During the beginning of WWII, Stalin appointed Zhukov as the Chief of the army general staff. However, this position did not last long as shortly after he was appointed there, he was dismissed after he had a disagreement with Stalin. This decision on Stalin's part, was quickly repealed as the German invasion of Russia was taking place and Zhukov was needed to defend. Here Zhukov was appointed his final position of this war, as the Deputy Commander in Chief of the Red Army.
Zhukov partook in many of the Soviet's most important battles, such as the Battle of Kursk. During this battle, Zhukov and officer Aleksandr Vasilevsky worked together to coordinate the Red Army. Zhukov's expertise in armored warfare gave him an edge over the German's during this battle, which resulted in the Battle of Kursk being largest tank battle's in the history of warfare as well as being a turning point in the war leading to Germany's downfall. Zhukov lead the Soviet occupation of Germany in 1945, which resulted in Zhukov gaining international fame.
After the war had ended, Stalin felt threatened by Zhukov which lead to Zhukov's military demotion to a commander of the Odessa military district. After Stalin's death, Zhukov was appointed minister of defense in 1955. Unfortunately for Zhukov, he had a falling out with Secretary General Nikita Khrushchev leading to his final demotion, and an end to his military career.
I thought that this post was interesting and that it is important to note how Zhukov was the most important military officer in Russia during World War II. Among his many accomplishments, he also oversaw the defense of Stalingrad and directed the counteroffensive that surrounded Germany's Sixth Army at Stalingrad. Overall, Zhukov contributed to an increase of the caliber at which the Soviet army performed and received awards like the Order of Lenin in 1966.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.britannica.com/biography/Georgy-Zhukov