25 kilometers southwest of Suwalki
August 21, 1939
Vasilevskij stood on the escarpment and peered through his binoculars into the dust and haze of battle, his staff emulating him. It had been two long years of peace after the Manchurian campaign, and Vasilevskij had been biting at the leash the entire time. He understood its importance; peace meant that there was no distraction from gearing up for the inevitable war, the war that was drawing closer with every passing day. He bit his lip in excitement, it was not long now, just three more years filled with peacetime training and production. He was getting ever closer to his desired position of becoming the chief of staff, the head of STAVKA. Until then, however, he would simply be the commanding general of the First Tank Army. He scoffed lightly to himself; at least he was a field marshal. The massive enlargement of the Soviet Army had propelled him quickly through the ranks.
Now, however, he was satisfied. For the moment, at least. His armor was finally stretching its legs once again, and racing forward against an enemy. He could smell the dust and blood of combat and see the carnage as it unfolded in front of his eyes. His armor had already been in action for a week and, though it would end soon, his desire for battle and for glory was sated, for a little while. Poland was being partitioned for the fourth time in its history, with force. It was a race between the Germans and the Soviets who would be able to gain more territory. Unfortunately, Vasilevskij frowned, it was the Germans. He wondered how it came to be that way.
He had to admit that Litvinov had pulled off quite a coup when he somehow managed to convince, cajole or coerce the Poles to give up all of eastern Poland back to the Soviet Union. He did not know how Litvinov did it, but Poland lost half of its territory in one fell swoop. Admittedly, not particularly valuable territory, but nevertheless it was useful. This had put the Soviets on the River Bug, and they had to assault across it in the opening stages of the dismemberment of Poland that began on August 14, 1939 when Germany and the Soviet Union both happened to declare war on the poor state at the same time. Germany’s possessions allowed it to virtually encircle half of Poland as it could attack from Prussia, Silesia or Slovakia. The Soviet Union had but one long, linear frontier to assault from. Additionally, the Soviet attack was based upon two armies—Vasilevskij’s First and Zhukov’s Second Tank Armies. Vasilevskij had attacked from Bielsk toward Lomza, Zhukov from Kowel toward Zamosc.
The battle for Lomza.
At Lomza, Vasilevskij commanded a total of fifteen divisions, including elements of the Second Belarussian Front, against a mere corps worth of Polish infantry under a not terribly skilled commander, Lieutenant General Przjalkowski. Vasilevskij was lucky in that he did not have to contend with the Bug River. Needless to say, Vasilevskij smiled tightly, the battle did not last long and the Poles fled. At the same time, Zhukov was pushing across the Bug toward Zamosc, also commanding fifteen divisions. Similarly, he faced a corps of Polish infantry, but they were supported by a brigade of anti-aircraft defenses in a ground-support role as well as an anti-tank artillery brigade. Their commander was, like Vasilevskij’s foe, unskilled in the ways of war. Zhukov quickly smashed his lines.
The battle for Zamosc, the Polish commander was Lieutenant General Dindorf-Ankowicz.
Those battles had been a week ago. Since then, Poland had completely collapsed. Their remaining towns and cities that still defied conquest were isolated from one another—Danzig, Lodz, Suwalki and Lublin. All the rest had fallen. Zukov had turned northwards to occupy Lublin, having already swept aside the meager Polish corps-sized defenses that had attempted to hold it. Vasilevskij, however, had a stiffer battle on his hands. Seven Polish divisions, under command of the preeminent Polish general, Field Marshal Rydz-Smigly himself, defended the town. Vasilevskij, however, was assaulting this final bastion with twenty-three divisions. Vasilevskij smiled to himself; the outcome was not in doubt at all.
The battle for Suwalki, and Poland looking like Swiss cheese.
Vasilevskij craved victory, and the glory that came with it. He had and would gain both in some measure during the campaign. However, the outcome was never in any doubt. Vasilevskij wanted a real war, a war in which there was actual danger of catastrophe on the battlefield. The invasion of Poland was simply a distant prelude, the last bugle call before the war that would decide the fate of half the world. Vasilevskij was going to have a hard time waiting for three more years to pass.