Order of the Minister of the Armed Forces of the USSR No. 009, June 9, 1946

Source: Tom 18

Order of the Minister of the Armed Forces of the USSR

No. 009

Marshal of the Soviet Union Zhukov G.K., while Commander-in-Chief of the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany, took credit for the planning and execution of major operations during the Great Patriotic War, to which he had no direct connection.

The investigation carried out by the Council of Ministers has established that Marshal Zhukov, in conversations with subordinates and other persons, ascribed to himself the planning and leadership of all major operations of the war, including operations in which he had no direct involvement.

These immodest, harmful statements of Marshal Zhukov, made in the circle of his subordinates, were also reported by a number of officers and generals interrogated in connection with the Avilov case.

The Council of Ministers and the CC of the VKP(b) have resolved:

1. To relieve Marshal of the Soviet Union Zhukov G.K. from the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces and from the post of Deputy Minister of the Armed Forces.

2. To appoint Marshal of the Soviet Union Zhukov G.K. as Commander of the Odessa Military District.

3. To obligate Marshal Zhukov to refrain from immodest statements in the future.

Minister of the Armed Forces of the USSR

Generalissimo of the Soviet Union

I. Stalin

Note

The demotion of Zhukov to the Odessa Military District in 1946 reflected Stalin's growing concern about the popularity and political ambitions of the country's most celebrated wartime commander. Zhukov was accused of "Bonapartism" — the tendency to claim undue personal credit for military victories. While the specific charges were exaggerated, Stalin's suspicions about a potential rival were real. Zhukov served in Odessa until 1948, when he was transferred to the even more remote Urals Military District.