Semyon Mikhailovich Budenny

The Early Years

Semyon Budenny was born in April 1883 near Platovskaya on the Don. In 1903, he was conscripted into the army aged 20, serving in the Russo-Japanese War with the 46th Dragoon Regiment. Despite being wounded, he remained with his unit in the Vladivostok area until the end of the war. In January 1907 he attended the Higher Cavalry School in Leningrad and after his graduation was promoted to Sergeant.
During WW1, he served as a platoon sergeant in the Caucasus Cavalry Division. His many acts of bravery saw him awarded with four St George Crosses and the full ribbon of a St George Cavalryman.
When the Revolution started in 1918, he returned home and joined Partisan groups fighting White forces. The Partisans eventually formed the 1st Socialist Regiment under B. Dumenko and Budenny became his aide. When the Regiment expanded into the Special Cavalry Division, Budenny was given a Regiment to command. During the fighting at Tsaritsyn he served in the 10th Army under Voroshilov and for his efforts he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. When Dumenko became ill, Budenny took command of the Division. Later the same year his Division was merged with the 1st Stavropol Cavalry Division, becoming the newly formed 1st Cavalry Corps, with Budenny as its commander. In 1919, the Corps was involved in heavy fighting on the Southern Front during the capture of Voronezh. After the campaign, for his services to the Republic and the Revolution, he was awarded a gold sword decorated with the Order of the Red Banner.
In November 1919, the 1st Cavalry Army was formed with Budenny as its commander and Joseph Stalin his political commissar. Its first action was the sudden capture of Rostov-on-Don, the central administration point of the volunteer White Army. In January 1920, the Army was transferred to the Caucasus Front. It was here that Budenny infamously refused to obey the orders of his Front commander, V. Shorin. Lenin was informed of Budenny's actions and the insubordinate commander was called to order. After defeating White forces in the Caucasus, the Army made its legendry 1000km march from Maikop to the Ukrainian Southwestern Front, to take part in fighting Polish forces at Kiev and Odessa. Budenny's Army broke through the Polish front and raced 140km towards Lvov. Despite having an open road to Warsaw, his failure to coordinate his attack on the city with Tukhachevski's forces allowed the Polish to initiate a counter attack which resulted in a humiliating retreat for Budenny's Army.In October, the Army was ordered south to face White forces in the Kakhovka bridgehead. Having cut off a large group of White forces, the Army broke through into the Crimea and chased the remaining White forces to the south coast. For his leadership, Budenny was awarded a Mauser pistol decorated with the Order of the Red Banner.
When the Civil War ended, the Cavalry Army was transferred to the North Caucasus Military District. In 1922, Budenny traveled to Moscow for the 11th Party Congress where he argued for the development of cavalry forces in the Red Army. He declared, 'They say the cavalry has been surpassed by new equipment, but it should be adapted to the latest equipment!' Despite his arguments, in June that year the Cavalry Army was disbanded, although some of its Divisions were retained.
In September 1923, as Stalin began his rise to power, Budenny was appointed first the Deputy Commander of Cavalry forces and then the following year Inspector of the Cavalry. In 1930 he began a two-year course at the Frunze Military Academy in Moscow. In 1935, Budenny was honored by being made one of the first Marshals of the Soviet Union.
Between 1935 and 1937 he served in a host of positions, including membership in the People's Commissariat for Defense, the Supreme Court Special Board, which helped implement Stalin's purges of the officer Corps, and the Central Committee of the Communist Party. In 1937 he was made Commander of the Moscow Military District. While in the post, Budenny tried to raise the combat readiness of his forces but his methods of training and education were outdated. Major shortcomings of the District were exposed during the Soviet-Finnish War and during the Central Committee Plenum in 1940 he received harsh but justified criticism.
Budenny, famous for his large handlebar moustaches and his wearing of a pair of mahogany butt revolvers hanging at his waist, would soon land in further trouble.During a training exercise that year, in order to lead an attack personally, he jumped on to the leading tank causing the driver to lose control and almost crash into a ravine. In the subsequent debriefing, he was chastised by Timoshenko, 'I wouldn't advise you to sit on a tank, but rather at the command post where you can control your forces. During the Civil War we used to gallop after you with our sabers drawn. But those days are long gone and a tank is not a horse.' Budenny was removed as District Commander, but instated in the honorific position of Deputy Defence Commissar.

