Soviet Political Officers question

[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.