Pyl’cyn & SMG Company (SU733) 1 Shtraf Platoon or 2 Shock Submachine-gun Platoons Whatever the reason for them being there, your men of the 8ya Otdyelnaya Shtrafnoy Batalon (8th Independent Penal Battalion) know the only way out is to fight and defeat the fascists, or die trying! The Komissar is there to remind them of their duty and to punish cowards.

The brave Shtrafniki (penal soldiers) are well armed with the reliable Pepeshka submachine-guns, grenades, raw desperate courage and plenty of ammunition. The factories of the Soviet Union have supplied them with the ability to finally complete the great mission to rid Mother Russia of the fascist invaders! They utilise the potential of the submachine-gun and fire at close range to suppress the enemy and then the Shtrafniki hurl themselves against the enemy defences. The Shtraf Batalon is the blunt reconnaissance instrument of the Soviet Army. The Shtraf, or penal, battalions are formed from Soviet soldiers who have committed offences against the Motherland.

With infantry increasingly in short supply, they are too valuable to shoot but not trusted enough to ignore their sins. Other Soviet forces have a lot of impressive weapons and machines to wage war. However, commanding the 8ya Otdyelnaya Shtrafnoy Batalon takes nerves of steel, as they can rely only on their men. Armed with not much more than their submachine-guns and their fearless commitment to redeem their sins, they are prepared to do whatever it takes to rid their beloved country of the fascist invaders. When handled effectively, the 8ya Otdyelnaya Shtrafnoy Batalon is a devastating force.

Soviet planners used the 8th Independent Penal Battalion to conduct reconnaissance in force missions. The battalion would assault the enemy to test the strength of their positions. If the battalion was destroyed, there was obviously a significant enemy force in their way that required attention from the rest of the division. If the battalion survived and broke through, there was obviously minimal enemy activity and an opportunity to exploit.

In Flames Of War When fielding the 8ya Otdyelnaya Shtrafnoy Batalon, a good commander takes as many Shtrafniki as they can possibly get their hands on. Being well trained, they have as much skill as any other Soviet infantry formation, but their real strength is that they will never run away.

Combined with their Komissar and the Shtrafnik’s Absolution special rule (see page 8 Stalin’s Onslaught), and large enough companies to benefit from the Soviet Quality of Quantity special rule (see page 182 of the rulebook), it takes a lot to slow a Shtraf Batalon down! The real trick to running this force is the ability to accept casualties.

The Soviet commander will lose a lot of infantry on the way to victory. The way a Shtraf Batalon overcomes their enemy is to deploy as far forward as they can, and charge toward the enemy and pin them down with your deadly flame-throwers before slamming into the defenders. Accept that some of your force will be chewed up by the enemy’s firepower as your companies charge forward.

As long as the Shtraf companies start at full strength, they are almost guaranteed to get into range to use their attached heavy machine-guns and flame-throwers to assault the enemy lines. While in assault, the Shtraf Batalon has no equal. Due to the motivation and numbers of the Shtrafniki, the enemy is almost guaranteed to break before your human wave!

Leytenant A V Pyl’cyn Leytenant A V Pyl’cyn (pronounced, Pil-chin) began his military career as a volunteer soldier and quickly established himself as a competent leader. As a loyal officer, he was given command of a company in the 8ya Otdyelnaya Shtrafnoy Batalon (8th Independent Penal Battalion) in 1944. Operation Bagration was Pyl’cyn’s first major combat action. In the opening days of the campaign, he led his men through a German minefield and cleared paths for the following Soviet troops. Pyl’cyn earned a reputation as an expert mine-clearer, a skill he was not enthusiastic about using too often! During the operation, Pyl’cyn was wounded. While in the hospital, he met a nurse named Rita Makarievskaya.

After his recovery, he had her transferred to his company as a medic where she saved many lives. The two were married before the end of the war. Pyl’cyn and his Shtrafniki went on to fight in the Vistula-Oder operation and the final assault into Berlin. During his service, he was wounded three times, awarded the Order of the Red Banner, Order of the Great Patriotic War 1st Class, and the Order of the Red Star.   Characteristics Leytenant A V Pyl’cyn is a Warrior and an SMG team that is the Command team of one of the Shtraf Companies in your 8ya Otdyelnaya Shtrafnoy Batalon. He is not an Independent team. Leytenant A V Pyl’cyn must be the Command SMG team of one of your Shtraf Companies at no additional cost.

Reconnaissance in Force A Shtraf Batalon often led reconnaissance in force missions to discover enemy weak points along the front line. Deploy Pyl’cyn’s Shtraf Company when you would normally deploy Independent Teams.  Mine Expert During a Reconnaissance in Force mission, Pyl’cyn carefully removed minefields and wire before continuing. Pyl’cyn may gap Minefields and Barbed Wire Entanglements as though he was a Pioneer team.

Rita Makarievskaya Rita Makarievskaya met Pyl’cyn while he was wounded and soon became the company’s very able medic. Model Rita Makarievskaya on the same base as Pyl’cyn. Once per turn, Rita may attempt to save a team that is in Pyl’cyn’s Shtraf Company. If an Infantry or Gun team within 6”/15cm of Pyl’cyn fails a Save, roll a die: If the result is 5+, Rita manages to save the team and it continues to fight on unharmed. Otherwise, the soldiers are too badly wounded and the team is Destroyed as normal.

Pack Contents Inside the blister you will find enough miniatures to field eight SMG teams, a command SMG team, a Komissar team and a two miniature Warrior team consisting of Leytenant A V Pyl’cyn and Rita Makarievskaya. Designed by Evan Allen Painted by Jeremy Painter and James Brown.