Penal battalion instated
Bolster the Eastern Front
By order 227
We're sent to bear the brunt
A death sentence recruitment
Shtrafbat means the end
Convict infantry
A subspecies of man
Human decoy soldiers
Mine clearing personnel
Cheapest cannon fodder
Hear the ring of my death knell
Shtrafbat! Sentenced to
Shtrafbat! My crimes cleansed in
Shtrafbat! Sentenced to
Shtrafbat! My crimes cleansed in blood
Used to lessen casualties
The Red soldiers are spared
Gulags fuel the industry
The killing shifting gear
Perpetual deployment
Our service never ends
Empty promises are given
That some of us may live
Obedience comes natural
With nothing left to give
A death sentence recruitment
Shtrafbat means the end
Convict Infantry
A subspecies of men
Disgraced Soviet officers
Cowards prone to flight
Stripped of rank and honour
We can't escape our plight
Advancing in a frenzy
My burning eyes see red
Into the MG's fire
Atonement found in led
Shtrafbat! Sentenced to
Shtrafbat! My crimes are cleansed in blood