Zhukov(1896 — 1974)
Georgy Zhukov
Union soviétique, Empire russe
5 min read
Marshal of the Soviet Union and the leading military commander of the Red Army during the Second World War. Victorious in decisive battles against Nazi Germany, he led the final assault on Berlin in 1945.
Frequently asked questions
Key Facts
- Leads the victorious defense of Moscow against the Wehrmacht (1941)
- Plays a decisive role in the victory at Stalingrad with Operation Uranus (1942-1943)
- Commands the 1st Belorussian Front at the Battle of Berlin (April-May 1945)
- Receives the German surrender on behalf of the USSR on 8 May 1945
- Becomes Minister of Defense of the USSR under Khrushchev (1955-1957)
Works & Achievements
An encirclement maneuver that annihilated the Japanese 6th Army and secured the Soviet Union's eastern border.
The first major check inflicted on the Wehrmacht, shattering the myth of German invincibility.
An encirclement plan, coordinated with Vasilevsky, that trapped the German 6th Army and marked the turning point of the war.
Zhukov helped plan both the defense and the counteroffensive during the largest tank battle in history.
A massive offensive that destroyed Army Group Centre and liberated Belarus, opening the road to Germany.
The final assault on the capital of the Reich, followed by receiving Germany's unconditional surrender.
War memoirs that became a classic, a major testimony on the Soviet command during the war.
Anecdotes
In the summer of 1939, near the Khalkhin Gol river in Mongolia, Zhukov crushed the Japanese army in a tank battle little known in the West. This victory convinced Japan not to attack the USSR, which would later allow Stalin to transfer Siberian divisions to defend Moscow.
During the Victory Parade on Red Square on June 24, 1945, Zhukov reviewed the troops mounted on a magnificent white horse named Kumir. In pouring rain, soldiers cast 200 standards of defeated Nazi Germany at the foot of Lenin's Mausoleum.
Zhukov was renowned for his iron character and his bluntness: he dared to contradict Stalin himself during staff meetings, which was extremely rare and dangerous. This independence earned him both the respect of the soldiers and the suspicion of those in power.
After the war, his immense popularity worried Stalin, who sidelined him by sending him to command a provincial military district. Zhukov fell from grace twice, once under Stalin and once under Khrushchev in 1957, despite his decisive role in the victory.
In 1941, before besieged Moscow, Zhukov organized a winter counteroffensive that pushed the Wehrmacht back dozens of kilometers: it was the first major failure of the German army, until then reputed to be invincible.
Primary Sources
The Battle of Moscow showed that the German army was not invincible and that it could be defeated.
The German command acknowledges the complete and unconditional surrender of all its armed forces, signed in the presence of Marshal Zhukov for the Soviet command.
In the name and on the orders of the supreme command, the Marshal of the Soviet Union reviews the victorious troops.
Key Places
Zhukov's native village, where he grew up in a poor peasant family before enlisting in the army.
River near which Zhukov won a decisive victory over the Japanese army in 1939.
Soviet capital defended by Zhukov in 1941 during a decisive counteroffensive; he died here in 1974.
City that was the setting of the turning-point battle of the war, whose counteroffensive (Operation Uranus) Zhukov coordinated in 1942.
Capital of the Reich where Zhukov led the final assault in April-May 1945 and received the German surrender.
Resting place of Zhukov's ashes, among the great figures of the Soviet state.
