Skeletons in the closet? On the Chernyakhovsky controversy

The books and articles written about Ivan Danilovich Chernyakhovsky, one of the foremost Soviet commanders in World War II, render very little reliable information about his childhood and youth, with many inconsistencies, including even his birth date and birthplace. In particular, since 1944 it has been disputed whether he was Jewish by birth, as was almost unanimously accepted in the West but denied by the Soviets. The Jewish origin was suspected of being the main reason for the heavy veil drawn over Chernyakhovsky's past. We discuss the reasons for the scarcity and inconsistency of the biographical material. New archival findings shed some light on the Chernyakhovsky family history which contradicts the Jewish origin theory.