Pictured: General of the Army V. I. Chuikov and the President of the German Democratic Republic Wilhelm Pieck during Pieck’s 75th birthday, 3 January 1951, Bundesarchiv. Number 56 of the Soviet Military Administration in Germany Lifting the Berlin Blockade Effective 12 May, Issued 9 May 1949 Pursuant to instructions issued by the Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the lifting of restrictions which, from 1 March 1948 onwards, have been imposed on communications, transport and commerce between Berlin and the Western Zones as well as between the Eastern zone and the Western zones of Germany, I hereby order: 1. That the arrangement in force up to 1 March 1948, for communications, transport and commerce between Berlin and the Western Zones as well as between the Eastern zone and the Western zones of Germany be re-implemented. 2. That railway services on the Berlin-Magdeburg-Helmstedt section be resumed with 16 trains, according to the Control Council decision of 10 September 1945, for the supply of the population of the Western sectors of Berlin as well as for the occupation troops of the U.S.A., Great Britain, and France, stationed in Berlin. 3. That the Autobahn Berlin-Michendorf-Magdeburg (bridge 8 km north of Magdeburg)-Helmstedt be reopened to highway traffic with the Western zones of Germany for British, United States and French occupation troops stationed in Berlin. 4. That the procedure in force for military and civil personnel of the British, American and French occupation troops, before 1 March 1948, be restored. Accordingly, the line of demarcation can be crossed at the checkpoints Marienborn and Nowawes without permits, and at other checkpoints with permits issued by the Soviet Military Administration Staff. 5. That the procedure in force before 1 March 1948, for the importation of goods into the Soviet zone of occupation and Berlin as well as for the export of goods from the Soviet zone and Berlin into the Western zones of Germany, based on commercial agreements and arrangements, with fixed permits be restored. Military freight belonging to the British, French, and United States Military Administration or to the occupation troops as well as the baggage and personal effects of the military and civil personnel of the said administrations is to be allowed to pass at the checkpoint Marienborn to Berlin and from Berlin without control and inspection. 6. Persons and freight have to pass the line of demarcation of the Soviet occupation zone of Germany at the following control points: a) for railway and highway traffic: Herrnburg, station Schwanheide, 8 km North of Boizenburg; Bergen, 10 km west of Salzwedel; Oebisfelde, Marienborn, Ell rich, Arendshausen (Kirchgandern), Wartha, Facha, Sonneberg Probstzella, Gutenfürst; b) for waterways: Wittenberge (on the Elbe), Kolonie Buchhorst (Ems-Weser-Elbe-Canal). 7. That pending the solution of the currency problem in Berlin, the existing procedure be upheld for taking marks of the German Notenbank, Westmarks and foreign money as well as other legal tender across the line of demarcation. 8. That in the area of Greater Berlin inter-sectoral police control be suspended. 9. That mail services between Berlin and the Soviet zone on the one side and the Western zones on the other on the railway lines Berlin-Helmstedt-Hanover, Berlin-Leipzig-Hof and Schwerin Lübeck be restored. At the same time, all mail services, admitted by the Control Council between Berlin and the Western zones as well as between the Soviet zone and the Western zones are to be restored. Packages, parcels and mail to be sent from Berlin to the Western zones, must be accepted at all post offices and railway stations of all Berlin sectors. 10. That the head of the transport administration of the Soviet Military Administration increase the number of repair shops and petrol stations on the Autobahn Berlin-Helmstedt. 11. The heads of the administration for telecommunication, traffic, commerce and finance as well as the Military Commandant of the Soviet sector of Berlin are instructed: a) to issue, by 12 May, technical instructions in accordance with this order guaranteeing the execution of the instructions, issued by the Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, on the lifting of restrictions on communication, transportation and trade between Berlin and the Western zones as well as between the Eastern zone and the Western zones of Germany, as well as control over the lifting of all restrictions which from 1 March 1948, onwards have been imposed by the occupation authorities of France, Great Britain and the United States of America or by any one of them on communications, transportation and trade between Berlin and the Eastern zone of Germany 12. This order will become effective on 12 May, 0.01 am. The Chief of the Soviet Military Administration and Commander of the Group of Soviet Occupation Troops in Germany V. I. CHUIKOV General of the Army Chief of Staff of the Soviet Military Administration in Germany G. S. LUKJANCHENKO Lieutenant-General Source: Chuikov, V.I. and Lukjanchenko, G.S. “Order Number 56 of the Soviet Military Administration in Germany Lifting the Berlin Blockade Effective May 12, 1949, Issued May 9, 1949.” In Documents on Germany, 1944-1985, 258-260. Washington, D.C.: US Department of State, Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs, 1985.

