Another in Osprey's 'Command' series, this time it is on a man that was touted to be the greatest general in the Soviet Union during WWII, Georgy Zhukov. As much of what came out of the Soviet Union was a combination of propaganda mixed in with facts, it was not until the end of communist rule that researchers were able to dig in more on the background and feats of those who had been highly decorated. As you might expect, the truth is not quite as favorable as the decades of propaganda would lead one to believe.

Zhukov was one of those men who was pretty much in the right place at the right time and was fortunate enough to pick the right friends. He was saved from the purges of the late 1930s/early 1940s. He was given commands that were important to the defense of the Soviet Union and for the most part, was successful in the jobs he was given.

He had little regard for the people under his command, and like Stalin, saw soldiers as expendable and a way to gain objectives. He was also, like Montgomery, very interested in his personal reputation and went to many lengths to ensure that he stood above others, regardless of the price to subordinates. He had no loyalty to the men with whom he worked and rarely even visited the front lines during battles.

Zhukov came up with no innovations in leadership during his tenure, and frequently made poor military decisions. He frequently would not let go of a bad military situation, often continuing to try to pursue a course of action that had failed before. Yet, thanks to the perseverence of the people under his command, he was able to be victorious or at least break even in most of his campaigns. He was moved from front to front as needed, and gained a reputation with Stalin and someone who could get the job done.

It was somewhat ironic that after the war, Zhukov was treated by Stalin in the same way Zhukov treated his subordinates. Stalin never trusted the military and when a general or marshal became too powerful, he was removed from power. As such Zhukov was removed from areas of responsibility to lead backwater commands after the war. Even when he was allowed to write his memoirs by Brezhnev, he had to include parts of the writing that included fables of Brezhnev's actions during the Great Patriotic War. 

Author Robert Forczyk has done a superb job of separating the myth from the reality of Zhukov's life and career. Thanks to the well kept archives of the time, he has been able to piece together the reality of the man and gives us a look at a man who was successful, but could hardly be called great by any standards.

It is a superb book about one of the Soviet Union's most well known general. A book I thoroughly enjoyed reading and one that I can most highly recommend to you.

April 2012

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