Zhukov got along very well with Eisenhower, who sent him gifts like fishing gear when he was sidetracked in the Fifties. I believe US -Russian relations would have been very different if Zhukov could have gained political power.
Fun fact: Zhukov had an addiction to Coca Cola, so much to the fact that when the Cold War began and all American products were banned in the Soviet Union, the company made special coke designed to look like vodka (the drink had no coloring) and were put in vodka bottles with a red star cap. These crates were sent to Zhukov en masse and he was never caught. Considering how much of a legend this man was to the Russian people, imagine being a simple Soviet red army man walking past Field Marshal Zhukov’s office and watch him chug an entire bottle of “vodka” in one go without getting drunk Another fun fact: When he had heard of a U.S. paratrooper of the 101st (Joseph Beryle) escaped from Nazi capture and joined the Soviet Red Army, he gave the missing GI a personal visit after he had helped liberated his own former POW camp and offered him diplomatic asylum and safe passage back to America. He is the only American awarded with both U.S. and Soviet military honors.
That’s crazy lol. How the heck did he get away with crates of it being sent to him though? Surely the KGB would eventually see all these crates with return addresses from Atlanta or wherever and ask what what was going on lol.
@@jonaskessler326 kgb or nkvd just accept it as a fact of life. Sure they can purge other generals but they can’t purge Zhukov. Purging zhukov in ussr is like purging Eisenhower in the US.
Zhukov's death is also one of pure heroics. At the end, he had seen half the world and wrote memoirs to inspire the Soviet people. When his wife died in 1973, you could find him sitting on his porch. Looking across the land, he undoubtedly saved. He died a year later, in 1974. The entire nation, cried, arguably harder then when Stalin died.
@@iplaygames8090 yeah exactly my personal favourite is the north Korea funerals where the state releases a picture of huddled sobbing masses for their dear leader barely able to contain themselves then the real photo comes out and you see the people with guns pointing at the crowd demanding they look sad.
Zhukov and Eisenhower were also BFFs. They respected each other despite their different military upbringing. Eisenhower even gifted Zhukov a fishing pole and Zhukov treasured it so much that he only used that pole and that pole only until his death. Also, Eisenhower introduced coca-cola to him. Zhukov loved the product so much that he requested the US to produce a colorless coke to him to disguise it as a vodka lol They send him crates of it, bottled with a red star on its cap. Coke was forbidden in the USSR since it was seen as a symbol of american imperialism.
Zhukov respected America too, many people like to moan that America didn't do anything in Europe but Zhukov spoke frequently about how vital American steel and military gear was for the Red Army. He knew even without American soldiers on the frontlines their aid was still vital to Russian success against the Nazis.
Reading (about) Zhukov's life is like reading a novel. His "plot armor" is astounding. Not even considering the threat of the purges, he escaped death more than twenty recorded times.
I hope you will also tell the story of Konstantin Rokossovsky, a partner of Zhukov and such a badass he survived Stalin's purge alive. Too bad not many videos cover his story
I actually had a chance to be at the lecture given by rokossovsky's adjutant, and he told us interesting story about the capitulation of German field marshal Paulus in Stalingrad. And he also mentioned that the man was polite to everyone and very professional.
He told us that Paulus during signing of capitulation acts handed to him his pistol, Walther, in order to honour old German knight tradition of surrendering the weapon to the victor. Soviets thanked him and took the gun, but forbade to the press mentioning that episode- bc showing enemy chivalry would be contradictory to the general war propaganda narrative
I have great respect for Rokossovsky. It would be nice to see a video on him one day. Question: How many Poles were in the Russian army. Or was it just this guy.
Zhukov was the ONE man that could say "no" to Stalin. He was also really of tactically sound mind and was intelligent. Plus he was willing to adopt new ideas for warfare.
I think Rokossovsky could probably get away with it too. Apparently, after Bagration, Stalin respected him so much that he started calling him by his patronym, something he only did to one other general Edit: damn I just realized this account’s name
Not really. The biggest influence on Stalin had those generals who were with him in Stavka, especially his old buddy Voroshilov. Then those who showed their success on the battlefield.
Stalin had banned, imprisoned, and even executed many Russian authors. Yet he knew not to do any thing against Leo Tolstoy and his works because Russians held extremely high regard for Tolstoy. Therefore besides Zhukov, Tolstoy was another untouchable to Stalin.
One final note: according to Zhukov, the most important thing he did in his life was to help the execution of Beria. Let's not forget that this comes from someone who defeated the Wehrmacht and the Nazis ... such a monster was Beria.
Beria is actually just about the only human being in existence that was worse than Hitler. At least Hitler didn't rape kids along with his mass murder.
Raped kids? Who told you that? All based on Khrushevs destalinisation program? You can write and tell tons of crap once the person in question is dead, since he won’t be able to respond. Beria definitely was some sort of a ladies man, but rapist? Was khrushev holding his “candle” while he was doing it? Khrushev is when Soviet downfall started. He didn’t have a 1/10th of either Berias or Stalin’s wits, intelligence, cunning, etc. we’re they monsters? Yes they were… And that’s why they held on for so long. Beria for example took charge of defending Caucasus when army group south was attacking it, and was successful, as he was successful in eliminating Stalin’s enemies, building spy networks and so on. Khrushev took over the USSR at its peak, and all he did was bang he’s shoe on a tribune, such a class act! It is still beyond me how he managed to go for so long… When we look at things at bigger scale, there is no good or bad, there are those who are victorious and those who lose.
@@dimitrid268 What in the absolute fuck are you babbling about? There's multiple sources of testimony including from his own guards and even the US embassy staff of Beria prowling the streets and picking up teenage girls to bring back to his mansion and force them to have sex with him under threat of arrest and/or murder. Literally they keep finding the bones of his victims any time they dig around his house. Fucking Stalin himself didn't trust Beria around his daughter, literally calling her just to tell her to get away from him once he learned Beria was alone with his daughter. Many other Soviet officials did the same. Beria was not a fucking "ladies man", he was an abhorrent monster who forced women and children to have sex with him under threat of his position. Not to mention the millions imprisoned or killed by his command. He was one of the most objectively evil men in existence, far worse than Stalin or even Hitler. I don't give a flying fuck about whatever weird hatred of Kruschev you have, he was entirely in the right getting Beria arrested and executed. You are a horrible person for defending him.
Zhukov's military and political maneuvers saved the USSR from annihilation, his victory against Japan in Mongolia saved the country from a two front war, his later defense of Moscow, Leningrad and Stalingrad were crucial to the survival of the nation. Dude was a beast
He survived WWI as an enlisted man and later NCO, on the Russian side of the Eastern Front! Then just for fun, survives the Russian Civil War! I don't think there's a day in the man's life past 1915, until the death of Stalin, where sudden death from violence, weather, and disease were not a strong possibility.
@@Pikkabuu thats cuz they wasted their whole army fighting America. People talk about Japan losing yo soviets so much in reality soviets lost 80% more men than the Japanese. And they had way more tanks
So true and real and definitely not another distorted information regarding a closed communal parliament government that people tend to claim they know about
When Stalin died in 1953 and the power struggle began (if you watch Death of Stalin you will know something about this), Zhukov was really excited to kill Beria, because Beria killed a very close colleague of Zhukov.
Zhukov was one of the few intelligent people that can read Stalin's personality. Having grown up in a similar childhood, Zhukov knew when Stalin was feeling for example, when Stalin smoked his pipe, he was in a good mood, but when he fails to light his pipe, it was a sign of rage. No other generals understood Stalin as Zhukov did.
Zhukov was a standard Soviet butcher who sent thousands of men to die in battle, without proper armour and chances to win. This guy was dumb as hell, and modern Russia admires him. Fights in the same way, loses in the same way.
Zhukov: - loved cola & eisenhower’s fishing pole - was close friends with eisenhower - used stalin’s smoke pipe to read his mood - was the only person w/ the ability to say “no” to stalin - stalin was deathly afraid of him because he knew he was the only real potential rival - jointly led the execution of beria with khrushchev - hanged rapists from the red army in berlin - soviet citizens cried harder for his death more than stalin’s death He was an extremely interesting person.
People don't talk about Khalkhin Gol enough, that single battle changed the entire course of WW2, for a variety of reasons, as is mentioned here it is superb for Zhukov, it also as slightly mentioned stops Japan from attacking the Soviet Union, and a last reason it allowed for the transfer of troops from East Asia to Europe at a key time
Nobody ever talks about superior Gvardiya from the east with much better weapons, gear and especially expiriance, his with Zhukov proved to be excellent.
Not true. The japanese army was partitioned. They had almost no air support or artillery. And civil war between the army and navy made supplies cut of for the IJA up north while the navy fought the americans
@@NeostormXLMAX A Quick rebuttal, the army and navy were indeed split. The army wanted to attack the Soviet union for the resources in Siberia, while the navy wanted to strike south to get the rich land of Indochine and Indonesia. There was much debate over which would be done, but after the army was decimated at Kalkhin Gol the navy’s plan was chosen. The navy wanted to use the Philippines as a stepping stone and to do that they had to do that they had keep the us pacific fleet away long enough to capture the islands. They attempted to do this by attacking Pearl Harbour. And while yes the army did lack proper air support and artillery it was due to their involvement in China not any reason of the navy. If I do have any facts wrong, feel free to let me know
Japan made a decision in December 1941 to go south for a resources Empire rather then attack Siberian Russia. This was because the US had in July embargoed all their oil and most other supplies their industries relied on. And they saw easy pickings to the south. The US in WWII kept the Chinese supplied and the Japanese occupied in fighting which kept them off of Russias back. That freed up numerous troops and resources for fighting the German's. This fact is generally not known or understood by Russians.
He’s a man I’ve been fascinated by. There must have been more to why a paranoid monster like Stalin didn’t kill Zhukov; he had killed or didn’t lift a finger to save many others who were talented and capable. It’s a mystery. Yes, I’ve watched the Death of Stalin.
Bc of Stalin we are not speaking German, so calling him a monster is overstretch, but hey, everyone has its own opinion. As for Zhukov, he never really opposed Stalin, on the contrary, he acted like the most decisive enforcer of his/Stavka decisions, that's why he was sent on a crucial parts of the front
@@ontheline3077 because of the likes of Zhukov and also because of Mikhail Tuchakevsky , Soviets pushed to Berlin and were almost on a rally to French Border. The success behind Soviet deep operation was laid out by Tuchakevsky afterr the disastrous defeat in Poland.
