Tag Archives: Iosif Stalin

November 6 in the days of the War

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November 6 – the day before the celebration of the Great October Socialist Revolution – saw many significant events during the span of the great Patriotic War of 1941 – 1945. We marked them at “Beorn And The Shieldmaiden”, and are bringing them to the Beehive!

«Our cause is just – Victory will be ours!»

Drawing by artist Vladimir Vinokur, 1948: «Stalin’s speech on November 6, 1941, at the Mayakovskaya metro station»

On November 6, 1941, the famous speech by Iosif Vissarionovich Stalin, Chairman of the Council of People’s Commissars and Head of the State Defense Committee of the USSR, was broadcast throughout the country from the Mayakovskaya metro station.

Stalin’s speech was short but meaningful. The Soviet leader announced the failure of the Nazi blitzkrieg, the reasons for the temporary setbacks of the Red Army, and the inevitability of victory in the war.

With the Wehrmacht storming the nearest approaches to Moscow, it was decided to hold a solemn meeting of the Moscow City Council of Workers’ Deputies dedicated to the 24th anniversary of the October Revolution in deep secrecy. The decision on this was made only on November 3, 1941. This was due to the situation at the front, with battle for Moscow raging. It was also necessary to make sure that the weather would prevent the Luftwaffe from launching a massive bombing attack on the Soviet capital, spoiling the celebration.

Due to concerns about secrecy and security, the event was held at a different location than the usual venue, the Bolshoi Theatre. Instead, it was held at the deepest metro station at the time, Mayakovskaya, which served as a bomb shelter for the residents of Moscow.

On November 5, the metro station was prepared for the arrival of guests. In the evening, the station was closed to passengers entering and leaving. Trains passed through Mayakovskaya without stopping. Late in the evening, representatives of the Supreme Command Headquarters and the State Defence Committee arrived at the station for a check, accompanied by Stalin himself.

On November 6, preparations continued: chairs were brought and placed at the station, the floor was covered with carpets and rugs, and posters were hung. The place for the presidium was set up in front of the escalators, where there was no exit from the station (the medical center was located there). A podium was set up, a raised platform with a table for the members of the presidium was installed, and a portrait of Stalin was hung on the end wall, with a bust of Lenin placed in front of it. Technicians connected microphones to the loudspeakers placed at the station, ensuring that everyone could hear the speech of the head of the Soviet Union. Radio broadcasting equipment was set up.

The tunnel leading from the Gorkovskaya station to the Belorusskaya station was de-energized. A special train of 10 cars was placed on the tracks, with tables set up for the event’s participants. A wardrobe, an orchestra for the concert, which was scheduled to begin after the ceremony, and recording equipment were also set up. The tracks leading from the opposite side of the station were free. High-ranking guests were expected to arrive there.
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The All-Union Parade of Athletes on August 12, 1945

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It is the victorious year of 1945.

Our Cause is Just – We Have Won!

For the first time since the end of the Great Patriotic War, a parade of athletes is taking place on the Red Square. The leaders of the country are standing on the podium of the Mausoleum. There are representatives of foreign countries in the guest stands. The delegations of all the republics in national costumes are marching in columns. This parade was supposed to symbolise the revival of the pre-war tradition, which was not so much a sporting event as an ideological one.
While this was parade of the Victors.


Backup at Rumble.

Stalin Prize for 1945 in the field of chronicle and documentary cinematography went to cameramen Semenov S.A., Makaseev B.K., Shchekutyev A.G., Monglovsky Yu.V. for the colour film “Athlete Parade of 1945”

At the conclusion of the parade, all the participants sing the Anthem of the Soviet Union.

One of the testimonies found on the Internet:

To prepare for this show, my uncle was recalled from the front back in March 1945. He said it was then that he realised that the war was about to end. The daily schedule, training and good nutrition for six months made them real athletes. Everything took place in secrecy. He was even forbidden to tell anything about his residence in the sports camp and what he was doing to his relatives. He wrote that he was beating Germans in Austria, in Germany. In short, whatever Levitan would be saying.

👉 Watch also the pre-War “Blooming Youth” Athlete Parades from 1937, 1938 and 1939.

First translated to Beorn And The Shieldmaiden TG channel

Stalin: “From now on we shall know what kind of allies we are dealing with.”

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A full year passed after the telegram exchange between Winston Churchill and Stafford Cripps, where Churchill cynically laid the blame on the USSR for the start of WWII, and where Britain adopted a wait-and-see position. No second front was still forthcoming.

Iosif Stalin was fully aware of what kind of allies Britain and the USA were, as becomes apparent from the following two telegrams, sent by him to the USSR ambassador to Great Britain, I.M. Maisky on October 19 and 28, 1942.

Telegram from the Chairman of the Council of People’s Commissars of the USSR, I.V. Stalin, to the USSR ambassador to Great Britain, I.M. Maisky, on the intentions of the head of the British government, W. Churchill

From the Electronic Library of Historical Documents.

