On the pages of our site, a frequent topic is the theme - the Great Patriotic War … … special disputes flare up around the assessment of the actions of the military leadership of the Soviet army, especially around one of the leaders - Zhukov G. K. … … I am not trying to assess here who under Brezhnev and now. began to call a loud title -Marshal of Victory and count. that it was his genius that led the USSR to victory over Germany.. I want to acquaint the participants of such discussions with some documents.
ORDER OF THE MINISTER OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE UNION OF THE SSR
No. 009 June 9, 1946 Moscow. Top secret.
The Council of Ministers of the USSR by a resolution of June 3, p. g. approved the proposal of the Supreme Military Council of June 1 to relieve Marshal of the Soviet Union Zhukov from the post of commander-in-chief of the ground forces and by the same resolution relieved Marshal Zhukov of his duties as deputy minister of the Armed Forces.
The circumstances of the case are as follows.
Former Commander of the Air Force Novikov recently sent a statement to the government against Marshal Zhukov, in which he reported on facts of unworthy and harmful behavior on the part of Marshal Zhukov in relation to the government and the Supreme Command
The Supreme Military Council at its meeting on June 1 this year. considered the above statement of Novikov and found that Marshal Zhukov, despite the high position created for him by the government and the Supreme Command, considered himself offended, expressed dissatisfaction with the government's decisions and spoke hostilely about him among his subordinates.
Marshal Zhukov, having lost all modesty, and being carried away by a sense of personal ambition, believed that his merits were insufficiently appreciated, attributing to himself, in conversations with subordinates, the development and conduct of all the main operations of the Great Patriotic War, including those operations to which he had nothing to do with it.
Moreover, Marshal Zhukov, being embittered himself, tried to group around himself dissatisfied, failed and dismissed chiefs and took them under his protection, thereby opposing himself to the government and the Supreme Command.
After being appointed commander-in-chief of the ground forces, Marshal Zhukov continued to express his disagreement with the decisions of the government among people close to him, and he regarded some of the government's measures aimed at strengthening the combat capability of the ground forces not from the point of view of the interests of the defense of the Motherland, but as measures aimed at infringing on it., Zhukov, personality.
Contrary to the above statements of Marshal Zhukov, at a meeting of the Supreme Military Council, it was established that all plans for all, without exception, significant operations of the Patriotic War, as well as plans for their support, were discussed and adopted at joint meetings of the State Defense Committee and members of the Headquarters in the presence of the respective front commanders and chief of the General Staff, and the chiefs of the combat arms were often involved in the case.
It was further established that he had nothing to do with the plan for the liquidation of the Stalingrad group of German troops and the implementation of this plan, which Marshal Zhukov ascribes to himself: as you know, the plan for the liquidation of German troops was developed and the liquidation itself was started in the winter of 1942, when Marshal Zhukov was on a different front, far from Stalingrad.
It was further established that Marshal Zhukov also had nothing to do with the plan for the liquidation of the Crimean group of German troops, as well as with the implementation of this plan, although he attributes them to himself in conversations with his subordinates.
It was further established that the liquidation of the Korsun-Shevchenko group of German forces was planned and carried out not by Marshal Zhukov, as he stated, but by Marshal Konev, and Kiev was liberated not by a blow from the south, from the Bukrinsky bridgehead, as suggested by Marshal Zhukov, but blow from the north, for the Headquarters considered the Bukrin bridgehead unsuitable for such a large operation.
It was finally established that while recognizing the merits of Marshal Zhukov in the capture of Berlin, it cannot be denied, as Marshal Zhukov does [keep silent about] that without the strike from the south of the troops of Marshal Konev and the strike from the north of the troops of Marshal Rokossovsky, Berlin would not have been surrounded and taken at the time in which it was taken.
In the end, Marshal Zhukov said at a meeting of the Supreme Military Council that he really made serious mistakes, that he had conceit, that he, of course, could not remain in the post of commander-in-chief of the ground forces and that he would try to eliminate his mistakes at another place of work.
