1. 12. 1896 - 18. 6. 1974

Georgy Zhukov is a Soviet statesman and military leader, an outstanding commander, one of the most active builders of the Soviet Armed Forces, Marshal of the Soviet Union.

He was born on December 1 (November 19 Old Style) in 1896 in Strelkovka village not far from Kaluga in a peasant family. Russian. A member of the All-Russian Communist Party of Bolsheviks of the Soviet Union since 1919.

In 1907, he finished 3 years of a parochial school. In 1920 he took exams without attending classes 4 years of the urban school, and in the same year he graduated from the Ryazan Cavalry courses, postgraduate commanding courses in 1925, and then the Higher Courses of improvement of the command personnel in 1930.

In the Russian Army since 1915. A member of the First World War. Promoted to the rank of junior non-commissioned officer in the cavalry. In the fighting he was seriously wounded. He was awarded two crosses of St. George.

Entered the Red Army in October 1918. Took part in the Civil War. Fought against the Ural Cossacks at Tsaritsyno, fought with the troops of Denikin and Wrangel, and participated in suppressing the Antonov’s rebellion in Tambov, was wounded and awarded the Order of the Red Banner. He commanded a platoon and squadron; after the war – a squadron, cavalry regiment (to May 1930) and brigade (to February 1931).

Since 1931 he was assistant inspector of the Inspection of the cavalry of the Red Army (to March 1933), commander of the Cavalry Division (to July 1937) and the Cavalry Corps (to June 1938). In 1938-39 – Deputy commander of the Belorussian Special Military District in the cavalry.

From July 1939 to April 1940 – Commander of the 1^st Army Group of the Soviet Forces in the Mongolian People’s Republic. In summer 1939, he led the successful operation on surrounding, and defeated the group of Japanese troops of general Kamatsubara on the river Khalkhin-Gol.

For his proficient leadership of the troops of the 1^st Army Group, and for his courage and bravery, on August 29, 1939 the corps commander Georgy Zhukov was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union and the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star Medal (№ 435).

From June 1940 – Commander of the Kiev Special Military District. In January – July 1941 – Chief of Staff – Deputy People’s Commissar of Defence of the USSR. By the Resolution № 945 of the Council of People’s Commissars of the USSR on June 4, 1940 G.K. Zhukov assigned military rank General of the Army.

During the Great Patriotic War (August–September 1941) – Commander of the Reserve Front which successfully conducted the first in the war offensive to defeat the enemy attack in Yelnia. Then he led the troops of the Leningrad, the West, the 1^st Ukrainian and 1^st Byelorussian Fronts; a member of the Stavka. Since August 1942, – the 1^st Deputy Commissar of Defense and Deputy Supreme Commander; commanded fronts (pseudonyms: Konstantinov, Yuriev, Zharov).

On January 18, 1943 Army General G.K. Zhukov first in the Great Patriotic War was awarded the highest military rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union.

Under the command of Zhukov, troops of the Leningrad front in conjunction with the Baltic Fleet stopped the advance of the Army Group “North” of Marshal F.W. von Leeb in Leningrad in September 1941. Under his command troops of the Western Front defeated the Army Group “Center” of Field Marshal F. von Bock at Moscow and dispelled the myth of the invincibility of the Nazi army. Then G.K. Zhukov coordinated the front at Stalingrad (Uranus Operation – 1942), Sparkle (Iskra) Operation while breaking the blockade of Leningrad (1943), in the Battle of Kursk (Summer 1943), which derailed Hitler’s Citadel Plan and defeated the troops of Field Marshals Kluge and Manstein. We associate the name of Marshal Zhukov with the victory at Korsun-Shevchenkovsky, the release of the Right-Bank Ukraine, Bagration Operation (in Belarus), where the Line of Fatherland was broken, and defeated the Army Group “Center” of Field Marshals E. von Bush and B. von Model.

At the final stage of the war the 1^st Belorussian Front, led by Marshal Zhukov took Warsaw (on January 17, 1945); defeated by storm the Army Group “A” of General von Harpe, and Field Marshal F. Scherner in the Vistula-Oder operation and victoriously finished the war by a grand Berlin operation.

On May 8, 1945 in Karlshorst (a suburb of Berlin), Marshal of the Soviet Union, G.K. Zhukov accepted the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany.

For exemplary performance of tasks of the Supreme Command to direct the operations of the fronts and achieved progress as a result of these operations, on July 29, 1944 Georgy Zhukov was awarded the second (№ 22), and on June 1, 1945 – the third Gold Star Medal (№ 2).

On June 24, 1945, Marshal Zhukov took a triumphant victory parade in Moscow.

After the war, from June 1945 to March 1946 – Chief of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany, and the leader of the Soviet military administration. From March to June 1946 – Chief of Land Forces and Deputy Minister of the USSR Armed Forces. In 1946–48 – Commander of the Odessa Military District, and from February 1948 to March 1953 – Commander of the Urals Military District. In 1953–55 – First Deputy Minister of Defence.

In this position, Marshal Zhukov, together with the commander of the Moscow Air Defense District, Colonel-General K.S. Moskalenko and Lt. Gen. P.F. Batitsky, on June 26, 1953 involved in the arrest at the Presidium of the USSR Council of Ministers Vice-Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Minister of Internal Affairs, Marshal of the Soviet Union, L.P. Beria, who was later accused of “anti-Party and anti-national activities aimed at undermining the Soviet state”, and deprived all the awards and honors and on December 23, 1953 sentenced to death. The sentence was carried out on the same day in the bunker of headquarters of the Moscow Military District.

