Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Honored Allies Wednesday: Vasily Chuikov (USSR)

  

"In March 1942, Chuikov was recalled from China to defend against the German invasion of the Soviet Union.  By September, he was assigned command of the 62nd Army in defense of Stalingrad.  Tasked with holding the city at all costs, Chuikov adopted keeping the Soviet front-line positions as close to the Germans as physically possible.  This served as an effective countermeasure against the Wehrmacht's combined-arms tactics, but by mid-November 1942 the Germans had captured most of the city after months of slow advance.  In late November Chuikov's 62nd Army joined the rest of the Soviet forces in a counter-offensive, which led to the surrender of the German 6th Army in early 1943.  After Stalingrad, Chuikov led his forces into Poland during Operation Bagration and the Vistula–Oder Offensive before advancing on Berlin.  He personally accepted the unconditional surrender of German forces in Berlin on 2 May 1945."

Another capable allied commander,
Brian

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