Georgy Zhukov. Marshal Zhukov GK Great Patriotic War: Zhukov

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 the commander who took the Victory Parade on Red Square. Photo of Georgy Zhukov, a skilled military leader and an extraordinary man, you can see below.

The military commander was awarded two crosses of St. George the Victorious and four times awarded the honorary title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Georgy Zhukov is a great military leader who won the battle against the most powerful army in the world, but he lost in Moscow's political battles.

Childhood and youth

Georgy Zhukov, whose biography began at the end of the nineteenth century, was born according to a new style on 1.12.1896 near Kaluga, in the village of Strelkovka. His parents were simple poor peasants. With a commendable sheet, Georgy Zhukov graduated from the parish school of three classes, then he was sent to study in the furrier's workshop, which was in Moscow. Here Zhukov was able to finish the course of the city school in parallel, designed for two years. At the same time the boy attended evening classes.

On August 7, 1915, a young man was drafted into the army. Served he fell into the cavalry troops. As part of the tsarist army, Zhukov took part in the fighting of the First World War. At the end of 1916, a young non-commissioned officer was sent to the South-Western Front, where he fought in the tenth Novgorod Dragoon regiment.

Georgievsky cross of the fourth degree Zhukov was handed over for the capture of a German officer.
But soon the military career was interrupted, and not having time to start. Zhukov received a severe concussion, partially lost his hearing and was sent to the reserve regiment. The second Georgievsky cross he received for military injury. This time the award was of the third degree. In December 1917, the squadron was dissolved. George went to his parents in the village, where he had been ill for a long time with typhus.

Zhukov was considered a good soldier and rewarded. However, there was nothing unusual in his fate. Brave soldiers like him, there were not one hundred thousand. It is difficult to say how the fate of Georgy Zhukov would have developed, had it not been for the revolution that had taken place in Russia.

The beginning of the military career

Being a non-commissioned officer, Georgy Zhukov unconditionally and immediately accepted the October Revolution. It should be noted that this fact was uncharacteristic for the tsarist cavalrymen. Among the few was Georgy Zhukov. His biography as a military man began with the arrival of a new power that needed experienced command cadres. Zhukov began to serve in the Red Army and made a dizzying career.

Under Soviet power, which suited his social background, Zhukov graduated from machine-gun and cavalry higher courses. 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 the company, then squadron, and then - regiment.

Service Zhukov held in the privileged troops - in the cavalry. There Voroshilov and Budyonny were comrades-in-arms - Stalin's comrades in the Civil War. These generals also contributed to the advancement of Zhukov on the career ladder. From the numerous cleansings carried out in the army in the twenties and thirties, he was saved by his position of life, adhering to which Georgii Konstantinovich did not join Trotsky's group or his adversaries.

Zhukov received his first very important post in 1938. He was appointed to command the troops of a special Belorussian district.

War with Japan

In August 1939, Georgy Zhukov was sent to defend the Mongolian borders. There he confronted the Sixth Japanese Army. Before the appointment of the great commander, the situation of the army group in the Far East was deplorable. The Red Army units had a weak front line. At the same time, there was almost no rear. The bare steppe, where the troops were deployed, stretched for many kilometers. At the same time, military towns were nothing more than a cluster of dugouts. The situation of the parts 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 of fighting 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 command and control system with military units. As a result of the fierce fighting, the Japanese army suffered a heavy defeat.

Prewar years

Georgy Zhukov took command of the Kiev military district in 1940. According to the Soviet military doctrine, these parts 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 in building the entire structure of the armed forces. In this connection Zhukov was recalled to Moscow. In early 1941, the commander, being the general of the army, was appointed head of the General Staff. Georgy Zhukov was also the deputy commissioner of the country's defense. A brief biography of the great commander in the pre-war years, which was set out above, allows us to judge him as an outstanding and talented personality.

The German attack

At the beginning of the war, Georgy Zhukov was in the same position. In addition, just the day after the invasion of Germany, the commander became one of the members of the Supreme Command.