October 19, 1942
We all have the impression in Moscow that Churchill is pursuing a course aimed at the defeat of the USSR, in order to then conspire with Hitler’s Germany or Breuning at the expense of our country. Without such an assumption, it is difficult to explain Churchill’s behaviour on the issue of the second front in Europe, on the issue of arms supplies to the USSR, which are progressively declining despite the growth of production in Britain, on the issue of Hess, whom Churchill apparently keeps in reserve, and finally on the issue of the systematic bombing of Berlin by the British during September, which Churchill proclaimed in Moscow and which he did not fulfill one iota, despite the fact that he certainly could have done it.
I. Stalin

Soviet-British relations during the Great Patriotic War 1941 – 1945: Documents and materials: In 2 volumes. Vol. 1. 1941 – 1943. Moscow, 1983. p. 294.

It is noteworthy that as early as August 30, 1941 — a whole month before the Churchill-Stafford communication — I.V. Stalin wrote to I.M. Maisky:

“In fact, the British government is helping the Nazis with its passive wait-and-see policy. The Nazis want to beat their opponents one by one — the Russians today, the British tomorrow. The fact that England applauds us and scolds the Germans with the last words does not change the matter at all. Do the British understand this? I think they do. What do they want? They seem to want to weaken us. If this assumption is correct, we need to be careful about the British.”

(Soviet-British relations… Vol. 1. p. 109)

A follow-up telegram from I.V. Stalin to I.M. Maisky with arguments in favour of his point of view that W. Churchill is aiming for the defeat of the USSR

From the Electronic Library of Historical Documents.

London. Sov.Embassy. For Maisky.
October 28, 1942

I have received your suggestions. I found a lot of interesting and instructive things in them. A number of your suggestions coincide with the events we have planned.

I still think that, being a proponent of an easy war, Churchill will easily succumb to the influence of those who are pursuing a course aimed at the defeat of the Soviet Union, because the defeat of our country and compromise with Germany at the expense of the Soviet Union is the easiest form of war between Britain and Germany.

Of course, the British will later realise that without the Russian front on the continent of Europe, if France fails, they, i.e. the British, are doomed to perish. But when will they realise this?

We shall see in due course.

I doubt that the British would support the Northern operation. They’re just talking about it for show.

Churchill told us in Moscow that by the beginning of the spring of ’43, about a million Anglo-American troops would open a second front in Europe. But Churchill seems to be one of those figures who easily make a promise, in order to just as easily forget about it or even blatantly break it.

He also solemnly promised in Moscow to bomb Berlin intensively during September-October. However, he did not fulfil his promise and did not even try to inform Moscow about the motives for non-fulfilment.

Well, from now on, we shall know what kind of allies we are dealing with.

I have little faith in Operation Torch. If, contrary to expectations, this operation ends successfully, we can come to terms with the fact that they took away our planes for this operation.

I spoke to Wilkie and informed Roosevelt that in the next 12 months we will need to receive 2 million tons of wheat from the United States. Wilkie said that the United States doesn’t know what to do with its bread and that our request is quite feasible. Roosevelt responded positively, but did not offer anything concrete. Your proposal to involve Canada in this matter is absolutely correct, as Canada also doesn’t know what to do with its bread.
STALIN

“Stalin and Churchill. Meetings. Talks. Discussions: Documents, comments. 1941 – 1945.” 2004. Page 378.

Georgy Zhukov: “Not one step back – this is the Motherland’s combat order to us, the defenders of Moscow…”

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November 1, 1941 – Commander of the Western Front General Georgy Zhukov and member of the Front’s Military Council Nikolai Bulganin gave the order: “Not one step back – this is the Motherland’s combat order to us, the defenders of Moscow. This is what Comrade Stalin ordered… Deal mercilessly with cowards and deserters.”

At the command post of the Western Front in the fall of 1941. In the photo: G.K. Zhukov, N.A. Bulganin, V.D. Sokolovsky

A month after the start of Operation Typhoon, the situation at the front was becoming critical: the Nazi invaders managed to encircle a large group of Soviet armies near Vyazma, take Kalinin and other cities on the outskirts of Moscow. The capital was under siege, and enterprises and institutions were being evacuated.

Despite the difficult situation, there was no intention of surrendering the capital – Stalin and the top leadership of the state remained in the city, all city services continued to function, and on November 1, 1941, the troops of the Western Front were given order number 051, signed by the commander of the Western Front Zhukov and member of the Front’s Military Council Bulganin:

«FIGHTING FRIENDS, RED ARMY SOLDIERS, COMMANDERS AND POLITICAL WORKERS!

In these harsh days, the Motherland, our people and our Great STALIN have entrusted us with the protection of our native and beloved MOSCOW. The Motherland has entrusted us with a responsible and honourable task: to become an indestructible wall and block the path of the German hordes to our capital.