Pictured: Lieutenant-General V. I. Chuikov, Stalingrad, 1943. Eighty-four years ago, during the summer of 1942, the Germans were engaged in their campaign deep into southern Russia. Codenamed Case Blue , Army Group South’s main strategic objective was to capture the oil-rich Caucasus region, a resource the Germans desperately needed to continue the war. Before the invasion of the Soviet Union, the Germans bought oil supplies from Russia to support their blitzkrieg tactics. However, once Operation Barbarossa began in June 1941, the Germans had to depend upon only Romania for their petroleum supply. After plans for Case Blue were set into action, Hitler decided that he also wanted to capture Stalingrad , a city on the Volga River named after his arch-nemesis. The city was located along the western bank of the river and was the home of several factories, namely the Red October (Krasny Oktyabr) Tractor Plant. In my studies of the Battle for Stalingrad, opinions about the city's strategic importance differ. In some instances, Stalingrad was considered a point on the Volga at which the Germans could halt Russian shipment of supplies. However, there are historians who view the city as having little to no strategic value, but a political value instead. Taking the city of Stalingrad would have dealt a significant blow to the morale of the Soviets and Russians in particular, as the river has often been referred to as “Mother Volga.”  The river not only fed the local population, but it provided a means for expansion and trade. The importance of Stalingrad's defense was felt throughout the Soviet Union. Hitler's declaration that every male resident of Stalingrad would be killed and every woman deported, according to The History Channel , set the stage for a bloody, hard-fought battle. As a means of defense, Stalin instructed all Russians who were strong enough to hold a rifle to take up arms.  Protecting the city was a high priority and was eventually entrusted to Lieutenant-General Vasily Ivanovich Chuikov. Chuikov was a literal force of nature, a strong-willed warrior who never surrendered to an enemy during his military career. In his book titled The Battle for Stalingrad , Vasily Ivanovich recalled the day in 1942 when he was almost paralyzed due to a drunk driving accident caused by his driver. Despite this severe injury, his strength of will and sheer physicality allowed him to return to duty quickly, in time to take decisive action during the Great Patriotic War in the pivotal battle on the Volga. “In May I was appointed Acting Commander of the reserve army spread out over the Tula region, where, during May, June, and early July it underwent intensive military training. One day I stayed on at H.Q. until midnight and then set off back to my quarters. I did not notice what state the driver, Grinev, was in. He started up the car with a jerk, and it rapidly began to gather speed. ‘Grinev, don’t drive so fast,’ I warned him, but he appeared not to understand me. The car was gaining in speed all the time, and at a bend in the road, it overturned. Trying to crawl out from under the wreckage I lost consciousness. Who picked me up and how I was taken home I don’t remember. ‘You have injured your spine,’ the doctor told me. ‘You’ll have to stay on your back.’ For a few days, I lay on a special bed, strapped down by the shoulders and legs, being given traction treatment. However, healthy and hardy by nature, I was on my feet again in a week, though I walked with a stick. At the beginning of July, an order came through from G.H.Q. renaming the reserve army the 64th Army, and transferring it to the Don” (18-19).

Pictured from left to right:  adviser N.T. Fedorenko, military attaché N. V. Roshchin (Ruzankov), plenipotentiary A. S. Panyushkin, chief military adviser Karpov (Lieutenant General V. I. Chuikov), representative of the Comintern P. P. Vladimirov (Vlasov), Marshal Chiang Kai-shek, unidentified persons. 1942. On 22 June 1941 at 4 AM, three million Axis forces —Germany and her allies—invaded the Soviet Union along the vast border. The Molotov-Ribbentrop Treaty was signed in August 1939 with the intent of delaying, if not preventing, an invasion of Germany into the Soviet Union. However, Hitler was infamous for breaking promises. During the months prior to the invasion, Axis forces were being transferred to the Eastern Front to build up along the Soviet Western boundary. Codenamed Operation Barbarossa, the Germans caught the Red Army by surprise. In the summer of 1941, Marshal Chuikov was still serving as Soviet military attaché to Chiang Kai-Shek in China. Chuikov’s work in the Far East was important to the defense of the Soviet Union. His task was to advise and assess Chinese forces’ readiness; moreover, he served to encourage Chiang Kai-Shek and his Kuomintang (KMT) armies to unite with Mao  Zedong’s Chinese Communist Party (CCP) forces against the Imperial Japanese forces and to prevent civil war. It is claimed that WW2 actually began when the Japanese invaded China in 1937 , instead of the 1 September 1939 date of the German invasion of Poland. To avoid a two-front war, the Soviet Union needed to protect its eastern border from direct conflict with Japan. When the Soviets were assured that Japan did not plan to attack, Red Army troops were diverted from the Far East and sent to the West. Vasily Ivanovich wrote that once the invasion occurred, he requested on more than one occasion to be sent to the battlefront in the Soviet West. Eventually, his wish was granted. He was recalled to Moscow to provide a report of the activities in China. When Chuikov was recalled home at the beginning of 1942, he knew in his heart that he would never return to China. In reflection of Marshal Chuikov’s personal experience against the backdrop of the Second World War, I pondered a few things. First, he must have felt a heightened sense of frustration of being stationed in the Far East when he was anxious to return to the Soviet Union to do battle with the Germans and their allies. After the 1941 invasion, his family evacuated to Kuibyshev (modern-day Samara), located on the Volga north of Stalingrad. No doubt this weighed heavily on his mind. Kuibyshev was also the location selected as an alternate capital  should Moscow fall into German possession. Today, tourists can visit an underground bunker  that would have served as Stalin’s HQ in Samara had he chosen to relocate. However, Stalin decided instead to remain in Moscow and mandated that the citizens  and the Red Army stay and defend the city. His decision to stay also helped curb the panic people were experiencing as they rushed to leave. Next, Vasily Ivanovich knew he had the ability to observe and analyze the enemy to find vulnerable areas and develop a plan of attack. His years of training and experience in the field prepared him well to be an offensive, fighting general. The Germans were a force to be reckoned with— their Blitzkrieg tactics  of coordinating their forces to swiftly overwhelm enemy armies often meant that the Germans took thousands of prisoners of war. If a weakness could be exploited, it would mean that the Germans would be rendered ineffective. Chuikov’s talents and abilities proved essential to the Red Army’s success at Stalingrad. Interestingly enough, right around the time of the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Chuikov traveled from Chongqing to Chengdu to receive medical treatment for an old wound that reopened. Which wound is not specified in his account  shared in his book titled Mission to China , for he was wounded four times during the Russian Civil War 20 years earlier. One of those old wounds (in the left arm) resulted in a bullet remaining embedded due to the risk of severing a nerve during surgery. According to Michael Jones, author of Stalingrad: How the Red Army Triumphed , this same wound would later cause complications ending Marshal Chuikov’s life at the age of 82.

