...Stalin arrived at eight o'clock. Novikov reported to him that two aircraft were ready for immediate take-off. One would be piloted by Colonel-General Golovanov, the other by Colonel Grachov... Novikov invited the Supreme Commander to fly in Golovanov's plane. Stalin appeared, at first, to accept the invitation, but after taking a few paces, suddenly stopped. "Colonel-Generals don't do much flying," he said. "We had better go with the colonel." He turned in Grachov's direction. Molotov and Voroshilov followed him. "Shtemenko will fly with us, too, and keep us informed about the situation on the way," Stalin said as he mounted the ramp. I did not keep him waiting.
