Order No. 227 (Russian: Приказ № 227}, romanized: Prikaz No. 227) was an order issued on 28 July 1942 by Joseph Stalin, who was acting as the People's Commissar of Defence. It is known for its line "Not a step back!" (Ни шагу назад!, Ni shagu nazad!),[1] which became the primary slogan of the Soviet press in summer 1942.[2]
The order established that each front must create one to three penal battalions (Shtrafbats), which were sent to the most dangerous sections of the front lines.[3] From 1942 to 1945, a total of 422,700 Red Army personnel were sentenced to penal battalions as a result of courts-martial.[4] The order also directed that each army must create "blocking detachments" at the rear that would shoot "panic-mongers and cowards".[2] In the first three months, blocking detachments shot 1,000 penal troops and sent 24,000 to penal battalions. By October 1942, the idea of regular blocking detachments was quietly dropped.[5]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_No._227