Pictured: Colonel-General V. I. Chuikov, 1945. He was photographed wearing the Victory Day Parade ceremonial uniform. The Distinguished Service Cross is displayed to the right of the Victory Over Germany medal, bottom row. In organizational behavior, recognizing employees  for their excellence in contributions is one proven way to motivate team members to achieve even greater heights. Acknowledging and praising employees in front of their peers helps to lift morale, and it encourages others to achieve so that they too may be recognized. The military is one example of an organization where leaders understand the importance of recognition through the recommendation for citations and for promotions. Marshal Chuikov himself signed many of these citation documents during his lengthy career. Vasily Ivanovich was also a much-lauded and decorated military figure who received high awards from numerous countries. His contributions were so significant that he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross  by President Roosevelt in 1944. Second only to the Medal of Honor in terms of military valor, the DSC has been awarded to honor exceptional acts of heroism for US and foreign military heroes. The US Army presented 440 Distinguished Service Crosses to foreign soldiers, with a significant majority of those medals awarded during World War II. Countries represented by these recipients are France, Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain, India, Russia, and Brazil. In recognition for his significant contributions the following citation was presented: Distinguished Service Cross AWARDED FOR ACTIONS DURING World War II Service: Foreign GENERAL ORDERS: War Department, General Orders No. 3 (January 6, 1944) CITATION: The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Lieutenant-General Vasily Ivanovich Chuikov, Army of the U.S.S.R., for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy, in action against our common enemy, Germany, in World War II. Lieutenant-General Chuikov's outstanding accomplishments, personal bravery, and zealous devotion to duty exemplify the highest traditions of the Armed Forces of the Allied Nations.

Pictured: Colonel Ivan Lyudnikov in Stalingrad; In the Commander's dugout, 62nd Army. From left to right: K. A. Gurov, V. I. Chuikov. N. I. Krylov, I. I. Lyudnikov. Forbes  Council member Haseeb Tariq  recently shared a timeless truth: “Communication is a critical part of any organization’s success.” The focused use of messaging to fulfill organizational goals is known as strategic communication. For example, in the realm of marketing, messages must “cut through” the static, or noise, of a vast number of messages to reach a potential customer in a meaningful way. Effective communication is essential in other functional areas of an organization as well—human resources, operations, etc. When one considers strategic communication during times of heavy combat as faced by military personnel, the noise of battle greatly intensifies the effort to reach the recipient with a timely message. It is imperative that the commander and his staff are of one mind, reading “between the lines” of communication to see a deeper meaning. Marshal Chuikov mentioned in his book The Battle for Stalingrad  the context of a conversation with Colonel Ivan Lyudnikov, who served as his subordinate commander for the 138 Rifle Division. Lyudnikov and his soldiers were hanging on by a literal thread during a most difficult stage of the battle—in November 1942 just before the Red Army counteroffensive was launched in Operation Uranus. Cut off from the rest of the 62nd Army, the tiny strip of land the 138th Rifle Division held at the Barrikady Factory was known as “Lyudnikov’s Island.” "In these weeks there were several critical moments  for  the defending Russian troops : October 14 and November 11 were especially difficult days for them. Pressed against a narrow strip  of territory, with the Volga behind them , they  had no choice but to surrender  the  city or stubbornly defend every inch of land west of the river. ...    On November 11 at 6.30 a.m. , after air and artillery training, the enemy went  on  the offensive. Participation in this was five  infantry divisions of the enemy (389th, 305th, 79th, 100th and 44th) and two tank divisions (24th and 14th), reinforced by separate units of  the  294th Infantry Division, transferred by aircraft from Rossosh, and parts of the 161st Rifle Division, also transferred by aircraft from Millerovo.     A three-kilometer front, on which  the offensive was conducted, was  launched from Volkhovstroyevskaya Street to Banna Ravine. Although most  of these German divisions were unable (they were given a strong shake in recent  battles ), the number of  enemy formations was surprising.    Paulus clearly intended to crush Lyudnikov, the Division of Gorishny, Sokolov, Guryev and Batyuk with one blow, and reach the Volga. Exceptionally stubborn battles went on all day for every yard of land, for every brick and stone. The fight against hand grenades and bayonets went on for several hours. At the same time, our northern group under the command of Colonel Gorokhov counterattacked from the railway bridge at the mouth of the River Mechetka, south towards the Tractor Plant. On Mamayev Kurgan, Batyuk's division clashed head-on with the advancing enemy forces.   I cannot fail to mention the courage of the encircled division commanders led by Colonel Ivan Ilyich Lyudnikov. Despite the extremely difficult situation, they remained calm and confident. Telephone communications, of course, were broken. We only had a radio  connection . I had a personal unencrypted conversation with Lyudnikov on  the radio. We recognized each other's voices and didn't call each other by name. I didn't hesitate  to  tell him that help would be near, and that we would soon be able to help. I was hoping that he would understand why I spoke to him openly, and that our troops could in fact give him no help. He also said he hoped we would meet soon. Thus, we tried to mislead the enemy…”