@@ontheline3077 I agree that because of the sacrifices of the Soviet people and its armed forces the Germans were broken in a gigantic war of attrition. The German planned for a quick and decisive war and got otherwise. The Russians after the catastrophe of 1941-42 recovered, rebuilt and then outfought the Germans; after 1943 the Red Army was the dominant force on the Eastern front. Yes, Stalin played a major role in that; however, he was, and is a murderer and a tyrant with the blood of millions on his hands. Just like Hitler, just like Mao, just like Pol Pot.
@@patriotenfield3276 Tukhachevsky arrogance and ambition lead to defeat in Poland. He was ordered to wait for Budenny to coordinate the offensive, but his lust for personal glory costed Soviet heavily. And Zhukov was a decent commander, but there were dozens of other officers equal to him. But anyway, tue biggest credit for victory goes to Soviet peoples and their leader, uncle Joe.
It's not a mystery, Stalin would have murdered Zhukov if he thought he could get away with it. But he was the savior of Moscow, and more importantly the army followed him. Stalin figured the army would rebel if Zhukov was shot so instead he put him in lower positions around Russia where he wasn't a threat
Georgy, Konstantin and Konev were the 3 guys who carried the Soviet’s during ww2 and Stalin was aware of this so he wouldn’t dare to do such thing is what I believe
Without a doubt Rokossovsky had a brilliant military mind, and Konev was almost ruthless in how efficient he was, but in terms of actually carrying the Red Army throughout the war, two men stand above all others - Zhukov and Vasilevsky. I'm a bit sad Vasilevsky doesn't get enough recognition for the role. The man was a military colossus, but since he spent most of the war behind a desk, he's much less famous. He didn't get a chance to prove his mettle in battles because he was so important in his role of chief of staff, even though he wanted to. Still, his request was granted at the very end, and he planned and enacted operation August Storm, invasion of Manchuria, which was an operational masterpiece and probably the closest we ever got to a perfectly organized and conducted military operation in the entire WW2.
Nobody knows why Zhukov was recalled to Moscow shortly before Stalin's death, and then given nothing to do. It may be that Stalin trusted him more than he trusted Beria and wanted him at hand. In any case Stalin wouldn't have wanted him in Moscow if he had feared his popularity with the people and especially the army.
If you know your potential 'enemy' well enough and were clearly not the one trying organize assassination attempts, (Soviet leaders actually had little to do with or control over NKVD and then KGB operations outside of *actual* and not rigged trials.) it's better to keep your potential overthrower close. Keep them happy, but within arms reach. It's true that the greater part of the red army would have turned on the Commissars and then the Kremlin if Zhukov had been officially executed before Stalin's death and pre retirement while many war Veterans were still in service. Fearing such a man is correct in a dictatorship in particular, killing such a figure is tantamount to suicide.
Oh he didn't trust Beria at all. He knew about his "other activities". It's why made sure to keep a close eye on Beria, especially around Stalins daughter. Of course, Beria had enough smarts to know if he tried that with his daughter there would be no place in the world he could hide from Stalins wrath.
fun fact: when WW2 ended zhukov was called to moscow, and he thought stalin was about to execute him. instead he got the title hero of the soviet union and was praised
Did Stalin personally award him the Title? If so that has to be the biggest boast you can have in the USSR, receiving a award, not just any award, the Hero of the Soviet Union by Stalin, the most feared man in all of Russia at the time.
Zhukov was possibly the reason that Stalin "mellowed out" after WW2 - no more purges. As for Beryev - if he had gained power, Stalin would have been looked at as the "Nice Guy" of the Soviet Union! But I believe that if Zhukov had taken over the USSR, the Cold War may have been MUCH LESS intense. He had compassion and love for his people.
ARE YOU KIDDING? "No more purges"? What happened in Eastern Europe? See the movie "The Confession" and tell us that Stalinist lie. And the "Doctors' Plot"? What do you think that was. Thank God Stalin died on Purim in 1953 as the trains were assembling to finish Hitler's work, But I totally agree with you about Zhukov's character and his love for Russia's people.
@@davidlevine7738 I should have said that the Purges were just fewer and less intense than before - ie - the Holodomor. Stalin, and ESPECIALLY Beryev were both sadistic , cruel egotistical maniacs.
"Death of Stalin" was one of the greatest political comedies of 21st century IMO and Zhukov portrayal by Jason Isaacs was totally awesome! :) Historically, I think a world could probably be a better place today if Zhukov had decided to grab power after WW2 or after Stalin's death: he was much smarter and reasonable man than all these commy politicians. Regarding the video: I feel like it suddenly ends in the middle of the story: Zhukov's life after Stalin's death was also very interesting.
@@steephanroy8461 if you actually know some historical facts related to the matter, i (and probably other viewers of this channel) would love to hear about it :) Otherwise, I'm afraid your comment is just an intellectually empty flame, full of incorrect assumptions...
"Where you find Zhukov, there you find victory." I have never read anything or heard anything, yet, that makes me wonder why someone would ever have said such a thing. An incredible figure, who lived in an incredible time. Given his ability and popularity, it's no surprise that both Stalin and Khrushchev were so afraid (for want of a better word) of him. It has been said that those in power in the Soviet Union feared popular men. Not hard to wonder why, when you see how they acted.
It seems like Stalin feared anyone who had popularity and could turn masses against his disgusting savergy. I don't know, I know pretty much nothing about Russian history but that's what it seems.
"Where there is Zhukov, there is Victory!"- this phrase was born in the Soviet army during the Moscow battle, became winged and lived among the soldiers until the last days of the war. We must pay tribute to the country's leadership , which erected such a genial commander as Zhukov. In former times, the Lord erected Suvorov and Kutuzov for Russia . During the second world war, Georgy Zhukov was the grace of God. We owe him our salvation.
We have a great respect for Zhukov for his role crushing the Nazis. He was a family man and probably Stalin feared his popularity. Much love from India.
In general, about the war of 1941-45, we can say that it has two main national heroes, thanks to whom we won it - the Russian soldier and Zhukov (eternal memory to them). Zhukov is one of the most outstanding military leaders of all time. Maybe even the most outstanding.
I think the whole confrontation between Georgy Zhukov and Lavrentiy Beria deserves to be discussed as a great historical moment on its own. Basically, we have two very powerful men, a military commander that wasn't too interested in political power and focused on his military career and also a patriot that served his nation, both as a soldier and later as a commander, and the leader of the NKVD, a manipulative, cheating and very disgusting psychopath that used his power for personal gain and for many other horrible crimes. Not to mention the atrocities he committed against the Polish, the Chechens and his very own people. While I do consider that all people fall in a "gray" area when it comes about morality, and it is true that Zhukov liked to exaggerate his own merits and also encouraged the Soviets to take revenge against the Germans, Beria was probably on a similar level to Stalin in ruthlesness. And Beria was also an active threat to Zhukov as well, harming him several times. He arrested and tortured two of his underlings, forcing them to confess against Zhukov and often attempted to frame Zhukov as a conspirator against the Soviet Union. And the fact that it is Zhukov that had a great contribution to Beria's downfall makes this whole "story" even more satisfying.
Beria was also a CHOMO. I can completely and very easily understand why everyone around him wanted him dead. If beria had taken over the USSR, it'd of made Stalin look timid , and that says a lot about just how evil those two Georgians were.
@@ladygrey7425 Ivan Konev (the man that sentenced Beria to be executed) declared shortly after his death that he curses the day that man was born. Zhukov replied "I considered it as my duty to contribute my little part in this matter." (fitting, considering that Zhukov was a member of the jury that found Beria guilty).
Didn't Zhukov also say his most important accomplishment was his part in the downfall of Beria? Implying that he thought Beria was literally worse than Hitler?
Zhukov was basically a diminished Russian version of napoleon. He even did the punch through the gap and go around the enemy, separate and crush, like napoleon in Genoa. He had a great tactical mind, the companionship of his fellow soldiers, and had vast political views. A perfect fit for a formidable driving force that ultimately led to the downfall of the Nazis.
Zhukov is definitely not the Red Napoleon as that goes to Mikhail Tukhachevsky, who was purged by Stalin during the Great Purge Era, should Tukhachevsky survive, there would definitely be a massive power struggle between the two Marshalls over the Red Army's Fate
Zhukov loved Coca-Cola so much he asked President Roosevelt, who then asked the company make him some in a disguised bottle of vodka with a red star as a bottle cap since Coca-Cola was a banned drink in the USSR.
We Mongolians tend to have a affinity and admiration towards strong, spirited and wise leaders like Zhukov and Chinggis khan. Deep respect to the warrior general!
The one thing I deeply regret is that Unit 731 couldn't unleash it's experiments on mongolia. Pancake-faces have dodged the bullet upto now, although I quickly foresee this changing in the near future.
have you heard of the mongol boy who started as a thief and built an empire that would make ghengis proud? he couldn't call himself Khan as he wasn't of royal blood yet had done what even those of Royal blood couldn't do!
9:51 khrushchev once saved his live on great purge, and then he paid it off by secured Khrushchev from any other political rival after stalin death, and help him paved the way to be leader of soviet union something you need to tell it off as you describe zhukov as kingmaker.
This is an incredible story: from a low peasant to a great general, it's all the markings of a fine storybook. Isn't that what history is, after all? A story, something we look at & learn from; though most just look & don't learn.
Zhukov will be remembered by Russia for all time. He embodied the ideal of what it means to be Russian, and to be a Soldier dedicated to the Defense of Rodina (The Motherland). If you think about it, his life reads like a Folk Tale with the truly horrifying parts left in.
@@gutsjoestar7450 I agree, Beria was Stalin’s evil twin. If you have seen the movie “The Death of Stalin” I’d recommend it. It’s a dark comedy, but I think it is close to historical accuracy.
The Russians didn't fight for the west, they fought for their survival. That accomplished, they subjigated 20 million people in Northen, Middle and Eastern Europe. Now Putin wants some of that back.
@@paulkellerman2603 Stalin killed 20 million of his own people, Zhukov saved Western civilisation and continental Europe from Nazi rule. You’re mixing the two up.
Zhukov is one of those few historical figures who is respected by everyone no matter what your political allegiance what he was able to do on and off the battlefield is simply amazing
The fact that there hasn't been a major biographical film made about Zhukov is disgraceful. His story is legendary and should be shared with the wider world.
