At Moscow, Leningrad, Stalingrad, Kursk and Berlin and in virtually all the principal battles on the Eastern Front during the Second World War, Georgy Zhukov played a major role. He was Stalin's pre-eminent general throughout the conflict, and in his autobiography he chronicled his brilliant career as he saw it – and wanted it to be seen.
His memoirs are fascinating reading because they portray in first-hand detail, through the entire course of the war, the
thinking and decision-making at the highest level of the Soviet command. They are one of the indispensable sources for studying the struggle in the east, and they give the reader an intriguing insight into Zhukov the man as well as Zhukov the commander.
This new edition of the memoirs, which were first published in heavily censored form in Russian in 1969, features a new
introduction by Professor Geoffrey Roberts who summarizes important additional material that was omitted from previous editions. He also provides, in an appendix, a translation of Zhukov's account of the 1953-7 period as well as an interview with Zhukov that has previously not been available in English.
Zhukov's autobiography is an essential text for readers who are keen to deepen their understanding of how Stalin and his generals conducted the war on the Eastern Front.
