I remember that summer of ' forty-one for the rest of my life. It seemed that only yesterday I was ensuring the safety of the Papanintsy and Grizodubova crew members at solemn meetings in Moscow, and recently I took part in ensuring the negotiations of the Soviet military delegation headed by K. E. Voroshilov with the military delegations of England and France, and all this sank into oblivion in one day. The word" war " is a bold line that divides time into two lifetimes: before June 22 and after... In that bright, peaceful life, I still studied at a teacher training school in Belgorodchi-ne, served in the 1st escort division of the NKVD in Moscow, studied at a special school, and worked in law enforcement agencies.

We seemed to be preparing for a second life, for war, but..... She was suddenly overwhelmed by disturbing reports from the front, confusion and confusion in the corridors of state institutions, the deafening howl of not educational, but real air alarms. And they immediately faded into the background, grinding out the problems that seemed global yesterday. The war has begun its brutal test of strength...

On June 25, 1941, we, several NKVD officers, were summoned to the personnel department. After a brief briefing, we were ordered to leave for the disposal of the Chief of the General Staff, General of the Army G. K. Zhukov. Upon arrival at the building of the People's Commissariat of Defense, we were escorted to the office of the Chief of the General Staff and introduced to Georgy Konstantinovich as officers of his personal protection. From that moment on, my fate was inextricably linked with this wonderful person for a long time.

Initially, we were on duty at Zhukov's office on Frunze Street, but with the beginning of the Nazi air raids on Moscow, the Chief of the General Staff's office was moved to a building on Kirov Street.

During one of my tours of duty at the end of June 1941, the usually crowded corridors of the General Staff, constantly filled with generals and officers hurrying on business, suddenly became empty. Soon J. V. Stalin, V. M. Molotov, and G. M. Malenkov entered the office of the Chief of the General Staff. The conversation in Zhukov's office must have been difficult. Its content can be judged to a certain extent from the memoirs of the marshal himself. After this visit, I never saw Stalin again in the General Staff, because later on, as a rule, he listened to Zhukov in his office. During one of these reports, a conversation took place between Stalin and Zhukov, during which Georgy Konstantinovich proposed a number of measures aimed at stabilizing the front, including the opinion that it was necessary to withdraw our troops to the left bank of the Dnieper, as well as the expediency of an offensive operation in the Yelnya region. The subsequent course of events fully confirmed the correctness of G. K. Zhukov, but J. V. Stalin probably had a different opinion, and the result of that conversation was the removal of Georgy Konstantinovich from the post of Chief of the General Staff and the appointment of the commander of the Reserve Front troops.

After handing over his post to Marshal B. M. Shaposhnikov, G. K. Zhukov left for the newly created Reserve Front, whose headquarters were then located in Gzhatsk (now Gagarin). We left together with Georgy Konstantinovich. When he took office, he set to work with his usual energy. He worked hard, trying to thoroughly understand the situation, paying great attention to the organization of all types of enemy intelligence. He had no more than four hours a night to sleep. During the period of command of the Reserve Front troops, Georgy Konstantinovich, as is known, prepared and conducted the first successful offensive operation since the beginning of the war, during which the Soviet Guard was born.

Then there was the siege of Leningrad. G. K. Zhukov flew there in early September, accompanied by Generals M. S. Khozin, I. I. Fedyuninsky and US-a support group. On Stalin's orders, he took over the command of the Leningrad Front from K. E. Voroshilov and launched a vigorous activity to organize the defense of the city.

In the shortest possible time, Zhukov managed to turn the tide. He managed to mobilize all available forces for the defense of the city, found reserves in seemingly unexpected places. Such an example is typical. We left for one of the divisions on the Pulkovo Heights. We drove off a little - they stopped our car (by the way, Voroshilov's driver drove Zhukov in Leningrad, since Zhukov did not take his drivers to Leningrad). Outpost of 15 - 20 people. They check your documents. Zhukov did not get out of the car. The documents were presented by us. We drove a little - again checking documents. And so about 15 times. That is, about 300 people were involved in checking documents on only one road (about 20 km long). On the way back - the same picture. Georgy Konstantinovich was extremely annoyed. When they returned to the front headquarters, his order was immediately followed - to leave the outposts only at the most important intersections at the exit from the city, reducing their number as much as possible, and send the released personnel to the front line. On our next trip to the troops, the picture was completely different: we were stopped to check our documents only once at a small checkpoint.

Zhukov was extremely collected and demanding both to himself and to his subordinates. But his exactingness had nothing to do with the statements that periodically appear in the press. For example, the claim that he personally shot almost battalions in Leningrad. I can say with full responsibility that this did not happen and could not have happened. At least because during the war, Georgy Konstantinovich never had a personal weapon with him, and this was not necessary, since we, who were responsible for his protection and security, were well armed.