The Actor who plays Zhukov in The Death Of Stalin is great, as is the whole cast. It's wonderful black comedy and it would have made a lot more at the box office if the moronic youth of today knew anything of the history. Channel just keeps getting better!
I would politely disagree in one respect: Jason Issacs, who portrayed Zhukov, stole the whole show, in my opinion. *Edit, I just now read the rest of you post PROPERLY, and whole heartedly agree.
His humble upbringing and performance in the fields of the Russian Civil War and The Great Patriotic War made him Communist royalty. I didn't know he was afraid for his life during the Great Purge though. I thought his modest ambition after the War was very important to his survival and credibility. He got to die a old man, which always impressed me.
There's a less known story about Stalin too. When Germans were basically at the gates of Maskow, the armoured train was prepared for Stalin to escape. Stalin refused to board it and addressed the people on radio. That inspired people and the Red Army, and greatly uplifted Soviet morale. If Maskow was to fall, Stalin was ready to go down with it, even though there were plenty of far off land and cities for him to escape to.
@@DarkLifer22 Have any evidence for what you claimed? Because everything we have does indicate that it was Stalin’s initial intention not to leave Moscow as a hope to keep up the morale of the Soviet people. You can think whatever you want about Stalin, but as a leader in wartime, he was very brave and effective.
@@LeonWagg the revolution literally started with the prime minister of the provisional government being captured while on a train. The Romanovs were also captures on a train and later held captive till their execution, in a train car. Stalin deffo wouldn't forget one of the inciting incidents of the storming of the white palace.
@@LeonWagg stalin would have put every man woman and child before him to keep himself safe, and his train would have been destroyed due to the Luftwaffes air superiority in that point of the war. That idiot couldn’t leave even if he wanted to
You left out one very neat story about the man. He loved to go fishing when general Eisenhower found out about this he sent to Marshalls Zukov a couple of rod and reels that were made in America for him to fish with. That is all that he used to fish with for the rest of his life because they were such good friends.
This quote from Zhukov to Stalin in 1941 sums up his courage. Stalin accused Zhukov of talking rubbish when he said that tactically they would have to give up Kiev. Zhukov then famously replied: “ If you think the Chief of the General Staff talks nonsense, then I request you relieve me of my post and send me to the front.”. Which Stalin did.
I read an interesting bit of history of Ww2 Russian - German military conflict. When Guderian's German tanks were on the outskirts of Moscow, Stalin had fled the city to the East with his politburo fearing capture. Stalin called Zhukov who was defending the city and asked him if he needed anything. Zhukov calmly replied everything is fine. No worries. And slowly but surely his army turned the tide of the war. Now that is a man of steel.
That's just wrong. While much of the Soviet bureaucracy fled Moscow for Kuibyshev, the temporary wartime capital, Stalin never fled the city. He got close to leaving at one point and a witness saw him pacing up and down the platform at the train station obviously trying to make up his mind but he did NOT leave.
In what way? Zhukov was not Stalin, but he was still part of that Soviet system in which he himself supported. Zhukov was also one of the people who supported using force to crush uprisings in Eastern Europe.
Not really. Most of the people really expected Malenkov to rule after Stalin, since he trusted him alot and what was more important, he made a huge effort to rebuild the post war economy and made lives of rural Soviets much easier with his reforms. Unfortunately, Zhukov wanted to become more than a military leader, betrayed Malenkov, and in the end Khrushchev showed his gratitude by sending him into exile in Odessa
Why should they? Finland decided to backstab the Germans, so USSR relocated freed troops to fight some place else. And took another part of Finnish territory while doing so
We lost the war agaisnt the Soviets wdym? It's impressive how much casualties we managed to inflict against the Soviets though, but we still lost and lost territories. Trust me, if the Soviet Union wanted to take Finland fully, they would've.
Great video, it’s a shame more in the west don’t recognise the debt they owe him. Of course ww2 involved incredible sacrifices and effort by so many.....but I don’t think it’s much of an exaggeration to say he’s close the one military figure you can pinpoint who contributions almost saved the world. Of course he’s was a bit of a b**tard and undoubtedly did a lot of awful things...but if I ever think about figures throughout history I would Iike to have been able to meet, he’s close to top of the list!
Years ago, I got a Zhukov biography on VHS for $1, at a dollar store. I remember two specific facts. The first : during WW2, one day, he had his car parked on the side of the road, passed a group of wounded soldiers, and every time a Red Army officer passed by, he demoted him, because he did not offer his assistance to those wounded soldiers. Zhukov truly cared about ordinary soldiers. This is one of the reason why he was liked by his troops. The second : he is the one who mounted the white horse at the Victory Parade at the end of WW2 because Stalin was to scared to ride on that horse. Another interesting fact, noted by KGB defector Yuri Bezmenov : after WW2, many Red Army officers who suffered the horrors of war were completely against another war with the West, unlike the members of the Politburo. I would not be surprised Zhukov was one of them.
@@belkYT I'm sure Zhukov was totally against a war with the former USSR Allies, because he knew too well what suffering was, unlike the leaders in Kremlin. He was on the Front, He knew how horrible war was for the soldiers and the civilians.
Just to clarify something you said, it is my understanding that Stalin had every intention of leading the Victory Parade from the white horse but after a practice riding session that didn't go very well, Stalin decided to let Zhukov ride the white horse because Stalin was afraid that he (Stalin) would fall off the horse and utterly humiliate himself. Stalin had ridden horses before but it was many years since he'd last been on a horse so his riding skills were pretty much gone.
A war between the Western Allies and the USSR after Germany was not possible in 1945 1. after the capitulation of Germany, the finance minister told Truman literally "we have money for the war until September 1, 1945, and then the bankruptcy of the state follows", which means that the war with Japan must end very soon The result was two nuclear bombs and a compromise regarding the surrender of Japan (that the Emperor of Japan would remain in power and not be judged) 2. The Red Army was literally decimated after victory in Berlin, and a new war without "Land Lease" help was impossible, the soldiers had to be demobilized to prevent the civilian economy from collapsing
"Kaiba! You play well, but you underestimate the power of friendship! I activate my quick-play spell, Enemy Controller! With this, I can change my enemy's battle position!"
True, Zhukov is great. But I still believe that Tukhachevsky, former Marshal of the Soviet Union who were being executed by Joseph Stalin due to his attempt to coup and also rival of Stalin is far more greater. Military Theorist, Reformist of the Soviet Union and a great General who founded the deep operation which was used by Zhukov to win WW2, he is a genius but also a Psychopath. He will use chemical weapons to his own countrymen, using brutal methods to crush any enemy. Tukhachevsky was the one who made Zhukov win WW2 although Tukhachevsky died two years before the World War.
One criticism of Zhukov by his own soldiers was the absolute needless slaughter of his infantry to be the first Russian general to conquer Berlin over Ivan ?? Stalin set them against each other for this honor at the cost of tens of thousands of Russian soldiers.
Adored? Soldiers called him "the butcher" because he did not see his own soldiers as human beings. He used to clean mine fields using his own soldiers. A batallion of soldiers had to walk through a mine field just to be killed by explosions
Since first reading about Zhukiv,I have had an immense respect for him.Listening to thus video I now understand why Stalin didn't get rid of him:Zhukiv had the absolute allegiance if the Red army and was adored by the population. Sralin could have done away with the population,but not with the army. Yes,he did the right thing by getting Beria executed,Beria the monster who was attempting to succeed Stalin and who constantky attempted to get Zhukov executed. Very smart from the Marshall to bring in the troops to Moscow when Beria had locked down the city under the control of his NKVD forces,which he assurely counted on to execute his rivals,Zhukov the first.
If Beria succeed to take the throne he'd have everyone in politburo purged, then it's a reign of real terror that makes Stalin looks like a real nice guy, the doom of Beria was certain, he had zero support from the people, zero support from the army, zero support from the higher offcials, his attempt to secure power was a last ditch move.
I'm not so sure about your reasoning. After all, during the Great Purge, Stalin executed a HUGE percentage of the top leadership of the Soviet Army, including 3 of the 5 Marshals, 11 of the 12 highest generals, etc. etc. This is thought to have been why the Soviets did so very poorly against Finland during the Winter War of 1939. During the Purge, Stalin had no hesitation in utterly gutting the Soviet Armed Forces.
Zhukov, said he could read Stalin's mood by the way he handled his pipe. That certainly indicated that he was careful, about dealing with Stalin, he and other Generals got Stalin to stop interference with military and to focus on supplies and logistics, which he screwed up, on farming production.
Fun fact: His kid brother, Danny grew up in America and studied at Rydell High. He was the leader of the T-Birds gang and was into drag racing at the LA River called “Thunder Road”. Cool guy. Great dancer👍
Yes, I have watched ‘The Death of Stalin’ Zhukov was well portrayed in that movie. He was a remarkable general. His tactics should be part of any War College’s instruction.
Remember when the people looked up hopefully to Kirov to save them from Stalin, the latter had him taken out. In a totalitarian regime, it's always perilous to be the people's hope. The same fate could have befallen Zhukov if Awfoul-Joe had lived longer. At the time just before his death, it was felt in the world chanceries the dictator was 'bout to change his policy. But that could have meant either the doing away or the rehabilitation of the old guard. Perhaps Beria was heading off any chance of his being the cost for his master's change by regicide. As it happened Beria sealed his own fate by killing his own guarantee.
Oh, it was THAT Zhukov, who, as the Head of the General Headquarter assembled a huge number of infantry brigades, artillery brigades, tank brigades and aircrafts on the Western border, so the Germans were able to destroy thousands of tanks and aircrafts during the first hours. How genius, indeed... Somehow the author "forgot" to mention the first three directives that Zhukov issued right before the war began and during the first hours of war. How, in the name of Mars, soviet soldiers were supposed to fight, when they were instructed by this directive No.1 to NOT respond to any German attacks. Everybody cite his Directive No. 3, which came after the war was going on for almost 14 hours, but they conveniently "missing" his confusing directive No. 1 and No.2. There are many things that he did very wrong, this is why the infantry soldiers and officers gave him a nickname as "the butcher". There are much more talented strategists in the soviet army, take Rokossovsky and Vassilevsky as examples.