Not one step back — this is the Motherland’s combat order to us, the defenders of Moscow.
This is what Comrade Stalin ordered… Deal mercilessly with cowards and deserters.»

This order was important for maintaining discipline in the troops and raising the morale of soldiers and officers. The slogan “Not one step back!” had a strong psychological impact and emphasised that there was no land beyond Moscow, that it was necessary to fight to the death.
With the help of tough wording and measures, Commander Zhukov managed to stop the enemy’s advance, and already on December 5, the troops of the Western Front launched a counteroffensive, during which the enemy was thrown back hundreds of kilometers from Moscow — Operation Barbarossa failed.
Source: CPRF

The order of the Commander of the Western Front troops on the further mobilisation of all forces to repel the enemy

The complete text of the order as presented at the Electronic Library of Historical Documents, with the text sourced from “G.K.Zhukov in the Battle of Moscow. A Collection of Documents”, 1994, pages 33-34.

“That’s how it was… and that’s how it will be!” Poster by Nikolai Dolgorukov, 1941. Source: digital exhibition of the Nekrasov library, “The Artists of Victory”.

November 1, 1941

Active army

A month has passed since the Nazi invaders launched their offensive. The Hitlerite hordes are straining every effort and are madly rushing towards Moscow. The troops of the Western Front, who have the historic task of defending Moscow, are putting up heroic resistance to the enemy onslaught.
In heavy bloody battles, defending every inch of their native land, their families, their children, fathers and mothers, defending their freedom and independence, our troops repel this onslaught of the enemy. Every step forward is taken by the Germans at the cost of enormous losses.
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Churchill’s cynicism towards war-torn Russia

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The following material is based on a post from the channel “WWII Day by Day”. We did some additional research, locating the texts of the mentioned telegrams. Kudos to ЭТО Я for the lead and inspiration, plus DeepSeek AI for the detective work assistance.

October 28, 1941: The entire double game of England is revealed in the telegram exchange of the British ambassador to Moscow, Sir Stafford Cripps, and the British PM, Winston Churchill.

On October 26, the British Ambassador to Moscow, Stafford Cripps, sent a telegram to the Foreign Office in London, explicitly stating what the Prime Minister needed to understand:

  1. The Russians do not trust England; they know that London is waiting for them to do everything for the English.
  2. The English (the delegation that participated in the Moscow Conference at the end of September) did not bother to explain anything at the military level. And there were people who could have done so.

Harold Lionel Ismay, a British general from 1940 to 1945, was the chief military advisor to Churchill. He was in Moscow and participated in the Moscow Conference of the three powers from September 29 to October 1. Cripps explains to Churchill that the lack of proper staff-level negotiations leads to a fatal misunderstanding by the Russians of the motives of the British. In a report on the conference, prepared by Ismay himself, it was written:

“No negotiations on military matters were held with the Russian General Staff…”

Ismay only exchanged a few words with Stalin informally during a reception at the Kremlin. Stalin already told the British generals that Great Britain must have a strong and large land army:

“The entire situation in Europe has changed. England will never be able to rely solely on its fleet…”

Cripps, in general, understands everything and feels a certain moral wrongness. He writes frankly: “…We have never honestly explained our own position to them…” In other words, England was never honest with the USSR during the war, says the ambassador in Moscow!

Winston Churchill discussed this telegram with members of the British government on the night of October 27-28. And on October 28, he sent a fantastically cynical response telegram to Cripps. This is a set of instructions to him as a diplomat — the official British position. Moreover, Churchill, knowing Cripps’s character and understanding that he belonged to a different faction of the British elite, stated that he did not really want to talk about what he was writing publicly, but he was willing to do so if Cripps “gave him out”.

The telegram is also interesting because it contains the exact words that are now repeated by some of our “historians”… well, those who tirelessly call for repentance for all “Stalin’s mistakes in World War II” and in general “for its outbreak”… Read it, it’s just a manual of talking points.
Keep in mind that this is the same Churchill who, on June 22, 1941, publicly said something completely different on the radio! The one who promised to help in every way possible, but so far has not helped at all… because the Germans are at the gates of Moscow, and it seems like this is the end for the Russians… they are to blame for it themselves…

♦️ ♦️ ♦️

A partial text of Stafford Cripps’ telegram to Winston Churchill, October 26, 1941

The complete text of the telegram is not available in English on the Internet. We found the Russian translation containing five paragraphs of the telegram at the Electronic Library of Historical Documents. It is sourced from the 2015 book “The Road to Great Victory. USSR through the eyes of the Western contemporaries: Documents and Materials”, which in turn source archive number “TNA, PREM 3/395/6”. Below we present a reverse translation of the text to English.
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“Mission to Moscow” – The Two Missions of Joseph Davies

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Yesterday we presented at “Beorn And The Shieldmaiden” the 1943 film “Mission to Moscow”, along with the contemporary Soviet review. We are bringing this review here, followed by a translation of one chapter, speaking of the book and how the film came to be, titled “The Two Missions of Joseph Davies” from a book by Lev Ashotovich Balayan, simply called “Stalin”.