Pictured: An article written by A. Gurevich for the Soviet chess periodical 64, dated February 1975. The full text of the article is translated below: "It was a special spring--victorious spring of 1945. At noon on 2 May, there was an unusual silence in Berlin. The rumble of guns ceased, bomb explosions, the rattle of tank tracks, the chirp of machine guns became inaudible. Downcast, devastated, having abandoned their machine guns, the columns of the Nazis wandered. The mass surrender of the German troops began. And in the evening, when Vasily Ivanovich Chuikov went out onto the square in front of the former imperial chancelry, he suddenly heard a thunderous Russian Hurrah! which expanded and grew every minute. And now he, lifted by the strong hands of the jubilant guardsmen, flew high above their heads... There are people who, even during their lifetime, become a legend. Among them is the famous hero of the Great Patriotic War, Marshal of the Soviet Union V.I. Chuikov. It was he who at the head of the 62nd Army, which later became the 8th Guards, stood to death in Stalingrad and did not let the Nazis cross the Volga. It was he who then drove them to the west, liberating Zaporozhye, Dnepropetrovsk, Lublin and dozens of other large and small cities, crossed the Vistula, stormed the Poznan fortress and the impregnable forts of the Kustrin citadel. It was his guardsmen, who broke through the enemy defenses on the Seelow Heights, broke into the capital of the Third Reich, attacking the buildings of the Reichstag, the Imperial Chancellery, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It was to him that the Chief of the General Staff of the German Ground Forces G. Krebs, who appeared as a negotiator to ask for a truce, told him about Hitler's suicide... The whole life of V.I. Chuikov is connected with our Armed Forces. The son of a poor peasant with many children, from the first days of the creation of the Red Army - in its ranks, he actively participated in the Civil War. Service in the army became his university. Here he received a higher military education, and showed a rare military leadership gift. In the army, the Marshal got acquainted with chess, falling in love with [the game] for life. [Chess] became his faithful companion in battles and campaigns. Writer Ivan Paderin in the collection 200 Fiery Days  tells about such a curious episode: In the midst of the battle for Stalingrad, when the Nazis, regardless of losses, rushed to the Volga, a rumor spread among the defenders that Chuikov was badly wounded and someone else was in command of the army. And now Private of the 284th division Ivan Krushinsky (formerly the Donbass chess champion) receives instructions from his regiment commander to go to the army command post, by the way, located next to the front line, hand over a package with a report, and at the same time find out if the commander is really injured. 'It was already evening, or maybe even daytime. The sky was covered with black clouds of smoke. I went down from Mamaev Kurgan, walked along the coast and there, not far from the Bannoy ravine, I found the command post of the army. The sentry stopped me at the entrance: - Here's the package. Ordered to hand over personally to the commander. - Come on.    I enter the dugout. There is a map and... chess on the table. A sullen man walks along the wall. Whether he is or not, I cannot determine: in the dugout, a front-line oil lamp burns dimly.   I hand him the package, and I myself look at the chess. The general pointed this out: - Do you play? - Haven't played in a long time... - Sit down  As soon as I had time to make a move, the dugout swayed, and something creaked in the corners. - Go, go...  I made another move, and I myself look: is he or not? Somewhere, it seems, before the tenth move, he thought. And at that moment the ceiling trembled, crumbs of earth fell down. The adjutant ran in: - Comrade General, tanks... My partner did not even look at the adjutant, he was silent, thought, and made a move: - Shah .. So, tanks, then? - Here, right on the Command post breakthrough. - That's the way it should be. Paulus is exhausted, he wants to scare us with tanks at night. Go and see how ours work, take an anti-tank grenade with you. - And he turns to me: - Go, go ... I had no time for chess. I felt that something was wrong near the dugout. A few more minutes passed. I made two or three obviously bad moves. The adjutant returned without a grenade, covered in dust. Reported: - One tank is hit, on fire, the rest turned back ... I came to the commander of the unit already late at night, and reported everything as it was. He breathed a sigh of relief and said: - You were lucky, you ran into two Chuikovs at once. The adjutant's name is Fedor, the commander's younger brother. I've known him since childhood... And you, Ivan Krushinsky, are a chess player of the first category, and you lost, on the fifteenth move you got a mate. Not ashamed? But it's okay, now I'm sure you'll play with him more than once." Further, the author writes that he does not know if the soldier had a chance to play again with the commander. 'I remember that during the days of the battles near the Volga, Krushinsky dreamed of entering the streets of Berlin and playing his best game of chess there. A German bullet cut short the life of a communist. Somewhere in the steppes near Zaporozhye, a grave mound was lost ...' After the end of the war, the 8th Guards Army was stationed in the Weimar area. At the initiative of the commander, a garrison championship tournament was held, and a chess room was opened in the House of Officers. Chuikov also visited it sometimes. 