As the Russian soldiers fought the enemy during World War Two they were very much inspired by the vivid example of the great 18th century Russian military commander Alexander Suvorov. 

Alexander Suvorov was born in 1730 in the family of General Vasily Suvorov and started preparing himself for a military career from an early age under the expert guidance of his father who once was a member of the inner circle of Emperor Peter the Great.  Alexander was a very endowed and diligent student and although a sickly child from birth, he eventually overcame that shortcoming with rigid daily training. As an 18-year-old young man, he enlisted in the elite Semyonovsky Guards Regiment. Despite his noble lineage and his position of a General’s son, Suvorov never sought to be any better than his fellow soldiers, standing guard, rain or shine, and eating what everybody else did in the regiment.  When off duty, he continued devouring books, studied foreign languages and even attended classes then made available at the Cadet Corps.  He was a highly disciplined soldier too.  Once, as he was standing guard outside the royal palace Empress Yelizaveta happened to be passing by. Impressed by the excellent military bearing of the young sentinel, she gave him a silver coin. Suvorov declined the offer saying that a sentinel was not allowed to take money from anyone. “Well said! You are a good soldier. I will put this ruble on the ground, take it when your shift is over,” Her Majesty said. That silver coin became one of Suvorov’s most prized possessions. 

Alexander Suvorov received his baptism of fire serving as a junior officer against the Prussians during the Seven Years’ War and made his grade during a raid on Berlin as part of a unit commanded by General Chernyshov. Commended by his superiors for his wartime courage and reserve, Suvorov was invariably friendly when dealing with civilian population. By the end of the war his personal bravery and superior leadership had earned him a promotion to the rank of a full Colonel.  His supreme military rank of Generalissimo was still a long way off though.  Suvorov later distinguished himself fighting the Turks. Once his regiment was ordered to defend a seemingly hopeless position. The Turks showered the Russians with cannonballs and case shots. One such cannonball event tore off the head of the horse Suvorov was riding on. The Russian infantry, consisting mostly of first-year conscripts, wavered and started falling back. Suvorov, with a sword in hand, was among the last to retreat. Several Turkish soldiers than dashed forward in an apparent bid to take the Russian General prisoner. One of Suvorov’s grenadiers made it just in time to help out and the next moment the Russian soldiers charged forward and sent the attackers on the run.  In the evening Alexander Suvorov was wounded. Coming around and seeing the Russian troops beating a hasty retreat, Suvorov led a crushing Russian counterattack making clever use of his reserves and overwhelmed the enemy. 

Suvorov’s military genius came to a full flower during his famous campaigns in Italy and Switzerland. Acting on request from its Austrian allies, Russia dispatched its armed forces to dislodge the French from northern Italy. Arriving in Vienna Suvorov was accorded a hero’s welcome by the local populace and by Emperor Franz of Austria who promoted him to the rank of an Austrian Field Marshal and Commander-in-Chief of his country’s armed forces. While placing the Austrian military in the hands of a Russian commander, however, the Austrian War Council demanded from him a detailed plan of military operations. Arguing that the course of the war depended on concrete circumstances that might arise as the war wore on, Suvorov presented the War Minister with a clean sheet of paper. Shortly after he led his troops to northern Italy where he defeated the French troops of General Moreau. Before long the very same fate befell another Napoleonic army commanded by General Macdonald. For those twin victories Emperor Pavel I gave Suvorov the title of Prince of Italy. On August 4 of 1799 Suvorov’s troops destroyed, in a lightning attack, the French army of General Joubert. To get over to neighboring Switzerland, however, the Russians had to cross the Alps. It was an absolutely impossible mission, outnumbered by the enemy, to scale the towering mountain peaks while, simultaneously, fighting the French who occupied all the vantage points along the way. That march across the Alps went down in military history. Suvorov’s army routed the enemy and reached Bavaria almost intact. In recognition of that outstanding military achievement Alexander Suvorov was promoted to the rank of Generalissimo and was applauded by the whole Europe as a towering genius of military art, intelligence and success. 

Centuries on, Generalissimo Suvorov is still remembered here in Russia with much deserved love and admiration, a truly national hero and the pride and glory of this nation. God favored this man, well, maybe because he devoted his whole life to serving his country… 
_____________________ 
 

Illustration: 

O. Mikhailov, The Life of Famous People. “Suvorov”, Moscow, Molodaya Gvardiya, 1973