The Great War of 1914 for Zhukov was a welcomed relief and in 1915 the nineteen year-old received his conscripted call-up papers and was posted to a cavalry squadron. By 1916 his aptitude and ability had him selected for non-commissioned officer training. In his recorded memoirs he pointed to the problem within the Russian Imperial Army that the majority of aristocratic generals and officers neglected their troops and had little understanding, or esprit connection, with the ordinary peasant soldiers. He had been decorated for his bravery, and been wounded too, by March 1917 as the revolution, and change of government, swept away the old monarchist orde

Zhukov's first victory was the Battle of Khalkan-Gol, fought in July and August, 1939, near Nomonhan, Mongolia, as part of the undeclared war with Japan.

At the battle of Khalkin-Gol (sometimes called the Battle of the River Halka, or by the Japanese the Nomonhan incident), Zhukov's force wiped out the Japanese 23rd Division, killing 18,000 Japanese troops. The Red Army and its Mongolian ally then demonstrated its absolute command of the battle by penetrating thirty kilometers further and stopping at the Manchurian frontier.

At the same time Soviet armies, ultimately numbering an estimated 1 million men, built up. On 19 November, preceded by an enormous barrage, forces under General Zhukov attacked on both German flanks. Within 5 days they had executed a pincer movement that encircled 250,000-300,000 German and satellite troops - the besiegers were besieged. Hitler forbade Paulus from attempting to break out to the rear, which he might have done early in the encirclement.

Some topics in this essay:
Kwantung Army, Kaluga Province, Territory Germans, Red Army, Army Mongolian, Caucasus Stalin, DW Phillis', Poland USSR's, Imperial Army, Field Marshal, kwantung army, august 1939, red army, german sixth army, soviet armies, german sixth, sixth army, field marshal, oil fields, 23rd division, german armies, red army mongolian,