270), entitled "On the responsibility of military personnel for surrendering and leaving weapons to the enemy" (Об ответственности военнослужащих за сдачу в плен и оставление врагу оружия, Ob otvetstvennosti voyennosluzhashchikh za sdachu v plen i ostavleniye vragu oruzhiya) issued on 16 August 1941, by Joseph Stalin during the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union, ordered Red Army personnel to "fight to the last", virtually banned commanders from surrendering, and set out severe penalties for senior officers and deserters regarded as derelicting their duties.
During the pre-war period, the efficiency and morale of Red Army command staff was low as a result of Stalin's purges.
By August 1941, Axis forces had achieved overwhelming successes in their advancement deep into Soviet territory.
In the preamble, the order gives examples of troops fighting in encirclement, as well as cases of surrender by military command.
According to the order, anyone attempting to surrender instead of fighting on must be destroyed and their family members deprived of any state welfare and assistance.