Yeah,,, And picturing the “BUTCHER” as an object of soldier’s adoration … A man who was willing to slaughter any number of his own troops to achieve insignificant objectives that can be reported back to Stavka as strategic victories A commander who sent conscripts marching through minefields as the most efficient way of clearing them up
@@georgedanilov8898 The whole point is that Zhukov has been transformed into a "saint" or an "icon" not for those, who fought the WWII, but rather for those, who did not as they need someone/something to worship. Obviously, Zhukov was used by Stalin as Stalin's dog, whose role was just to slaughter people in the name of achieving the goals that Zhukov himself did not quite understand. For operation planning Stalin used much smarter marshals like Vasilevsky or Rokossovsky. And, oh btw, people tend to forget how Zhukov was reprimanded in 1946 for pillaging and looting Germany for his own benefit.
this video presents zhukov as if he and stalin were rivals... zhukov never wanted political power and was a bolshevik from the start, he didnt hate stalin.
Quite so. Of course Stalin liquidated a lot of people who didn't hate him or want political power, just in case. But not Zhukov, even if he demoted him. Personally, I suspect Stalin kind of liked him and protected him against his real enemy, Beria.
I have no real respect for any major figures in Russian history, but General Zhukov is the one and only exception. His country did not deserve a man of such valor, virtue, and brilliance.
I believe Stalin didn't move against Zhukov for similar reasons for not moving against Beria...Zhukovs success on the battlefield was Stalins success, Berias victims were threats to Stalin that were no longer threats, aslong as they were loyal and successful even Stalin knew best to let them be...interestingly when Stalin died and the Scramble for power commenced, there was a foreigner who fully expected to become King of the Commies International, one Chairman Mao, for some reason Mao was extremely loyal and beholden to Stalin, when the Soviet Union was dismantling Stalins Cult of Personality Mao was trying to be Stalin like in Beijing and relations between the 2 would only deteriorate from then on, by Breznevs rule they were actually fighting open combat against each other on a shared border, ironically when the Russians threatened to nuke Chinese troops along this border Mao was reported to respond nuke those 2 million troops, I'll replace them with millions more, Nixon actually interceded on Chinas behalf, I think that's partially why he eventually gave China the American recognition Mao had been craving since 1949.
Mao may have felt some loyalty to the concept of Stalinism but he wasn't a big fan of Stalin the man. Shortly after Mao declared the creation of the People's Republic of China in late 1949, he went to Moscow for an extended visit to get Soviet help in organizing his country. Stalin kept him waiting for many weeks and this infuriated Mao. The two men were NOT close friends by any means.
@@hughmungus1767 never said they were close friends but Mao liked Stalin more than any Soviet leader that followed Stalin...Im aware of Stalins treatment of Mao during that trip, Stalin atleast sent the aid.
As a somewhat well read student of military history, and on WW2, I am very familiar with Georgy Zhukov. I have enormous respect for him. I have watched the movie The Death Of Stalin. While basically a dark comedy, and not absolutely historically correct, it does well at catching the general insanity of Communism and the old USSR, and gives a condensed version of the facts surrounding the event. I loved the movie, and HIGHLY recommend it. In fact, I like it so well I bought the DVD !
Joseph Stalin: "I fear no man. But this one..." *points to Zhukov, who hides in the shadow* "This one scares me..." Zhukov: *grins" "Hiiiii....." Stalin: *wets pants*
Probably "Stalin needs me, but I don't want to test him or the NKVD". Remember though Stalin sometimes feared Zhukov, Zhukov was always wary of what Stalin, the NKVD or the communist party would do if he spoke out. He always, according to his daughters, had a packed rucksack, ready to go in case the NKVD decided to off him.
Zhukov didn't personally accept the surrender of the Germans. The Germans had surrendered to a combined group of Allied generals from Eisenhower's staff, including a Soviet general who was acting as Stalin's representative to Eisenhower. When Stalin found out, he was furious. He had all the German generals flown to Berlin, where they reenacted the entire ceremony in front of Soviet cameras. This time with Zhukov sitting in the middle.
Stalin's daughter Svetlana recalls being told by his father to never be in a room alone with Beria, something every soviet high official told their daughters. Beria was a sick, sorry excuse for a man, like Himmler.
Just give you a hint Stalin himself said never get into the car with comrade Beria. Never! He knew but he also needed Beria to do his dirty work. Those were in his memoirs.
The title ain't right. The best Russian WW2 commander was Rokossovski. Also, ask any Russian veteran, whether he'd rather serve under Zhukov or Rokossovski.
I like how this guy single handedly saved Russia from fighting a two front war with Germany and Japan , saved Leningrad and Stalingrad and carried the allies on WW2
I really like good generals,and anything you mean by good,Zhukov is one great general,I can never tell much but based on his contributions and accomplishments something,I'd say he's pretty good
True I was watching this video and thinking why is he telling only positives... This man did pretty dirty on enemy either his man. Even his Tactical mind wasnt that great as he said. His tactics often went from mass front assaut to another mass front assault.
Zhukov might’ve been the biggest Hero of WW2, come to think of. What if he became the leader? Would he be an absolute dictator like Stalin? Would he allow criticism and be reasonable? Who knows. Zhukov deserves every praise, and he was honored even in the West.
Zhukov got along very well with Eisenhower, who sent him gifts like fishing gear when he was sidetracked in the Fifties. I believe US -Russian relations would have been very different if Zhukov could have gained political power.
That be interesting US Soviet relations would different
If Zhukov ran the USSR and Patton ran the USA.
As long as soviet strategy involved spreading communism in any way, im very unlikely to believe that for a second.
@@P7777-u7r
Patton holding any political power would have been an absolute disaster. the man was a morale boosting figure.
Yes, I think it may have been a very different outcome if Zhukov had those powers...
Fun fact: Zhukov had an addiction to Coca Cola, so much to the fact that when the Cold War began and all American products were banned in the Soviet Union, the company made special coke designed to look like vodka (the drink had no coloring) and were put in vodka bottles with a red star cap. These crates were sent to Zhukov en masse and he was never caught.
Considering how much of a legend this man was to the Russian people, imagine being a simple Soviet red army man walking past Field Marshal Zhukov’s office and watch him chug an entire bottle of “vodka” in one go without getting drunk
Another fun fact: When he had heard of a U.S. paratrooper of the 101st (Joseph Beryle) escaped from Nazi capture and joined the Soviet Red Army, he gave the missing GI a personal visit after he had helped liberated his own former POW camp and offered him diplomatic asylum and safe passage back to America. He is the only American awarded with both U.S. and Soviet military honors.
That’s crazy lol. How the heck did he get away with crates of it being sent to him though? Surely the KGB would eventually see all these crates with return addresses from Atlanta or wherever and ask what what was going on lol.
@@jonaskessler326 It's Zhukov, you think they'll question Zhukov lol?
Yeah, watching your General chug an entire bottle of "vodka" without getting drunk would definitely make your admiration of him skyrocket.
@@jonaskessler326 kgb or nkvd just accept it as a fact of life. Sure they can purge other generals but they can’t purge Zhukov. Purging zhukov in ussr is like purging Eisenhower in the US.
Zhukov actually drank pre-Sprite
Zhukov's death is also one of pure heroics. At the end, he had seen half the world and wrote memoirs to inspire the Soviet people. When his wife died in 1973, you could find him sitting on his porch. Looking across the land, he undoubtedly saved. He died a year later, in 1974. The entire nation, cried, arguably harder then when Stalin died.
That's more than understandable. To them he was like a god.
They cried out of sadness when zukhov died, it was mostly tears to save face when Stalin died.
That’s why he’s my favourite
@@leodesalis5915 tears of happiness when staling died
@@iplaygames8090 yeah exactly my personal favourite is the north Korea funerals where the state releases a picture of huddled sobbing masses for their dear leader barely able to contain themselves then the real photo comes out and you see the people with guns pointing at the crowd demanding they look sad.
Zhukov and Eisenhower were also BFFs. They respected each other despite their different military upbringing. Eisenhower even gifted Zhukov a fishing pole and Zhukov treasured it so much that he only used that pole and that pole only until his death. Also, Eisenhower introduced coca-cola to him. Zhukov loved the product so much that he requested the US to produce a colorless coke to him to disguise it as a vodka lol They send him crates of it, bottled with a red star on its cap.
Coke was forbidden in the USSR since it was seen as a symbol of american imperialism.
1: We have another shipment today for Marshal Zhukov.
2: His vodka again?
1: Don't ask.
Zhukov respected America too, many people like to moan that America didn't do anything in Europe but Zhukov spoke frequently about how vital American steel and military gear was for the Red Army. He knew even without American soldiers on the frontlines their aid was still vital to Russian success against the Nazis.
Colorless Coke? I need to try that.
why didnt ussr made its own coke, no offense
@@strafniki1080 ussr had it's own lemonades, not as many as US but still
Reading (about) Zhukov's life is like reading a novel. His "plot armor" is astounding. Not even considering the threat of the purges, he escaped death more than twenty recorded times.
Can you recommend a specific book about him
Surviving Stalin must definitely count as at least 1 per day.
@@thema.sosoudid2229 I would like to know also 🤘
In Moscow there's a pretty cool statue of Zhukov where it's him on horseback and the horse is walking forward stepping on the nazi eagle and swastika
I must visit that statue
Based
Haukenkreuz, I'm tired of Europeans misappropriating our words and symbols.
@@CountingStars333 you didn't even write it correctly ;)
@@markusz4447 Duden bei Wish bestellt, vermutlich
I hope you will also tell the story of Konstantin Rokossovsky, a partner of Zhukov and such a badass he survived Stalin's purge alive. Too bad not many videos cover his story
Hello comrade.
I actually had a chance to be at the lecture given by rokossovsky's adjutant, and he told us interesting story about the capitulation of German field marshal Paulus in Stalingrad. And he also mentioned that the man was polite to everyone and very professional.
He told us that Paulus during signing of capitulation acts handed to him his pistol, Walther, in order to honour old German knight tradition of surrendering the weapon to the victor. Soviets thanked him and took the gun, but forbade to the press mentioning that episode- bc showing enemy chivalry would be contradictory to the general war propaganda narrative
I have great respect for Rokossovsky. It would be nice to see a video on him one day. Question: How many Poles were in the Russian army. Or was it just this guy.
@@brokenbridge6316 few thousands, who later incorporated into Armija ludova (people's army)
Zhukov was the ONE man that could say "no" to Stalin. He was also really of tactically sound mind and was intelligent. Plus he was willing to adopt new ideas for warfare.