'Once,' recalls master Boris Pavlovich Naglis, who was then the champion of the local garrison, 'a messenger came for me and gave the order: immediately report to the commander. I entered the room and saw chess on the table, understood what was the matter. Chuikov greeted me cordially: - Let's play, Botvinnik! Until five in the morning light burned in the windows. The army commander played recklessly, worried about every game. Apparently, he was not very familiar with chess theory, but he had no wits--when the opportunity presented itself, he attacked very skillfully. With his help, in the spring of 1946, the first army tournament was organized (nowhere in other armies were such competitions held). I was lucky to win the first prize in it and receive a hunting rifle from the hands of the commander himself. The second was Lieutenant Monastyrsky. About the chess battles of the guards learned not only in our army units, but also in the units of the allies. There was an idea to hold a match with the team of the American military administration. Chuikov, who by that time was Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany, supported this proposal and, for his part, did everything to make the meeting take place. The match, which took place in the American occupation zone, ended, as is known, with the victory of our chess players. The Soviet team was led in board order by Major I. Lipnitsky (later a well-known master and theorist), Major B. Naglis, Junior Lieutenant R. Nezhmetdinov, who a few years later became the champion of the Russian Federation.' ... A long life path has been passed, hard trials, heavy, bloody battles are behind. In books, speeches, the Marshal conveys his accumulated experience to young people. His memoir The End of the Third Reich published in 1973 by the publishing house "Soviet Russia," received universal recognition. It is curious that chess terms are often encountered in them. Talking about the actions of the army led by him to eliminate the enemy’s Lodz grouping, Chuikov writes: 'The tank group, consisting of the 11th tank brigade and three separate tank regiments under the overall command of General Weinrub, swiftly enters the western outskirts of the city and closes the enemy’s escape routes. The 1st Guards Rifle Corps in reserve is castling  to the right flank of the army. And here is how the author describes his conversation with G. Krebs on the eve of the complete surrender of the Nazis in Berlin. 'I sit down at the table opposite Krebs. I feel that during my absence (V.I. Chuikov went to the communication center to inform Marshal G.K. Zhukov about the statement of parliamentarians by phone) he pondered the situation and prepared some new arguments in defense of his own, or rather Goebbels', proposals. He spoke first, again insisting on a temporary truce. - I do not have the opportunity to conduct other negotiations, I am only authorized and cannot be responsible for my government. It is in your interest to lead them with the new German government... This is already a queen move. Krebs puts the main figure into action. It is impossible to give him a descent for obsession. He clearly wants to draw me into the discussion of the issue of a truce./ Recently twice Hero of the Soviet Union Vasily Ivanovich Chuikov celebrated his 75th birthday. As before, he is in the ranks of the defenders of the Motherland. Translated by Igor Musienko

Pictured: A medal commemorating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the German Democratic Republic (1949-1979); Inspector General of the Group of General Inspectors of the Soviet Union Ministry of Defense, Marshal V. I. Chuikov, wearing his GDR medal underneath his Deputy of the Supreme Soviet flag pin at a special military parade in Berlin, 7 October 1979; the award citation accompanying the medal given to each recipient. When considering the application of leadership theories to real-life scenarios, it is important for leaders to know how and when to delegate duties to their subordinates. Delegation  involves the transfer of tasks and the authority to make decisions about those tasks to other team members. It is the final leadership style covered in Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard’s Situational Leadership Theory . Delegating entails giving up power to another person, which is often difficult for the leader to do. However, effective leaders understand the importance of entrusting authority to their associates, and they are successful in handing over this power. The theory is applicable to the business world as well as to non-profit, governmental, and military organizations. Throughout his career, Marshal Chuikov practiced situational leadership (later posts will explore this topic more), and his service in post-war Berlin as the Chairman of the Soviet Control Commission is no exception. Colonel-General Chuikov and the 8th Guards Army were involved in the storming of Berlin and served as part of the Soviet occupation forces after the Great Patriotic War was over. Germany  was occupied and divided into four zones  following the surrender on 8 May 1945. The four major Allied powers (the United States, the Soviet Union, Great Britain, and France) were tasked with administering their respective zones. However, tensions between the Western Allies and the Soviets began to rise following the war. Eventually, Great Britain and the United States merged their respective zones in 1947. The German Federal Republic (FRG, commonly known as West Germany) was formed on 21 September 1949, following tensions between the Soviet Union and the Western powers. A few days later on 7 October 1949, the Soviets created the German Democratic Republic (GDR, also known as East Germany) out of their zone of occupation and formally adopted the Constitution . Army General Chuikov in 1949 The New York Times  reported Moscow’s announcement of Army General Chuikov’s appointment as Chairman of the Soviet Control Commission on 7 November 1949. The task of the Soviet Control Commission in Germany was to oversee the activities of the GDR in light of the Potsdam Pact . Four days later on 11 November 1949, Chuikov personally delivered a notification to Premier Otto Grotewohl’s East German Cabinet announcing that administrative functions were symbolically and officially handed over to and executed by the newly-established government. This was a correct action to take to support the legitimacy and authority of the new entity. While there was still oversight by the Soviets, Grotewohl and his staff were empowered to take the lead on conducting GDR administrative duties.