The Supreme Military Council, having considered the issue of the behavior of Marshal Zhukov, unanimously recognized this behavior as harmful and incompatible with his position and, on this basis, decided to ask the Council of Ministers of the USSR to release Marshal Zhukov from the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces.
On the basis of the above, the Council of Ministers of the USSR made the above decision to dismiss Marshal Zhukov from his posts [7] and appointed him commander of the Odessa military district.
This order shall be announced to the commander-in-chief, members of military councils and chiefs of staff of groups of forces, commanders, members of military councils, chiefs of staff of military districts and fleets
Minister of the Armed Forces of the USSR I. Stalin Generalissimo of the Soviet Union
APRF. F. 45. Op. 1. D. 442. LL. 202-206. Script. Typescript.
Published: Military History Journal, 1993, No. 5.
MINUTES No. 9 OF THE SESSION OF THE Plenum of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of 21, 22, 24, 26 FEBRUARY 1947
Attended by:
Members of the Central Committee of the CPSU (b) vols. Andreev, Andrianov, Bagirov, Badaev, Beria, Borkov, Budyonny, Bulganin, Voznesensky, Voroshilov, Vyshinsky, Dvinsky, Dekanozov, Efremov, Zhdanov, Zadionchenko, Zakharov, Zverev, Kaganovich, Korniyets, Korotchenko, Kosygin, Kuznetsov A. A., Kuznetsov N. G., Kuusinen, Lozovsky, Malenkov, Malyshev, Manuilsky, Mikoyan, Mitin, Mikhailov, Molotov, Nikitin, Patolichev, Pegov, Pervukhin, Ponomarenko, Popov, Poskrebyshev, Pospelov, Pronin, Rogov, Sedin, Skvortsov, Stalin Suslov, Tevosyan, Timoshenko, Fadeev, Khrushchev, Shvernik, Shkiryatov, Yusupov.
Kand [idats] as a member of the Central Committee
vols. Alexandrov, Alemasov, Bagaev, Bakradze, Benediktov, Fighters, Vlasov, Gvishiani, Goglidze, Gorkin, Gromov, Gusarov, Denisov, Doronin, Zhavoronkov, Zaporozhets, Zotov, Ignatiev, Kalnberzin, Kartashev, Kaftanov, Kobulov, Kolybanov Kruglov, Krutikov, Kulakov, Kupriyanov, Makarov, Maslennikov, Meretskov, Nikishev, Nosenko, Popkov, Rodionov, Seleznev, Serdyuk, Serov, Snechkus, Sosnin, Starchenko, Storozhev, Tyulenev, Khokhlov, Charkviani, Chernousov, Chuyanov, Shtykov, Schadenov Yumashev.
Members of the Central Auditing Commission, vols. Abdurakhmanov, Anoshin, Boytsov, Bochkov, Bulatov, Vladimirsky, Golikov, Grekova, Dukelsky, Ignatiev, Kabanov, Kiselev, Krivonos, Kudryavtsev, Kuznetsov I. A., Kuznetsov F. F., Kulatov, Kuliev, Kurbanov, Linkuy, Lobanov, Lukin, Lyubimov, Mishakova, Mishchenko, Molokov, Moskatov, Ogorodnikov, Panyushkin, Peresypkin, Piruzyan, Popov, Protopopov, Smirnov, Tarasov, Tributs, Undasynov, Tsanava, Shatalin.
from 21 P. 1947 g.
1. - On the withdrawal from the Central Committee of the CPSU (b): 1) To withdraw from the membership of the Central Committee of the CPSU (b): a) V. A. I., as convicted by the Military Collegium of the Supreme Court of the USSR.
2) Remove from the list of candidates for members of the Central Committee of the CPSU (b), as they did not ensure the fulfillment of their duties as candidates for members of the Central Committee of the CPSU (b) - Zhukov G. K., Maisky I. M., Dubrovsky A. A., Kachalin K. I., Cherevichenko Ya. T.
