DESTROYER BATALLIONS FROM THE SARATOV REGION DURING WORLD WAR II
The paper studies the destroyer battalions from the Saratov region during the Great Patriotic War, they were paramilitary guerilla groups of Soviet citizens who fought at the home front. The paper aims to examine the history and activity of those battalions in the Saratov region in 1941 - 1943. The author uses archived documents and published materials to examine the legal basis for the formation of guerilla groups, their organizational structure, weapons, activities, importance and to discuss not only their success but also their failures. The author comes to the conclusion that the main tasks of those battalions, namely the protection of military and industrial facilities, combating sabotage and parachute enemy groups, have been largely met.