I think Rokossovsky could probably get away with it too. Apparently, after Bagration, Stalin respected him so much that he started calling him by his patronym, something he only did to one other general
Edit: damn I just realized this account’s name
Not really. The biggest influence on Stalin had those generals who were with him in Stavka, especially his old buddy Voroshilov. Then those who showed their success on the battlefield.
@@Konstantin_K._Rokossovsky great flex man
Stalin had banned, imprisoned, and even executed many Russian authors. Yet he knew not to do any thing against Leo Tolstoy and his works because Russians held extremely high regard for Tolstoy.
Therefore besides Zhukov, Tolstoy was another untouchable to Stalin.
@@chiensyang stalin’s mother was also another untouchable
One final note: according to Zhukov, the most important thing he did in his life was to help the execution of Beria. Let's not forget that this comes from someone who defeated the Wehrmacht and the Nazis ... such a monster was Beria.
Beria is actually just about the only human being in existence that was worse than Hitler. At least Hitler didn't rape kids along with his mass murder.
Agreed. His name should be immediately associated among the greatest monsters in the history of the world. I only wish more people knew of him.
Raped kids? Who told you that?
All based on Khrushevs destalinisation program? You can write and tell tons of crap once the person in question is dead, since he won’t be able to respond. Beria definitely was some sort of a ladies man, but rapist? Was khrushev holding his “candle” while he was doing it?
Khrushev is when Soviet downfall started. He didn’t have a 1/10th of either Berias or Stalin’s wits, intelligence, cunning, etc.
we’re they monsters? Yes they were… And that’s why they held on for so long.
Beria for example took charge of defending Caucasus when army group south was attacking it, and was successful, as he was successful in eliminating Stalin’s enemies, building spy networks and so on.
Khrushev took over the USSR at its peak, and all he did was bang he’s shoe on a tribune, such a class act! It is still beyond me how he managed to go for so long…
When we look at things at bigger scale, there is no good or bad, there are those who are victorious and those who lose.
@@dimitrid268 What in the absolute fuck are you babbling about? There's multiple sources of testimony including from his own guards and even the US embassy staff of Beria prowling the streets and picking up teenage girls to bring back to his mansion and force them to have sex with him under threat of arrest and/or murder. Literally they keep finding the bones of his victims any time they dig around his house. Fucking Stalin himself didn't trust Beria around his daughter, literally calling her just to tell her to get away from him once he learned Beria was alone with his daughter. Many other Soviet officials did the same. Beria was not a fucking "ladies man", he was an abhorrent monster who forced women and children to have sex with him under threat of his position. Not to mention the millions imprisoned or killed by his command. He was one of the most objectively evil men in existence, far worse than Stalin or even Hitler. I don't give a flying fuck about whatever weird hatred of Kruschev you have, he was entirely in the right getting Beria arrested and executed. You are a horrible person for defending him.
Zhukov: "I fucked Germany, I think I can take a flesh lump in a fucking waistcoat."
Zhukov's military and political maneuvers saved the USSR from annihilation, his victory against Japan in Mongolia saved the country from a two front war, his later defense of Moscow, Leningrad and Stalingrad were crucial to the survival of the nation.
Dude was a beast
all the while still being on Stalin's side of the killing and not on the recieving
He survived WWI as an enlisted man and later NCO, on the Russian side of the Eastern Front! Then just for fun, survives the Russian Civil War! I don't think there's a day in the man's life past 1915, until the death of Stalin, where sudden death from violence, weather, and disease were not a strong possibility.
@@ZMBN-y8x copium
Well to be honest a Japanese attack in Siberia wouldn't have amounted to anything except a suicide-by-cop.
@@Pikkabuu thats cuz they wasted their whole army fighting America. People talk about Japan losing yo soviets so much in reality soviets lost 80% more men than the Japanese. And they had way more tanks
One of the reason why Zhukov can handled Stalin so well was because he could read Stalin's mood based on how he smokes his tobacco pipe. True story
Urban legend))
So true and real and definitely not another distorted information regarding a closed communal parliament government that people tend to claim they know about
Got that from Simple History? xP
@@ontheline3077 that is true not fake. Lol if he did know how to handle his mood he who would have been executed
@@Pemmont107lol there is no problem if you get your information on simple history
When Stalin died in 1953 and the power struggle began (if you watch Death of Stalin you will know something about this), Zhukov was really excited to kill Beria, because Beria killed a very close colleague of Zhukov.
Great movie. (I took Hitler i think i can manage this . )
was that close colleague by chance Mikhail Tukhachevsky ?
@@patriotenfield3276 i think so
@Euro Hugo Perdana that's what he said...
Karma's a b*tch
Zhukov was one of the few intelligent people that can read Stalin's personality. Having grown up in a similar childhood, Zhukov knew when Stalin was feeling for example, when Stalin smoked his pipe, he was in a good mood, but when he fails to light his pipe, it was a sign of rage. No other generals understood Stalin as Zhukov did.
They were both of peasant stock and their fathers even had the same careers as cobblers. That may have helped them "connect'....
Zhukov was a standard Soviet butcher who sent thousands of men to die in battle, without proper armour and chances to win. This guy was dumb as hell, and modern Russia admires him. Fights in the same way, loses in the same way.
@@cossackcortes не тебе современная шкура критиковать Великого Маршала!
@@cossackcortesthis zhukov fella sounds a lot like captain zapp brannigan
Zhukov:
- loved cola & eisenhower’s fishing pole
- was close friends with eisenhower
- used stalin’s smoke pipe to read his mood
- was the only person w/ the ability to say “no” to stalin
- stalin was deathly afraid of him because he knew he was the only real potential rival
- jointly led the execution of beria with khrushchev
- hanged rapists from the red army in berlin
- soviet citizens cried harder for his death more than stalin’s death
He was an extremely interesting person.
Hanged rapists?
Cool
People don't talk about Khalkhin Gol enough, that single battle changed the entire course of WW2, for a variety of reasons, as is mentioned here it is superb for Zhukov, it also as slightly mentioned stops Japan from attacking the Soviet Union, and a last reason it allowed for the transfer of troops from East Asia to Europe at a key time
Nobody ever talks about superior Gvardiya from the east with much better weapons, gear and especially expiriance, his with Zhukov proved to be excellent.
Not true. The japanese army was partitioned. They had almost no air support or artillery. And civil war between the army and navy made supplies cut of for the IJA up north while the navy fought the americans
@@NeostormXLMAX A Quick rebuttal, the army and navy were indeed split. The army wanted to attack the Soviet union for the resources in Siberia, while the navy wanted to strike south to get the rich land of Indochine and Indonesia. There was much debate over which would be done, but after the army was decimated at Kalkhin Gol the navy’s plan was chosen. The navy wanted to use the Philippines as a stepping stone and to do that they had to do that they had keep the us pacific fleet away long enough to capture the islands. They attempted to do this by attacking Pearl Harbour. And while yes the army did lack proper air support and artillery it was due to their involvement in China not any reason of the navy. If I do have any facts wrong, feel free to let me know
@@NeostormXLMAX Khalkhin Gol was in 1939. Japan began the fight with the US in 1941.
Japan made a decision in December 1941 to go south for a resources Empire rather then attack Siberian Russia. This was because the US had in July embargoed all their oil and most other supplies their industries relied on. And they saw easy pickings to the south. The US in WWII kept the Chinese supplied and the Japanese occupied in fighting which kept them off of Russias back. That freed up numerous troops and resources for fighting the German's. This fact is generally not known or understood by Russians.
He’s a man I’ve been fascinated by. There must have been more to why a paranoid monster like Stalin didn’t kill Zhukov; he had killed or didn’t lift a finger to save many others who were talented and capable. It’s a mystery. Yes, I’ve watched the Death of Stalin.
Bc of Stalin we are not speaking German, so calling him a monster is overstretch, but hey, everyone has its own opinion. As for Zhukov, he never really opposed Stalin, on the contrary, he acted like the most decisive enforcer of his/Stavka decisions, that's why he was sent on a crucial parts of the front
@@ontheline3077 because of the likes of Zhukov and also because of Mikhail Tuchakevsky , Soviets pushed to Berlin and were almost on a rally to French Border. The success behind Soviet deep operation was laid out by Tuchakevsky afterr the disastrous defeat in Poland.
@@ontheline3077 I agree that because of the sacrifices of the Soviet people and its armed forces the Germans were broken in a gigantic war of attrition. The German planned for a quick and decisive war and got otherwise. The Russians after the catastrophe of 1941-42 recovered, rebuilt and then outfought the Germans; after 1943 the Red Army was the dominant force on the Eastern front. Yes, Stalin played a major role in that; however, he was, and is a murderer and a tyrant with the blood of millions on his hands. Just like Hitler, just like Mao, just like Pol Pot.
@@patriotenfield3276 Tukhachevsky arrogance and ambition lead to defeat in Poland. He was ordered to wait for Budenny to coordinate the offensive, but his lust for personal glory costed Soviet heavily. And Zhukov was a decent commander, but there were dozens of other officers equal to him. But anyway, tue biggest credit for victory goes to Soviet peoples and their leader, uncle Joe.
It's not a mystery, Stalin would have murdered Zhukov if he thought he could get away with it. But he was the savior of Moscow, and more importantly the army followed him. Stalin figured the army would rebel if Zhukov was shot so instead he put him in lower positions around Russia where he wasn't a threat
Georgy, Konstantin and Konev were the 3 guys who carried the Soviet’s during ww2 and Stalin was aware of this so he wouldn’t dare to do such thing is what I believe
Agreed. You could also add Alexander Vasilevsky too.
And even do he died earlier Vatutin was also a beast.
Without a doubt Rokossovsky had a brilliant military mind, and Konev was almost ruthless in how efficient he was, but in terms of actually carrying the Red Army throughout the war, two men stand above all others - Zhukov and Vasilevsky. I'm a bit sad Vasilevsky doesn't get enough recognition for the role. The man was a military colossus, but since he spent most of the war behind a desk, he's much less famous. He didn't get a chance to prove his mettle in battles because he was so important in his role of chief of staff, even though he wanted to. Still, his request was granted at the very end, and he planned and enacted operation August Storm, invasion of Manchuria, which was an operational masterpiece and probably the closest we ever got to a perfectly organized and conducted military operation in the entire WW2.
vasily chuikov defender of stalingrad
You all forgot ANTONIEV.
