Georgy Zhukov is a great commander. His name is inextricably linked with the most significant victories in the history of the Great Patriotic War. Zhukov is a marshal whose signature is under the act of unconditional surrender of Germany. This is a military leader who hosted the Victory Parade on Red Square. A photo of Georgy Zhukov, a skilled commander and an extraordinary person, you can see below.
The commander was awarded two crosses of George the Victorious and four times awarded the honorary title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Georgy Zhukov is a great commander who won the battle against the most powerful army in the world, but at the same time lost in Moscow political battles.
Childhood and youth
Georgy Zhukov, whose biography began at the end of the nineteenth century, was born according to the new style on December 1, 1896, near Kaluga, in the village of Strelkovka. His parents were simple poor peasants. With a certificate of merit, Georgy Zhukov graduated from three classes at the parochial school, then he was sent to study at a furrier's workshop, located in Moscow. Here Zhukov was able to simultaneously complete the course of the city school, designed for two years. At the same time, the boy also attended evening classes.
On August 7, 1915, a young mandrafted into the army. He served in the cavalry troops. As part of the tsarist army, Zhukov took part in the hostilities of the First World War. At the end of 1916, the young non-commissioned officer was sent to the Southwestern Front, where he fought in the tenth Novgorod Dragoon Regiment.
The St. George Cross of the fourth degree was awarded to Zhukov for capturing a German officer.
But soon his military career was interrupted before it could even begin. Zhukov received a severe concussion, partially lost his hearing and was sent to a reserve regiment. He received the second St. George Cross for a combat wound. This time the award was third degree. In December 1917, the squadron was disbanded. George went to his parents in the village, where he had been ill with typhus for a long time.
Zhukov was considered a good soldier and was awarded. However, there was nothing unusual in his fate. Brave soldiers like him numbered more than one hundred thousand. It is difficult to say how the fate of Georgy Zhukov would have been if it had not been for the revolution that took place in Russia.
The beginning of a military career
Being a non-commissioned officer, Georgy Zhukov unconditionally and immediately accepted the October Revolution. It is worth noting that this fact was uncharacteristic for the royal cavalrymen. Among the few was Georgy Zhukov. His biography as a military man began with the advent of a new government, which needed experienced command personnel. Zhukov began to serve in the Red Army and made a dizzying career.
Under the Soviet regime, which suited his social origin, Zhukov graduated from machine gun and cavalry highercourses. Already in 1919 he joined the CPSU. His further path was not much different from the standard career of young Bolsheviks. Initially, he was appointed commander of a company, then a squadron, and then a regiment.
Zhukov's service was in privileged troops - in the cavalry. Voroshilov and Budyonny, Stalin's comrades in the Civil War, were also commanders there. These commanders also contributed to Zhukov's career advancement. From the numerous purges carried out in the army in the twenties and thirties, he was saved by the position in life, adhering to which, Georgy Konstantinovich did not join either Trotsky's group or the team of his opponents.
Zhukov received his first very important post in 1938. He was appointed to command the troops of the special Belarusian district.
War with Japan
In August 1939, Georgy Zhukov was sent to defend the Mongolian borders. There he confronted the Japanese Sixth Army. Before the appointment of the great commander, the position of the army group located in the Far East was deplorable. The units of the Red Army had a weak front line. At the same time, the rear was almost completely absent. The bare steppe, where the troops were stationed, stretched for many kilometers. At the same time, the military towns were nothing more than a cluster of dugouts. The situation of the units was aggravated by an acute shortage of drinking water and fuel. In addition, the officers and soldiers of the Red Army did not have sufficient experience in combat in the deserts and steppes. In this regard, the Japanese had a clear advantage.
Arriving at the scene, Zhukov quickly assessed the situation. At the same time, he managed to quickly replace the existing system of command and control of military units. As a result of the fiercest battles, the Japanese army received a heavy defeat.
Prewar years
Georgy Zhukov took over as commander of the Kyiv military district in 1940. According to Soviet military doctrine, these units were assigned the most significant role. However, after the defeat of the Red Army in the war with the Finns, Stalin radically revised the approaches on which he relied when building the entire structure of the armed forces. In this regard, Zhukov was recalled to Moscow. In early 1941, the commander, being an army general, was appointed head of the General Staff. Georgy Zhukov was also the Deputy Commissar of Defense of the country. The brief biography of the great military leader in the pre-war years, which was outlined above, allows us to judge him as an outstanding and talented person.