Pictured: Commander-in-Chief of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany, Army General V. I. Chuikov at a meeting with GDR President Wilhelm Pieck. Far-left—A. Y. Bogomolov, Berlin, 1951. While conducting research on Marshal Chuikov’s leadership experience in East Germany, I discovered several sources which described these years of service. One source in particular titled Without Protocol  presented Chuikov as a down-to-earth, relatable yet professional leader. What struck me as I read this account is the strong positive impression Chuikov left on his German translator, Alexander Yakovlevich Bogomolov. In memoirs written  in 2010, Bogomolov shared the following: “Both [Ambassadors Georgy Maksimovich Pushkin and Mikhail Georgievich Pervukhin] remained in my memory, along with Vasily Ivanovich Chuikov and Ivan Ivanovich Ilyichev, as well as Vladimir Semyonov and Andrei Smirnov, as the most remarkable figures in Soviet foreign policy of the [1950s], especially with regard to the formation and development of the GDR. Unfortunately, all of the above have already passed away. They were distinguished from their colleagues by exemplary decency and high morality, not to mention their professionalism.” Bogomolov continues sharing several anecdotes and memories of his time in Germany with Army General Chuikov, and his first day as a translator for Vasily Ivanovich was one to remember: “My predecessor, Major Lebedev […] was the senior translator of the Soviet Control Commission in Germany. He translated all the negotiations of Army General Vasily Ivanovich Chuikov with the leaders of the GDR. Lebedev planned to study in Moscow after completing his military service in order to receive a diploma of higher education, but Chuikov refused him for a long time. Lebedev was ordered to find someone who could replace him. His choice fell on me, and for several weeks I was subjected to a thorough check in Berlin. I did oral and written translations, read aloud German newspapers, retelling texts, was introduced to several German teachers and professors, including the Russian language specialist Else Zeisser, who was often involved in translations. At one time, a protocol on reparations deliveries of the GDR to the Soviet Union was signed in Berlin twice a year. The signing of the protocol always took place in a solemn atmosphere, […] and the ceremony usually took place in the officers' mess. At the beginning of my translation work, another such signing was just ahead, in which I had to take part. Lebedev instructed me how I should behave with Chuikov: ‘He speaks loudly, and so do you; he lowers his voice and you do the same; speak to him only in the right ear, because he is deaf [in the left ear] from Stalingrad. It is important that you are always next to him, preferably on the right side.’ Meanwhile, it was ten minutes to 8 PM. Chuikov was not yet there when Lebedev and I entered the dining room. At the back of the room, which was rather dimly lit, I saw many burly old men standing. ‘Now,’ I thought nervously, ‘I see the leaders of the GDR gathered together, for whom I will translate.’ So, the first day of my working life begins. Someone shouted: ‘Chuikov is driving up!’ I felt a very strong emotion and saw the General of the Army quickly going up the steps of the stairs. As soon as he passed us, I felt a strong push and Lebedev wished me in a whisper on the path, ‘God bless you!’ Chuikov took a few more energetic steps forward and said loudly: ‘Hello, comrades!’ With excessive zeal, I loudly shouted into the hall in German: ‘Guten Tag, Genossen!’ Chuikov stopped, turned to me in surprise, and said good-naturedly: ‘Yes, brother, you have reported a little [early]. The Germans are not here yet.’ I stood as if paralyzed and perceived only thunderous laughter in the depths of the dining room. To this day, I don't know if I had tears in my eyes or cold sweat from fear. Soon the guests arrived: Walter Ulbricht, Wilhelm Pieck, Otto Grotewohl, Heinrich Rau, Fred Elsner, Gerhard Ziller, Bruno Leitner and others. Lebedev stood next to me and showed me who is who.” During Alexander’s first year of service in East Germany with Army General Chuikov, he was called home for a family emergency. When the situation seemed bleakest, Vasily Ivanovich showed compassion on his German translator and offered his personal plane to take him back to Russia. Chuikov understood the importance of the situation, as he was also a husband and father who loved his family. When he learned how urgently Bogomolov was needed back home, Army General Chuikov did not hesitate to assist his aide: “In mid-October [1951], my mother-in-law called from Moscow. She said that my wife Nina had serious complications after the birth of our first child, and I had to go to Moscow as soon as possible. I promised her this. But there were no tickets at Aeroflot ticket offices for the next three days. I felt bitter disappointment, my situation seemed hopeless. The next day I told Vasily Ivanovich Chuikov about my worries. Chuikov immediately said: ‘Then take my plane and fly to Moscow tomorrow.’ In the evening, he told me through his assistant that one more general of the logistics service would fly with me. We met him only during the flight. I told the general why I was returning to Moscow. Four hours later we landed at the small military airfield Astafyevo not far from Moscow. There was deep snow on the airfield. There were no stairs with steps. We just jumped down. Then we ‘floated’ freestyle through the snow until after almost fifty meters we reached a wooden hut. I carried a small suitcase with me. The general didn't have any luggage, and he got to the barracks before me. Just when I finally thought I had caught up with him, I heard the sound of a car driving away… I got to the clinic only late in the evening. My wife, at first glance, looked good and smiled happily at me. The nurse handed me a red-haired baby. After his birth, we both agreed that we would name the boy Nikita in honor of the surgeon Nikita Ivanovich Makhov, who in 1945 saved my life by performing six difficult operations. Then Nina told me what happened: first, her left side was paralyzed. Ten days later, the paralysis disappeared, but she stopped seeing [with] her right eye. Doctors said that a blood clot clogged a vessel that supplies blood to the optic nerve. I tried to calm my wife. […] A month later, she returned home with the child. I flew back to Berlin. Thanking Chuikov for the plane, I also spoke briefly about my fellow traveler. After that he inquired what I thought of the general. I smiled and asked if a common soldier had the right to tell the truth to an army general about another general. ‘Well, of course! And only the truth!’ Chuikov answered. ‘He's a scoundrel,’ I declared, and told how he left me in the snow to my fate. In the same winter, Chuikov removed the general from his post. Perhaps he had his own reasons for this…”

Pictured: Marshal V. I. Chuikov with I. G. Paderin (left), 1964. When I began researching Marshal Chuikov’s life and work in early 2020, I dove (with great zeal) into his translated books The Battle for Stalingrad , The Fall of Berlin , and Mission to China . Since this time, I have gained resources for other texts (thankfully Google Chrome will translate these for me) and have thoroughly enjoyed reading Chuikov’s epic stories and articles and hearing his recorded speeches online. Western readers of his works often note Chuikov’s remarks regarding Khrushchev as well as his praise of the Communist Party, but it is important to remember a few things. First, books were reviewed and edited prior to publishing in alignment with leadership at the time. If a book was to be released and distributed, certain guidelines had to be followed. Regarding the Communist Party, political workers helped soldiers better understand their role in defending the Motherland during the Great Patriotic War. One must recall that Marshal Chuikov was a young revolutionary who  joined the Communist Party early in his life and believed in its merits. The Workers and Peasants Red Army (RKKA) provided an outstanding career path for Chuikov, one which might not have been accessible to him in Tsarist Russia. In researching Vasily Ivanovich’s texts, I discovered that he had a literary assistant who was also a prolific writer and Great Patriotic War veteran. Ivan Grigorievich Paderin , who was a political worker in the Red Army, also wrote several books and aided various veterans as they wrote their memoirs as well: “Ivan Paderin fought near Moscow and Stalingrad, ended the war in Berlin as deputy commander of the 220th Guards Regiment of the 79th Guards Division for political affairs. He wrote the books On the Main Direction , Through the Fire , In the Fire of Stalingrad , Trust , Commander of the Immortals , Burns of the Heart . In addition, Ivan Grigorievich recorded and literary processed four volumes of memoirs by Marshal V. Chuikov, books by the Secretary of the Stalingrad Regional Committee of the CPSU, A. Chuyanov’s On the Rapids of the Century , [famous sniper] V. Zaitsev’s There Was no Land for Us Beyond the Volga , F. Vasiliev’s Care soldiers , and I. Dmitrishina’s At the Call of Memory . Here is what Marshal Chuikov wrote about Paderin: ‘I personally know Ivan Paderin from the September days of 1942, from the heavy battles for Stalingrad. In front of my eyes, he, the commissar of the battalion, raised the soldiers to attack, dispelled fear and confusion. The further life of Ivan Paderin also flowed before my eyes. In the last assault on Berlin, he led the soldiers to storm the imperial office, where Hitler's headquarters were located.’”