The outbreak of the war caused confusion, bordering on panic, which was present at the highest levels of the army leadership. During this period, the controllability of the troops was practically reduced to zero. The Stavka was unable to catch up with the front-line events and was not well-versed in the situation. During this period Stalin's dissatisfaction with the created situation grew. At the same time he tried to take out his anger on the members of the stavka. Among them was Zhukov. After another sharp conversation, the military 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 had often to change.

Milestones of the war

Georgy Zhukov ... Characteristic of his heroic generalship is the greatness of military feats and victories won. The commander was a direct participant in all operations and major events that occurred in the Great Patriotic War.

The most significant milestones in the formation of the commanding art of GK Zhukov were the defense of Moscow and Leningrad, the Battle of Stalingrad and Elnya, the Battle of Kursk, and the Korsun-Shevchenkovskaya, Vistula-Oder, Kiev, Belarus 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 under Yelnya. This was the first successful offensive operation after the Great Patriotic War began.

Zhukov showed his firm character with special force during the defense of Moscow and Leningrad. In these operations, his generalship art was not manifested in the form of vivid operational maneuvers. In these important moments for the country Georgy Zhukov - a great commander and talented commander - was able to show his iron will. This was expressed in the rigid organization of the case entrusted to him, and also in the firmness in the management of his subordinates.

The Western Front, which basically collapsed in September 1941, was rebuilt as early as October and November of the first year of the war. And this happened under the command of Zhukov. The great commander was able to conduct successful defensive operations. At the same time, he not only repulsed the offensive of the fascists, but also threw them away from Moscow.

The talent of the great commander Zhukov showed during the Stalingrad events. Together with Vasilevsky, he accurately grasped the moment when it was necessary to abandon the counter-blows, stop wasting resources and prepare a thorough operation that allowed not only to go on the offensive, but also to surround, and also to destroy the enemy's troops.

1943 year

Already on January 18 GK Zhukov was given the next rank. He became the first Marshal of the Soviet Union since the beginning of the Great Patriotic War.

A new comprehension of the very essence of strategic defense was for the commander of the Battle of Kursk. During its conduct, the troops moved to the defense. At the same time they did it not compulsorily, but carefully prepared. This was not possible in the course of the Great Patriotic War. In 1941 and in 1942, they looked on defense only as a forced, and therefore temporary, military maneuver. It was believed that such positions should reflect the enemy's offensive by limited forces and in short time intervals. However, this theory of confirmation has not received the experience of military operations. During the fighting it turned out that on a strategic scale, defending, one can not only retain the positions held, but also defeat the enemy without a large offensive operation. At the same time, large forces must be used for defense and fierce defensive actions are carried out. In military art, this was a real significant discovery.

Already in April 1943 Marshal Zhukov determined the place suitable for the battle. His plan to defeat the enemy, he reported to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. Zhukov and Stalin found mutual understanding in this matter. On 12 April, the great commander received an agreement to conduct military operations from the Stavka.

In the troops of the Central and Voronezh fronts, Marshal Zhukov spent all of May and June. The commander went into all kinds of small details that were revealed in preparation for the battle. With the accuracy of the clock mechanism, our intelligence also worked to find out the exact time of the German advance. According to her, she was scheduled for three o'clock in the morning on the fifth of June. As agreed with Stalin, Zhukov began the artillery preparation at 2.20. It was in those places where the enemy was to attack, our artillery rumbled. The first stage of the skillfully prepared operation was completed on July 15. And then the troops of the Central Front went on the offensive. On August 5 Belgorod and Orel were cleared of Germans, and on the 23rd - Kharkov.

During the defensive, and then offensive, Marshal GK Zhukov skillfully coordinated all the actions of the Steppe and Voronezh fronts.

