Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov

Marshal of the Soviet Union (1943), four-time Hero of the Soviet Union (1939, 1944, 1945, 1956), recipient of two Orders of Victory (1944, 1945). During the Great Patriotic War, he successively held the positions of Chief of the Soviet General Staff, Front Commander, member of the Stavka of the Supreme High Command, and Deputy Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the USSR.

Some key battles of the Great Patriotic War associated with Georgy Zhukov: Operation Uranus (November 19, 1942 – February 2, 1943). Zhukov actively participated in the development and preparation of this strategic offensive operation. The Battle of Kursk (July 5 – August 23, 1943). Zhukov coordinated the actions of the Voronezh, Bryansk, Western, and Steppe Fronts.

Some traits noted by contemporaries: Courage and decisiveness. Marshal S.K. Timoshenko said: "Zhukov was the only person who was not afraid; he defended me more than once before Stalin, especially in the initial period of the war." Harshness and ruthlessness. Marshal I.Kh. Bagramyan wrote that Zhukov possessed a harsh character and was merciless towards dishonest people. Unbridled energy. Marshal Vasilevsky asserted that Zhukov was distinguished by the breadth of his strategic thinking.

Contemporaries described Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov as a broad-shouldered, strong man with a determined face and stern lines around his eyebrows. There is also mention that at a certain period the commander had a "toothbrush" mustache, but later he returned to the "beardless" appearance of a Tsarist army non-commissioned officer of the 1916 model.