You cannot order your heart: the military-field novel "Marshal of Victory" by Georgy Zhukov

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

On the military exploits of the "Marshal of Victory" Georgy Zhukov, whose birthday on December 1 (November 19) turns 120 years old, everyone knows, but much less is known about his private life. He was married twice officially, twice entered into a civil marriage. Despite repeated public condemnation of his "immoral way of life", Marshal Zhukov lived as he saw fit, as was possible in wartime, and called his beloved women wives, not field field friends.

Presumably, the first love of Georgy Zhukov was the nurse Maria Volokhova, whom he met in 1919 in the infirmary, where he was treated after being wounded. Their romance lasted until Zhukov left for the front. At the end of 1920, he commanded a squadron in the Voronezh region and met there Alexandra Zuikova, who became his first wife. Zhukov designed her as a clerk in his battalion, and she relentlessly followed her husband everywhere, whom she loved until the end of her days and was selflessly devoted to him.

In 1923 Zhukov was appointed commander of a regiment stationed in Minsk. And there at this time lived Maria Volokhova, feelings for which flared up with renewed vigor. For six years Zhukov actually lived in two houses. At the beginning of 1929 Zuikova gave birth to a daughter, and six months later she gave another daughter to Zhukov and Volokhov. Both girls - Eru and Margarita - he designed for himself, confirming his paternity.

Then Alexandra Zuikova decided to resort to outside help to get her husband back: she wrote a statement to the party organization demanding to oblige Zhukov to officially register a marriage with her. For the commander, this scandal ended with a reprimand "for promiscuity in relations with women." This threatened him with expulsion from the party - and, consequently, dismissal from the army, and he returned to Alexandra Zuykova. Maria left with her daughter and soon got married. And Zhukov and Zuikova had a second daughter, Ella.

During the Second World War, Zhukov met Lydia Zakharova, who became his second common-law wife and went through the whole war with him. “As a military assistant, junior lieutenant Zakharova was assigned to General of the Army Zhukov. And Georgy Konstantinovich became very attached to her. Despite his cool temper, he was very emotional about Lidochka, the shore. But she did not leave him a single step in any situation. Even when he went to the front line, he left us, and she walked with him,”A. Buchin, the driver of Zhukov, later wrote in his memoirs.

Many called Lydia Zakharova a field-field wife, but the marshal stayed with her even after the end of the war. In Odessa, they settled together, parting only at the time when Alexandra Zuikova came from Moscow. In 1948, the Central Committee of the CPSU received a slander against the marshal - on behalf of his adjutant A. Semochkin, in which he accused the chief of "debauchery with various women in office during the war, after which he awarded them with military orders." Zhukov, in response, pleaded guilty only in connection with Zakharova, but he never parted with her.

Zakharova left for Moscow only when Zhukov met his last love in Sverdlovsk - military doctor Galina Semenova. The woman was 30 years younger, their romance provoked a new scandal, but this did not stop the marshal. In 1953 Zhukov finally married … Alexandra Zuikova. When the question arose about his appointment as defense minister, everyone again started talking about his moral character, and he was strongly advised to marry the mother of his daughters.

In 1957, Galina Semenova gave birth to a daughter, Maria, and Zhukov decided to file for divorce. Zuikova again decided to resort to a proven method: she wrote a complaint addressed to Khrushchev. Until 1965 Zhukov continued to live in two families, until he finally divorced Zuikova. In the same year, Galina Semenova became his second official wife. But two years later, she was diagnosed with cancer, and Zhukov suffered a stroke. Both were seriously ill, but remained together until the end of their days. In 1973, Galina died. Her husband survived her by only six months. Zhukov bequeathed to bury him next to Galina Semyonova, but Brezhnev decided to bury the urn with his ashes near the Kremlin wall.

During the war, Zhukov developed friendly relations with Lydia Ruslanova, who went from poverty to national glory, from confession to prison.