(1896-1974) Starting his military career as a non-commissioned officer in the Czar's Imperial Russian cavalry, he found himself in all-but ignomius exile in the building of the 'secret' soviet armies in Siberia. Even as the European war began, Zhukov found himself unexpectedly in combat. At the junction where the Mongolian, Manchurian and Russian borders met, Mongolian cavalry occupied seemingly worthless hills. The Manchurian cavalry responded in kind and a series of battles occurred. The Mongolians called in their Soviet allies for support, the Manchurians called in their Japanese allies for support. In the end, the Japanese Kwantung Army was dealt an absolute defeat on the Halha River and Nohomintang in Outer Mongolia. The Japanese were stunned, obviously the days of the Japanese pushing around the Russians since the Russo-Nippon war which gained them Korea and influence in Manchuko were long gone. Yet Zhukov himself got an unexpected bloody nose which he learnt from as well.

In order to save a trapped army, the Japanese sent wave after wave of aircraft to counter the Soviet superiority in artillery and especially tanks. The Soviet airforce was decimated, losing 18 planes to every Japanese plane lost. The defeated and trapped Japanese army was saved and Zhukov, like Rommel and others, would therafter fear who ruled the skies. It mattered little that the Japanese planes were unable to do much against the new generations of powerful Soviet armour, his infantry support was held and artillery badly hurt. Probably any general could've done just as well as Zhukov given the circumstances, yet he was made out to be a hero.

Zhukov's victory was immensely significant though. Although Hitler did read the report on the incident in hopes Stalin's attention would be diverted from him, he failed to deduce that this meant the Soviets had a significantly powerful and growing army group no-one suspected to even look for in far off Siberia. The Japanese Army lost so much prestige over this loss, that the militarists finally decided to change their focus to the south instead of north. This would push them into conflict with the British and eventually even Americans rather than Soviets. The whole course of history changed with an unpublished and seemingly insignificant battle of some hills.

For Zhukov, it won him accalades from Stalin who had so badly purged his military that their morale was so low and leadership so bad that they couldn't even defeat the tiny population of Finland prior to the German invasion of Russia. In January 1941, Stalin appointed Zhukov to be chief of the general staff. Zhukov was neither qualified nor interested in the work. In fact, Stalin considered him too out-spoken and dismissed him down to the Stavka on a committee in charge of strategic planning.

In early September, Zhukov was deploying reserve armies west of Moscow to try to slow the German advance when Stalin ordered him to take over the Leningrad Front. At the very same time, the German commander was given stupid orders NOT to enter Leningrad(which he could have at will), but to isolate it instead. Again, Zhukov was made out to be a hero without doing anything any other general could have done. Yet again, it was said he worked a miracle. Stalin needed another 'miracle' to save Moscow now. He gave Zhukov the West Front to halt the Germans. Again, the gods of war smiled on Zhukov for some inexplicable reason. It was October, and 2 weeks after he arrived, unusually heavy rains and mud halted the German army. Zhukov was credited with another 'miracle' when it was weather more than he who halted the German move on Moscow. The Germans still closed within 20km of Moscow and recon units within sight of the city. Moscow citizens were fleeing the city and throwing rocks at their own tanks and even Zhukov's staff car. The Germans were on the verge of clearing out Moscow even if they didn't take it. Stalin ordered fleeing civilians shot.

The pause due to the weather permitted the arrival of reserves to be given to Zhukov. Throughout the winter, Zhukov's true military prowess was revealed. Zhukov was a man who cared little to nothing for his men nor casualty counts. Like the Japanese, he ordered massed front-wide attacks dis-interested in losses. Unlike the Japanese though, his men did not have the culture nor morale for it. It was a meat-grinder, what Soviet soldiers and even tanks weren't killed by the Germans, were killed upon returning by their own country-men. Too impatient to deal with mine-fields by mine-detectors or even bayonets, when he ran out of cows to herd across them, he used civilians, pows and even his own soldiers. German commanders couldn't believe it. Historically even the Japanese weren't so wreckless. There was a huge difference between the Japanese Banzai attacks and this.

However, by sheer numbers and German unpreparedness for winter, Zhukov did push the Germans back from Moscow until the thaw in March 1942. He failed in Stalin's orders to destroy the German Army Group Centre and route the invaders like they did Napoleon. Nevertheless, again, Zhukov was called a 'hero'. Stalin, fearing that the Germans would try to take Moscow again that summer, kept Zhukov on as the sector commander. However, Hitler outraged his own High Command by cancelling the Moscow priority and sending his armies south into the oil-rich Caucasus instead. In August, Stalin promoted Zhukov to deputy supreme commander and gave he and Vasilevsky(chief of general staff) free hands to deal with the German offensive in the south. Operation Uranus, which encircled and destroyed the German 6th Army at Stalingrad and its successor, Saturn, forced the Germans to retreat all the way to the Dontes River. For this, Zhukov was awarded his Marshal's Star, the first awarded in WW2.

Using overwhelming numbers regardless of casualties and with little real strategic skill, the pair successfully launched Operations Kutuzov and Rumyantsev which seemed to have learnt nothing from Stalingrad and now gave the Germans the opportunity to reverse matters. Fortunately Hitler kept delaying the counter-offensive and the opportunity was lost by the time the Battle of Kursk got under way. With the victory at Kursk, he continued to chase the Germans back across the Dniepre between Kiev and Dnepropetrovsk.

After the disaster at Kursk, the Germans no longer had the power to stop this steam-roller that rolled them westwards. In June and July 1944, Zhukov and Vasilevsky co-ordinated in Operation Bagration which finally, thanks to Hitler's refusal to permit a timely withdrawal, destroyed Army Group Centre. Again, despite the fact that Hitler had in fact given him the win, Zhukov was declared a genius and miracle worker. An impressed Stalin now gave him the command closest to Berlin and dismissed him from all higher planning responsibilities with the order simply to take Berlin before the Allies did.

With Konev and Rokossovsky on his flanks also racing to Berlin, using the same means as he usually, it became a blood-bath for each general's glory and reputation. But then when but 57km from Berlin, Stalin stepped in and ordered him to stop there and divert forces north the the Baltic coast where the German army from Prussia was making a successful counter-move. Even if the Russian Army Group North was destroyed from Prussia, Zhukov felt he could have taken Berlin. Some argue that Stalin all of a sudden felt Zhukov was becoming too popular and deliberately delayed him so someone else would take the great prize and disperse the prestige. For 2 months he reluctantly helped Rokossovsky blunt the Prussian/Baltic threat.

When he finally did reach Berlin, it was hardly a brilliant story. His offensive which startet on April 16th got bogged down against swamps and civilian Volksarmy defenders along the Oder. Only after Konev and Rokossovsky managed to outflank this new army of boys and old men on May 2nd was Zhukov, despite vastly superior numbers and equipment, able to get into Berlin itself. However, he is credited with teh capture of Berlin and became a world figure with the according prestige. He became the first military governor of the Soviet Zone post-war.

A brutal leader of more luck than strategy, Zhukov's name struck fear into the German generals and was declared a hero of the Second World War and military genius. You decide.