Kliment Voroshilov

Biography

Kliment Yefremovich Voroshilov was born on February 4, 1881, in Verkhnye, Russia. He was one of Stalin's oldest political allies — a Civil War hero, a founding member of the Stalinist inner circle, and by the time of the Winter War, the People's Commissar of Defense of the Soviet Union. He was responsible for the Red Army's doctrine, training, and preparation. And more than any other individual, he was responsible for the catastrophic failures of the Winter War's first phase. Voroshilov had enthusiastically supported and participated in the Great Purge of Red Army officers in 1937-1938, which eliminated three of five marshals, thirteen of fifteen army commanders, fifty of fifty-seven corps commanders, and approximately 35,000 officers in total. The purge eliminated exactly the experienced, independent-minded commanders who might have handled a complex winter campaign in Finland. What remained was a traumatized officer corps afraid to exercise initiative, report bad news to superiors, or deviate from plan — precisely the worst characteristics for the kind of fluid, terrain-adaptive warfare Finland demanded. Voroshilov had also promoted the doctrine that the Red Army would fight its wars on enemy soil, making rapid advances. This was not the doctrine for careful defensive-terrain analysis or cold-weather preparation. Soviet soldiers arrived at the Finnish border without white camouflage, without adequate winter boots, sometimes without skis. Their tanks were sent forward without infantry support. Their artillery was not coordinated. Their officers were paralyzed by fear of reporting failure. Following the Winter War's humiliating first phase, Stalin replaced Voroshilov with Timoshenko as Commissar of Defense. Voroshilov retained positions of honor but real power passed elsewhere. He remained a member of the Politburo until 1960 and lived until 1969. He died having overseen the greatest military disaster in Soviet history relative to the enemy's size.

Key Battles