Pictured: The Commander of the 62nd Army, Lieutenant General Vasily Ivanovich Chuikov (left) and member of the military council, Lieutenant General Kuzma Akimovich Gurov, during a conversation with the legendary sniper V.G. Zaitsev where he examines Zaitsev’s rifle. In the background is an officer for assignments with a member of the Military Council of the 62nd Army, Major Vasily Petrovich Samsonov. Stalingrad, 1943 . One of the most well-known heroes from the Battle for Stalingrad, famous sniper Vasily Grigorievich  Zaitsev, is credited with coining the phrase, “There is no land for us beyond the Volga.” This declaration became a slogan for the 62nd Army, motivating soldiers to fight to the death to defend the besieged city. During the battle, Zaitsev proved his skill as a deadly sniper, gaining the attention of the Commander of the 62nd Army, General Chuikov, among others. Former   Arguments and Facts  journalist Ekaterina Goryacheva  visited Zaitsev’s widow, Zinaida Sergeevna Zaitseva, in Kyiv in 2005 when an agreement was reached to relocate the sniper’s remains to be buried with honor at Mamev Kurgan in Volgograd. During her interview with Goryacheva, Zinaida shared anecdotes about the famous sniper’s relationship with Marshal Chuikov during the defense of Stalingrad and beyond: “When little Vasya asked his hunter grandfather to shoot with a rifle, he made him a bow and said: once you learn to hit a squirrel in the eye with it, you will get a gun. The grandson turned out to be capable and within a few days received a rifle, from which he later skillfully fired at wolves. After all, he spent a whole month shooting from an ordinary rifle in Stalingrad. He killed so many fascists that rumors reached Chuikov: ‘Well, bring me this Zaitsev.’ He looked at him and... handed him a real sniper rifle...   Zaitsev found out about his being awarded the title of Hero [of the Soviet Union] by accident. When he was blown up by a mine and went blind, he was sent to Moscow. An operation was successfully completed. Somehow he was lying in the ward with other fighters, and on the radio they announced that ‘Vasily Grigorievich Zaitsev was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.’ He completely ignored this, and a comrade in the ward jumps up to him and pats him on the shoulder: ‘Vaska, they gave you a Hero [star]!’ Vasily Zaitsev’s recommendation for Hero of the Soviet Union, signed by Generals Chuikov and Gurov (near the top of the left-hand document) in December 1942 (from Volgograd archives). After the hospital, he returned to Chuikov again. Vasily Grigorievich had a very reverent relationship with him, almost brotherly, although at the front Chuikov beat Zaitsev with a stick a couple of times. Soviet propaganda constantly idealized our army commanders and front-line life. But the same Chuikov was of simple peasant blood, he could tell his mother and shout [ meaning that he swore with choice obscenities when communicating with people – MK ]. There was everything at the front—they loved to party and drink more than the front-line 100 grams, for which Chuikov could beat him. Anyone!   Few people know that until the age of 75, Vasily Grigorievich shot as skillfully as he did during the Battle of Stalingrad. I remember once they invited him to evaluate the training of young snipers. When they fired back, the commander said: ‘Well, Vasily Grigorievich, shake off the old days.’ Zaitsev takes the rifle, and all three bullets hit the bull's eye.” Zinaida Zaitseva at her husband’s grave in Kyiv, 2005 (Photo courtesy of Ekaterina Goryacheva)

Pictured: Marshal V. I. Chuikov enjoying a game of chess in an undated photo featured in Ivan Paderin’s book  The Earth Does Not Tolerate the Timid  ( Zemlya Ne Terpit Robkikh ). In a continuation of a  previous blog post  featuring the  Big Five Personality Traits  model developed by Smith, Goldberg, and McCrae and Costa, the final two traits of Agreeableness and Neuroticism are explored. Ratings are assigned based on anecdotal information gained from years of intense study of Marshal Chuikov’s life and work. ·  Agreeableness  – High to Moderate ·  Neuroticism  – Moderate Agreeableness  – High to Moderate Agreeableness  refers to the level of interest one person has for another and the amount of empathy and concern expressed. Chuikov certainly cared about his soldiers and demonstrated empathy for others throughout his career. There are numerous accounts of how the Commander  lifted the morale  of his troops in Stalingrad. Coercion alone would not have been effective—the beleaguered soldiers responded to a leader who inspired them in the trenches. A moderate level of agreeableness alludes to a tendency to compete with others.  