Who dropped the sword of Stalingrad?

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33919/esnbu.23.2.10

Keywords:

interpreting studies, sword of Stalingrad, Tehran conference, autobiographical subjectivity

Abstract

On November 29, 1943, at a ceremony at the Soviet Embassy in Tehran in the presence of President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Churchill presented Marshal Stalin with a Sword of Honour as a gift from King George VI to the 'steel-hearted citizens of Stalingrad'. According to an ‘enduring legend’ (Higgins, 1993), Stalin was surprised by the sword’s weight and dropped it on the floor after he took it from Churchill. This article investigates this ‘legend’ to see whether the sword was dropped and, if yes, who dropped it. In doing so, available memoirs, visuals, and newspaper sources are used. Autobiographical subjectivity is discussed in view of the conflicting accounts from the people who were at the center of the ceremony and close to it, i.e. Winston Churchill, the British diplomat Gladwyn Jebb, Field-Marshal Lord Alanbrooke, Chief of the Imperial General Staff, and the interpreters Arthur Birse (UK), Hugh Lunghi (UK), Charles Bohlen (USA), and Valentin Berezhkov (USSR). An unambiguous answer to the research question is given by two items of video footage taken during the ceremony, despite the obvious efforts to edit out the embarrassing moment.

Author Biography

Boris Naimushin, New Bulgarian University

Boris Naimushin, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Translation and Interpreting in the Department of Foreign Languages and Cultures, New Bulgarian University. Boris has the degree of Master of Advanced Studies in Interpreter Training from FTI, University of Geneva. His research interests lie in the broad area of Translation and Interpreting Studies. He is the Editor in Chief of English Studies at NBU. Boris is an active conference interpreter (Bulgarian - English - Russian).

References

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Published

2025-06-18

How to Cite

Naimushin, B. (2025). Who dropped the sword of Stalingrad? . English Studies at NBU, 11(1), 69–82. https://doi.org/10.33919/esnbu.23.2.10

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