Combat 100 grams. An original gift for men - liquor

In a man's life there are always at least three holidays that belong only to him. First of all, it is February 23, when it is celebrated.

This holiday appeared almost a hundred years ago, as the anniversary of the creation of the Red Army. On this day men are thanked for their service in the army. And it doesn’t matter at all whether a person served, or he has yet to repay his debt to the Motherland.

The second such holiday is Victory Day - May 9th. Although this holiday is considered a national holiday, special honors go to war veterans and just those who served in the army - and these are usually men.

And finally, this birthday is one of the most personal holidays for every person. In this article, we will tell you how to choose and present one of the most original gifts for men - a liquor.

What it is?

For most people, the word liquor is associated only with cheap illegal drinking establishments.

However, in fact, this is a special device designed to make the process of pouring alcoholic beverages fun and interactive.

To whom to give?

Such a gift can be safely presented to almost anyone. However, since the cost of such a present can hurt the budget, it is better to buy this thing for really significant people - husband, brother, best friend, etc.

Such an exclusive surprise will definitely cause a storm of emotions and will become one of the main sources of entertainment during the holiday. And of course, you can buy such a thing for yourself - if you are a lover of strong drinks.

How to choose?

The simplest models of liqueurs are ordinary machines with a control panel that pour the desired amount of drink automatically after pressing a button on the remote control.

Such models do not differ in particular interactivity, however, their presence will greatly simplify the process of pouring drinks. These liqueurs are not too expensive, so you can easily afford them - especially if the gift is bought together.

However, there are more interesting options for liqueurs - thematic ones.

An excellent gift for Victory Day is a bottle in the form of a barrel of "alcohol", which is poured into special buckets by a Red Army soldier. The doll of a soldier is activated with one press of the remote control - it independently unscrews the faucet, while commenting on its actions with funny soldier jokes. The set is complemented by small stacks in the form of buckets - especially for those who drink in buckets!
Another, no less original option is for those who have always dreamed of becoming a secret agent. This model also has a doll that pours alcohol from an old radio. All the attributes of a real secret agent are in place - a cloak, hat, gloves and a mysterious suitcase. When the receiver is pressed, the doll turns on the lever on the remote control and pours a shot. At the same time, victory music sounds from the receiver. Instead of music, you can record your own track or even a congratulatory toast - there is a USB connector for a flash drive on the side of the receiver.
And finally, you can order a cool liquor in the form of a director - in this case, a doll with a mouthpiece and a teapot will pour you. This machine also plays music and can congratulate the owner.

75 years ago - on August 22, 1941 - the State Defense Committee of the USSR adopted a resolution "On the introduction of vodka for supply in the active Red Army." So the famous "People's Commissar's hundred grams" entered history, which were left warm memories of both ordinary front-line soldiers and generals.

"Vodka is not a luxury, but hygiene!"

There are no absolute teetotalers in war. “I did not try this potion until the winter of 1942,” writes N. Nikulin, who served in the Red Army from November 1941, “until the need forced me. On a frosty day, I fell into a frozen funnel and found myself up to my chest in ice water. There was nothing and nowhere to change into. The foreman saved me. He gave me dry linen (the tunic, overcoat and padded jacket were somehow dried by the fire), rubbed me with vodka and gave a glass of vodka inside, saying: "Vodka is not a luxury, but hygiene! "". In an abundance of such stories, alcohol appears precisely as "salvation", because the narrators know that not every freezing soldier was at a critical moment "a fire, dry linen or a foreman with vodka" 1 .

Front-line soldiers are in solidarity that "vodka in battle, with physical and emotional overstrain is a cure for severe stress." A.V. Pyltsyn, who went through the war as a commander of a rifle platoon and a company as part of an officer penal battalion of the 1st Belorussian Front, noted that when issuing alcohol, the combat situation and the physical condition of the military personnel were taken into account. Recalling the participation of his battalion in the Bagration operation, he wrote that due to severe overwork and three sleepless nights that had passed since the beginning of the offensive, the command staff was given an order from the battalion commander to explain to the soldiers why the people's commissar "weave" of vodka was not issued before dinner. “The fact is that even these 100 grams of alcohol could aggravate the physical condition if they were taken on a very empty stomach and with such a degree of fatigue. Therefore, we were all given vodka only before the “forward” command was received again.” They drank from mugs, which were filled from standard half-litres, given out at the rate of one for 5 people 2 .

To whom and how much - decided the order

The introduction of alcohol into the daily supply of frontline personnel occurred shortly after the start of the war. Decree of the State Defense Committee (GKO) of the USSR N 562 "On the introduction of vodka for supply in the active Red Army" of August 22, 1941 established, starting from September 1, 1941, the issuance of 40-degree vodka in the amount of 100 grams per person per day the Red Army and the commanding staff of the first line of the army (Order of the People's Commissariat of Defense (NKO) of the USSR N 0320 of August 25, 1941). The criteria for dispensing vodka changed during the course of the war. In 1942-1943. Several decrees of the State Defense Committee of the USSR and orders of the NCO of the USSR were adopted, which regulated a more stringent procedure for issuing vodka in the army and directed against abuses in its distribution.

