Soviet Political Officers question

[Matt Wiser]

One thing about the Soviet (and Pact) armed forces were the Political Officers. One question that comes to mind is: were they Party Hacks by and large, or did they have some training to function as line officers should circumstances dictate? This would be true in such units as airborne, air-assault, and Naval Infantry, as well as tank, motor-rifle, and both artillery and air-defense arms. If you've read the book Hostile Waters the Zampolit on K-219 was the most hated man on the boat: even the KGB Security Officer was respected-mainly because not only had he been to sub school, but was a qualified watch officer-and he took his turn as Officer of the Watch, which earned him the crew's respect. Before the accident, the Zampolit was giving a lecture in the crew's mess, and the skipper decided to do a Crazy Ivan. The exec reminded him "Sir, the Zampolit is giving a lecture in the crew's mess." And the Captain replied, "So? Seeing him fall on his ass would be good for morale." The man was later banned from the sub service after it was found out that he'd been the first officer into a raft, even before some injured crew, despite the skipper's order that the officers were to be the last off the boat, after making sure all of their men were accounted for.
One other skipper, the Captian of K-108 (an Echo-II SSGN) was another skipper who had no use for Political Officers: he considered them drunks, pests, inept nags, and useless cargo that he had to haul around. "You have been as useful as a suitcase on my submarine for the last two months", he told a Zampolit after the man berated the skipper for playing jazz on the PA system to pump up the crew (from Blind Man's Bluff).

And were SAF political officers even rated pilots or ground officers?

[HorseSoldier]

I'm not familiar with any account of Soviet political officers that portrays them in any sort of flattering light. I always kind of assumed they were basically analogous to US military chaplains, in terms of their position within a unit, only without any of the respect most chaplains get.

That said, I would venture to guess that surviving political officers circa 2000 have been forced to find some real employment within their units, either relegated to some staff job to free up a more qualified officer for front line service, or (having risen to the occasion and proven themselves to be pretty solid guys) taking a more active role of some sort.

Might be a pretty interesting NPC to throw into the mix at some point (after some stereotypical zampolits) some earnest Communist true believer whose faith verges on religion and who's the only thing holding together his unit circa 2000. Could be someone the PCs work with, or someone they have to eliminate or whatever, but should play off their preconceptions consistently (being a sober, incorruptible guy who gives any excess back to the collective, etc etc etc.).

[avantman42]

I'm not convinced that zampolits were universally despised. Years ago I read an account (can't remember where) of how zampolits, in at least some cases, earned respect among the men, looking out for their welfare and doing things like reading newspapers to the illiterate men. The comparison to western chaplains is one I've not thought of before, but seems a good one.

[Fusilier]

Originally Posted by avantman42

I'm not convinced that zampolits were universally despised. Years ago I read an account (can't remember where) of how zampolits, in at least some cases, earned respect among the men, looking out for their welfare and doing things like reading newspapers to the illiterate men.

Same here.

[Raellus]

It's my understanding that Soviet political officers had a lot more power and abused it more readily early in the war. IIRC, they were authorized to execute officers they felt were not performing well. As the war progressed, it was found that meddling on the part of over-zealous political officers hampered operational efficiency and much of their power was removed.

In T2K, I can see this trend being reversed. As the Twilight War progressed and Soviet units' morale and effectiveness began to slip (to the point of mutiny, in some cases), political officers may have been given more power in attempt to keep the units to which they were attached in check.

[pmulcahy11b]

One of the biggest impressions of political officers may be a bit dated, but I think of Nikita Khrushchev's job during the siege of Stalingrad. His primary job seems to have been to produce literature and stories about the tenacity, bravery, and victories of the Stalingrad defenders, both for the other defenders of Stalingrad and for the rest of Russia. He was a big part of the reason the exploits of sniper Vasily Zaitsev became well-known in Russia. Perhaps a better title for a "political officer" may be a "morale officer" or "propaganda officer."

[James Langham]

Soviet Political Officers

The Zampolit was barely understood in the west at the start of the Twilight War. The stereotype of an officer who would execute the commander if he disobeyed orders was completely incorrect. This early World War Two stereotype was out of date even by the middle of the war. The role had becoming increasingly what in the west would have been called welfare or morale officer.

The popularity of a Zampolit in a unit varied considerably depending on the approach of the individual officer. Some took their turn on watches, helped with staff tasks and made an effort to champion the men. These were very popular within their units (there are a number of recorded cases of troops risking their lives to recover the body of their political officer). On the other hand there were political officers who were loathed by their men (these were often casualties early in combat!).

As the war progressed the power of the Zampolit expanded, they were given the authority to run courts martial in place of the unit commanders. The power to countermand the commander's decisions was never reintroduced but the power to relieve the commander was reintroduced (although any Zampolit who used it was automatically subject to investigation). If this occurred the Zampolit did not take charge but did nominate the new commander.

