Why Stalin never wore the uniform of a Generalissimo

History 06/01/20 Why Stalin never wore the uniform of the Generalissimo

Contemporaries noted that Joseph Stalin was modest: empty boasting and flattery are not loved, lived and ate simply, of awards even at the receptions often wore only a star of the Hero of socialist labor, received in 1939. Much of the reporting of it to the title of Generalissimo of the Soviet Union had to literally “beg” and managed to do it only Konstantin Rokossovsky.

From Marshal to Generalissimo

Marshal of the Soviet Union Stalin began in 1943. And already began to receive offers of even higher rank for the Supreme commander. Still have a letter from the workers of the plant “Spring”, addressed to Kalinin, in which they were offered in honor of the upcoming anniversary of the red army to award Stalin the order of Suvorov I degree and submit it to the title of Generalissimo. In the next two years, similar proposals were voiced on a regular basis.

Stalin was to be the Generalissimo wanted, giving examples of what the title of this, as they say, “tainted” because the Spanish dictator Franco, and the head of the Kuomintang Chiang Kai-shek was the Generalissimo. To convince the leader of the people for a long time failed — it rests on something of sufficient authority among the people, and government, and foreign heads of state. But the words of K. K. Rokossovsky Supreme still heeded: “Comrade Stalin, You are a Marshall and I Marshall. You to punish me can not!” (according to the book “Stalin in life. Memoirs of contemporaries”).

on 26 June 1945 the title was introduced, and the next day was assigned to Stalin. As did the generals and the people, deservedly so, but he Stalin thought differently. According to the memoirs of Molotov (Fedor Chuev, “a Hundred and forty conversations with Molotov”), until the end of Stalin’s life he regretted this moment of weakness, manifested under the pressure of smiling Rokossovsky.

Uniform is not useful

Immediately after the assignment begancamping works on creation of the sketch and the shoulder straps of the uniform. The latter even produced and tried to imagine Stalin for approval. But, as he recalls in his memoirs, Sergei Shtemenko, the former at that time chief of the General staff of the USSR, immediately his glowering gaze of the leader of the people, it became clear that the subject is painful for him. Subsequently, the question of the uniform and shoulder straps no longer rising, and Stalin even on the formal portraits were portrayed in military uniform.

the uniform of the Generalissimo, sewn in the fashion of the Kutuzovsky times with a lush Golden epaulets, probably, would look good on a tall officer pulled up type Chuikov, but Stalin himself who was not a powerful figure and the former is getting on in years, myself in all this “gilded splendor” is not.

Yaroslav Gorbunov

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© Russian Seven

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