Barbarossa Begins

In July 1941, a month after the German invasion had begun, Budenny was appointed Commander in Chief of the Southwestern Axis, commanding the Southwestern and Southern Fronts. Despite holding the position, he had little input on events as STAVKA issued orders direct to the Front commanders, who could take no important decisions without its permission. He did however spend time at the command posts of the Front commanders. During one such visit to the command post of M. Kirponos, commander of the Southwestern Front he showed his dissatisfaction with the situation and berated Kirponos angrily, 'We shouldn't be defending ourselves, but beating the enemy!' Kirponos attempted to explain, 'The forces of the Kiev Fortified District are responding to the enemy with continual counter attacks.' Budenny replied, 'Forget about these pin pricks, use a strong fist!' Following this conversation Budenny sent forces from the Reserve Front to help reinforce the defenders of Kiev.
In September, Budenny compiled a special report, drawing STAVKA's attention to the enemy's pincer movement, which had enveloped the flanks of the Southwestern Front and were threatening to break into the Fronts deep rear. He asked that additional reserves be provided and that forces of the Bryansk Front be used to counter the northern pincer of Guderian's 2nd Panzer Group. As the situation deteriorated, Budenny displayed indecision and sought permission from STAVKA before making almost any manoeuvre. On the 10th of September, seeing the hopelessness of the situation he sent a cable message to Stalin, informing him, 'Given the present position, the war council of the Southwestern Front regards it as essential to order a general withdrawal. Delay may bring the loss of troops and a vast amount of material.' Stalin's response was to relive Budenny of his command and appoint him commander of the Reserve Front instead.
Budenny had barely taken up his command when German forces unleashed operation Typhoon, their attempt to capture Moscow. It broke against the forces of his Front occupying a line between Elnia and Frolovka. Many of his units were newly formed and poorly trained and equipped. As Budenny attempted to stubbornly cling on to his defensive positions he began to lose control, as German forces of the 4th Panzer Group drove a large wedge between the Reserve and Northwestern Fronts. On the 10th of October, he was again relieved of his command.
In April 1942, he was given command of the newly formed North Caucasus Direction, commanding the Crimean Front, North Caucasus Military District and elements of the Black Sea Fleet. Before he departed to his new command, he was received by Stalin in Moscow. Stalin stressed the importance of the sector and demanded of Budenny that his forces, 'Fight to the finish. Take not one step back without STAVKA's permission!' Budenny replied, 'Comrade Stalin, my task is clear!' However, in May 1942 the Germans smashed the Crimean Front, driving it south. After a nine-month siege, the fortress of Sevastopol fell and the last remnants of Russian resistance in the Crimea ended.
In January 1943, Budenny was summoned to Moscow. When he arrived he saw Zhukov, telling him, 'Stalin has summoned me for some reason'. Zhukov grinned and told him, 'No doubt your going to have to lead the cavalry again.' Stalin was in a good mood, having received news of the victory at Stalingrad. He told Budenny, 'The State Defence Committee has decided to create the post of Commander of the Red Army Cavalry. I have recommended you for the job. You understand the tasks the Party is placing on you?' Budenny replied, 'I understand, comrade Stalin. Thank you for your confidence, I will try to justify it.' To ensure that cavalry forces were used effectively, Budenny held a meeting of all Cavalry Corps commanders. Following the meeting, at his suggestion, STAVKA created mounted armored Groups. Budenny made frequent visits to the front to visit cavalry units, help organize operations and ensure that the units were properly equipped and supported. He remained in this position until the end of the war, receiving the Order of Suvorov for his services.

The post War Years

Following the end of the war, despite being 62 years of age, he remained in the service of the Defence Ministry. In 1952 he became Deputy Minister of Agriculture and occupied most of his time with matters of horse breeding. In 1958 he published a three-volume set of memoirs entitled 'The Path of Valour'. Marshall Konev later remarked that the second world war had exposed Budenny's fatigue and helplessness, saying, 'He was a man with a past, but no future, a man who hardly progressed in his thinking beyond the Civil War. Like other cavalrymen, he lived by outdated ideas.'
Zhukov, although holding a similar view, spoke of him with respect and fondness. 'Budenny and I remained good friends in arms, despite many times arguing over the role of the cavalry. Even though he was hot tempered, he was always objective. I often had to give him tasks, and unlike some commanders, he always carried them out in good faith.'
He died a national hero, in October 1973, at the age of 90. He was buried with full military honors in the Kremlin wall, alongside Stalin and Voroshilov.