Voroshilov: liquidator of Red Army

THE DEATH was announced in Moscow yesterday of the arch-Stalinist Red Army Marshal, Klementi Voroshilov, at the age of 88.

A Ukrainian by birth, Voroshilov joined the revolutionary movement in 1903 at the age of 22. During the First World War he remained a 'defensist'.

After the revolution, he was placed it corpraand of the Tenth Red Army in July 1918, and was entrusted with the defence of the then-named town of Tsaritsyn (subsequently 'Stalingrad' and finally 'Volgagrad') on the river Volga.

It was in Tsaritsyn that Stalin recruited Voroshilov to his personal clique on the basis of a clash with Trotsky over military policy.

The detence of lsaritsyn anarchic guerrilla such was conducted in • an that Trotsky found it necessary to relieve Voroshilov of his command of the Tenth Army and send him to the Ukraine.

Shambles

In his biography of Stalin, Trotsky describes the military shambles produced by Stalin and Voroshilov:

"The atmosphere of Tsaritsyn, with its administrative anarchy, guerrilla spirit, disrespect for the Centre, absence of administrative order and provocative boorishness wards military specialists, was naturally not conducive winning the goodwill of the latter and making them loyal servants of the new regime.

• the Tsaritsyn sort of specialist was recruited from the dregs of the officers -drunkards or those who had otherwise lost all semblance of human dignity, prideless men who were ready to crawl on their belly betore the new boss, flatter him, refrain from contradicting him anything...

Both Voroshilov and Stalin were in their natural element in these surroundings.

Of such human refuse was their anti-Leninist faction built.

Basing themselves on the disgruntled layers in the army, lized the Opposition' So-called 'Military Stalin and Voroshilov mobithe Eighth Bolshevik Party Congress in March 1919. of the Red Army in the Civil before the 1930s purges. War.

Stalin's faction was not based on portical" principles, but in most cases, on subjectivism.

This was certainly the case with Voroshilov.

It should also be noted that together with Stalin, Voroshilov broke Red Army discipline in the 1920 campaign against Poland, advancing on the southern city of L'vov when Tukhachevsky had explicitly instructed them to join forces with the main army group attacking Warsaw.

Mysterious

As a result of his and Stalin's insubordination, the Polish campaign ended in de feat and the western frontiers i the soviet Union were pushed back deep Ukraine and White Russia.

Like SO many Stalinists, 6,000 NURSES IN MILITANT PAY RALLY COACH-LOADS of North-West, North Midlands, North Wales and West Yorkshire nurses rallied in Manchester on Tuesday night as part of the Royal College of Nurses' 'Raise the roof' campaign for better pay.

Earlier, in pouring rain, 3,000 student nurses had marched through the streets of Manchester chanting logans and singing to the Albert Hall where the 6,000-strong rally was held.

Two over-flow meetings nader nearby halls, wanize stil ›ther nearby halls left over 1,000 nurses outside in the rain.

For about half an hour before the meeting got under way 1,500 student nurses kept up a thunderous barrage of chants of chases and simoing We want Barbara Castle with a rope around her neck'.

The secretary and an official of the Royal . College of Nurses outlined the RCN campaign, which involves writing letters to MPs, and gaining support of the general public through petitions.

Strike support

Immediately the meeting was thrown open many young nurses called for more militant action.

There were calls for the banning of non-nursing duties and strike support from the big trade unions.

One young male nurse said to roars of approval that despite the Prices and Incomes Act they were not goStalin with Voroshilov just Docks talks re-open TALKS on the London docks pay and productivity deal, rejected a fortnight ago in a secret ballot, re-opened yesterday afternoon.

A meeting of the Enclosed Docks Modernization Committee—which consists of employers and union representatives—was fixed after a telephone call from T&GWU docks group secretary Peter Shea to committee chairman John Hovey.

The T&GWU was expected to put proposals at the meeting on new terms for lifting the 21-month-old ban on working continership berths. ing to accept one penny less than they'd asked for.

Other speakers went further saying the claim wasn't enough.

The platform speakers were clearly surprised and worried by the militancy expressed in the meeting.

Meanwhile, outside, several hundred nurses who tried to hold a meeting in Albert Square were moved on by the Coverage demand Traffic was brought to a standstill as another contingent of about a thousand marched on the Granada TV WEATHER Outlook for Friday and Saturday: Less cold weather spreading from the north-west later.

London area, SE, Central Southern and SW England, Channel Islands: Mostly dry with some sunshine. Moderate northerly winds. Cold. Maximum 5C (41F).

Edinburgh: Rather cloudy, showers of sleet or snow. Moderate or fresh north to complained that certain newspapers had published eye-witness accounts of Medina shooting a small boy in the face during the massacre.

Unlike Lieutenant Calley, Captain Medina has not yet been charged in connection with the massacre.

Bailey warned against future interviews being printed that involved Medina:

Spiro Agnew Airport anger over 'blacked' Heathrow iet GROUND STAFF at Heathrow Airport, London, were summoned to an emergency meeting by their shop stewards yěsterday afternoon following the departure of a National Airlines . DC8 jet which had been "blacked' by all the major British unions.

Stewards claimed fuel was transferred to the DC8 from a Pan American Boeing during the night.

The DC8 had been declared 'black' because of a dispute in the United States involving International Machinists Union members dismissed by National Airlines.

Airport stewards said PanAmerican services into and out of London might well be hit in retaliation for the refuelling action.

north-east winds. Cold. Maximum 3C (37F).

E and W Midlands, NW and Central Northern England, Glasgow area: Mostly dry with good sunny spells. Moderate northerly wind. Cold. Maximum 4C (39F).

N Ireland: Cloudy, occasional showers, some bright spells. Light or moderate northerly winds. Cold. Maximum 4C (39F). Pickets turn a lorry away from the City Road, London, WU 241

Voroshilov's career only prospered after Lenin's death in 1924.

Following the removal of Trotsky and the mysterious death of his successor, Frunze Voroshilov was appointed Commissar for War in December 1925.

At once he was busy purging the Red Army of Leninists sympathetic to the Left Opposition.

He was always jealous of the military skill and reputation of leaders such as Yakir chevsky had steadfastly Yegorov and refused to add their voices to the crescendo of slander against Trotsky.

Voroshilov's opportunity for revenge came with the great Stalinist terror which followed (and was prepared by the Kirov assassination of December 1934.

Only two out of the five Red Army Marshals were supporters of Stalin: Voroshilov and the ex-cavalry officer Budyenny (a notorious drunkard).

Stalin ordered the framing and killing of the remaining three: Tukhachevsky, Yegorov and Blukher, together with the purging of thousands of lower-grade army commanders.

Now Voroshilov was in his element, signing death warrants for the men under whom he had so resentfully served Full abecription Two cdisono (Posted dally) (For any two daysi £10 a year you select) £2 10g. for three {4 a year months {1 for three months I would like to Workers' Press for Name Ad0r88d headquarters demanding TV coverage.

A meeting was then held in Piccadilly Gardens.

One young male nurse from Burnley who could not get into the meeting said :

We need more militant action. The RCN leaders aren't prepared to hoard sne port us. Talk in trike action and wilson will star student nurse from Southport commented :

The RCN leaders should be removed. They've got no fight. We can't strike, but we vant other workers to strike or us.