The following review, written by N.Krugkov was published in the Soviet Red Army newspaper “Red Star” on July 30, 1943. The film in question is possibly one of the two truthful films about the USSR, coming from Hollywood, the other one being “Why We Fight: The Battle of Russia”.

«Mission to Moscow»

A new American film

Mr. Davies, the former United States Ambassador to our country, has published a book called “Mission to Moscow”. The book was a great success. It described the events leading up to the war in the language of facts and documents. The factual nature of the book, written with a sharp pen of a publicist, created its success. For the American reader, who was poorly informed about the USSR and European affairs, Davies’ book was in many ways a revelation.

Director Michael Curtiz created a movie based on the book by Joseph Davis. Of course, it was not an easy task. Davies’ book, which is a political document, did not pretend to be artistic in its presentation, it is entirely factual, and seemingly plotless. However, the events described in it are so dramatic, so close to us, people experiencing the storms and tempests of the World War, that they fit neatly within the script and allowed to create a film that makes a great impression.

Of course, to us, the Soviet people, a lot of things in the picture seem naive and sometimes even funny. Russia, apparently, remains an exotic country in the eyes of Americans, and the desire to convey to the viewer the uniqueness of the country clearly dominates the direction.

Therefore, the film carefully emphasises the shots designed, according to the authors, to show Russian exoticism. Of course, the film features a mighty-sized samovar, some bearded people dancing “hopak” at a skating rink, a sled painted with flowers, and so on. All this makes our audience smile involuntarily. But at the same time, we see the efforts of the film’s authors to show our factories built during Stalin’s five-year plans, our endless collective farm fields and our new people — energetic and courageous builders and creators of a new life.

J. Davis went to Germany before coming to the USSR. He saw the stupid German military, heard the roar of drums, the incessant brass roar of military marches, children beating the goose step, a rampant, muzzled Germany, a country where preparations for war were going on at a furious pace, where everything was trembling under Hitler’s heel.

— Tin soldiers, he said of the Germans.

And so he crossed the border: a new world, the USSR. The lively people, the ease of communication, the smiles on their faces, even the air was different, clean and fresh, and the Americans who arrived immediately felt free and simple.

This noticeable difference between the two countries is perfectly captured in the picture.

The Soviet and foreign chronicles abundantly presented in the film give the picture a documentary character, making up for what could not be done in the studio, making you feel the pulse of authentic life.

The film says: The USSR is a great country, inspired by high common and social ideals, inhabited by courageous, energetic and talented people.

The film shows political figures of the USSR and other countries. The direction did not achieve an exact similarity of images — neither in external nor in internal expression. It was satisfied with the conditional similarity, the sketchy outlines. However, even actor Walter Huston, who plays the role of Davis, did not strive to accurately reproduce the image of his character.

Some events in the film are shifted in time, apparently in order to develop the plot more dynamically, but this does not deprive the film of truthfulness, because it is based on actual facts, real events.

We see and feel the ardent desire of the film’s authors to honestly comprehend and reflect the life of our fatherland — they have succeeded in many things, some have failed — but in any case, we can rightfully say: This is the voice of our overseas friends.

The Soviet Union, which bore the brunt of the Hitlerite horde that threatened to incinerate the whole world, attracted the sympathies of all advanced humanity with its courageous struggle. America, which is fighting alongside us, has feelings of recognition and respect for the Soviet people. The film “Mission to Moscow” expresses these feelings.

You are about to read a chapter from Lev Ashotovich Balayan’s book “Stalin”. After Lev Balayan’s passing, the book was made public domain by his son, Yan Bayalan, at the site stalin.su between 2003 and 2015. The site itself is now available through the WebArchive. The book can also be found at LitLife Club.

The Two Missions of Joseph Davies

The bestseller of the 40s

Davies and Stalin in May of 1943

At the end of 1941, Joseph Davies’s book “Mission to Moscow” was published in the United States of America. This man was the US ambassador to the USSR, or rather, Franklin Roosevelt’s personal envoy to the Soviet capital, where he arrived with a very specific mission: to obtain an audience with Stalin, to deeply study and analyse the internal political situation in the Soviet Union and its foreign policy, as well as to gather information on the defence capability of our country. Davies’s work as U.S. Ambassador to the USSR lasted from January 1937 to the spring of 1938, that is it fell on the peak of “political repression”, and therefore F.Roosevelt’s personal envoy and his testimonies about the events that took place at that time, as well as his book itself, are of great interest. It is not for nothing that President Roosevelt left this inscription on his personal copy of the “Mission to Moscow: “This book is a phenomenon, it is for all times.”
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“Stalin’s Delaying Tactics Against Hitler. Two Years of Astute Manoeuvring”

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In the present, the West is howling, recalling the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. Meanwhile earlier, they were admiring Stalin’s cunning in concluding this pact. Not just immediately after the treaty was signed, but even while waging war against Hitler.

