Russians are bursting with pride to this day when they remember the war they won with Hitler. They love to emphasize the military genius of the Soviet commanders. In reality, however, Stalin's generals were a bunch of sadists, drunkards, thieves and the most ordinary idiots.
In Russia, they build monuments to them. They adorn streets, squares and squares with their names. Children learn about them in schools. Soviet generals - impeccable heroes or ordinary shouts? Do our eastern neighbors, thinking about the gentlemen in charge of the Red Army, have anything to boast about? What were Stalin's generals actually like? What was their weakness? A few profiles described below will help you get to know the true face of the Red Army.
Drunken and cheating
Marshal Grigory Kulik owed his military career exclusively to his connections during the Civil War. He was a dilettante in military matters. As the head of the Main Artillery Board, he spoke lightly about anti-tank artillery. We can read about it in the book “Stalin. The Court of the Red Tsar "by Simon Montefiore: What a crap - little bang, no bullet holes .
His knowledge of military technology undoubtedly stopped in 1918. He proved it at every step, for example by trying to block the construction of T-34 tanks or by saying: What the hell are rocket artillery? The ground is a horse-drawn cannon.
The achievements at the front in 1941 and 1942 caused him to be demoted to the rank of major general. As you can see, typically military activities were not Kulik's strongest point. Drunken excesses were the activity he felt most comfortable with.
He also liked money, especially state money. He defrauded over 85,000 rubles i. Serious offenses as in the USSR, where you went to a labor camp for 10 years for stealing a thread spool. Despite this, Grigory, being Stalin's colleague, did not end up with a bullet in his head or in Siberia.
Many Soviet generals believed that the best way to maintain discipline was to beat subordinates. Among them was also General Andrzej Jeremienko. The photo shows the first from the right during the meeting during the fight for Stalingrad (source:RIA Novosti archive; license CC-BY-SA 3.0).
This commander was also the hero of the moral scandal, because he had a relationship with his daughter's friend. Marshal's new partner was 32 years younger than him, but as you know, there is nothing stronger than true love ...
Sadists in general uniforms
Another person who embodied many of the worst traits was General Vasily Gordov. It was thanks to his "outstanding" skills that the 1st Infantry Division was decimated under Lenino. Tadeusz Kościuszko, fighting in the composition of the 33rd Army under his command.
Gordow, despite the fact that he was a man of small height, had a certain ailment, particularly acute for his charges. Namely, would beat them regularly, considering it the best way to maintain discipline.
General Andrzej Iwanowicz Jeremienko, who had beaten a member of the war council, was also a supporter of the use of force. When this sadist's health deteriorated, had to use a cane to move around. Interestingly, he used it to beat his officers. Probably to help them think constructively.
Find out the truth about the alleged liberation of Poland by the Red Army in the book "Czerwony plague":
Many Soviet commanders had similar interests as the soldiers I mentioned. Organizing a killing was normal and obvious for them. In this case, Iosif Wissarionowicz himself encouraged this type of behavior. As Roger Reese writes in the book "Red Commanders", when an officer reported to him about someone's incompetence or mistakes, Stalin usually asked him: Did you hit him in the mouth? If he does something like that again, hit him in the face!
Gourmand and fabulist
Quite specific, considering the conditions of the Eastern Front, General Konstantin Golubiew commanded his 43rd Army. Due to the fact that he had a large body - he weighed 160 kg - he mainly took care of himself, completely forgetting about his charges.
Golubiew, whose command post was 25 kilometers away from his units, was doing quite well. As Władimir Bieszanow describes it in the book "1943 - a breakthrough year":
kept one and sometimes two cows to himself (to have fresh milk and butter), three or five sheep (for skewers), a couple of pigs (for sausages and hams) and a few chickens.
General Konstantin Gołubiew (sitting in the center), weighing 160 kg, cared much more for his stomach than he worried about the fate of the 43rd Army he commanded.
Konstantin Dmitrievich ordered his engineering battalions to build a six-room cottage, a small smokehouse and a pantry in a safe place. In this way, a vigilant soldier performed his duties. Despite the fact that the cannons thundered in the distance, he himself ate skewers and washed down with vodka!
A typical manner of Soviet generals was fairy tale writing, especially in reports to the High Command. The bacillus of cheating, which infected the entire commanding corps of the Red Army, undoubtedly translated into their later post-war memories. The commander of the 17th Cavalry Corps, General Nikolai Kirichenko, who fought in the Caucasian section in 1942, revealed his special literary skills.
According to this scammer, his soldiers during the fight with the 198th Wehrmacht Division near the village of Kushchevskaya killed 5,000 Germans, captured 300, and destroyed more than 50 tanks! According to the writer Kirichenko, the brave: cavalrymen galloped up to the tanks, jumped down on their armor and set the carts on fire with bottles with incendiary mixture . Bieszanow mentions it in his work, ironically describing the actions of this liar. Interestingly, after such a brilliant victory, the 17th Corps had to retreat as far as the Kuban River ...
"The Butcher"
Finally, I will mention the "best", of course according to some, Soviet commander - Marshal Georgy Zhukov. As I wrote before, violence was common practice among the senior leadership of the Red Army. Georgy Konstantinovich had a slightly different opinion in this regard. Without further ado he fired, putting his subordinates dead that contradict him or do not follow his recommendations.
Considered by many to be the best Soviet commander, Marshal Georgy Zhukov was in fact a sadist who completely ignored the lives of his soldiers. In the photo, in the first row, the second from the left. Next, marshals Montgomery and Rokossowski (source:wikimedia commons, public domain).
The "Grand Marshal" had nothing to do with the lives of simple soldiers. He shed blood on them to achieve his goal. The best example is the race with other marshals for the capture of Berlin in 1945. The term "butcher" fits perfectly with his post-war practices towards his own soldiers.
In the conquered Berlin, Zhukov established himself as an outstanding thief! The desire for possession has overwhelmed the military without exception of all branches of the army. Zhukov himself, of course, set an example for the rest. Let's summarize. Most of the Soviet generals of the Second World War had a weakness for alcohol and women. Many of them were ordinary thieves and bandits in uniform. However, they also had a positive thing in common - a very vivid imagination!
In the breaks between drinking, shooting at their own soldiers and robbing the inhabitants of the occupied territories, they built their own legend. Coloring and inventing about their own achievements and the military advantages of their subordinate units were very good for them. More than 140 million Russians still worship their great liars…. pfu! Great heroes.
Find out the truth about the alleged liberation of Poland by the Red Army in the book "Czerwony plague":