A well-armed, trained and well-fed army is the guarantor of the state's independence. The history of human civilization convincingly confirms this thesis. For a long period of time, the cavalry was considered the main branch of the armed forces. In the first half of the 20th century, large cavalry units were used as a strategic strike force. Marshal of the Soviet Union Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny took an active part in the formation of the First Cavalry Army. He personally led cavalrymen to attack enemy positions.
In the sovereign service
The biography of the Red Marshal says that the Budyonny family lived on the lands of the Don Army, but did not belong to the Cossack class. Natives of the Voronezh province settled on free lands after the abolition of serfdom. They lived in poverty. A lot of work, meager income, they were interrupted from bread to kvass. Semyon was the second child, and a total of eight children grew up in the house. When the boy was nine years old, he was given into the service of a local merchant. It was a compulsory measure to somehow pay off debts.
Being "in people" far from home made Semyon show natural ingenuity and quickly master the wisdom of various crafts. He knew how to fix a horse harness, shoe a horse. It is important to note that Budyonny loved horses from a young age. As a teenager, he perfectly mastered horse riding, a set of exercises for a cavalryman. And he even received an award for this at competitions that were regularly held in the village. With full employment in the household, the boy managed to learn to read and write. Reading and writing was taught to him by a clerk from a local shop.
In 1903, twenty years of age, Budyonny was called to the service. From this date, his military career begins. The conscript was sent to the Dragoon regiment, stationed on the shores of the Pacific Ocean in the Primorsky Territory. On the battlefields with Japanese samurai, the brave dragoon received his first combat experience. Considering Budyonny's love for horses, in 1907 he was sent to a horse riding course in St. Petersburg. A real cavalryman requires physical training, the ability to use a saber and creativity in solving the task. By the beginning of the First World War, Semyon Mikhailovich rose to the rank of senior non-commissioned officer.
Marshal of the Soviet Union
On the fronts of the Imperialist War, Semyon Budyonny became a full Knight of St. George. Observation, ingenuity and decisiveness distinguished him from the general mass of fighters. When the revolution broke out and the Civil War began, the famous commander in the future sided with the Bolsheviks. Lack of special education, he graduated from the Academy of the General Staff later, did not prevent him from crushing the White Guard generals. The cult march "We are the Red Cavalry" was not created from scratch.
Popular rumor, at one time, perfectly replaced the Internet. Legends about the red cavalry and the dashing commander Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny were passed from mouth to mouth. Rumors and speculation carried the magpies on their tails. The true state of affairs was outlined in intelligence reports and analytical reports. When, in the course of the Civil War, an urgent need arose for the creation of mobile and well-armed combat units, the solution of this task was entrusted to commanders proven in battles. The first on the list was Budyonny.
Semyon Mikhailovich devoted his entire adult life to the service of the Motherland. Among the top five he was awarded the highest military rank Marshal of the Soviet Union. In the intervals between the wars, he was engaged in the creation of stud farms for breeding new horse breeds. The personal life of the legendary commander did not follow the rules. Choosing a wife is not a horse shoe for you. Budyonny had to create a family hearth three times. Husband and wife should understand each other and build their life together on full trust. The optimal relationship was formed only from the third time.
