GENERAL ROKOSSOVSKY: THE DAGGER

General Rokossovsky, a Soviet military leader, had an extremely precise and aggressive approach to strategy and tactics. The Germans called him “the Dagger”. The fear behind this nickname was warranted. From the rank and file to the generals, the entire Wehrmacht was terrified of Rokossovsky. As a descendant of Polish noblemen (the szlachta), however, he himself knew no fear. Rokossovsky survived WWI. During the Russian Civil War, he fought as a Bolshevik Commanding Officer. He even withstood Stalin’s Great Purge. WWII soon followed, and with it came a new series of strategic challenges: the Battle of Moscow, the Battle of Stalingrad, the Battle of Kursk, the Vistula-Oder Offensive, and the Battle in Berlin. After the war, as Polish Defence Minister, he realised the harsh, bitter truth: people thought of him as an invader, not their liberator. But even then, the Dagger never relinquished his dignity and glory.