So, on May 11, 1942, the State Defense Committee ordered to suspend the mass daily issuance of vodka from May 15 (Order NPO of the USSR N 0373 of May 12, 1942). Daily issuance was retained only for military personnel of the front line units who had success in hostilities, in addition, their norm increased to 200 grams of vodka per person per day. All other front line servicemen were entitled to 100 grams on revolutionary and national holidays. On November 12, 1942, by GKO resolution N 2507, 100 grams of vodka per person per day was supposed to be units engaged in direct combat operations (Order NPO USSR N 0883 of November 13, 1942). 50 grams each was supposed to be part of the reserve, support, performing responsible tasks, the wounded (as directed by doctors). The issuance of 100 grams of vodka to all military personnel on holidays was maintained. On the Transcaucasian front, instead of vodka, it was ordered to give out 200 grams of fortified wine or 300 grams of table wine. Order NPO USSR N 0323 dated May 2, 1943 determined the vodka ration of 100 grams per day per person for military personnel of only those parts of the front line that conduct offensive operations. All other servicemen of the active army were issued vodka in the amount of 100 grams only on the days of revolutionary and public holidays 3 .

"There are no non-drinkers here, but there are no drunkards either..."

In correspondence with their families, servicemen often spoke on the topic of alcohol consumption, usually reporting that they did not abuse it. Senior Lieutenant A.V. Pershtein, born in 1923, specifically emphasized in a letter to his parents that on the November 7 holiday he "drank no more than 50 grams for appetite (in general, I don't think I'm getting used to drinking vodka)" 4 . Private V.N. Tsoglin, born in 1925, wrote to his mother that he did not smoke, "but 200 grams is another matter." "Although I often give it to the guys, but sometimes a drink is necessary to raise the spirit. After that, something hot runs through the veins. After that, you do more and think less. Here it is necessary" 5 .

And yet, wives and mothers were seriously afraid that, due to the regular use of alcohol, an addiction would not develop. The soldiers tried to dissuade them. Politruk D.A. Abaev reprimanded his wife: “With regard to drunkenness, your reminders turn into something bad and insulting ... If you repeat yourself in future letters, I won’t write a word. You need to understand that there are no non-drinkers here, but there are no drunkards either, and if such , then they will be demoted, imprisoned, tried and shot mercilessly" 6 .

Quite freely they wrote home about "Voroshilov's 100 grams" for the New Year, February 23, May 1 and November 7. In addition, they singled out those special holidays that came with the war. Member of the Battle of Stalingrad guards foreman V.V. Syrtsylin wrote to his wife in 1945: "Dear Zinok! Today is the second of February - the day of the defeat of the Germans in Stalingrad - this is our holiday - therefore today I am a little drunk and you will forgive me for this" 7.

"I don't like drunk people even from a distance"

Not all military personnel were drinkers and not all were loyal to the use of alcohol by colleagues. The junior lieutenant, political instructor of the company M. Lvovich, born in 1917, who adhered to pre-war habits, explained in a letter to a friend: "Maybe I'm so disposed that the army has not taught me to smoke, drink, or go on unauthorized absences in search" friends of the heart. "But if I have some kind of immanent aversion to this, then with such views I will die, but I will not retreat" 8 . It can be seen from the context of Lvovich's letter that categoricalness was born from the rejection of certain situations involving colleagues who "give them 50 grams of alcohol to drink, they, as a rule, will arrange a brawl" 9 . Probably, based on similar experience, military translator V. Raskin, born in 1920, complained in a letter to a friend: “There are troubles. For example, the prospect of meeting May 1 with vodka. a tent with some full cattle (or several) is simply painful for me" 10 .

Especially a lot of claims about drunkenness and the accompanying licentiousness are addressed to the rear services. Major General P.L. Pecheritsa, who in November 1942 was appointed a member of the Military Council of the 44th Army, emphasized in his memoirs that drunkenness corroded the rear service apparatus, making it unfit for work. He confirms this with a concrete example: “On the way to the army headquarters, I had to personally encounter major disorders. indifference of workers to their duties. In the village of Kalinovka, in the hospital for the lightly wounded, there was one nurse on duty, and the rest of the staff got drunk on the name day of the head of the hospital "11.

Alcohol in the military environment was bought or "extracted". You could buy it, for example, in Voentorg stores. A.Z. Lebedintsev reported that the next birthday of the Red Army (February 23, 1943) was remembered by him for the arrival of champagne from the former warehouses of Abrau-Dyurso to the canteen of Voentorg, and at pre-war prices. The officers took advantage of the opportunity to "dine" as they were selling two bottles each. Many drank this "noble drink" for the first time in their lives 12 . As for the extraction of alcohol, remarkable ingenuity could be manifested here. According to N. Nikulin, during his stay in the Estonian city of Tartu, when the stocks of alcohol ran out, "craftsmen began to extract alcohol from university preparations, alcoholized rats, reptiles, tapeworms" 13 .

"For good and responsible work"

Alcohol often figured as rewards or gifts that military personnel received. Firing platoon commander V.G. Kulnev recalled how once in the middle of the night he was called to the dugout of the regiment headquarters, where he received his first order - the Red Star. Having "screwed" the order, the regiment commander, Hero of the Soviet Union, Guards Colonel I.M. Bogushevich brought a glass of vodka to each recipient. Kulnev, who until that time had not tasted alcohol and divided his 100-gram norm between distinguished soldiers and sergeants "as an encouragement", was at first confused, but then drank vodka "on the fly" 14 .

DI. Malyshev, who went through the whole war as a driver, reported in his diary that he was once awarded in this way for dismantling and evacuating a Pe-2 aircraft, which was carried out under enemy fire in the Grodno region. "This was a great job, for which we all received gratitude from the company commander. In the evening, the captain called me and the senior of the group and brought us a glass of vodka, saying:" For good and responsible work "15.

Soldiers could be given alcohol by familiar women from the civilian population, with whom close relationships arose. Malyshev's diary mentions a "familiar Marusya the moonshiner", for a month of communication with whom he "drank moonshine, probably the whole sea." "When Klava came," he writes about "friendship" with another woman, a storekeeper in a medical warehouse, "she always brought me a gift: a bottle of wine or a bottle of alcohol, or good cigarettes" 16 .