I came across a large and competent analysis of Soviet-German relations, published in the “Times” exactly 85 years ago – on May 1, 1941, a month and a half before the start of the Great Patriotic War. As you can see, the article is titled: “Stalin’s Delaying Tactics Against Hitler. Two Years of Astute Manoeuvring”.

The author, thoroughly analysing Stalin’s motives, writes: “On May Day two years ago, Soviet Russia looked like a country under the greatest threat.” The subtitle reads: “The Threats Have Been Eliminated.”

Speaking of Stalin, the “Times” pays him tribute:

“Perhaps. His strong, complex, pragmatic Caucasian mind is less inclined to theorising than to strategic facts. Since 1939, Soviet Russia has indeed avoided major threats. When Stalin saw that Germany had decided to move east, he withdrew from negotiations with Britain and France and met Germany halfway, making it easier for the Germans to go to war, while keeping the Soviet Union out of it.”

At the same time, the author directly writes that Germany continues to prepare for war with the Soviets, about which German officers are quite openly talking everywhere. He mentions, by the way, the Germans’ preparation of Ukrainian militants to fight against the Soviets. And he even hints unambiguously at the time of the possible start of a German attack on the USSR — the coming summer.

He also writes about how the Russians, taking advantage of the respite, are intensively preparing for the upcoming war. Both in military and ideological terms. In particular, he notes that recently the Soviet media have been writing less about the “world revolution”, and more about the “Soviet Motherland”, which needs to be defended…

A very sensible analysis. And no hysteria about the “devilish conspiracy” and the “cunning tyrant”. I emphasise, by that time, the British had been at war with the Germans for almost two years!

Source: @newsEconomics

Translation from our Telegram channel “Beorn And The Shieldmaiden”. In this context it does good to remind that the Soviet-German non-aggression pact was far from the first signed between Germany and other world powers. Read: The complete list of pacts concluded between Germany and other European countries before and during World War II

Following the trail of the missing January 19 order “On behaviour on the territory of Germany”, and presenting authentic documents on the topic

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Presumably, on January 19, 1945, the USSR People’s Commissar of Defence Iosif Stalin signed an order “On behaviour on the territory of Germany”. Many reputable historical sources recite the wording of the supposed order. Last year, we too, presented a translation of the text, only later coming to realise that the order as such does not exist.

For the reference, here is the text of the “order” and additional information that was provided by Historian Magazine back then:

On January 19, 1945, the USSR People’s Commissar of Defence Iosif Stalin signed an order “On behaviour on the territory of Germany”, which stated:

“Officers and Red Army soldiers!

We are going into the enemy’s country. Everyone must maintain self-control, everyone must be brave…

The remaining population in the conquered areas, regardless of whether they are German, Czech, or Polish, must not be subjected to violence. The guilty will be punished according to the laws of wartime.

Sexual relations with the female sex are not allowed in the conquered territory. Those guilty of violence and rape will be shot.”

Stalin’s order was followed by orders from the commanders of the 1st and 2nd Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian Fronts, Marshals of the Soviet Union Georgy Zhukov (January 29), Konstantin Rokossovsky (January 21, order No. 006) and Ivan Konev (January 27), who prohibited “oppressing the German population, robbing apartments and burning houses.”

The commanders called on the Red Army soldiers to direct their feelings of hatred “to the extermination of the enemy on the battlefield.”

Where do the legs grow from..?

Let us perform source research of the above text.
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The USSR – a Realm of Goodness and Reason!

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We present translation of an article from the German Telegram channel FKT – History of the Soviet Union, first published at our Telegram channel Beorn And The Shieldmaiden. The article debunks more of the black myths about Stalin and the USSR of the 1930s. Make sure to also read their other article that we have translated: The Myth of the “Stalinist Purges”.

Under Gorbachev, we were indoctrinated with the brazen slander about the “Stalin repressions”, which the orthodox anti-Sovietist Solzhenitsyn invented – supposedly, the “bloody tyrant” Stalin killed 100 million of the “best sons of the Fatherland”. And millions of people actually believed it, because the more brazen and unbelievable the lie, the easier it is for fools to believe it – as the fascist Goebbels noted, and the liar Solzhenitsyn took advantage of it.

Here’s the clarification of a few fundamental questions:

Why are the fights against the enemies called “repressions”?!

Because for many, the word “repressions” associates with the punishment of innocent people.

Where are the bodies of 100 million victims?

