Pictured on the left: the Commander of the 43rd regiment, V.I. Chuikov and Commander of the 5th Infantry Division, V.M. Azin. Orenburg region, Buguruslan, Russia in 1919.
During my studies of Marshal Chuikov, I discovered his ability to connect with others and establish a foundation of trust. His peers often asked his opinion on various topics, even regarding decisions affecting their career paths. For example, one of Chuikov’s closest colleagues from the Battle of Stalingrad, Marshal Nikolay Krylov, once sought Vasily Ivanovich for advice on taking the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Strategic Missile Forces of the USSR. More on their relationship in a moment…
Marshal Chuikov also served as a military educator—no doubt there were instances where Vasily Ivanovich actively mentored others and developed them as leaders who in turn served as mentors to others. A mentor draws upon his or her own experience to provide advice and knowledge to mentees, while also providing them with the opportunity to seek out information and support on their own if they need it. One of the reasons why Marshal Chuikov was an effective leader is due to his own mentor who influenced his practices. A new book written by Nikolai Aleksandrovich Kartashov features the life story of Vasily Ivanovich, shedding light on the man who shaped Chuikov’s philosophy and practice early in his career—Russian Civil War Hero Vladimir Martinovich Azin of Latvia:
“There were legends about Azin at the front. He was a demanding, strong-willed, fearless and resourceful commander. He knew how to lead people, as they say, into fire and water. Azin went on the attack with them, shared with the fighters equally the joy of victories and the bitterness of defeats. It used to happen, his former subordinates later recalled, that the Whites were pouring shrapnel shells, bullets were whistling around, forcing the fighters to stay close to the ground, and the Commander walked along the chains and scattered cigarettes to the Red Army soldiers. […]
Azin knew how to quickly determine the enemy's plan, knew his strengths and weaknesses, always thoroughly thought through and planned operations. Chuikov immediately took a liking to the division commander and tried to imitate him in many ways. Under the leadership of Azin, he went through a good command school, which helped him in the future.
Here is how the Marshal spoke about the mentor of his commanding youth:
The revolution put us forward! And now, remembering such an outstanding person as Vladimir Martinovich Azin, I can directly state, comrades—he taught me how to fight! I learned from him, namely, to control the masses, to control myself, in the most irreconcilable conditions to get out of the situation and with victory. He is my mentor and godfather in firearms. I have no doubt that in Stalingrad, in Berlin—what I had to endure during the Great Patriotic War—this is the colossal share of the studies that I received at that time.” (38-39)
Going back to the instant connection between Krylov and Chuikov during those difficult days at the Battle of Stalingrad… They found a common link with Vladimir Azin, which cemented their relationship from the very beginning. Ilya Dragan’s biography on Marshal Krylov included an opening conversation between the two leaders when Chuikov took command of the 62nd Army in September 1942:
Chuikov: ‘From what years did you take a rifle in your hands?’
Krylov: ‘At sixteen from a rifle, and at seventeen I was already shooting from a machine gun, and a year later I commanded a machine-gun platoon ... First in the Caucasus with the Azin division ...’
‘Azinskaya!’ Chuikov exclaimed. ‘Well, wait! How is it with Azin?’
‘So it is with Azinskaya!’ answered Krylov, somewhat surprised, and raised his eyes to Chuikov. ‘Azin himself was no longer there, but the Azin Division. No one among us called her by her number, and the neighbors called us Azinians!’
‘So you haven’t seen the divisional commander?’ Chuikov asked.
‘No! I only heard legends about him, but I had to get acquainted with his battle order and take into account in every business!’
Chuikov suddenly stood up, bending down under the low ceiling, took two steps towards Krylov and hugged him. ‘This is for Azin!’ he explained. ‘For Azin, because I am Azin too! Only, unlike you, I saw the divisional commander, fought with him... He died early, but he was a talented military leader! How amazing it came together!’”