"Cognac three beetroot"

Most often, alcohol was obtained through exchange transactions with the local population or expropriations. Lebedintsev recalled as a real "master of expropriations" an ordinary former convict who took root in the kitchen and became especially skilled in the extraction of moonshine. “Usually he offered a trophy blanket or uniform in exchange for a gorilka, a chicken or a glass of milk. The old women, as always, denied the presence of moonshine in the house, then he took out a compass from his pocket and stood in such a position that the arrow pointed to a bag of grain or under the floor, or in the attic, and showed an arrow, saying that "the device will show the truth." The hostess usually pulled out a hidden "potion" and made an exchange, since the inhabitants were in great need of any clothes so much that they even took soldier's footcloths. In the front environment, moonshine appeared under the name "cognac three beetroots" 17 .

"Guys, here is the fortress!"

At the final stage of the war, the use of alcohol in the army increased, which is confirmed both by official documents 18 and by personal testimonies of the participants in the events.

The centuries-old history of military battles testifies that cities taken by "great bloodshed" on enemy territory were often given over by commanders to the "mercy of the victors" and served as a kind of compensation for the human victims suffered. This kind of reward included permission for alcoholic libations, which allowed them to relieve stress and free themselves from the fear experienced. The fact that the soldiers of the Red Army in a particularly difficult combat situation expected such compensation from their commanders is evidenced by a fragment of the memoirs of N. Nikulin, where he appropriately interprets the text of the leaflets "from Rokossovsky", distributed in the early spring of 1945 near the walls of Danzig: " Nevertheless, the resistance of the Germans was strong, our losses, as always, were great and the siege of the city dragged on. One fine morning, leaflets fell from the sky on our heads, as well as on Danzig. They said something like this: "I, Marshal Rokossovsky, I order the Danzig garrison to lay down their arms within twenty-four hours. Otherwise, the city will be stormed, and all responsibility for civilian casualties and destruction will fall on the heads of the German command ... "The text of the leaflets was in Russian and German. It was clearly intended for both warring parties. Rokossovsky acted in the best Suvorov traditions : "Guys, here is the fortress! It has wine and women! Take - walk for three days! And the Turks will answer!"" 19 .

"They sang Katyusha, in Russian and Magyar"

The joint use of alcohol facilitated the establishment of mutual understanding with the local population. The famous writer Sergei Baruzdin recalled that there was a wary attitude towards Hungary, "who fought against us", but later it softened. "In the evening we were present in one house for a drink. They sang Katyusha, in Russian and in Magyar, and the hosts danced" 20 .

Countries were remembered, including national drinks: Hungary - fruit vodka "palinka", the Czech Republic - "wonderful" beer, Poland - "bimber". In the memoirs of A.V. Poltsyn "bimber" was described as Polish moonshine, infused with calcium carbide with its burning effect ("rubbish first-class"). Pyltsyn also told how in one Polish city at a dinner with a "living priest" he and his comrades happened to learn the taste of real branded Polish vodka "Vyborova" (selective). Champagne often appeared in the memories of the "officers' banquets" at the end of the war. Describing a banquet at the army headquarters, A.Z. Lebedintsev emphasized that "only French champagne was poured" 21 .

Alcohol helped to "survive" the joy of the long-awaited Victory Day. "There was not a single sober soldier," says an entry from the front-line diary of Captain E.I. Genkin, taken on May 9, 1945 in the city of Lobau 22 . Remembering the afternoon of this festive day, when a solemn dinner began for the entire battalion at the local stadium in the suburbs of Berlin, A.V. Pyltsyn especially noted that "not glasses and mugs, but in a peaceful way - glasses (and where did they get them?)" were put on the table. "And each speech ended with a toast, and it was considered a good sign to accompany each toast with a full cup" 23 .

The war ended, people began to return to peaceful life with its everyday problems, worries and small joys. And miraculously obtained pre-war glasses forever remained a symbol of the long-awaited Victory.

Notes
1. Nikulin N.N. Memories of the war. SPb., 2008. S. 177.
2. Pyltsyn A.V. Free kick, or How an officer's penal battalion reached Berlin. SPb., 2003. S. 94, 88, 129.
3. Russian archive. The Great Patriotic War. Orders of the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR on June 22, 1941-1942. T. 13 (2-2). C 73, 228, 252-253, 365-366; Orders of the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR 1943-1945. T. 13 (2-3). S. 145.
4. Save my letters...: Collection of letters and diaries of Jews during the Great Patriotic War. Issue. 2. M., 2010. S. 251.
5. Archive of the Research and Educational Center "Holocaust". F. 9. Op. 2. D. 160. L. 10.
6. RGASPI. F. M-33. Op. 1. D. 1454. L. 28-28v.
7. Heroes of patience. The Great Patriotic War in the sources of personal origin. Sat. doc. Krasnodar, 2010. S. 117.
8. Archive of the SPC "Holocaust". F. 9. Op. 2. D. 118. L. 7.
9. Ibid.
10. RGASPI. F. M-33. Op. 1. D. 1400. L. 102.
11. Heroes of patience. S. 228.
12. Lebedintsev A.Z., Mukhin Yu.I. Fathers are commanders. M., 2006. S. 142.
13. Nikulin N.N. Decree. op. S. 143.
14. From soldier to general. Memories of the war. T. 9. M., 2008. S. 207.
15. Memory of the Great Patriotic War in the socio-cultural space of modern Russia: materials and research. SPb., 2008. S. 206-207.
16. Ibid. pp. 195, 198, 200.
17. Lebedintsev A.Z. Mukhin Yu.I. Decree. op. pp. 162, 180.
18. Senyavskaya E.S. 1941-1945: Front generation. Historical and psychological research. M., 1995. S. 199-201, 210-211.
19. Nikulin N.N. Decree. op. S. 176.
20. RGALI. F. 2855. Op. 1. D. 38. L. 37v.
21. Lebedintsev A.Z., Mukhin Yu.I. Decree. op. S. 242.
22. Save my letters... Vol. 1. M., 2007. S. 283.
23. Pyltsyn A.V. Decree. op. S. 243.

