Based on the analysis of historical literature and archival sources, the article examines the service and combat activities of the troops of the NKVD of the USSR for the protection of the rear in 1941. The features of the rear protection system during the period of reforming state structures and the restructuring of their activities in wartime are considered. A generalized analysis of misunderstandings and contradictions on the staffing, subordination and use of rear guard units in a combat situation is carried out.