Competition  causes a person to be creative, and how a person deals with success and failure helps to shape their character. It also causes a person to persevere even in the most difficult challenges. Vasily Ivanovich grew up in a large family—he was 1 of 12 children and the 8th born—and no doubt there were some ways in which siblings competed with each other. He enjoyed the  game of chess  immensely, and finally bested an exhausted chess grandmaster after an extended period of gaming. There is a tendency to perceive competitiveness as a negative trait. However, there are positive outcomes in being competitive. Case in point--Chuikov was highly driven and hated to lose, a personality trait that was crucial to holding Stalingrad in the face of annihilation. Neuroticism – Moderate Neuroticism is defined as having a mercurial temperament, and Marshal Chuikov has been described as someone who was occasionally moody  with an explosive temper . However, his positive qualities outweighed the negative ones and a rating of moderate for the trait of neuroticism seems appropriate. When paired appropriately with other leaders, Vasily Ivanovich was especially effective. For instance, his partnership with Marshal N. I. Krylov in Stalingrad and beyond was one of mutual benefit. Krylov had a  way of calming Chuikov  in stressful situations, and the two men worked together seamlessly in the leadership of the 62nd Army. Their personalities were complementary, and when they combined their efforts, the strengths of both men were featured. Their professional and personal relationship spanned for many years afterward, and the two Marshals worked together in the Central Committee of the Communist Party and in defense of the Soviet Union—Krylov oversaw strategic missiles, and Chuikov directed the civil defense.

Pictured: The Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Zaporozhye City Council, Volodymyr Ploshchenko, showing the construction prospects  of the city (in particular, the future development of the Central Boulevard) to Marshals Chuikov and Sudets, who liberated Zaporozhye, Ukraine in October 1943. The Marshals arrived to the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the city in September 1970. Between the two Marshals stood Ploshchenko’s first deputy, Valentin Yalansky. To the left of Marshal Chuikov, Grigory Kharchenko, who was the first secretary of the Leninsky District party committee. During this visit, Vasily Ivanovich planted an oak tree to mark the occasion. Exactly one year after the hardest day  in the Battle for Stalingrad on 14 October 1942, Chuikov’s 62nd-8th Guards Army were far from the defense on the Russian Steppe and in the thick of the offensive—liberating the besieged cities of Ukraine. On 14 October 1943, the city of Zaporozhye was freed from German occupation. Always one to use innovative strategies and “outside of the box” thinking, Chuikov suggested to Front Commander R. A. Malinovsky to conduct a night assault on the city. In his book titled In Battles for Ukraine , Marshal Chuikov recalled the decision to launch a night offensive on the Germans in a fully-coordinated attack, a unique operation in the history of the war: “What appealed to us in terms of a night offensive, other than the usual advantages that a night battle gave? First of all, its suddenness. A night offensive by forces of an entire front is an unusual phenomenon in the art of war. During the Great Patriotic War, night battles were fought quite often, but there were no such battles with the forces of three armies and two tank corps. Consequently, the Hitlerite command will not immediately, not at the very first moment of the strike, guess that the entire front has gone on the offensive, therefore it will not be able to properly orient itself, it will miss the right moment for maneuvering reserves, and we will be able to make a decisive breakthrough to the city. We acted quite reasonably, that at about 5 o'clock in the evening we suspended the offensive: the enemy might think that our forces were exhausted. The night offensive plan called for quick and energetic action from commanders at all levels and their staffs. It took us no more than 40 minutes to develop a plan for the army with General V. Ya. Vladimirov. Members of the Military Council of the Army with the officers of the Army Staff immediately went to the corps and divisions to bring the plan of the night offensive to each commander. By 20:00, everything was basically ready. I returned to my command post in the village of Chervono-Armyskoye. He signed the most necessary orders and immediately went to the divisions with his direct assistants in order to direct the battle from there. The Chief of Staff of the army, General V. Ya. Vladimirov, remained at the command post. The appointed hour for a short night artillery attack on the enemy position was approaching.” On 27 October 1943, Vasily Ivanovich was promoted to the rank of Colonel-General. Years later, he was recognized for his heroic leadership of the 62nd-8th Guards Army by the city. An article from a March 1974  issue of Pravda  recorded the following: “In 1974, another honorary citizen appeared in Zaporozhye. For outstanding merits in the fight against the German-fascist invaders and a great personal contribution to the liberation of our city, this title is awarded to Twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Marshal Vasily Ivanovich Chuikov. The solemn meeting dedicated to this event was held in the meeting hall of the city council with the participation of Marshal Chuikov himself. The ‘Honorary Citizen of Zaporozhye’ ribbon, a commemorative medal, and a diploma were presented to the military leader by the chairman of the Zaporozhye City Executive Committee, Hryhory Kharchenko.” Pictured: Alexander Vasilyevich presenting a signed book as a gift to the local museum, titled Names of Victory: General Leaders and Leaders of the Great Patriotic War , published for the 65th anniversary of the Victory. Nearly 30 years after Marshal Chuikov’s passing, a monument  memorializing him was opened on the anniversary of the liberation day of Zaporozhe, 14 October 2010. City and regional representatives, veterans, and the son of the legendary Marshal, Alexander Vasilyevich Chuikov, took part in the solemn occasion.