In 1955-57’s Marshal Zhukov – Minister of Defence. In March 1958 he was dismissed from the right to wear military uniform.

For outstanding service to the CPSU and the Soviet people and with reference of the 60th anniversary of the birth, on December 1, 1956, Marshal Georgy Zhukov awarded the fourth Gold Star Medal (№ 1).

A member of the CPSU Central Committee in 1953–57 (PhD in 1941 – 46 and 1952–53). Candidate member and member of the Presidium of the CPSU Central Committee in 1956–1957. Member of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 1^st–4^th convocation.

Twice awarded the highest military Order of Victory (on April 11, 1944 – № 1, on 30 March 1945). He was awarded six Orders of Lenin (on August 16, 1938 – № 3097, on August 29, 1939 – № 6071, on February 21, 1945 – № 38845, on December 1, 1956 – № 276136, December 1, 1966 – № 382172, on December 1, 1971 – № 401095), the Order of the October Revolution (on February 22, 1968 – № 13), three Orders of the Red Banner (on August 31, 1922 – № 12833, on November 3, 1944 – № 2 / 6719 , on June 20, 1949 – № 3 / 3923), two 1st Class Orders of Suvorov (on January 28, 1943 – № 1, on March 30, 1945 – № 39); medals: For Combat Merits, In Commemoration of the 100^th Anniversary of the Birth of Vladimir Lenin, Twenty years of the Red Army, For the Defense of Leningrad, For the Defense of Moscow, For the Defense of Stalingrad , For the Defense of the Caucasus, For Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945, Twenty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945, For the Capture of Berlin, For the Liberation of Warsaw, In Memory of the 800^th Anniversary of Moscow, In Memory of the 250^th Anniversary of Leningrad , Thirty Years of the Soviet Army and Fleet, Forty Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR, Fifty Years of the Soviet Armed Forces; Honorable Weapon with the State Emblem of the USSR (with reference of the 50^th anniversary of the Armed Forces of the USSR), The Order of the Red Banner of Tuvan People’s Republic (on March 31, 1942 – № 88). In 1969 he was awarded the title Hero of the Mongolian People’s Republic and the Order of Sükhbaatar (№ 642) and the Gold Star Medal (№ 22). He was awarded the prizes of foreign countries – Mongolia: three Orders of Sükhbaatar (1968 – № 591, 1969 – № 642, 1971 – № 937), two Orders of the Red Banner (1939 – № 2610, 1942 – № 2634), medals “For Victory over Japan” (1945), Fifty Years of the Mongolian People’s Revolution (1971), Fifty Years of the Mongolian People’s Army (1971), Thirty Years of Victory in Khalkhyn Gol (1969); Yugoslavia: the Order of Freedom with Diamonds (1956); Poland: the star and a symbol of the 1^st Class Order “Virtuti Military” (1945), the star and the 2^nd Class Order of Rebirth of Poland (1968), the 3^rd Class Order of Rebirth of Poland (1973), the 1^st Class Grunwald Cross (1945), medals “For Warsaw. 1939–1945”, and “For the Oder, the Neisse, and the Baltics” (both in 1946); Czechoslovakia: the star and symbol of the 1^st Class Order of the White Lion (1945), Military Cross of 1939 (1945); Great Britain: the star and badge of the 1^st Class Order of Bath (1945); France: the star and symbol of the 1^st Class Order of the Honorable Legion (1945), Military Cross (1945); the USA: the Order of the Legion of Honorable Commander (1945); Bulgaria: the medals “Ninety years since the birth of G. Dimitrov” (1974), “Twenty-five years of Bulgarian People’s Army” (1970); Italy: the Medal of Garibaldi (1956); China: two medals of The Sino-Soviet friendship (1953 and 1956); Egypt: the 1^st Class Order of Combat Merits (1956). Honorary Citizen of Kursk (1996, posthumous).

He died on June 18, 1974, and was buried on Red Square near the Kremlin wall.

A bronze bust of the Hero is set in his homeland, there is also a museum. In 1995, in accordance with Presidential Decree № 929 dated May 9, 1994 – Monument to Zhukov was installed in the Hero-City of Moscow on Manege Square. His monuments and obelisks are installed in the Hero-Cities of Leningrad, Minsk, in the cities of Yekaterinburg, Petrozavodsk, Ufa, Kursk. Military Command Academy awarded Zhukov’s name. Avenues in Moscow, Volgograd, Minsk and Kharkov, the streets in Kiev, Krasnodon, Lugansk (the Ukraine), Ufa and other settlements are named after Zhukov. Plaques are installed in Moscow, Yekaterinburg, Gomel, Kiev and Odessa. In the city of Kharkov (the Ukraine), on May 6, 1994 Komsomolskaya metro station of Holodnogorsko-Zavodskaya line was renamed Marshal Zhukov station; in its second hall was solemnly opened the commander’s bust. On November 22, 1996 in the building at the address: 19, Znamenka St., Moscow, in the place where G.K. Zhukov worked from February 1955 to October 1957 as Minister of Defense, opened his Memorial Museum Office. In the capital of Belarus – Minsk – on May 7, 2007 solemnly opened a monument to the legendary Marshal. Granite bust of the famous general is set on a high granite pedestal in the central part of Minsk, in the square next to the avenue named after Zhukov.

In commemoration of outstanding merits of Marshal Zhukov during the Great Patriotic War, recognizing its role in building the armed forces, to strengthen its defense, the presidential decree № 930 of May 9, 1994 established the Order of Zhukov and the Medal of Zhukov.