kers by their behavior, not only at the front of the Red Army did not show a sample of courage, strength and love of country, and vice versa hide in crevices in the offices are busy, do not see and do not observe the field of battle, and when the first serious challenges to combat shrink from the enemy, tear off his insignia, a deserter from the battlefield.
Can I put up with the Red Army cowards, deserters to the enemy and surrendering him prisoner or such craven chiefs, who at the first hitch on the front tears off his insignia and desert in the rear? No you can not! If unleash these cowards and deserters, they lay the short time our army and destroy our country. Cowards and deserters must be destroyed.
Can we assume battalion commanders and commanders of regiments, who hide in crevices during the fight, do not see the battlefield, there was no progress on the field of battle and still think they regimental commanders and battalions? No you can not! This is not the commanders of regiments and battalions, and impostors.
If unleashed such impostors, they soon turn our army into a solid office. These impostors should immediately dismiss from office, to reduce the post, in the rank and file transfer, and if necessary shot on the spot, bringing to their place of bold and courageous people from the ranks of junior command personnel or of the soldiers.
I hereby order:
Commanders and political officers in combat tears off his insignia and deserters to the rear or surrendering to the enemy, considered malicious deserters whose families are subject to arrest as a family have violated the oath and betrayed their homeland deserters.
Require all higher commanders and commissars shot on the spot such deserters of command personnel.
Was encircled enemy units and formations selflessly fight to the last, to protect materiel as the apple of an eye, on his way to the rear of the enemy troops, defeating the fascist dogs.
Require each soldier, regardless of his or her position, require the superior, if part of it is in the environment, fight to the last, to make way for his own, and if such a boss or group of Red Army instead of organizing resistance to the enemy will choose to give up his prisoner, - Destroy them by all means, both ground and air, and the families who surrendered captured Soviet soldiers deny public assistance and help.
Oblige commanders and commissars divisions immediately shift from post commanders of battalions and regiments, hiding in crevices during the battle and those who fear direct its fight on the battlefield, to reduce their positions as impostors, translate the ranks, and when necessary to shoot them on the spot, bringing to their place of bold and courageous people of junior command personnel or from the ranks of the Red Army excelled.
The order read in all companies, squadrons, batteries, squadrons, teams and staffs.
Supreme High Command of Red Army Chairman of the National Defence –STALIN
Deputy. Chairman of the State Defence Committee V. Molotov Marshal S. Boudin Marshal Timoshenko Marshal Boris Shaposhnikov Army General Zhukov