Aleksandr Vasilevsky quotes

“Conditions to the north of us, in the Voronezh and Steppe Fronts zone of action, and our offensive on Kharkov demands that we not lose time and we commit all forces so that we can draw off as many divisions as possible from Kharkov. And even if we do not draw them off, at least we will not give Manstein the ability to take any of his units from our part of the front. If we attract one or two German tank divisions - it will be the best contribution to the defeat of the enemy in the south.”
-- Aleksandr Vasilevsky

Source : "Soviet Military Deception in the Second World War" by David M. Glantz, (p. 228), 1989.

#Two Quotes #Giving Quotes #Enemy Quotes

“By seizing the formerly little-known Height 102.0 - the Mamayev Hill - the Red Army fought its way to the fascists' den - Berlin. We are proud to say that our victory in Stalingrad radically changed the whole situation in the Second World War. And this victory meant that our Motherland had withstood one of the most difficult tests in its history.”
-- Aleksandr Vasilevsky

#War Quotes #Army Quotes #Victory Quotes

“A man who knew his job as he spent a long time commanding a regiment and who earned great respect from everybody.”
-- Aleksandr Vasilevsky

#Jobs Quotes #Men Quotes #Long Quotes

“It was my view that the catastrophe. . . . could have been avoided if Vasilevsky had taken the position he should have. He could have taken a different position. . . . but he didn't do that, and as a result, in my view, he had a hand in the destruction of thousands of Red Army fighters in the Kharkov campaign.”
-- Aleksandr Vasilevsky

#Taken Quotes #Army Quotes #Views Quotes

“I did not decide to become an officer to start a military career. I still wanted to be an agronomist and work in some remote corner of Russia after the war. I could not suppose that my country would change, and I would.”
-- Aleksandr Vasilevsky

Source : "The matter of my whole life" by Marshal A.M. Vasilevsky, Moscow, Politizdat, 1978.

#Country Quotes #Military Quotes #War Quotes

“Let's begin by taking a smallish nap or two.”

“If there is any way you can get colder than you do when you sleep in a bedding roll on the ground in a tent in southern Tunisia two hours before dawn, I don't know about it.”

“In the middle of nowhere, along a quiet stretch of road, the diner dreamt of the hungry dead. And of two men.”

Source : A. Lee Martinez (2006). “Gil's All Fright Diner”, p.7, Macmillan

“There are two types of people in the world, and I'm one of them.”

“Television gives us the gift to see ourselves as we'd like to be seen.”

“The chief danger of the Church today is that it is trying to get on the same side as the world, instead of turning the world upside down. Our Master expects us to accomplish results, even if they bring opposition and conflict. Anything is better than compromise, apathy, and paralysis.  God give to us an intense cry for the old-time power of the Gospel and the Holy Ghost!”

“Give crowns and pounds and guineas But not your heart away; Give pearls away and rubies, But keep your fancy free.”

“The science of booby-trapping has taken a good deal of the fun out of following hot on the enemy's heels.”

Source : A. J. Liebling (2004). “Mollie and Other War Pieces”, p.121, U of Nebraska Press

“How to achieve the moral breakdown of the enemy before the war has started - that is the problem that interests me. Whoever has experienced war at the front will want to refrain from all avoidable bloodshed.”

“I know I have plenty of enemies, but I'd rather be the most-hated winning coach in the country than the most-popular losing one.”