkenness. It is all the more surprising that it was practiced among the troops, albeit in a limited form. After all, since 1938, large campaigns against drunkenness in the army have been carried out several times. Many of the highest command or party officials were investigated specifically for excessive alcohol consumption. Accordingly, both the distribution and consumption of alcohol were kept under strict control. For drunkenness at the wrong time, they could easily be sent to a penal battalion, or even shot without trial, especially in a time like the 1941-1945 war.
Post-war use in the army
In addition to illegal cases, there was still an official alcohol standard - in the navy. Submarine combat crews nuclear boats a daily allowance of dry wine was prescribed (also 100 grams). But, as under Stalin, they handed him over only during a military campaign.
Reflection of the term in art
For some reason, the “People's Commissar's 100 grams” have become very firmly entrenched in art. Already at that time one could hear songs mentioning the alcohol norm. And cinema has not avoided this phenomenon - in many films you can see soldiers knocking over a glass before a battle and shouting “For the Motherland! For Stalin!” go on the offensive.