FROM CIVIL TO FINNISH

Stalin and Voroshilov were drinking people. Nikita Khrushchev recalled an incident during the Civil War: “When Stalin was in Tsaritsyn, he went to grain procurements and at the same time took measures to organize the defense of Tsaritsyn. There, together with the 5th Army, Voroshilov retreated from the Ukraine, and there they met with Stalin. Stalin said that Lenin called him to Moscow with a report on the state of affairs. Then Lenin said to him: “My friend, I received information that you are drinking there: you drink yourself and get others drunk. You can't do this!"

In general, both the “leader of the peoples” and the “first marshal” knew the effect of alcohol “in combat conditions” quite well. In any case, in January 1940, during the Finnish military campaign, People's Commissar Voroshilov turned to Stalin with a request: due to severe weather conditions, and the frost was under forty, give soldiers and commanders one hundred grams of vodka and 50 grams of fat a day. The General Secretary immediately agreed. Tankers doubled the norm, and the pilots, as the elite of the Armed Forces, decided to give out 100 grams of cognac. From January 10 to the beginning of March 1940, soldiers of the Red Army drank more than 10 tons of vodka and 8.8 tons of cognac. Well, two new concepts appeared in the troops: "Voroshilov ration" (vodka and bacon) and "People's Commissar's 100 grams" ...

HOT SUMMER FORTY-ONE

In the summer of 1941, vodka in the troops began to be issued already in July. Although the order of the People's Commissar of Defense No. 0320 was signed not by the people's commissar himself, but by his deputy lieutenant general of the quartermaster service Khrulev and appeared only on August 25, 1941. But in this case, Khrulev was only a performer. Three days before the order, a GKO resolution signed by Stalin was issued under the heading “Sov. secret” with the following content (see photo).

The order clarifying the resolution with the title “On the issuance of 100 grams of vodka per day to the front line servicemen of the active army” noted that the pilots performing combat missions and the engineering and technical staff of the airfields of the active army should receive vodka on a par with the soldiers who fought on the front line.

Vodka was transported to the fronts in railway tanks (approximately 43 - 46 tanks per month). Then it was poured into barrels or milk cans and sent to units and subunits. Where there was an opportunity, alcohol could also be given out in glass containers.

By the way, the decree of the State Defense Committee also indicated the strength of vodka - 40 degrees ... They went on the attack with vodka, they also commemorated their dead comrades with vodka. And there was no need to warm up in the summer - it was needed in the autumn, winter and early spring of the next, 1942 ...

PHYSICAL EDUCATIONAL DAY? POUR!

The decline in the morale of the troops after the defeats near Kharkov and in the Crimea forced Stalin to once again put the question of vodka at the forefront. In May 1942, he decided that the issue of "People's Commissar's 100 grams" should be differentiated. Nevertheless, the signing of the GKO resolution was postponed until June. Stalin himself made serious editorial changes to the document (see photo).

The project provided for "to keep the issuance of vodka only to servicemen of the front line units who have success in the fight against the Nazi invaders, increasing it to 200 g per day," but Stalin made corrections with his red pencil. The text now kept "People's Commissar's" only for those units of the front line whose military personnel are conducting offensive operations. From now on, the rest of the servicemen of the front line units were given 100 grams only on holidays. These included revolutionary and public ceremonial days: the anniversary of the October Revolution on November 7 and 8, Constitution Day on December 5, Red Army Day on February 23, All-Union Aviation Day on August 16, Regiment Day (formation of a unit) and, for some reason, All-Union Athlete's Day on 19 July. International Youth Day on September 6, who was present in the project, "the best friend of children" resolutely crossed out ...

"WEAPON OF VICTORY"

On November 12, 1942, a week before the Soviet troops went on the offensive near Stalingrad, the State Defense Committee again streamlined the issuance of alcohol in the troops. Both the decree and the order became more liberal: 100 grams were poured for everyone who was on the front line and fought. They did not bypass the artillerymen - mortars, who supported the infantry with fire. The rear servicemen - regimental and divisional reserves, the construction battalion, which "worked under enemy fire", and the wounded (with the permission of doctors) were now poured 50 grams per day. Well, the Transcaucasian Front was allowed to give out 200 grams of port wine or 300 grams of dry wine per day instead of vodka. During the last month of 1942, the Western Front drank almost a million liters of vodka, Stalingrad - 407 thousand liters, and Transcaucasia - 1.2 million liters of wine ...

Later, the norms for issuing alcohol in the army were again adjusted. On April 30, 1943, Stalin signs GKO Decree No. 3272 "On the procedure for issuing vodka to the troops of the army in the field." The order of the NPO stated: “1. To stop from May 3, 1943, the mass daily distribution of vodka to the personnel of the troops of the army in the field. 2. The issuance of vodka at a rate of 100 grams per person per day should be made to servicemen only of those units of the front line that conduct offensive operations, and the military councils of the fronts and individual armies are responsible for determining which armies and formations to issue vodka. 3. To all other servicemen of the active army, the issuance of vodka in the amount of 100 grams per person per day should be made on the days of revolutionary and public holidays.

