Remarks by General George C. Marshall on His Acceptance of the Order of Suvorov from The

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Remarks by General George C. Marshall on His Acceptance of the Order of Suvorov from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics1

June 5, 1944 Washington, D.C.

I am profoundly honored by the action of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in awarding me the decoration of the Order of Suvorov and I accept it for the American Army, as a symbol of your regard and appreciation of our war effort. That it is tendered by a country which made an historic defense against the Titanic assault of the German Army at the height of its efficiency and numbers, a country whose armies are now in the actual process of destroying the Nazi military formations on the Eastern Front, gives this decoration great significance, of which I am deeply conscious.

The final action in this terrible European war is now focused on a single battle in which every Allied force will be represented. It is to be a battle to the death for the Nazis and a battle to victory for the Allies.

I give my thanks for the honor accorded me tonight with a full appreciation of the magnitude of what has been done and what is about to be done by the Armies of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

Document Copy Text Source: George C. Marshall Papers, Pentagon Office Collection, Speeches, George C. Marshall Research Library, Lexington, Virginia.

Document Format: Typed draft.

1. General Marshall was presented the Order of Suvorov, First Degree, by Ambassador Andrei A. Gromyko in a ceremony at the Soviet Embassy. (New York Times, June 6,1944, p. 7.) For previous discussion, see Marshall Memorandum for the President, March 13, 1944, Papers of George Catlett Marshall, #4-287 [4: 339–40].

Recommended Citation: The Papers of George Catlett Marshall, ed. Larry I. Bland and Sharon Ritenour Stevens (Lexington, Va.: The George C. Marshall Foundation, 1981– ). Electronic version based on The Papers of George Catlett Marshall, vol. 4, “Aggressive and Determined Leadership,” June 1, 1943–December 31, 1944 (Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996), pp. 469–470.