Secretary of the Central Committee I. STALIN
RGANI. F. 2. Op. 1. D. 9. L. 1–2. Script. Typescript.
LETTER G. K. N. A. Zhukova BULGANIN
February 27, 1947
Nikolai Alexandrovich!
I am reporting to you my letter to Comrade Stalin
If you consider it expedient to send such a letter, please report it to Comrade Stalin, and give a copy to Comrade Zhdanov. [13] As you will see from the letter, I once again want to report to Comrade Stalin about my mistakes, about my guilt before Comrade Stalin and the Party. I do not ask for anything, I only ask me to believe that I have realized the mistakes made by the party and that I will definitely get rid of them, and at the same time in the shortest possible time
I am writing also because I am very grieved at my withdrawal from the Central Committee and even more grieved for the mistakes that I made before Comrade Stalin, who lovingly raised me, patiently raised me and raised me in the eyes of all the people.
Shake your hand
G. ZHUKOV
AP RF F 3 Op 58 D 304 L 210 Autograph
LETTER G. K. I. V. Zhukova STALIN
February 27, 1947
Comrade Stalin I. V. Copy - to comrade Zhdanov A. A.
Comrade Stalin, I once again report my mistakes to you with all sincerity.
1. First of all, my fault is, first of all, that during the war I overestimated my role in operations and lost my sense of Bolshevik modesty. I sometimes showed tactlessness and defended my opinion in a rude manner.
Thirdly, I am to blame for the fact that in conversations with Vasilevsky, Novikov and Voronov I shared with them what comments you made to me on my reports. All these conversations were never insulting, just as I expressed Vasilevsky, Novikov and Voronov. Now I realized with all responsibility that such philistine chatter is certainly a gross mistake and I will no longer allow it.
Fourthly, I am guilty that I showed softness and reported to you requests for commanders who were being punished. I mistakenly believed that during the war, for the good of the cause, it is better to forgive and restore them to their former rights as soon as possible. I now realized that my opinion was erroneous.
2. At the same time, Comrade Stalin, I sincerely assure you that Novikov's statement about my hostility towards the government is slander. You, Comrade Stalin, know that I, not sparing my life, without hesitation climbed into the most dangerous situation and always tried to fulfill your instructions as best as possible.
Comrade Stalin, I also assure you that I have never attributed to myself the operation in Crimea. If anywhere there was a speech, it referred to the operation near the village of Krymskaya, which I carried out on your instructions.
3. I deeply realized all the mistakes I made, Comrade Stalin, and I give you the firm word of a Bolshevik that my mistakes will never be repeated. At the meeting of the Supreme Military Council, I gave you my word to eliminate my mistakes as soon as possible, and I am fulfilling my word. I work in the area a lot and with great desire. I ask you, Comrade Stalin, to show me your complete confidence, I will justify your trust. G. ZHUKOV
APRF. F. 3. Op. 58. D. 304. LL. 211-212. Script. Typescript.
DECISION OF THE POLITBURO CC CPSU (b) “ON ILLEGAL REWARDING, Vol. ZHUKOV AND TELEGIN ARTISTS OF RUSLANOVA AND OTHER ORDERS AND MEDALS OF THE SOVIET UNION "[14]
P 58/205 June 21, 1947 Top Secret
The Central Committee of the CPSU (b) established that Comrades. Zhukov and Telegin, being the first Commander-in-Chief of a group of Soviet occupation forces in Germany, and the second - a member of the Military Council of the same group of forces, by their order of August 24, 1945, No. 109 / n, awarded the Order of the Patriotic War of the first degree to the artist Ruslanova and an order of September 10, 1945 № 94 / n with various orders and medals a group of artists in the amount of 27 people [sheep]. Both Ruslanova and other awarded artists have nothing to do with the army. Thus, comrades. Zhukov and Telegin committed a criminal violation of the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of May 2, 1943 "On responsibility for illegal awarding with orders and medals of the USSR", punishable, according to the Decree, by imprisonment for a period of 6 months to 2 years.