Without their demonstration, the criticism of Stalin by the liar Solzhenitsyn is obviously unscientific. With the same success, any terrorist from Guantánamo and indeed anyone could write a book titled “The Camps of Guantánamo” and, apart from the revelations of a dozen terrorists imprisoned there, claim the following without evidence:

“Every US President tortured 100,500 million Americans on a hydraulic press and drank their blood for breakfast, lunch and dinner”

And then you could award the Nobel Prize for Literature to the author of the book, and it would be the truth?
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Stalin against Nepotism

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Vasily Stalin

Unlike many prominent figures of those times, Stalin never sought to protect his family from the war. In total, the leader had four children – two native sons and a daughter, as well as an adopted son.

Iosif sent his eldest son, Yakov, to the front right with the outbreak of war on June 22, 1941. The man did not manage to stay in battle for a long time – a month later he was captured by the Germans.

According to legend, the Fascists offered Stalin to exchange Yakov for the captured German officer Paulus, to which he replied that “one does not exchange soldiers for field marshals”. Stalin’s son spent two years in concentration camps before his psyche broke down and he tried to escape in the hope that he would be shot. And so it happened.

The youngest son, Vasily, built a brilliant career at the front, but his father was also strict with him. According to historians, the officer was offered the rank of general many times, but Iosif always crossed him off the list – he left him there only on the 12th time, considering that now his son was worthy of such an honour.

Source: Historical Facts, translated by Beorn And The Shieldmaiden

The Myth of the “Stalinist Purges”

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The fairy tale hour of Western historians regarding Stalin has many chapters, much rubbish and black myths have been piled over his name. The period of the purges of 1937 is one such area. It was later inflated by Solzhenicin’s imagination to come up with outlandish numbers of “Stalin’s victims”.

The material in this series, first translated by us at “Beorn And The Shieldmaiden”, from ANALYTICS & NEWS will address that trouble period. Troubled, for quite different reasons than what Western historiography is propagating.

Other materials on this topic:
👉 The history of repressions devoid of emotion. Viktor Zemskov’s arguments and facts
👉 Myths about Stalin. Where do legs grow from?

The fairy tale hour of Western historians regarding Stalin has many chapters. After the myth of the “Holodomor”, we will now clear up the next myth.

❗️Throughout this article, crucial questions will arise that apparently 99% of historians have not asked themselves, have refused to ask, or were not allowed to ask.

⚠️ We do not question that these years of “terror” and the subsequent purge took place. However, we will show who was responsible for the first phase and why it became necessary for phase 2, the purge, to be carried out.

🔻First, we would like to begin with two quotes that you should keep in mind:

“This is how I remember encounters, conversations with Stalin, how often about certain topics – all of this fell on deaf ears! When did I start to remember? When they began to heap all kinds of dirt on Stalin. I do not wonder how many people died under him, but how he managed to put an end to it! After all, the general mood was such that they could have destroyed half the country with their own hands. And you think to yourself, the devil take it, how things are going in our Russia! You think of past times, of Peter the Great, and you see: everything repeats itself. History repeats itself, perhaps in a new way, but it repeats itself nonetheless. More than once I remembered how often Stalin said that being determines consciousness, and consciousness lags behind being! And the thought comes to me: Basically, we must think communistically. But it is thought as in the 18th century: how to push someone else aside!”
– Vyacheslav Molotov

“Learn self-control, dear comrade, otherwise, despite all your good professional qualities, you will not be able to keep your head: you will repeat my fate – you will be removed before you have time to fulfil the mission. You see for yourself that among the ‘leaders’ of the party there are no Bolshevik cadres capable of leadership… but the mission of Bolshevism must continue, otherwise the Freemasons and the foolishly babbling intelligence bound by them will completely overwhelm the people.”
– Note from Vladimir Lenin to Stalin

The Plenary Session from 23.02.1937 to 05.03.1937 and the Beginning of the “Great Terror”

Stalin proposed a very extensive and detailed program of reforms to the plenary. The goal was to set aside everything that happened during the civil wars and subsequently during the outbreaks of class struggle, including collectivisation. The most urgent economic problems were to be solved, and the focus was to be on building the nation and uniting the people.
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Debunking the myth that “The West industrialised the USSR”

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“The West industrialised the USSR” – another propaganda slogan that confuses trade with exploitation. Russian Baza Telegram channel scrutinises it and breaks it down.

Concessions had nothing to do with Stalin’s industrialisation!

👉 Concessions were deals where foreign companies came into the USSR, used its resources, like fish, forests, and gold, made big money, and gave the country almost nothing in return.

Foreign concessions were a product of the New economic Policy (NEP) era of the early-to-mid 1920s, under Lenin.

But when Stalin came to power and recognised them for what they were – legalised looting – he shut them down fast.

By 1931, nearly all foreign concessions were terminated or nationalised.

Because they were predatory, unprofitable, and violated national sovereignty.

Still think it wasn’t legalised looting? Take a look:

‼️ Fishing concessions – Foreign companies fished in Soviet waters, exported the catch, and kept up to 85% of the profits. The USSR got scraps in return.