German attack
At the beginning of the war, Georgy Zhukov was in the same position. In addition, the very next day after the German invasion, the commander became one of the members of the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander.
The beginning of the war caused confusion, bordering on panic, which was present in the highest echelons of the army leadership. During this period, the controllability of the troops was practically reduced to zero. The headquarters was unable to keep up with front-line events and was poorly oriented in the situation. During this period, Stalin's dissatisfaction with the created situation grew. At the same time, hehe tried to take out his anger on the members of the Headquarters. Among them was Zhukov. After another sharp conversation, the commander resigned. He was removed from his post. During the second half of 1941, the general was appointed to command several fronts. Rapid movements were associated with the inability to perform official duties by the top commanders of the Red Army. In this regard, they often had to be changed.
War milestones
Georgy Zhukov… The characteristic of his heroic military leadership is the greatness of feats of arms and victories won. The commander was a direct participant in all operations and major events that took place in the Great Patriotic War.
The most significant milestones in the formation of G. K. Zhukov's military art were the defense of Moscow and Leningrad, the battles of Stalingrad and Yelnya, the Battle of Kursk, as well as the Korsun-Shevchenko, Vistula-Oder, Kyiv, Belorussian and Berlin large-scale operations.
The first victory was won by him in the most difficult conditions. At that time, our troops retreated in all directions. However, Zhukov was able to literally snatch victory near Yelnya. It was the first successful offensive operation after the start of the Great Patriotic War.
Zhukov showed his strong character with particular force during the defense of Moscow and Leningrad. In these operations, his skill as a commander did not manifest itself in the form of bright operational maneuvers. In these significant moments for the country, Georgy Zhukov, a great commander and talented commander, was able to show his iron will. This expressedin the rigid organization of the work entrusted to him, as well as in firmness in managing his subordinates.
The Western Front, which basically collapsed in September 1941, was restored anew by October-November of the first year of the war. And this happened under the command of Zhukov. The great commander managed to carry out successful defensive operations. At the same time, he not only repelled the Nazi offensive, but also threw them away from Moscow.
The talent of the great commander Zhukov also showed during the Stalingrad events. Together with Vasilevsky, he accurately caught the moment when it was necessary to abandon counterattacks, stop wasting strength and prepare a thorough operation that allowed not only to go on the offensive, but also to encircle and destroy enemy troops.
1943
Already on January 18, G. K. Zhukov was awarded another title. He became the first Marshal of the Soviet Union since the beginning of World War II.
The Battle of Kursk was a new comprehension of the very essence of strategic defense for the commander. During its implementation, the troops went on the defensive. At the same time, they did this not forcedly, but carefully prepared. This has not yet been possible during the Great Patriotic War. In 1941 and 1942, defense was regarded only as a forced, and therefore temporary form of military maneuvers. At the same time, it was believed that such positions should reflect the enemy's offensive with limited forces and in short time intervals. However, this theory was not confirmed by the experience of military operations. During the fighting, it turned out that on a strategic scale,defending, one can not only hold the positions occupied, but also defeat the enemy without a major offensive operation. At the same time, large forces should be involved in defense and fierce defensive actions should be carried out. In the art of war, this was a truly significant discovery.
Already in April 1943, Marshal Zhukov identified a suitable place for the battle. He reported his plan to defeat the enemy to the Supreme Commander. Zhukov and Stalin found mutual understanding on this issue. On the twelfth of April, the great commander received an agreement to conduct military operations from the Headquarters.
Marshal Zhukov spent the whole of May and June in the troops of the Central and Voronezh fronts. The commander delved into all sorts of the smallest details that were revealed in preparation for the battle. At the same time, our intelligence also worked with the accuracy of the clock mechanism, which managed to find out the exact time of the German offensive. According to her, it was scheduled for three in the morning on June 5. In agreement with Stalin, Zhukov began the artillery preparation at 2.20. It was in those places where the enemy was supposed to attack that our artillery rumbled. The first stage of the skillfully prepared operation ended on 15 July. And then the troops of the Central Front went on the offensive. On the 5th of August, Belgorod and Orel were cleared of the Germans, and on the 23rd - Kharkov.
During the defensive and then the offensive stage, Marshal G. K. Zhukov skillfully coordinated all the actions of the Steppe and Voronezh fronts.