After the war it emerged that a Zampolit actually stopped the war going nuclear earlier! K-284 an Akula class submarine was under attack from the USS Texas in the Sea of Japan in December 1995 (the Texas was following the rules of engagement that allowed the attacking of unidentified submarines that were in a position to attack convoys). The captain ordered the firing of a nuclear armed SS-N-16 at the nearby carrier USS Constellation stating that he would take some Yankees with him. The Zampolit refused permission stating that it was better they die for the Soviet Union rather than making the Rodina die with them. K284 escaped and was destroyed in late 1996.

[Adm.Lee]

The April '11 issue of Naval History had an article, "Cold War duty in the Black Sea Fleet" by Vladimir Mandel. He served as a junior officer on the Kashin-class DD Komosomolets Ukrainy in 1969-72. He said, "Of the political team on board the ship, the KGB man was the only one possessing the qualities of a good officer."
"Three such officers were in our ship"-- each from different departments, but all were there for political indoctrination, which the crew found boring. He thought the Navy had less political indoctrination than most servicemen.
"Even so, the political officers were unpopular, for they produced unnecessary paperwork and harassed the crew with boring, time-wasting activities: political discussions, the study of Lenin, and perhaps most annoying, specially prepared propaganda from the media-- rudimentary Marxist ideology that generally was poorly written and intellectually insulting to any reasonably educated man."
When the ship transited the Black Sea Strait, the Deputy Commander for Political Affairs did not allow anyone on the weather deck, and stood guard with a pistol and grenade, to keep any from defecting. This, of course, undermined the propaganda about the decadent West and its "atrocious fangs," which was noted by the generally well-educated crew.

From that picture, I'd say the political officers would likely by bureaucratic drones, without much authority. In wartime, they'd quickly drop to a position like the chaplain and/or morale officer, unless they have worthwhile training and/or leadership qualities. By the time of 2000, I'd easily see them get absorbed into the office corps at large, and either put to real work, or shuffled aside-- like manning MP posts or running convoys, just ready for American stragglers to pick off.
The KGB guys, on the other hand, who have been monitoring for signs of desertion and treason and defection, are probably pretty good at their jobs by now.

[95th Rifleman]

It's interesting that most negative reports about political officers come from the navy, Submarine in paticular.

Reports of Army political officers during the cold war seem to be more positive and paint them as communist Chaplains looking after the welfare of the men under their watch.

Maybe it has more to do with the submariners than the political officers?

[copeab]

Originally Posted by 95th Rifleman

Maybe it has more to do with the submariners than the political officers?

Because of the nature of their missions, submariners tend to be an independent lot and probably resented the meddling and person watching them over their shoulder, more than most other units.

IIRC, in WWII the German submarine force despised Nazi meddling as well.

[dragoon500ly]

The official title of the political officer is "the deputy commander for political affairs", he is responsible to the Main Political Administration of the Armed Forces, an agency of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. A political officer is assigned to every unit down to company level and provides political control and tries to make good the slogan "the Army and the Party are one". They are party functionaries first, rather than military officers. Their duties include creating proper support for the Party, which includes moral and political training and organizing Komsomol and Communist groups in each unit. The political officer's presence, plus the near-universality of military service, makes the Army a superb instrument of indoctrination.

For all of his totalitarian implications, the political officer of today is a far cry from the bungling commissar of 1941. Although he no longer has command responsibilities, the political officer still plays an important role, especially in sub-units, where he greatly contributes to cohesion, efficiency and training. He still conducts his political and moral training classes, even though today's Soviet soldier is often more knowledgeable about conditions at home than he is about world events. The main reaction to the political officer's hyperbole is boredom, except when films, usually inspirational wartime efforts, are shown, rather than disrespect. The company political officer is one of the most well respected men in the Red Army. Even among recent emigrants, who hold no love for the Soviet system, very few would say anything negative about their company political officer. His duties are not limited to political instruction. As this includes maintaining morale, the political officer also performs other classroom training and is primarily responsible for sports and whatever recreation the Soviet soldier receives. It is the political officer who organizes and conducts off-post tours, even giving up his free time to do so. He also functions as a combined personnel officer and chaplain, and while his efforts on behalf of the soldiers are not always spectacular---obtaining leave for someone with family trouble, for example---he is always appreciated by the unit.