Immediately after the Battle of Kursk, for the first time, units of the NKVD and the railway troops got into the limit list of vodka consumption, which consumed from November 25 to December 31, 1943 as much vodka as the entire North Caucasian Front.

The issuance of vodka in the units of the active army was canceled in connection with the surrender of Nazi Germany only in May 1945 ...

AND THERE WAS ANOTHER CASE

Serve the "Afghans" happy moonshine still

In the Soviet army, alcohol was not allowed for personnel. In addition to 100 grams of dry wine per day for sailors on nuclear submarines during a military campaign.

It is said that many took this ration in turns with comrades - to double or even triple the dose. In the ground forces, self-made "miracles of technology" in the form of all kinds of alembics of the most intricate configuration came to the aid of the afflicted.

Here is a fragment of the correspondence of the “Afghan” officer (he is in the picture) with the KP military observer, Colonel Viktor BARANTS:

I also had a powerful device in Afghanistan (I inherited it from the old battery commander). Coil - fuel tube from GAZ-66, capacity - tank from PAK-70. The jet was as thick as a finger!

Baranets: - How much did you have to drink to move from a vertical to a horizontal position for prone shooting?

The battalion had its own bakery, so yeast was almost always available. And they took Yugoslav jam as a basis. Or just sugar, condensed milk ... In time, two or three days were enough - and now the mulka (aka mash) is ready! Often there was not enough patience, and already at the beer stage everything was drunk. The smell was pleasant, at least not fuselage. Sometimes they experimented with double distillation, but rarely ...

August 22, 1941 went down in history as the birthday of the famous people's commissar hundred grams. On this day, the Chairman of the State Defense Committee (GKO) of the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin, signed Decree No. 562 on the daily issuance of half a glass of "fuel" to soldiers. We will talk about 5 alcohol traditions of the Russian army.

NARKOMOVSKY 100 GRAMS

The idea to supply the army not only with shells and footcloths, but also with strong drinks came up with People's Commissar Kliment Voroshilov in January 1940. The reason was simple: the Red Army got stuck in the snows of Finland and froze. Voroshilov decided to raise the morale of the fighters and commanders by issuing 100 grams of vodka per day (cognac for pilots). This is how the People's Commissariat, or Voroshilov, 100 grams appeared.
By July 1941, the situation of the Soviet troops was catastrophic. In such conditions, we decided to use a potent remedy again. On July 20, Anastas Mikoyan, the chief supplier of the USSR, sent a letter addressed to Stalin. In it, he said that work on issuing vodka to the troops had already begun. Stalin was well aware of the importance of this issue. He personally made changes to Mikoyan's project. For example, after the words "composition" he entered "first-line troops." This meant that the Supreme Commander ordered the rear soldiers not to pour.
The commanders of the fronts were personally responsible for bottling vodka. Their duties were to ensure "the strictest order in the issuance of vodka so that it is actually issued to the active units, and strictly observe the norm, preventing abuse."
On November 12, 1942, the State Defense Committee established a liberal procedure for the release of alcohol. Everyone who was on the front line and fought in the fighting now drank 100 grams each. In addition, the norm applied to artillery and mortar units supporting infantry with fire. This time they did not bypass the rear. Regimental and divisional reserves, the construction battalion, which worked "under enemy fire", and the wounded (with the permission of doctors) were allowed to pour 50 grams per day. The Transcaucasian Front was allowed to issue 200 grams of fortified wine or 300 table wine instead of 100 grams of vodka. On November 23, 1943, he added NKVD troops and railway troops to the limit list.

FLEET CHARKA

Since the days of the sailing fleet in Russia, there has been a tradition - to give out to the lower ranks during the voyage a daily glass of vodka (1/100 of a bucket, 0.123 liters, i.e. 120 grams). At a time when emergency work was especially difficult on sailing ships, especially in storms, alcohol was an aphrodisiac. During the downtime of ships, in the dank winter Baltic, alcohol saved sailors from pneumonia and severe colds.
The usual cup was given in two doses - two thirds before dinner, one third before dinner. The very process of issuing a cup was arranged on ships with a certain solemnity. The boatswain gave a signal with a pipe - "to wine." The bataler carried out a container of vodka and, according to the list, called out the names of the lower ranks. It was not supposed to bite a glass of anything. Non-drinkers received money under the article (for not drinking wine) in the amount of 2 r. 40 kop. per month.
This tradition had opponents and adherents. The latter considered it an established maritime custom that could not be cancelled. Opponents pointed to the negative aspects of this phenomenon. In this "cup" lies the root of that incorrigible drunkenness that sailors suffer when they end up in port cities after sailing. On the eve of the First World War, when sailing or steam-sailing ships in the fleet finally receded into the realm of legends, there was an active discussion in the newspapers of advanced naval doctors about the abolition of cups. It was proposed to cancel it, retaining the allowance, but to hand it over only at the end of the service, so that the sailor would have 140-150 rubles in his hands upon returning to the village. (huge money for the conditions of the village at the beginning of the 20th century).

TSARSKAYA CHARKA

Before the revolution in the tsarist army, "bread wine" (that is, vodka) was issued not only in wartime, but also in peacetime. There was even a statutory command "To the glass". In wartime, it was supposed to be released to combatant lower ranks one cup (160 g) three times a week, non-combatants - two cups a week. In peacetime - only on holidays (15 cups a year) and "at the discretion of the commander to maintain health, in bad weather, after lengthy marches, exercises and parades." And for special merits it was possible to get a double dosage, and the ceremony of "presentation to the glass" was held officially, solemnly, before the ranks.
Until 1900, there was even a paragraph in the army articles "On the benefits of moderate consumption of vodka." It is not surprising that some of the soldiers in the army were drawn into drinking, especially since vodka was often used as a reward for something. True, it was possible to refuse a cup and receive compensation - 6 kopecks.