‼️Timber deals – Western firms were given access to vast Russian forests. They clear-cut massive areas, caused environmental damage, and left behind only token fixed payments.

‼️Lena Goldfields concession – A British company ran gold mines in Siberia, made millions, and treated Soviet workers as cheap, expendable labour.

‼️Oil concessions – Foreign companies were allowed to drill and export Soviet oil with little oversight, often paying far less than market value while shipping profits abroad.

‼️Mining rights in the Urals and Central Asia – Western firms extracted coal, copper, and rare metals under contracts that gave them near-complete control of operations and revenue. Local workers endured the risks; foreigners took the profits.

By the early 1930s, Stalin had seen enough – most were shut down or nationalised.

Stalin’s industrialisation was built through trade, not concessions.

In the 1930s, the USSR bought what it needed: Equipment, designs, factory blueprints from the U.S. (Ford, Albert Kahn), Germany, Britain, Italy, and others. It paid in gold, grain, and hard currency.

These were strict commercial contracts, not Western gifts.

No one “helped” the USSR. It paid dearly, often for outdated or overpriced tech.
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The Forgotten Victory Parade of the Allies on September 7, 1945

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The allied forces of the Anti-Hitler Coalition held a parade in honour of the end of the Second World War. Parade taken by Soviet troops in Chief Marshal Georgy Zhukov, the commander of the 3rd U.S. Army General George Patton, the British General Robertson and French General Marie-Pierre Kœnig.

The parade was almost cancelled due to General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery declining the invitations shortly before the parade, but at Iosif Stalin’s insistence, took place anyway.

It is known as a “forgotten parade”, as it was mentioned in only a few Western sources, and only showed once in the USSR. The forces of four Allies also participated in another Berlin parade several months later, on the Charlottenburger Chaussee, in front of the Brandenburg Gate, on the first anniversary of the German surrender on 8 May 1946, in the Berlin Victory Parade of 1946. This parade was connected to the inauguration of the Soviet War Memorial at Tiergarten. Soviet troops were not present at the much more widely known in the West London Victory Celebrations of 1946.


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Raw video source on YouTube.
We presented this translation first at our Telegram channel “Beorn And The Shieldmaiden”.

Word to Georgy Zhukov, “Recollections and Reflections”, volume 2, 1974 edition, translation from 1985, page 427-428

By common agreement the salute was to be taken by the Commanders-in-Chief of the Soviet, US, British and French Forces.

All arms of the land forces participated in the Berlin Parade. It was decided not to call in the air forces and navies as they were considerable distances away from Berlin.

The appointed date was approaching. The Soviet troops carried out a thorough preparation. We sought to invite to this parade primarily those soldiers, NCOs, officers and generals who had displayed particular gallantry in the storming of Berlin and particularly its main strongholds of resistance — the Reichstag and the Imperial Chancellery. Everything was going on according to our agreement with the Allies.

But on the very eve of the parade, we were suddenly informed that for a number of reasons the Commanders-in-Chief of the Allied Forces could not come to Berlin for the Victory Parade, and had authorised their generals to attend.

I immediately put a telephone call through to Stalin. He heard my report and said:

“They want to belittle the political importance of the parade of troops of the anti-Hitler coalition countries. Just wait, they’ll be up to something else next. Ignore the refusal of the Allies and take the salute yourself, all the more so, as we have more rights to do it than they.”

The parade of troops in Berlin was held on September 7, 1945, exactly at the appointed time. Participating were the Soviet troops which had stormed Berlin, and American, British and French troops which were stationed in Berlin in order to carry out occupation duties in the western sectors of Berlin set aside for them.

After reviewing the troops drawn up for the march-past, I made a speech noting the historic merits of the Soviet forces and the Allied Expeditionary Forces.

The Soviet infantry, tanks and artillery marched in impeccable order. A particularly memorable impression was made by our tanks and self-propelled artillery. Among the Allied troops the best-drilled were the British.

About 20,000 Berliners gathered to see the Parade. It was a ceremony symbolising the victory of the anti-Hitler coalition over the bloodthirsty fascist aggression.

And so, the parade became forgotten, pushed out of mind.

In the West, because celebrating the Victory on September 7 drove home the point that it was Socialism that won the battle over its mortal enemy — Fascism, the tool of Imperialism. As Zhukov had said, the West would not forgive USSR for liberating it — it already commenced a new war on the USSR, and this reminder did not fit into the plans.

As for the USSR, it chose to forget that parade for different reasons, one of them being the contempt that the West showed.

“Blooming Youth” – the All-Union Sports parades on the Red Square in 1937, 1938 and 1939

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We present the All-Union Sports parades held on the Red Square in 1937, 1938 and 1939, with our translation of the 1938 event. The materials were initially published at our Telegram channel “Beorn And The Shieldmaiden”.