The political officer also has a military function. In addition to his political training, he is also a qualified officer in the branch of service to which he is assigned. Thus an artillery battery political officer is capable of performing the duties of an artillery officer. He often acts as the assistant to the unit commander, taking on some of his paperwork or, in action, bringing forward supplies or reorganizing a battered company. The political officer is usually a bright, aggressive young man, often on his way upwards. Most of the members of the inner circles of Soviet power were political officers in World War Two. The political officer is a powerful force for C-cubed and cohesion in the Red Army. In actuality, he wields great power and can influence the actions taken by his commander in war and peace. He brings the word (and eye) of the Party down to company level. In spite of all his other duties, the political officer remains primarily that-political.

I pulled this from FM-100, the US Army's bible on the Soviet Army.

Concerning the problems that the Soviet Navy has (at least in its submarines), its best to consider the Army political officer in this light, the Red Army is one of two means (the other is the KGB) that the Soviets use to control their population, they take care to insure that the Red Army is politically reliable.

[James Langham]

Originally Posted by dragoon500ly

The official title of the political officer is "the deputy commander for political affairs", he is responsible to the Main Political Administration of the Armed Forces, an agency of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. A political officer is assigned to every unit down to company level and provides political control and tries to make good the slogan "the Army and the Party are one". They are party functionaries first, rather than military officers. Their duties include creating proper support for the Party, which includes moral and political training and organizing Komsomol and Communist groups in each unit. The political officer's presence, plus the near-universality of military service, makes the Army a superb instrument of indoctrination.

For all of his totalitarian implications, the political officer of today is a far cry from the bungling commissar of 1941. Although he no longer has command responsibilities, the political officer still plays an important role, especially in sub-units, where he greatly contributes to cohesion, efficiency and training. He still conducts his political and moral training classes, even though today's Soviet soldier is often more knowledgeable about conditions at home than he is about world events. The main reaction to the political officer's hyperbole is boredom, except when films, usually inspirational wartime efforts, are shown, rather than disrespect. The company political officer is one of the most well respected men in the Red Army. Even among recent emigrants, who hold no love for the Soviet system, very few would say anything negative about their company political officer. His duties are not limited to political instruction. As this includes maintaining morale, the political officer also performs other classroom training and is primarily responsible for sports and whatever recreation the Soviet soldier receives. It is the political officer who organizes and conducts off-post tours, even giving up his free time to do so. He also functions as a combined personnel officer and chaplain, and while his efforts on behalf of the soldiers are not always spectacular---obtaining leave for someone with family trouble, for example---he is always appreciated by the unit.

The political officer also has a military function. In addition to his political training, he is also a qualified officer in the branch of service to which he is assigned. Thus an artillery battery political officer is capable of performing the duties of an artillery officer. He often acts as the assistant to the unit commander, taking on some of his paperwork or, in action, bringing forward supplies or reorganizing a battered company. The political officer is usually a bright, aggressive young man, often on his way upwards. Most of the members of the inner circles of Soviet power were political officers in World War Two. The political officer is a powerful force for C-cubed and cohesion in the Red Army. In actuality, he wields great power and can influence the actions taken by his commander in war and peace. He brings the word (and eye) of the Party down to company level. In spite of all his other duties, the political officer remains primarily that-political.

I pulled this from FM-100, the US Army's bible on the Soviet Army.

Concerning the problems that the Soviet Navy has (at least in its submarines), its best to consider the Army political officer in this light, the Red Army is one of two means (the other is the KGB) that the Soviets use to control their population, they take care to insure that the Red Army is politically reliable.

Really useful, I'll add bits of this to the next version. Thanks.

[Matt Wiser]

Remember that on K-219, the KGB Security Officer was "one of the guys." At least he went to Sub School and qualified as a watch officer. Unlike the Zampolit, who was not only a Party Hack, but turned out to be a coward. One thing that soured a lot of submariners (at least at K-219's home port) on Zampolits was the shore-based Zampolits taking officers' wives to bed in exchange for a pass to visit relatives in other parts of the USSR, or other travel, things like that. Every married officer on base was angry, and when the wife of K-219's Chief Engineer denounced the Flotilla Zampolit for his quid pro quo, the book Hostile Waters mentioned that the base was in an uproar.

[dragoon500ly]

Looking over posts on this and other forums, one gets the impression that the Soviet Navy was not regarded as being as necessary for the security of the Communist Party as the Army. This could explain the differences with the Red Army viewpoint, in other words, not being necessary to maintain power, the Navy got the rejects.

Its also of intrest that the SSBNs seemed to have a better than average crop of political officers.

[Matt Wiser]

Considering the awesome responsiblity that any boomer crew has, they should have the best skippers, engineers, officers, and crew. But K-219 had a coward and a Party drone for their Zampolit. When the Captain put up a sign in the Control Room saying "Submarine Service is not a Duty, But a Religion", the Party hack said it was "politically unsound." The Skipper told him to mind his own business, and the KGB man backed up the captain.