DRINK LIKE HUSAR

In Russian literature, with the light hand of the poet Denis Davydov (hussar lieutenant colonel), the frivolous image of the hussars as drunkards, bullies and womanizers was established. In the Russian army, the hussar units belonged to light cavalry, they were armed not with shields and pikes, but with sabers and pistols (carbines) and were used for flank coverage, operations behind enemy lines and various raids.
The hussars - especially the officers - supported and consolidated the literary myth with their own deeds, enchanting drinking parties, astronomical losses and sophisticated duels. “Drinking like a hussar” means opening champagne, cutting off the neck of the bottle with a saber, and then pouring the whole fizzy mixture down your throat (or pour it into glasses, wine glasses).
However, famous hussars in their memoirs do not write about this method of spending alcohol. Moreover, the hussars could drink champagne only while camping in the cities, or during maneuvers in Tsarskoye Selo. In battles and campaigns, they preferred vodka. So much so that they soaked hay in it for their horses - a drunken animal that lost its mind because of this resignedly went on the attack on the peaks of infantrymen or machine-gun points, which a normal horse, even a well-trained one, will not do.

stirrup

Drinking a "stirrup" cup is perhaps the oldest custom of the Russian army. Ancient Russian warriors, going on a campaign, put on chain mail and other means of protection, climbed on a horse. At the same time, the stirrup supported the warrior with a stirrup. At the last minute of parting, a stirrup cup (cup, goblet) with wine is brought. As a rule, the cup is brought by the beloved wife. And after the wine is drunk, the warrior gives it (the cup) to the stirrup.

"People's Commissar's One Hundred Grams"- a well-known expression from the description of the life of the military period. It is present in today's memoirs of veterans of the Great Patriotic War ( especially fake veterans). Writers who work in the field of military topics relish write about front-line vodka, commanders love to treat distinguished soldiers to it in feature films. For pseudo-historians, blackening both our army and our war, vodka is an excellent occasion to colorfully paint stories about drunken Red Army men going on the attack, mocking cute German women.

Some blame vodka, and at the same time Stalin, that, accustomed to daily drinking at the front, the soldiers, returning home, became drunkards, became alcoholics, lost their human appearance.

Yes, and true front-line soldiers about the people's commissar hundred grams tell the most different things. There is no unity in their memories. Some of them prove that they never even smelled vodka at the front, while others brag about the liters they drink.

And how was it really? In order not to argue and not to prove that it all happened, or quite the opposite, I will cite several documents from the war period. Basically, these are original documents of 1941-42. For 43-45 years, there are few documents on this subject, mostly minor clarifications on the type of issuance of vodka to scouts.

It is possible that the decree of the State Defense Committee of November 42 operated without significant changes until the end of the war. There may have been subsequent decisions. But whatever it is, read what is there and draw your own conclusions.

On the introduction of vodka for supply in the current Red Army

Establish from September 1, 1941. issuance of vodka 40 degrees in the amount of 100g. per day per person (Red Army soldier) and the commanding staff of the front line troops of the army.

GKO Chairman I. Stalin

I just want to draw the reader's attention to the fact that the people's commissar of defense has nothing to do with it, this is the decision of the State Defense Committee that they gave out vodka only in the active army and only to those who are at the forefront. In the rear districts one could only dream of vodka.

And where did the famous expression "people's commissar's one hundred grams" come from? And why precisely "commissar"?

Perhaps because the army was usually more familiar with the orders of the People's Commissar of Defense than with the decisions of the GKO. Following the Decree of the GKO, an NPO order comes out, which was probably brought to the attention of the personnel:

On the issuance of 100 grams of vodka per day to frontline servicemen of the active army.

In pursuance of the decision of the State Defense Committee of August 22, 1941 No. 562ss, I order:

1. From September 1, 1941, to issue 40 ° vodka in the amount of 100 grams per person per day to the Red Army and the commanding staff of the front line of the army in the field. The flight crew of the Red Army Air Force, performing combat missions, and the engineering and technical staff serving the field airfields of the army in the field, should be given vodka on a par with the front line units.

2. Military councils of fronts and armies:

a) organize the issuance of vodka only for those contingents that are determined by the decision of the State Defense Committee, and strictly control its exact implementation:

b) ensure the timely delivery of vodka to the front lines of the active troops and organize reliable protection of its stocks in the field;

c) at the expense of the economic apparatus of the units and subdivisions, to allocate special persons, who will be responsible for the correct distribution of vodka portions, accounting for the consumption of vodka and maintaining income and expenditure records;

d) order the front-line quartermasters to submit once a ten day to the Main Quartermaster Directorate information on the balance and monthly by the 25th day an application for the required amount of vodka. The application shall be based on the exact number of active front line troops, approved by the military councils of the fronts and armies.

3. The need for vodka for the month of September is determined by the Chief Quartermaster of the Red Army without submitting applications by the fronts. The order to put into effect by telegraph.

Deputy People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR

In the spring of 1942 the order of issuing vodka is changing. The order of the People's Commissar of Defense comes out, announcing a new decree of the State Defense Committee:

On the procedure for issuing vodka to the troops of the army.

1. I declare for the exact and steady implementation of the Decree of the State Defense Committee No. GOKO-1727s dated May 11, 1942 “On the procedure for issuing vodka to the troops of the army in the field” (in the appendix).