The All-Union Athlete Parade on July 12, 1937

«Greetings to our dearest Stalin!»

On July 12, 1937, an All-Union athlete parade was held in Moscow on Red Square, dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the Great Proletarian Revolution and the adoption of the Stalinist Constitution.

The film is about a grandiose, multi-hour parade of athletes on Red Square in Moscow. I.V. Stalin and other leaders of the USSR were present at the podium of the Mausoleum.


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Blooming Youth (1938)

A newsreel depicting the All-Union Sports parade on the Red Square, dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the Lenin-Stalin Communist Union of Youth (Komsomol), which took place on July 24, 1938. It showed readiness to defend the Motherland. Many iconic marches and songs were performed, including “If Tomorrow Comes War” (see below).

Columns of athletes from Belarus, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Turkmenistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, athletes from Voluntary sports societies pass in front of the audience.

On the podium of the Lenin Mausoleum, I. V. Stalin, K. E. Voroshilov, V. M. Molotov, S. M. Budyonny, M. I. Kalinin, A. A. Andreev, A. I. Mikoyan, L. M. Kaganovich, N. A. Bulganin, Hero of the Soviet Union pilot M. M. Gromov. This is one of the first Soviet colour films.


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Trivia:

The film, directed by Nikolai Solovyov, is originally in colour. According to the information on the Internet, the film was shot using the three-colour method. However, according to Wikipedia, the first film shot with a three-film camera “CKS-1” of domestic make, was “Blooming Youth” created in 1939, presented below. That is a different film with a similar title, also about the Red Square parade, but held a year later, it has been preserved in decent quality.

The method of shooting the 1938 film “Blooming Youth” requires further clarification.

This film was shown in the 90s on the “Kultura” TV channel. An incomplete recording was wide-spread on the Internet, ending at the 20th minute. Thanks to the newly digitised VHS recording, which was made at the same time, it was possible to restore the full version of the film. Source.

If Tomorrow Comes War

This is the theme song from the 1938 film of the same title. The film celebrates Soviet military power and shows the Soviet people what the war will be like when the imperialists attack the USSR – fast, victorious, almost bloodless. The film is based on documentary footage shot during real manoeuvrers of the Red Army, and play episodes with actors.
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Iosif Stalin’s Toast Dedicated to the Great Russian People. May 24, 1945

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On May 24, 1945, at a reception in the Georgievsky Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace in honour of the commanders of the Soviet forces, Stalin delivered his famous toast, a dedication to the Russian people. This is an article, translated from the Two Wars blog on Dzen, telling the story of the toast.

No photographs or videos were taken of this banquet, for ethical reasons: the entire country was starving and in ruins, and suddenly there was a lavish meal with delicacies.

There was no sound recording either, just a transcript. But later it was heavily processed for newspaper publications. There are 31 toasts recorded in this transcript. Of these, five belonged to Stalin. There are 28 toasts left in the official report (only 2 of them are by Stalin).

This includes the last banquet speech, which the leader delivered well after midnight. By the way, he was not allowed to speak at all.

Because as soon as Stalin stood up and tried to speak, his words were drowned out by a sea of applause (as recalled by a participant in the banquet, the famous aircraft designer Alexander Yakovlev). His last, widely known speech about the Russian people was constantly interrupted by a barrage of long-lasting applause, so the toast took almost half an hour to deliver.

Mihail Hmelko, “A Toast to the Great Russian People”, 1947

The last toast of the banquet, later corrected by the leader

Here is the text (in the corrected and officially approved form):

Comrades, allow me to raise one last toast.

I would like to raise a toast to the health of our Soviet people and, above all, to the health of the Russian people.

I drink first and foremost to the health of the Russian people because they are the most outstanding nation of all the nations that make up the Soviet Union.

I raise a toast to the health of the Russian people because they have earned the general recognition of the Soviet Union as the leading force among all the peoples of our country.

I raise a toast to the health of the Russian people, not only because they are a leading nation, but also because they have a clear mind, a steadfast character, and patience.

Our government has made many mistakes, and we have had moments of desperation in 1941 – 1942, when our army retreated and abandoned our villages and cities in Ukraine, Belorussia, Moldavia, the Leningrad region, the Baltic states, and the Karelian-Finnish Republic, because there was no other option. A different people might have said to their government, “You have failed to meet our expectations, so go away, and we will install a new government that will make peace with Germany and bring us quiet life.”

But the Russian people did not agree to this, because they believed in the correctness of their government’s policies, and they made sacrifices to ensure the defeat of Germany. This trust of the Russian people in the Soviet government proved to be the decisive force that ensured the historic victory over the enemy of humanity – fascism.

Thank you, Russian people, for this trust!

To the health of the Russian people!

What exactly was fixed?

The leader made the edits to the original version of the toast himself before sending it to the press. What did he change in his speech? It’s not a secret: the original version of the transcript has been preserved.
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