1944 year

After the Zhitomir-Berdichev military operation, a kind of Korsun-Shevchenkovsky formation emerged. His Vatutin and Zhukov, referring to Stalin, offered to "cut". During this operation, there was a conflict with Konev. The latter accused the generals of inactivity, which they allegedly showed in relation to the grouping of the Germans. Stalin gave the command of the inner front of the encirclement of Konev. Zhukov's relationship with the latter became more complicated.

In the period from March to April 1944, the First Ukrainian Front reached the Carpathian foothills. The command was carried out by Marshal GK Zhukov, who was awarded the highest military award - Order of Victory No. 1 - for his outstanding achievements to his homeland. Thousands of his soldiers were also awarded medals and orders.

In the summer of 1944 GK 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 fighting, the troops liberated a large number of settlements in Belarus.

In July 1944, Zhukov coordinated the activities of the First Ukrainian Front. The advance of his troops was carried out at the Rava-Russkoye, Stanislavsky and Lvov directions. The result of a two-month offensive was the defeat of the two largest strategic groups of the fascist troops. At the same time, Belarus, Ukraine, part of Lithuania and the eastern regions of Poland were completely cleared of enemies.
The complete rout of the enemy armies "Northern Ukraine" and "Center", as well as the way to Warsaw and the seizure of large bridgeheads on the Vistula, significantly brought our troops closer to Berlin.

In August 1944 Zhukov was summoned to Moscow, where he received an assignment from the State Defense Committee. The purpose of this instruction was to train the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front to a war with Bulgaria, which cooperated with Hitler. The beginning of hostilities was announced on September 5, 1944. However, an unexpected happened. The 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 was working on a plan to seize the capital of Germany.

1945

Zhukov at the last stage of the Great Patriotic War led the First Belorussian Front. He conducted the Vistula-Oder operation. Combat operations were carried out jointly with the Ukrainian 1st Front, which was under the command of Konev. As a result of the fighting, Warsaw was liberated and Army Group "A" was defeated.

The 1st Byelorussian Front ended the war with participation in the operation to capture Berlin. After the end of all military operations, Zhukov, the Marshal of Victory, accepted unconditional surrender from the hands of Hitler's General Wilhelm von Keitel.

After the war

Prior to the April days of 1946, Zhukov was in the post of commander-in-chief of the Soviet military administration in Germany. After that, he took over the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Army. But in June 1946, Stalin, convening a military council, put forward against Marshal Zhukov accusations of exaggerating his own merit in conducting basic operations during the Great Patriotic War. The reason for this was the testimony of Novikov - the arrested marshal of aviation. 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 the adjutant Semochkin, Zhukov was charged with a hostile attitude towards Stalin himself and in the disintegration of his moral character. After that, the great commander suffered a heart attack. Immediately after the illness he was sent to the post of commander of the military Ural district, where there were practically no troops. However, this story soon continued in a completely different direction. Zhukov, despite persecution, already in 1950 was elected to the Supreme Council of the state. In the fall of 1952 the marshal became a candidate for membership in the Central Committee. This was facilitated by Stalin's plans, which provided for an invasion of Western Europe. That is why Zhukov's return to the ranks of the army leadership was being prepared.
The first deputy minister of defense of the country and a member of the Central Committee became a marshal after the death of Stalin. He played a significant role in the arrest of Beria.

In the autumn of 1954, Zhukov became the leader of the exercises, during which nuclear weapons were first used. And in February 1955 the marshal took up the post of Minister of Defense. In June of the same year, he helped Khrushchev to 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 which he pointed to the preparation of a coup. The reason for this was the formation of special units of special forces without the knowledge of the country's leadership. Khrushchev Zhukov was no longer needed. The head of state relied on nuclear and missile weapons in a possible war. The Marshal was removed from all posts.

The readers enjoyed memoirs written by Zhukov. The years of life that the great military commander dedicated to the army were described by him in his book Memoirs and Reflections. This became the most popular publication about the Great Patriotic War.

The Marshal of Victory died on June 18, 1974. He was buried by the Kremlin wall. The memory of this extraordinary commander will forever remain in the hearts of the Russian people.