By Vestnik Kavkaza
Ahead of World War Two Victory Day, the Moscow Ossetian Community organized the round-table “Martial Prowess of Ossetia’s Sons” devoted to the 110th anniversary of three legendary generals of Red Army Georgy Khetagurov, Khadzhi-Umar Mamsurov, and Issa Pliyev.
Valery Kabolov, the chairman of the Community’s board, told Vestnik Kavkaza that “each of these three officers is a whole legend about which books can be written, movies can be shot, and young people should be raised by their example. Here are outstanding commanders of modern times, military historians, and journalists, the Moscow Ossetian Community, our permanent mission under Russian President. Not only the role of these three people is important, but also the role which was played by the Ossetians under Russian flags in the Russian-Turkish war, the war of 1812, the First World War, and the Second World War. The history of the Ossetians in the Russian army is a bright page which deserves a separate story. Young people should know about it, and love to homeland, to our big Russia should be raised in them.”
“There are many heroes in the Caucasus – Heroes of the Soviet Union, St George’s Cross Chevaliers, Heroes of Russia,” Aliy Totorkurov, the chairman of the executive council of the Russian Congress of the Caucasian Peoples, told Vestnik Kavkaza. “The Caucasus loves heroes in general; even though everybody loves heroes, but in the Caucasus martial prowess is appreciated more than in other places. The Ossetians have many heroes. We should remember it. Heroes are made for being remembered and following their examples.”
“Representatives of the Ossetians stood shoulder to shoulder protecting the Slavs, the Bulgarians, together with the Russians and other representatives of Tsarist Russia in the Russian-Turkish war. They were an example of self-sacrifice and knight bravery,” Air Marshal Yeugeny Shaposhnikov says. “When our generals needed help, accession, they asked to send as much Ossetians as possible. Apparently, such skills of their predecessors influenced Pliyev, Khetagurov, Mamsurov, and others.
Even military nicknames were similar in the Russian-Turkish war and the Great Patriotic War. For example, the well-known officer Khoranov was called by General Skobelev as “an excellently smart and brave military office,” among other generals of the Russian army he was called “a flying centurion.” General Pliyev was named “a master of sudden attacks” for rush, unexpected, and effective attacks. There used to be a view that generals who fought during the Great Patriotic War used the luggage of all cavalry hits. Regarding Pliyev and other generals, I can oppose this view because when the Cuban developments took place, he headed our group of troops, and the Soviet authorities ordered him personally to use the nuclear armament against the USA in his discretion. What is that to cavalry hits?! It meant highest responsibility and professionalism.”
“Military intelligentsia has always played a significant role in the Caucasus,” Alexander Kovalyev, the first deputy chairman of the board of the Reserve Officers Association “Megapir”, reminded. “It has played, is playing, and will play. We usually discuss the number of heroes, generals of Ossetia, but don’t pay attention to our military colleges. There is a social need to order somebody to write a dissertation “The Contribution of North Ossetia to Preparation of Officers.” A deep survey on the theme is needed.”
“Participants of the round table used to represent various Armed Forces of our country; they are representatives of various generation – those who took part in the Great Patriotic War and those who took command positions not so long ago,” the former head of North Ossetia Alexander Dzasokhov, told Vestnik Kavkaza. “Many of them remembered years of the Great Patriotic War, spoke about their impressions from meetings with outstanding commanders from Ossetia. They spoke about personal skills. But if we would stop on this, it would be only a half of way. Nothing must be forgotten, it concerns veterans, graves, monuments, archives for they could be used for shooting films. We discuss the role of society, including the Ossetian Community and all Caucasian people. We wanted to send our proposals to the mayor’s office, the federal government, and North Ossetia for the republican veteran organization would participate in the arrangements organized this year.”