Nobody knows why Zhukov was recalled to Moscow shortly before Stalin's death, and then given nothing to do. It may be that Stalin trusted him more than he trusted Beria and wanted him at hand. In any case Stalin wouldn't have wanted him in Moscow if he had feared his popularity with the people and especially the army.
If you know your potential 'enemy' well enough and were clearly not the one trying organize assassination attempts, (Soviet leaders actually had little to do with or control over NKVD and then KGB operations outside of *actual* and not rigged trials.) it's better to keep your potential overthrower close. Keep them happy, but within arms reach. It's true that the greater part of the red army would have turned on the Commissars and then the Kremlin if Zhukov had been officially executed before Stalin's death and pre retirement while many war Veterans were still in service. Fearing such a man is correct in a dictatorship in particular, killing such a figure is tantamount to suicide.
Stalin himself feared Beria more than anyone else as Beria held the whole NKVD, + he was an insane man, even more than Stalin
@@pricel141l there’s a compelling argument to be made that Beria was infact more powerful than Stalin, for all the reasons listed above.
Oh he didn't trust Beria at all. He knew about his "other activities". It's why made sure to keep a close eye on Beria, especially around Stalins daughter. Of course, Beria had enough smarts to know if he tried that with his daughter there would be no place in the world he could hide from Stalins wrath.
fun fact: when WW2 ended zhukov was called to moscow, and he thought stalin was about to execute him. instead he got the title hero of the soviet union and was praised
With Stalin, one never knew!
When Your Soldiers and The People Adore You You Become to Valuable To Execute
Did Stalin personally award him the Title? If so that has to be the biggest boast you can have in the USSR, receiving a award, not just any award, the Hero of the Soviet Union by Stalin, the most feared man in all of Russia at the time.
@@jimmysmith9273 why are you capitalizing every word
And later he was sent to small garrison in Ural.
Zhukov was possibly the reason that Stalin "mellowed out" after WW2 - no more purges. As for Beryev - if he had gained power, Stalin would have been looked at as the "Nice Guy" of the Soviet Union! But I believe that if Zhukov had taken over the USSR, the Cold War may have been MUCH LESS intense. He had compassion and love for his people.
Had Georgiy become the Premier of the CCCP, there would actually have been peace in our forefathers' time.
Zhukov was standup guy. He even hanged the rapist in the red army in Berlin.
ARE YOU KIDDING? "No more purges"? What happened in Eastern Europe? See the movie "The Confession" and tell us that Stalinist lie. And the "Doctors' Plot"? What do you think that was. Thank God Stalin died on Purim in 1953 as the trains were assembling to finish Hitler's work, But I totally agree with you about Zhukov's character and his love for Russia's people.
@@davidlevine7738 I should have said that the Purges were just fewer and less intense than before - ie - the Holodomor.
Stalin, and ESPECIALLY Beryev were both sadistic , cruel egotistical maniacs.
Zhukov would never had been the leader of the USSR. He was a military man and his career in politics leaves a lot to be desired.
"Death of Stalin" was one of the greatest political comedies of 21st century IMO and Zhukov portrayal by Jason Isaacs was totally awesome! :)
Historically, I think a world could probably be a better place today if Zhukov had decided to grab power after WW2 or after Stalin's death: he was much smarter and reasonable man than all these commy politicians.
Regarding the video: I feel like it suddenly ends in the middle of the story: Zhukov's life after Stalin's death was also very interesting.
A population which views the world events and make judgements on it based on the films that they watch are one of a kind and are intellectually empty.
He's one of the most quotable characters of all time
Zhukov was a radical Communist, he would've been worst than Krushev
Zhukov was a "commy".
@@steephanroy8461 if you actually know some historical facts related to the matter, i (and probably other viewers of this channel) would love to hear about it :)
Otherwise, I'm afraid your comment is just an intellectually empty flame, full of incorrect assumptions...
"Where you find Zhukov, there you find victory." I have never read anything or heard anything, yet, that makes me wonder why someone would ever have said such a thing. An incredible figure, who lived in an incredible time. Given his ability and popularity, it's no surprise that both Stalin and Khrushchev were so afraid (for want of a better word) of him. It has been said that those in power in the Soviet Union feared popular men. Not hard to wonder why, when you see how they acted.
It seems like Stalin feared anyone who had popularity and could turn masses against his disgusting savergy.
I don't know, I know pretty much nothing about Russian history but that's what it seems.
And still act. Look at Putin.
@@Xpwnxage Stalin couldn't give a flying f about his men or his people. Very jealous and suspicious man
"Where there is Zhukov, there is Victory!"- this phrase was born in the Soviet army during the Moscow battle, became winged and lived among the soldiers until the last days of the war. We must pay tribute to the country's leadership , which erected such a genial commander as Zhukov. In former times, the Lord erected Suvorov and Kutuzov for Russia . During the second world war, Georgy Zhukov was the grace of God. We owe him our salvation.
We have a great respect for Zhukov for his role crushing the Nazis.
He was a family man and probably Stalin feared his popularity.
Much love from India.
In general, about the war of 1941-45, we can say that it has two main national heroes, thanks to whom we won it - the Russian soldier and Zhukov (eternal memory to them). Zhukov is one of the most outstanding military leaders of all time. Maybe even the most outstanding.
There is a saying: Cometh the hour; cometh the man. Surely correct in the life of Marshal Zhukov..
@@СветланаАбрамова-и6м не русский солдат а советский.
I think the whole confrontation between Georgy Zhukov and Lavrentiy Beria deserves to be discussed as a great historical moment on its own. Basically, we have two very powerful men, a military commander that wasn't too interested in political power and focused on his military career and also a patriot that served his nation, both as a soldier and later as a commander, and the leader of the NKVD, a manipulative, cheating and very disgusting psychopath that used his power for personal gain and for many other horrible crimes. Not to mention the atrocities he committed against the Polish, the Chechens and his very own people. While I do consider that all people fall in a "gray" area when it comes about morality, and it is true that Zhukov liked to exaggerate his own merits and also encouraged the Soviets to take revenge against the Germans, Beria was probably on a similar level to Stalin in ruthlesness. And Beria was also an active threat to Zhukov as well, harming him several times. He arrested and tortured two of his underlings, forcing them to confess against Zhukov and often attempted to frame Zhukov as a conspirator against the Soviet Union. And the fact that it is Zhukov that had a great contribution to Beria's downfall makes this whole "story" even more satisfying.
I believe Zhukov describe's Beria's execution as one of the happiest days of his life, if I remember reading correctly.
Beria was also a CHOMO. I can completely and very easily understand why everyone around him wanted him dead. If beria had taken over the USSR, it'd of made Stalin look timid , and that says a lot about just how evil those two Georgians were.
@@ladygrey7425 Ivan Konev (the man that sentenced Beria to be executed) declared shortly after his death that he curses the day that man was born. Zhukov replied "I considered it as my duty to contribute my little part in this matter." (fitting, considering that Zhukov was a member of the jury that found Beria guilty).
Didn't Zhukov also say his most important accomplishment was his part in the downfall of Beria? Implying that he thought Beria was literally worse than Hitler?
Yes
Zhukov was basically a diminished Russian version of napoleon. He even did the punch through the gap and go around the enemy, separate and crush, like napoleon in Genoa. He had a great tactical mind, the companionship of his fellow soldiers, and had vast political views. A perfect fit for a formidable driving force that ultimately led to the downfall of the Nazis.
Red Napoleon? Nah it's the other soviet general.
@@bowwak5366 The father of deep-battle doctrine right? Tuchasevskky I think was his name (Correct if I'm wrong). Sadly he got purged by Stalin.
@@e_x_c_u_b_i_t_o_r_ejiysb7169 for having fascist ideals (wasnt true)
Zhukov a diminished version if napoleon? Gtfo.
Zhukov is definitely not the Red Napoleon as that goes to Mikhail Tukhachevsky, who was purged by Stalin during the Great Purge Era, should Tukhachevsky survive, there would definitely be a massive power struggle between the two Marshalls over the Red Army's Fate
my favourite thing about zhukov is his bromance with eisenhower. dudes just wanna fish
Intimated by his success and the spotlight cast upon him.
Tito and Zhukov: *exist*
Stalin: I fear no man but those...things....they scare me!
Keep sending more men to kill me. I only need to send one
Hahahaha
Though a comedy, I really enjoyed the portrayal of Zhukov in "The Death of Stalin" as well as the dynamic between him, Beria, and Khrushchev.
Me too
He owned every scene. Easily.
Zhukov loved Coca-Cola so much he asked President Roosevelt, who then asked the company make him some in a disguised bottle of vodka with a red star as a bottle cap since Coca-Cola was a banned drink in the USSR.
Zhukov the great Russian General that ever lived. He often had a good assessment of Stalin. Not something many others can claim. Great video.
Zhukov was great but Suvorov was the greatest general
@@ML-lb7ig---If you insist.
@@ML-lb7ig well Zhukov is regarded as Russia's greatest General but sure thing because I don't know so much about Suvorov
We Mongolians tend to have a affinity and admiration towards strong, spirited and wise leaders like Zhukov and Chinggis khan. Deep respect to the warrior general!
The one thing I deeply regret is that Unit 731 couldn't unleash it's experiments on mongolia. Pancake-faces have dodged the bullet upto now, although I quickly foresee this changing in the near future.
have you heard of the mongol boy who started as a thief and built an empire that would make ghengis proud? he couldn't call himself Khan as he wasn't of royal blood yet had done what even those of Royal blood couldn't do!
Much love to our Mongolian brothers and sisters from Russia!
Mongolians are based
@@qarmatianwarhorse6028 ur such a terrible human being
9:51 khrushchev once saved his live on great purge, and then he paid it off by secured Khrushchev from any other political rival after stalin death, and help him paved the way to be leader of soviet union
something you need to tell it off as you describe zhukov as kingmaker.
This is an incredible story: from a low peasant to a great general, it's all the markings of a fine storybook. Isn't that what history is, after all? A story, something we look at & learn from; though most just look & don't learn.
Zhukov called the purges the most difficult experience of his life. That means something coming from a guy who fought as much war as he did.
Makes Death of Stalin Zhukov more epic.
The Death of Stalin portrayed Zhokov so well. I love that movie to death.
Zhukov will be remembered by Russia for all time. He embodied the ideal of what it means to be Russian, and to be a Soldier dedicated to the Defense of Rodina (The Motherland). If you think about it, his life reads like a Folk Tale with the truly horrifying parts left in.
