During my history studies I have come across multiple mentions of "Penal battalions" being used throughout history. Since the Romans during the second Punic war to the most known cases on the eastern front during WW2. The thing I have never manage to understand is: how does an army make sure that a penal battalion will fight for them instead of turning its weapons against their officers and run away? From what I managed to understand, generally speaking, trusted officers and NCOs were put in the battalion to "convince" the criminals to behave properly. But to me having just some lightly armed officer who has to control a whole unit of heavily armed infantry man does not sound right. There is litteraly nothing preventing these guys to just shoot the officers and run away. I would like to know more about this topic, in particular during WW2 time period, thanks guys.
I think almost every nation in WW2 utilized penal battalions in *some* capacity. That said, not all penal battalions were front line troops. The Germans had *Strafbatallionen* before the war, they were generally used in non-combat support roles. This changed during the war, particularly after the East had gone sour in 1943. Germany formed the *Bewährungsbataillonen* which were combat troops, as you assume the officers and NCOs were trusted men, so were about a quarter of the enlisted men. So why didn't they just shoot their officers and leave? Well, there were military police around of course, they would pick up people who decided to try to desert and go home. Besides, there were consequences if you did, namely being sent to a concentration camp. Had an entire Battalion deserted I am fairly sure they would have been declared hostile and engaged by other units but that never happened.
The *Bewährungsbataillonen* actually preformed reasonably well, casualties were high but they often undertook high risk missions so that is to be expected. There *were* desertions, particularly on the southern front. Hundreds of soldiers from *Bewährungsbataillon 999* deserted over the course of the war, either to join the greek resistance, the allies or just to disappear. Still, a few hundred out of som 30 000 who served is not terrible.
The Russians had their penal battalions too of course. Notably after order 227 had been issued. These units were not entirely unlike the german *Bewährungsbataillonen* in their composition. A key difference between the USSR and Germany is the use of barrier troops (*"zagraditel'nyye otriady "*), usually from the NKVD or SMERSH (regular troops were found too hesistant to preform barrier duty). You can see a dramatization in Enemy at the Gates if you want to understand the concept although as has been pointed out numerous times before, that dramatization is *wildly* inaccurate.
The Russion Penal units prefromed relatively well too. Rokossovsky's 16th Army for example was entirely made up of penal infantry battalions and it preformed admirably. Technically speaking Rokossovsky himself could be considered a penal soldier, having been sent to the Gulag and all. The Russians also employed penal airforce squadrons which were assigned to especially dangerous missions such as attacking positions known to be protected by AA-guns.
There are some noteworthy differences between the Soviet and German penal units. Namely in how easy it was to get out of one. The German Bewährungsbataillonen were tasked with reinstilling a sense of duty and honor in disgraced soldiers (officially). If you served without complaint, took part in the mandated indoctrination and particularly if you distinguished yourself, being returned to your original unit was virtually guaranteed. Only a few hundred soldiers over the course of the war actually had their death sentences/KZ-sentences carried out, the rest were all either KIA/WIA/MIA or returned to their units.
On the other side of the front things were not so easy. Although a man in a penal battalion could technically be restored to his previous assignment if he preformed well during a number of combat missions (I believe it was 10 but don't quote me on that) the reality was often that these men were reassigned to clear mines, run wires or do some other risky non-combat task before they had a chance to reach that number.
While just shooting your officer and walking off sounds easy in theory there are a number of other factors you have to account for, which depend on where you are. In a German penal battalion you'd like get arrested or shot by some other penal soldier because unlike you, they were actually trying to get back to their original unit and you just gave them a golden ticket. Even if that didn't happen, then what? Go home? You can't. Your citizenship would be revoked and you would be sent to a KZ if you were arrested. Take your chances with the Soviets? Not an appealing prospect to most Germans. Try to hide? Sure, some did in Greece but on the eastern front that too was no an appealing prospect. better by far for most to just serve out their time and return to their unit.
In Russia you'd face a different set of challenges. Guarded by NKVD/SMERSH units at all time, barrier troops behind you in combat, really nowhere to run even if you do get away. The same challenges as faced a german soldier applied to russians. You'd be arrested and sent to Gulag if you went home, if you went to the Germans odds are you'd be arrested and sent to KZ. At least in the penal unit you have a clear way out, however unattainable it may be.