On the evening of the 22nd of December, Joseph Stalin summoned his old comrade, Semyon Budyonny, to his office. There, Stalin recalled warmly their days together since the early days of the revolution and then went on to mention the many contributions made by the venerable cavalryman over the years. But then the conversation took on a different theme. The time that is now, in the last days of 1942, these times have changed and are changing more rapidly than ever before. The Red Army, at one time a force that struggled mightily to achieve the unity of the Motherland during the war with the Whites, stands now as the most powerful land force the world has ever seen. Over 7.7 million men are under arms from west of Voronezh to the Pacific Ocean. Over 110,000 guns and 7,000 fighting vehicles equip this army and the numbers stand to grow only higher as Soviet industry reaches its zenith in terms of production. Both firepower and mobility are positioned to replace raw manpower as the essential elements to drive the enemy from the country. The air force in a matter of a few months will be transformed into a weapon that will instill constant fear into the fascist troops, craning their necks skyward in a terrible expectation that Soviet retribution is at hand.
Stalin continued. If we are to see this become a reality, the leadership of the armed forces must be equally up to the task. In order for us to achieve that aim, we must realize that the old hands who have guided the Soviet Union since its foundation must seek the aid of younger minds. If nothing else, the technology of the age now demands it. Motorization of the Red Army will be a transformative event and we now require new ways of thinking on how this can best be employed in an aggressive and violent manner. This too is the nature of the younger minds among us.
In consideration of all of these things, the Chief of the General Staff will receive new support in accomplishing the goals that the Stavka will see accomplished. Colonel General Alexei Antonov currently chief of staff of the Stalingrad Front is to become Budyonny’s deputy and be assigned as chief of the Operations Directorate. Effective immediately all planning, coordination and execution of Red Army operations will henceforth go through General Antonov which will allow Comrade Budyonny to focus his efforts on Red Army organization.
As the conversation had now reached its end, Stalin asked Budyonny if there were any questions. Naturally Semyon Mikhaylovich said he had none and was grateful for the support he was being given. Returning to his Kremlin office, Budyonny could only reflect on the position he now held. After all, he was still Chief of the General Staff, still remained in Stalin’s inner circle, indeed still remained his friend, still had a place atop Lenin’s Tomb for the parades. Of course now room for one more would need to be considered.
Oh, to just return to 1920 and have my cavalry back…