2. I entrust the military councils of fronts and armies, commanders of formations and units with responsibility for the correct appointment and distribution of vodka for the allowance of military personnel in accordance with the announced Decree of the State Defense Committee.

3. Order and Resolution of the GOKO to be put into effect by telegraph.

4. Order NCO No. 0320 of 1941 to cancel.

Lieutenant General of the quartermaster service KHRULEV

Appendix:

Decree of the State Defense Committee No. GOKO 1727c

1. Stop from May 15, 1942. mass daily issuance of vodka to the personnel of the troops of the army in the field.

3. To all other servicemen of the front line, the issuance of 100 g of vodka. per person to produce on the following revolutionary and national holidays: November 7-8, December 5, January 1, February 23, May 1-2, July 19 (National Athlete's Day), August 16 (Aviation Day), September 6 (International Youth Day ), as well as on the day of the regimental holiday (formation of the unit).

I.Stalin

Note that now vodka is only at the forefront, and only for those who achieved success that day, i.e. attacked to no avail. Everyone else only on holidays. In units located outside the rear of the front, only seagulls.

GKO Decree No. 1889

In a change to the GKO resolution of May 11 of this year. The State Defense Committee decides:

1. Stop from May 15, 1942. mass daily issuance of vodka to the personnel of the troops of the army in the field.

3. To all other servicemen of the front line, the issuance of 100 g of vodka. produce on revolutionary and public holidays.

4. Decree of the State Defense Committee of August 22, 1941 No. 562 cancel.

I.Stalin

That's it. By 200 on the day, Stalin thought it was too much, and now vodka is only on the offensive.

Following is the order of the People's Commissar of Defense on this matter:

Order of NPO USSR

On the procedure for storing and issuing vodka to the troops of the army

Despite repeated instructions and categorical demands on the issuance of vodka in the army strictly for its intended purpose and in accordance with established standards, cases of illegal issuance of vodka still do not stop.

Vodka is issued to headquarters, commanders and units that do not have the right to receive it. Some commanders of units and formations and commanders of headquarters and departments, taking advantage of their official position, take vodka from warehouses, regardless of orders and established procedures. Control over the consumption of vodka by the military councils of the fronts and armies is poorly established. Accounting for vodka in units and warehouses is in an unsatisfactory state.

In accordance with the decision of the State Defense Committee of June 6, s. No. GOKO-1889s, I order:

1. The issuance of 100 grams of vodka per person per day should be made to servicemen only of those units of the front line that are conducting offensive operations.

2. To all other frontline servicemen, the issuance of vodka in the amount of 100 grams per person should be made on the following revolutionary and public holidays: on the anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution - November 7 and 8, on Constitution Day - December 5, on New Year's Day - January 1 , on the day of the Red Army - February 23, on the days of the International Workers' Day - May 1 and 2, on the All-Union Athlete's Day - July 19, on the All-Union Aviation Day - August 16, and also on the day of the regimental holiday (formation of the unit).

3. The release of vodka to armies and formations should be made only with the permission of the chief of logistics of the Red Army on the instructions of the General Staff of the Red Army, on the proposals of the military councils of the fronts and armies.

4. For the storage of vodka, organize special storage facilities at front-line and army food warehouses. Appoint a store manager and one storekeeper from among specially selected honest, verified persons who can ensure the complete safety of vodka. Seal storage facilities after receiving and discharging operations, put guards. Strictly verified persons should be assigned to the guard.

5. Heads of departments of food supply of the fronts and heads of departments of food supply of the armies, all the available vodka in the troops and in warehouses as of June 15, take on strict account and immediately transfer to storage in the corresponding front and army warehouses.

6. Registration of the release of vodka is carried out by the head of the Main Directorate of Food Supply of the Red Army through the heads of departments and departments of the food supply of the fronts and armies on the basis of instructions from the head of the rear of the Red Army on the timing of the issuance and the strength of the formations that are allowed to issue vodka.

7. I entrust the military councils of fronts and armies, commanders and military commissars with responsibility for the correct storage, expenditure and accounting of vodka, vodka dishes and containers.

8. The order to put into effect by telegraph.

9. The order of the NCO of 1942 No. 0373 is canceled.

Deputy People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR

Lieutenant General of the quartermaster service KHRULEV

In November 1942 the order of issuing vodka is changing again. First, a GKO decree is issued, and then a new order of the People's Commissar of Defense

1. Start from November 25, 1942. the issuance of vodka to the troops of the army in the following order:

a) 100 g. per person per day: units engaged in direct combat operations and located in the trenches at the forefront; intelligence units; artillery and mortar units attached to and supporting infantry and located in firing positions; combat aircraft crews in the performance of their combat mission;

b) 50g. per person per day: regimental and divisional reserves; subdivisions and units of combat support performing work at the forefront; units performing responsible tasks in special cases, and the wounded, who are in the institutions of the field medical service, as directed by doctors.

2. To all other servicemen of the active army, the issuance of vodka in the amount of 100g. per person per day to produce on the days of revolutionary and national holidays specified by GKO Decree No. 1889 of June 6, 1942.