1944
After the Zhytomyr-Berdichev military operation, a kind of Korsun-Shevchenko's speech. His Vatutin and Zhukov, having addressed a report to Stalin, offered to "cut off". During this operation there was a conflict with Konev. The latter accused the generals of inactivity, which they allegedly showed in relation to the German grouping. Stalin handed over the command of the inner front of the encirclement to Konev. Zhukov's relationship with the latter became more complicated.
In the period from March to April 1944, the 1st Ukrainian Front reached the Carpathian foothills. It was commanded by Marshal G. K. Zhukov, who was awarded the highest military award, the Order of Victory No. 1, for outstanding services to his Motherland. Thousands of his soldiers were also awarded medals and orders.
In the summer of 1944, G. K. Zhukov led the operation "Bagration". He coordinated the actions of the Belarusian fronts. The operation was well prepared and provided with all the necessary material and technical means. As a result of the battles, the troops liberated a large number of settlements in Belarus.
In July 1944, Zhukov coordinated the actions of the 1st Ukrainian Front. The advance of his troops was carried out in the Rava-Russian, Stanislav and Lvov directions. The result of a two-month offensive was the defeat of the two largest strategic groupings of fascist troops. At the same time, Belarus, Ukraine, part of Lithuania and the eastern regions of Poland were completely cleared of enemies. troops to Berlin.
In August 1944Mr. Zhukov was summoned to Moscow, where he received an assignment from the State Defense Committee. The purpose of this order was to prepare the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front for war with Bulgaria, which collaborated with Hitler. The start of hostilities was announced on September 5, 1944. However, something unexpected happened. Bulgarian troops met our army under red banners and without weapons. In addition, the population showered Russian soldiers with flowers.
From the end of November 1944, Marshal Zhukov worked on a plan to capture the capital of Germany.
1945
Zhukov at the last stage of the Great Patriotic War led the First Belorussian Front. He carried out the Vistula-Oder operation. The fighting was carried out jointly with the Ukrainian 1st Front, which was under the command of Konev. As a result of hostilities, Warsaw was liberated and Army Group A was defeated.
The 1st Belorussian Front ended the war with participation in the operation to capture Berlin. After the end of all hostilities, Zhukov - Marshal of Victory - accepted unconditional surrender from the hands of Hitler's General Wilhelm von Keitel.
After the war
Until the April days of 1946, Zhukov was in the position of commander-in-chief of the Soviet military administration, located in Germany. After that, he took the post of commander-in-chief of the ground forces. But in June 1946, Stalin, having convened a military council, brought charges against Marshal Zhukov of exaggerating his own merits in conducting major operations during the Great Patriotic War. The reason for this wastestimony of Novikov, the arrested air marshal. As a result, Zhukov was removed from the post of commander-in-chief, removed from the Central Committee and sent to the secondary Odessa district. Stalin had his own calculation. He understood that Zhukov could be useful to him in the event of a new war. That is why the great commander remained in the army.
In early 1948, according to the testimony of Semochkin's adjutant, Zhukov was charged with a hostile attitude towards Stalin himself and with corrupting moral character. After that, the great commander had a heart attack. Immediately after his illness, he was sent to the post of commander of the military district of the Urals, where there were practically no troops. However, this story soon continued in a completely different direction. Zhukov, despite the persecution, already in 1950 was elected to the Supreme Council of the state. In the autumn of 1952, the marshal became a candidate member of the Central Committee. This was facilitated by Stalin's plans, which provided for the invasion of Western Europe. That is why the return of Zhukov to the leadership of the army was being prepared.
The marshal became the First Deputy Minister of Defense of the country and a member of the Central Committee after Stalin's death. He played a significant role in the arrest of Beria.
In the fall of 1954, Zhukov became the leader of the exercises during which nuclear weapons were used for the first time. And in February 1955, the marshal took over as Minister of Defense. In June of the same year, he helped Khrushchev defeat the opposition. The Plenum elected him to the Presidium of the Central Committee. It was the peak of Georgy Konstantinovich's career.
In 1957, Khrushchev brought charges against Zhukov, in whichhe pointed to the preparation of a coup. The reason was the formation of special units of special forces without the knowledge of the country's leadership. Khrushchev no longer needed Zhukov. The head of state in a possible war relied on nuclear and missile weapons. Marshal was removed from all posts.
Memoirs written by Zhukov were very popular with readers. The years of life that the great commander devoted to the army were described by him in the book “Memoirs and Reflections”. It became the most popular publication about the Great Patriotic War.
Marshal of Victory died on June 18, 1974. He was buried near the Kremlin wall. The memory of this extraordinary commander will forever remain in the hearts of the Russian people.