If zhukov didnt start getting results he would be dead.
He was without doubt a great general.
It’s refreshing to know that there was one man who Stalin feared, but that man did not use his power to oppress his people
Stalin also feared Beiria. He was the opposite of Zhovov. Feared but because he oppresses people
@@gutsjoestar7450
I agree, Beria was Stalin’s evil twin. If you have seen the movie “The Death of Stalin” I’d recommend it. It’s a dark comedy, but I think it is close to historical accuracy.
@@scomo532 The movie Death if Stalin is a western comedy so idk if this can be watched seriously or if it's even good
@@gutsjoestar7450
Oh it’s good and from what I know of the situation, it’s plausible
@@gutsjoestar7450 it’s a good funny movie but it certainly is no secondary source mateiral
As a canadian I thank the russians for their massive effort in the war. My grandparents returned home, 30 million of theirs didn't.
Many of them died because Zhukov was sadistic tyrant without conscience.
@@paulkellerman2603 you mean stalin?
The Russians didn't fight for the west, they fought for their survival. That accomplished, they subjigated 20 million people in Northen, Middle and Eastern Europe. Now Putin wants some of that back.
@@paulkellerman2603 Stalin killed 20 million of his own people, Zhukov saved Western civilisation and continental Europe from Nazi rule. You’re mixing the two up.
Zhukov was the best character in Death of Stalin
Zhukov is one of those few historical figures who is respected by everyone no matter what your political allegiance what he was able to do on and off the battlefield is simply amazing
The portrayal of Zhukov in the movie The Death of Stalin is 'just epic. Best described as a Man's Man buried in military medals. :)
The fact that there hasn't been a major biographical film made about Zhukov is disgraceful. His story is legendary and should be shared with the wider world.
The Actor who plays Zhukov in The Death Of Stalin is great, as is the whole cast. It's wonderful black comedy and it would have made a lot more at the box office if the moronic youth of today knew anything of the history. Channel just keeps getting better!
I would politely disagree in one respect: Jason Issacs, who portrayed Zhukov, stole the whole show, in my opinion.
*Edit, I just now read the rest of you post PROPERLY, and whole heartedly agree.
Saying youth of today know nothing is exactly what the duffers said about you when you were young. We are all born ignorant .
The Death Of Stalin is barely accurate propaganda.
Basically Zhukov is the protagonist In USSR if it was an anime
oh no
Stalin: iam the leader know
Opposition: we don't like you
Stalin: wow they just desperate
His humble upbringing and performance in the fields of the Russian Civil War and The Great Patriotic War made him Communist royalty. I didn't know he was afraid for his life during the Great Purge though. I thought his modest ambition after the War was very important to his survival and credibility. He got to die a old man, which always impressed me.
0:10 Well, there is also Tito...
There is no one else I can imagine as Zhukov in The Death of Stalin
There's a less known story about Stalin too. When Germans were basically at the gates of Maskow, the armoured train was prepared for Stalin to escape. Stalin refused to board it and addressed the people on radio. That inspired people and the Red Army, and greatly uplifted Soviet morale. If Maskow was to fall, Stalin was ready to go down with it, even though there were plenty of far off land and cities for him to escape to.
Stalin was a brave psychopathic mass murderer.
he decided to stay not because of bravery, but because a train is an easy target and his enemies could simply derail the train
@@DarkLifer22 Have any evidence for what you claimed? Because everything we have does indicate that it was Stalin’s initial intention not to leave Moscow as a hope to keep up the morale of the Soviet people. You can think whatever you want about Stalin, but as a leader in wartime, he was very brave and effective.
@@LeonWagg the revolution literally started with the prime minister of the provisional government being captured while on a train. The Romanovs were also captures on a train and later held captive till their execution, in a train car.
Stalin deffo wouldn't forget one of the inciting incidents of the storming of the white palace.
@@LeonWagg stalin would have put every man woman and child before him to keep himself safe, and his train would have been destroyed due to the Luftwaffes air superiority in that point of the war. That idiot couldn’t leave even if he wanted to
You left out one very neat story about the man. He loved to go fishing when general Eisenhower found out about this he sent to Marshalls Zukov a couple of rod and reels that were made in America for him to fish with. That is all that he used to fish with for the rest of his life because they were such good friends.
This quote from Zhukov to Stalin in 1941 sums up his courage. Stalin accused Zhukov of talking rubbish when he said that tactically they would have to give up Kiev. Zhukov then famously replied:
“ If you think the Chief of the General Staff talks nonsense, then I request you relieve me of my post and send me to the front.”. Which Stalin did.
I read an interesting bit of history of Ww2 Russian - German military conflict. When Guderian's German tanks were on the outskirts of Moscow, Stalin had fled the city to the East with his politburo fearing capture. Stalin called Zhukov who was defending the city and asked him if he needed anything. Zhukov calmly replied everything is fine. No worries. And slowly but surely his army turned the tide of the war. Now that is a man of steel.
That's just wrong. While much of the Soviet bureaucracy fled Moscow for Kuibyshev, the temporary wartime capital, Stalin never fled the city. He got close to leaving at one point and a witness saw him pacing up and down the platform at the train station obviously trying to make up his mind but he did NOT leave.
Zhukov was probably the only hope in the ussr at that time for the people
In what way? Zhukov was not Stalin, but he was still part of that Soviet system in which he himself supported. Zhukov was also one of the people who supported using force to crush uprisings in Eastern Europe.
Not really. Most of the people really expected Malenkov to rule after Stalin, since he trusted him alot and what was more important, he made a huge effort to rebuild the post war economy and made lives of rural Soviets much easier with his reforms. Unfortunately, Zhukov wanted to become more than a military leader, betrayed Malenkov, and in the end Khrushchev showed his gratitude by sending him into exile in Odessa
They still couldn't take Finland. 😎
Why should they? Finland decided to backstab the Germans, so USSR relocated freed troops to fight some place else. And took another part of Finnish territory while doing so
Lmao the Finns literally lost the war. It was the Soviet intention from the beginning not to take over all of Finland.
We lost the war agaisnt the Soviets wdym?
It's impressive how much casualties we managed to inflict against the Soviets though, but we still lost and lost territories.
Trust me, if the Soviet Union wanted to take Finland fully, they would've.
To be fair, Zhukov was not there and the generals in charge were complete idiots
Because Zhukov was in Mongolia at the time.
Great video, it’s a shame more in the west don’t recognise the debt they owe him. Of course ww2 involved incredible sacrifices and effort by so many.....but I don’t think it’s much of an exaggeration to say he’s close the one military figure you can pinpoint who contributions almost saved the world. Of course he’s was a bit of a b**tard and undoubtedly did a lot of awful things...but if I ever think about figures throughout history I would Iike to have been able to meet, he’s close to top of the list!
Years ago, I got a Zhukov biography on VHS for $1, at a dollar store. I remember two specific facts.
The first : during WW2, one day, he had his car parked on the side of the road, passed a group of wounded soldiers, and every time a Red Army officer passed by, he demoted him, because he did not offer his assistance to those wounded soldiers. Zhukov truly cared about ordinary soldiers. This is one of the reason why he was liked by his troops.
The second : he is the one who mounted the white horse at the Victory Parade at the end of WW2 because Stalin was to scared to ride on that horse.
Another interesting fact, noted by KGB defector Yuri Bezmenov : after WW2, many Red Army officers who suffered the horrors of war were completely against another war with the West, unlike the members of the Politburo. I would not be surprised Zhukov was one of them.
i dont understand the last one
@@belkYT I'm sure Zhukov was totally against a war with the former USSR Allies, because he knew too well what suffering was, unlike the leaders in Kremlin. He was on the Front, He knew how horrible war was for the soldiers and the civilians.
Just to clarify something you said, it is my understanding that Stalin had every intention of leading the Victory Parade from the white horse but after a practice riding session that didn't go very well, Stalin decided to let Zhukov ride the white horse because Stalin was afraid that he (Stalin) would fall off the horse and utterly humiliate himself. Stalin had ridden horses before but it was many years since he'd last been on a horse so his riding skills were pretty much gone.
A war between the Western Allies and the USSR after Germany was not possible in 1945
1. after the capitulation of Germany, the finance minister told Truman literally "we have money for the war until September 1, 1945, and then the bankruptcy of the state follows", which means that the war with Japan must end very soon
The result was two nuclear bombs and a compromise regarding the surrender of Japan (that the Emperor of Japan would remain in power and not be judged)
2. The Red Army was literally decimated after victory in Berlin, and a new war without "Land Lease" help was impossible, the soldiers had to be demobilized to prevent the civilian economy from collapsing
🤔 so......you're saying that the scene where Jason Isaacs throws off his coat....and his chest is weighted down by medals......he earned them all 👍
I wonder what happened to that commissar who saved Zhukov's life?
Zhukov's career in battle could be summarized like this:
The enemy: Does anything.
Zhukov: You activated my trap card!
"Kaiba! You play well, but you underestimate the power of friendship! I activate my quick-play spell, Enemy Controller! With this, I can change my enemy's battle position!"
Correction:
Zhukov:
I’m just willing to kill more of my soldiers that you’ll ever be able to
True, Zhukov is great. But I still believe that Tukhachevsky, former Marshal of the Soviet Union who were being executed by Joseph Stalin due to his attempt to coup and also rival of Stalin is far more greater. Military Theorist, Reformist of the Soviet Union and a great General who founded the deep operation which was used by Zhukov to win WW2, he is a genius but also a Psychopath. He will use chemical weapons to his own countrymen, using brutal methods to crush any enemy. Tukhachevsky was the one who made Zhukov win WW2 although Tukhachevsky died two years before the World War.
One criticism of Zhukov by his own soldiers was the absolute needless slaughter of his infantry to be the first Russian general to conquer Berlin over Ivan ?? Stalin set them against each other for this honor at the cost of tens of thousands of Russian soldiers.
If anyone hasn’t seen the Death of Stalin, go watch it right now!! It is absolutely hilarious!!!
Adored? Soldiers called him "the butcher" because he did not see his own soldiers as human beings. He used to clean mine fields using his own soldiers. A batallion of soldiers had to walk through a mine field just to be killed by explosions
What?
Wasn't that only German prisoners, and/or a penal battalion?