In order to hide the unlawful awarding of Ruslanova, in the order of August 24, the motives for awarding Ruslanova allegedly "for active personal assistance in arming the Red Army with the latest technical means" were invented, which is a clear falsification, [15] testifies to a low moral level Zhukov and Telegin and damages the authority of the command.
The very situation of awarding Ruslanova and presenting her with the order in the presence of troops during the parade of units of the 2nd Guards [Ardey] Kav [Alerian] Corps was a shameful sight, and further exacerbates Comrades' guilt. Zhukov and Telegin.
The Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) believes that Comrade Telegin, as a member of the Military Council of the group of forces, bears special responsibility for this matter, and the political lack of principle that he displayed characterizes him as a bad member of the party. Considering the above and after hearing the personal explanations of Comrades. Zhukov and Telegin, the Central Committee of the CPSU (b) decides:
1. Comrade. Zhukov G. K. reprimand. 2. Comrade. Telegina K. F. transfer from members of the CPSU (b) to candidates.
3. Accept Comrade Bulganin's proposal for the release of Comrade Telegin from political work in the army and dismissal from the Armed Forces. 4. Enter the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR with a proposal to cancel the awarding of the artist Ruslanova, as well as other artists in the amount of 27 people named in the order of Zhukov and Telegin No. 94 / n. RGASPI. F. 17. Op. 3. D. 1065. L. 44–45. Script. Typescript.
RESOLUTION OF THE POLITBURO of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) “On Comrade Zhukov G. K. MARCHAL OF THE SOVIET UNION"
P61 / 84 January 20, 1948
Central Committee of the CPSU (b), after hearing the message of the Commission as part of Comrades. Zhdanov, Bulganin, Kuznetsov and Shkiryatov, allocated for consideration of the materials received by the Central Committee about the unworthy behavior of the commander of the Odessa military district, Comrade Zhukov G. K, established the following. [16]
Comrade Zhukov, when he was the Commander-in-Chief of a group of Soviet occupation forces in Germany, committed acts that disgrace the high rank of a member of the CPSU (b) and honor the commander of the Soviet Army. Being fully provided by the state with everything necessary, Comrade. Zhukov, abusing his official position, embarked on the path of looting, taking up and taking out of Germany for personal needs a large number of different values.
To this end, Comrade Zhukov, giving vent to an unbridled desire for money-grubbing, used his subordinates, who, pleasing to him, committed obvious crimes, took away paintings and other valuables in palaces and mansions, broke into a safe in a jewelry store in Lodz, seizing the values in it, etc.
As a result of all this, the Zhukovs were assigned up to 70 valuable gold items (pendants and rings with precious stones, watches, earrings with diamonds, bracelets, brooches, etc.), up to 740 items of silverware and silverware, and on top of that, up to 30 kilograms of various silver items, up to 50 expensive carpets and tapestries, more than 60 paintings of great artistic value, about 3,700 meters of silk, wool, brocade, velvet and other fabrics, over 320 skins of valuable furs, etc.
Summoned to the Commission to give explanations, Comrade Zhukov behaved in an inappropriate manner for a party member and commander of the Soviet Army, in his explanations he was insincere and tried in every possible way to hide and gloss over the facts of his anti-party behavior.
The above actions and behavior of Zhukov at the Commission characterizes him as a man who has fallen into political and moral degradation.
Considering all of the above, the Central Committee of the CPSU (b) decides:
1. Recognizing that Comrade Zhukov deserves exclusion from the ranks of the Party and trial for his actions, do so. Zhukov was given a final warning, giving him the last chance to reform and become an honest party member worthy of a commanding rank. 2. To release comrade Zhukov from the post of commander of the Odessa military district, appointing him commander of one of the smaller districts15. 3. To oblige Comrade Zhukov to immediately hand over to the State Fund all the jewelry and things that he had misappropriated.
Central Committee of the CPSU (b) 16 RGASPI. F. 17. Op. 3. D. 2198. LL. 28-29. Script. Typescript.
