Date: October 29th, 2026 12:23 PM Author: Tirant Lo Blanc
After Chernyakhovsky's death, Marshal Vasilevsky, the former chief of the general staff, took over command of the 3rd Belorussian Front on Stalin's order. Vasilevsky's approach to the problem of discipline appears to have been little different from that of other senior commanders.
According to one account, his chief of staff reported to him on looting and damage. 'Comrade Marshal,' he said, 'the soldiers are not behaving themselves. They break furniture, mirrors and dishes. What are your instructions in this con-nection?' Vasilevsky, perhaps the most intelligent and cultivated of all Soviet commanders, was apparently silent for a few moments. 'I don't give a fuck,' he said eventually. 'It is now time for our soldiers to issue their own justice.