But yes, he was not a kind man, a tough son of a bitch
@@TheRogueminator nope. Regular soldiers
Wth dude he is known as heroic , and i think u r talking about someone else
@@shangimshangjam2786 go read some books and educate yourself
Since first reading about Zhukiv,I have had an immense respect for him.Listening to thus video I now understand why Stalin didn't get rid of him:Zhukiv had the absolute allegiance if the Red army and was adored by the population.
Sralin could have done away with the population,but not with the army.
Yes,he did the right thing by getting Beria executed,Beria the monster who was attempting to succeed Stalin and who constantky attempted to get Zhukov executed.
Very smart from the Marshall to bring in the troops to Moscow when Beria had locked down the city under the control of his NKVD forces,which he assurely counted on to execute his rivals,Zhukov the first.
If Beria succeed to take the throne he'd have everyone in politburo purged, then it's a reign of real terror that makes Stalin looks like a real nice guy, the doom of Beria was certain, he had zero support from the people, zero support from the army, zero support from the higher offcials, his attempt to secure power was a last ditch move.
I'm not so sure about your reasoning. After all, during the Great Purge, Stalin executed a HUGE percentage of the top leadership of the Soviet Army, including 3 of the 5 Marshals, 11 of the 12 highest generals, etc. etc. This is thought to have been why the Soviets did so very poorly against Finland during the Winter War of 1939. During the Purge, Stalin had no hesitation in utterly gutting the Soviet Armed Forces.
Zhukov, said he could read Stalin's mood by the way he handled his pipe. That certainly indicated that he was careful, about dealing with Stalin, he and other Generals got Stalin to stop interference with military and to focus on supplies and logistics, which he screwed up, on farming production.
Nope Zhukov was a true communist and a standup guy. That's why he wasn't killed.
He might be the only commie I have any respect for. Zhukov was a great man.
Zhukov is my favourite WW2 general. He was a tough SOB.
Fun fact: His kid brother, Danny grew up in America and studied at Rydell High. He was the leader of the T-Birds gang and was into drag racing at the LA River called “Thunder Road”. Cool guy. Great dancer👍
Goddammit I got the joke
@@PlexyFresh you, sir are a legend👍🏼😂
Yes, I have watched ‘The Death of Stalin’ Zhukov was well portrayed in that movie. He was a remarkable general. His tactics should be part of any War College’s instruction.
His tactic was very simple: march or die.
Zukhov is a legend, my grandpa a Sergent from the red army handshake Zhukov hands one day and they had a photo
Remember
when the people looked up hopefully to Kirov to save them from Stalin,
the latter had him taken out.
In a totalitarian regime, it's always perilous to be the people's hope.
The same fate could have befallen Zhukov if Awfoul-Joe had lived longer.
At the time just before his death,
it was felt in the world chanceries the dictator was 'bout to change his policy.
But that could have meant either the doing away or the rehabilitation of the old guard.
Perhaps Beria was heading off any chance of his being the cost for his master's change by regicide.
As it happened Beria sealed his own fate by killing his own guarantee.
Oh, it was THAT Zhukov, who, as the Head of the General Headquarter assembled a huge number of infantry brigades, artillery brigades, tank brigades and aircrafts on the Western border, so the Germans were able to destroy thousands of tanks and aircrafts during the first hours. How genius, indeed... Somehow the author "forgot" to mention the first three directives that Zhukov issued right before the war began and during the first hours of war. How, in the name of Mars, soviet soldiers were supposed to fight, when they were instructed by this directive No.1 to NOT respond to any German attacks. Everybody cite his Directive No. 3, which came after the war was going on for almost 14 hours, but they conveniently "missing" his confusing directive No. 1 and No.2. There are many things that he did very wrong, this is why the infantry soldiers and officers gave him a nickname as "the butcher". There are much more talented strategists in the soviet army, take Rokossovsky and Vassilevsky as examples.
Yeah,,,
And picturing the “BUTCHER” as an object of soldier’s adoration …
A man who was willing to slaughter any number of his own troops to achieve insignificant objectives that can be reported back to Stavka as strategic victories
A commander who sent conscripts marching through minefields as the most efficient way of clearing them up
@@georgedanilov8898 The whole point is that Zhukov has been transformed into a "saint" or an "icon" not for those, who fought the WWII, but rather for those, who did not as they need someone/something to worship. Obviously, Zhukov was used by Stalin as Stalin's dog, whose role was just to slaughter people in the name of achieving the goals that Zhukov himself did not quite understand. For operation planning Stalin used much smarter marshals like Vasilevsky or Rokossovsky. And, oh btw, people tend to forget how Zhukov was reprimanded in 1946 for pillaging and looting Germany for his own benefit.
this video presents zhukov as if he and stalin were rivals... zhukov never wanted political power and was a bolshevik from the start, he didnt hate stalin.
Quite so. Of course Stalin liquidated a lot of people who didn't hate him or want political power, just in case. But not Zhukov, even if he demoted him. Personally, I suspect Stalin kind of liked him and protected him against his real enemy, Beria.
**Death of Stalin flashbacks**
@@Entropic_Meat_Machine maybe they were also annoyed that Jason Isaacs didn't have enough medals on his chest when he played Zhukov, lmao
I have no real respect for any major figures in Russian history, but General Zhukov is the one and only exception. His country did not deserve a man of such valor, virtue, and brilliance.
Of course Stalin was intimidated by Zhukov, Zhukov was a real man
I believe Stalin didn't move against Zhukov for similar reasons for not moving against Beria...Zhukovs success on the battlefield was Stalins success, Berias victims were threats to Stalin that were no longer threats, aslong as they were loyal and successful even Stalin knew best to let them be...interestingly when Stalin died and the Scramble for power commenced, there was a foreigner who fully expected to become King of the Commies International, one Chairman Mao, for some reason Mao was extremely loyal and beholden to Stalin, when the Soviet Union was dismantling Stalins Cult of Personality Mao was trying to be Stalin like in Beijing and relations between the 2 would only deteriorate from then on, by Breznevs rule they were actually fighting open combat against each other on a shared border, ironically when the Russians threatened to nuke Chinese troops along this border Mao was reported to respond nuke those 2 million troops, I'll replace them with millions more, Nixon actually interceded on Chinas behalf, I think that's partially why he eventually gave China the American recognition Mao had been craving since 1949.
Mao may have felt some loyalty to the concept of Stalinism but he wasn't a big fan of Stalin the man. Shortly after Mao declared the creation of the People's Republic of China in late 1949, he went to Moscow for an extended visit to get Soviet help in organizing his country. Stalin kept him waiting for many weeks and this infuriated Mao. The two men were NOT close friends by any means.
@@hughmungus1767 never said they were close friends but Mao liked Stalin more than any Soviet leader that followed Stalin...Im aware of Stalins treatment of Mao during that trip, Stalin atleast sent the aid.
As a somewhat well read student of military history, and on WW2, I am very familiar with Georgy Zhukov. I have enormous respect for him. I have watched the movie The Death Of Stalin. While basically a dark comedy, and not absolutely historically correct, it does well at catching the general insanity of Communism and the old USSR, and gives a condensed version of the facts surrounding the event. I loved the movie, and HIGHLY recommend it. In fact, I like it so well I bought the DVD !
Joseph Stalin: "I fear no man. But this one..." *points to Zhukov, who hides in the shadow* "This one scares me..."
Zhukov: *grins" "Hiiiii....."
Stalin: *wets pants*
SO....WHAT....Was he doing and thinking as all those Fellow Generals were Disappearing ?!
Probably "Stalin needs me, but I don't want to test him or the NKVD". Remember though Stalin sometimes feared Zhukov, Zhukov was always wary of what Stalin, the NKVD or the communist party would do if he spoke out. He always, according to his daughters, had a packed rucksack, ready to go in case the NKVD decided to off him.
Zhukov didn't personally accept the surrender of the Germans. The Germans had surrendered to a combined group of Allied generals from Eisenhower's staff, including a Soviet general who was acting as Stalin's representative to Eisenhower. When Stalin found out, he was furious. He had all the German generals flown to Berlin, where they reenacted the entire ceremony in front of Soviet cameras. This time with Zhukov sitting in the middle.
I've always found that photo of Lavrenti Beria holding Stalins daughter kind of disturbing.Knowing what kind of man he was.
I doubt even Beria would have dared messing with Stalin's daughter in a sexual way. Then again, I could be wrong....
Stalin's daughter Svetlana recalls being told by his father to never be in a room alone with Beria, something every soviet high official told their daughters. Beria was a sick, sorry excuse for a man, like Himmler.
Just give you a hint Stalin himself said never get into the car with comrade Beria. Never! He knew but he also needed Beria to do his dirty work. Those were in his memoirs.
Make a video about Konstantin Rokosovsky, that’s one hell of a story.
P.S. Read Zhukov’s memoirs, extraordinary book.
6:02 I guess Zhukov had a thing with crushing 6th armies.
Probably my favourite Soviet figure.
The title ain't right. The best Russian WW2 commander was Rokossovski. Also, ask any Russian veteran, whether he'd rather serve under Zhukov or Rokossovski.
Fun fact: He ordered specially-made clear Coca Cola because he liked it, but didn’t want to be seen drinking it publicly, so made it look like vodka.
'The Death of Stalin" - one of the greatest dark comedies ever made - period!
Yes great film and quite historically accurate from what I've heard.
I like how this guy single handedly saved Russia from fighting a two front war with Germany and Japan , saved Leningrad and Stalingrad and carried the allies on WW2
Jason Isaac’s portrayal of Zhukov in “The Death of Stalin” was genius. A hugely funny movie about a hugely unfunny subject.
I really like good generals,and anything you mean by good,Zhukov is one great general,I can never tell much but based on his contributions and accomplishments something,I'd say he's pretty good
Zhukov would be fitting as a perfect leader for his time
The hurry with which Zhukov drove the Soviet troops forward, he contributet to enormous loss of soldiers. That was not mentioned.
Ahá.
True I was watching this video and thinking why is he telling only positives... This man did pretty dirty on enemy either his man. Even his Tactical mind wasnt that great as he said. His tactics often went from mass front assaut to another mass front assault.
Zhukov might’ve been the biggest Hero of WW2, come to think of. What if he became the leader? Would he be an absolute dictator like Stalin? Would he allow criticism and be reasonable? Who knows. Zhukov deserves every praise, and he was honored even in the West.
*FUN FACT:* Zhukov couldn't get enough of one product that's synonymous with capitalist America: Coca-Cola
"I took Germany, I think I can take a flesh lump in a waistcoat." Field Marshall Zhukov... probably.