3. On the Transcaucasian front, instead of 100g. give out vodka 200g. fortified wine or 300g. table wine.

4. The military councils of the fronts and armies set monthly limits for the issuance of vodka.

I.Stalin

Order of NPO USSR No. 0883

On the issuance of vodka to military units of the army from November 25, 1942

1. In accordance with the resolution of the State Defense Committee dated November 12, 1942 No. 2507s from November 25 with. d. to start issuing vodka to the military units of the army in the following order:

a) 100 grams per person per day: to subdivisions of units conducting direct combat operations and located in the trenches at the forefront; intelligence units; artillery and mortar units attached to and supporting infantry and located in firing positions; combat aircraft crews in the performance of their combat mission;

b) 50 grams per person per day: regimental and divisional reserves; subdivisions and units of combat support performing work at the forefront; units performing responsible tasks in special cases (construction and restoration of bridges, roads, etc. in especially difficult conditions and under enemy fire), and the wounded who are in the institutions of the field medical service, as directed by doctors.

2. To all military personnel of the active army, the issuance of vodka in the amount of 100 grams per person per day should be made on the days of revolutionary and public holidays specified by the GOKO resolution No. 1889 of June 6, 1942.

3. On the Transcaucasian front, instead of 100 grams of vodka, issue 200 grams of fortified wine or 300 grams of table wine; instead of 50 grams of vodka, 100 grams of fortified wine or 150 grams of table wine.

4. The military councils of the fronts and armies, by orders of the front, the army, set monthly limits for the issuance of vodka to armies - units and produce consumption within the limit set for each month.

5. In spending the monthly limit of vodka, the fronts must report to the Main Directorate of Food Supply of the Red Army in order to receive a limit for the next month. In case of failure to submit a report by the fronts and consumption of vodka by the 10th day of the past month, the chief of the Main Directorate of Food Supply of the Red Army for the next month should not ship vodka to the fronts that have not submitted a report.

6. Set a limit on the consumption of vodka for the fronts from November 25 to December 31, 1942 in accordance with the application.

7. Head of the Main Directorate of Food Supply of the Red Army, brig engineer comrade. Pavlov and the head of the Military Communications of the Red Army, Major General of the Technical Troops Comrade. Deliver vodka to Kovalev in the quantities provided for by the limit:

Southwestern, Don and Stalingrad fronts - by November 16, the rest of the fronts - by November 20 of this year.

8. To the head of the Main Directorate of Food Supply of the Red Army to establish constant control over the consumption of vodka in strict accordance with this order.

9. The military councils of the fronts and armies to organize the return of empty containers of vodka to vodka factories and bottling stations of the People's Commissariat of Food Industry attached to the fronts. Military units that have not returned the container should not release vodka.

10. The order to put into effect by telegraph.

Deputy People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR

Lieutenant General of the quartermaster service KHRULEV

Appendix.

VODKA CONSUMPTION LIMIT FOR SERVICE UNITS OF THE SERVICE ARMY FROM NOVEMBER 25 TO DECEMBER 31, 1942

Name of fronts and individual armies Vodka consumption limit (in liters):

Karelian Front - 364,000

7th Army - 99,000

Leningrad Front - 533,000

Volkhov Front - 407,000

Northwestern Front - 394,000

Kalinin Front - 690,000

Western Front - 980,000

Bryansk Front - 414,000

Voronezh Front - 381,000

Southwestern Front - 478,000

Don Front - 544,000

Stalingrad Front - 407,000

Transcaucasian Front - 1,200,000 (wine)

Total: 5,691,000

Order of NPO USSR No. 031

With the announcement of the norms and procedure for issuing vodka to the technical staff of the Air Force units of the army

In addition to the order of the NPO of 1942 No. 0883 * with the announcement of the norms and procedure for issuing vodka to the personnel of units of the army in the field, I order:

1. In units of the Air Force of the active army and in units of the Air Force based on the territory of military districts, but equated by orders of non-commercial organizations with units of the active army, 50 grams of vodka per day per person and technical staff should be dispensed only on the days of sorties for combat missions of aircraft directly serviced them at the airports.

2. The procedure for issuing vodka is established according to a personal list compiled by the command of the air unit, approved by the commander of the air division.

3. Order to announce by telegraph.

Deputy People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR

Order of NPO USSR No. 0323

On the procedure for issuing vodka to the troops of the army

In pursuance of the Decree of the State Defense Committee No. GOKO-3272s dated April 30, 1943, I order:

1. To stop from May 3, 1943, the mass daily distribution of vodka to the personnel of the troops of the army in the field.

2. The issuance of vodka at a rate of 100 grams per person per day should be made to servicemen only of those units of the front line that conduct offensive operations, and the military councils of the fronts and individual armies are responsible for determining which armies and formations to issue vodka.

3. To all other servicemen of the active army, the issuance of vodka in the amount of 100 grams per person per day should be made on the days of revolutionary and public holidays specified in the Decree of the GOKO No. 1889, paragraph 3 of June 6, 1942.

Deputy People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR

Colonel-General of the Quartermaster Service KHRULEV

Order of NPO USSR No. 0384

On the establishment of an additional allowance for military intelligence units at the front.

Taking into account a number of petitions from the military councils of the fronts and the request of the head of the Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Red Army, Lieutenant General Kuznetsov F.F.

I order:

Military intelligence units at the front are to be satisfied not according to norm No. 9, as indicated in the order, but according to norm No. 1, with the issuance in addition to norm No. 1:

Sugar - 15 grams
Sala-bacon - 25 grams
Bread - 100 grams
Vodka - 100 grams

Vodka is issued only on the days of combat missions.

People's Commissar of Defense
Marshal of the Soviet Union I. STALIN

That's it. It doesn't hurt to walk around. There is no reason to blame front-line vodka for the fact that men drank themselves after the war. Under such and such conditions, you will not forget the taste of vodka for the war. And it doesn’t look like the fighters were drunk before the attack. And where else can you get vodka in the war? There are no shops at the front. The local population has nothing to eat, but will they transfer products for moonshine?