Zhukov did not stay long in Leningrad, only 27 days, but during this time the Soviet troops under his leadership were able to stop the onslaught of the enemy, and in early October the situation here stabilized. At this time, a critical situation developed in the Moscow direction, and Stalin urgently summoned Georgy Konstantinovich to Moscow.

The events that took place near Moscow in the autumn and winter of 1941 are widely known. Under the leadership of G. K. Zhukov, we managed to restore the virtually collapsed front of our troops, the enemy was first stopped, and then driven back from the capital. There is no need to describe the course of hostilities. This was told by Georgy Konstantinovich himself in his book. But I recall an episode of that period that characterizes Zhukov to a certain extent. We left Moscow, and the farther we got from the capital, the more often our car ran into rubble, sank into craters, and passed by destroyed villages. On the way to Vyazma, we met a group of unarmed soldiers of a rather unsightly appearance. Zhukov gestured for the car to stop. He came out and asked:

"Where are you going?"

-"To Serpukhov," the boldest one replies, " to form up."

"Why?" To give up Moscow without a fight?

Silence...

In his personal notebook, Zhukov writes to the head of the Maloyaroslavets garrison: "Accept the people. Feed them. Provide everything you need." He hands a piece of paper to the senior officer with the words: "Take people to Maloyaroslavets, pass the order to the commandant."

A small episode, but very characteristic of Zhukov the commander. He was demanding, but at the same time his exactingness, I must say, was extremely fair, invariably supported by concern for people, attention to their earthly needs. When he was in the army, he always paid attention to how the soldiers were dressed, whether they were fed.

I would like to draw attention to the dedication with which Zhukov worked at that time. During the days of critical tension at the front, he hardly slept. And when the crisis was over, I rested no more than four hours a day. At the same time, while he was resting, his assistants, in particular General L. F. Minyuk for assignments and others, were required to contact all the armies of the front, clarify the situation and, while Georgy Konstantinovich was dressing after a rest, report to him the latest information from the troops.

Zhukov did not give discounts to anyone.

And first of all to yourself. It was constantly working. Even on the road: I studied the map, wrote something.

I must say that Zhukov tried not to interfere with the actions of the guards. The problems that arise on the road, we solved ourselves. Georgy Konstantinovich did not get out of the car. I remember the only time he changed this rule...

We were driving along the Mozhaisk highway from Moscow to the front headquarters in Perkhushkovo. Ahead of us was emka, which swerved along the road and did not allow our cars to overtake it. It was clear that the officers in the emk were looking out the rear window and realized that some boss was coming, but they deliberately did not allow themselves to overtake. Our tail car surged forward, clipped and stopped emka. Zhukov got out of the car, saw that the officers were drunk, and ordered Bedov to find out who they were. When he learned that they were officers of the front's medical department who were going to Perkhushkovo, he immediately gave the order to write down their names and make sure that they were sent to the front.

In the summer of 1942, we accompanied Zhukov to Stalingrad. We flew first to Kamyshin. Malenkov also flew there. They left their planes behind. We had to drive another 200 km across the steppe by car until we reached the command post of the Don Front. All around the steppe, not a single tree. To accommodate, we dug a dugout, installed trestle beds in it. Malenkov sat on one, Zhukov on the other.

The order of work was as follows: they traveled to the troops, and then gathered together and discussed the situation.

Once N. S. Khrushchev, N. S. Skripko, A. A. Novikov, A.M. Vasilevsky, G. M. Malenkov, G. K. Zhukov discussed a certain issue at the KP. A dogfight could be heard starting high above. We look-smoke, a plane crashes. He fell not so far away-about one and a half kilometers from us. Zhukov asks Novikov:

"Whose plane was shot down?" Novikov answers:

- German.

We had a security officer - Bezverkhy. Zhukov calls him over:

"Go see whose plane it is."

He went. Arrives and reports:

"Our plane.

Zhukov called Novikov again. He asks:

- Why do you give false information? Do you know that Comrade Stalin has no real idea of the losses of our aviation? You report that the Germans are taking losses, but we don't seem to be taking them. And our aviation suffers even more losses than the German one.

He scolded Novikov in front of everyone and said:

"So that it doesn't happen again." It is necessary to give truthful information. Then the General Staff will have a real picture of what is happening, and Comrade Stalin will know what is happening and will be able to take some measures.

It should be said that the duties of the security officers were to ensure the safety of G. K. Zhukov's food. Therefore, we were responsible for timely delivery of food to his table. The fact is that during the war, according to the order established by the country's leadership, Zhukov was prepared only from proven products delivered from Moscow. This order was unchanged, no matter where Georgy Konstantinovich was.

Вот и во время боев под Сталинградом я доставлял продукты из Москвы. Организационные вопросы мне в тот раз удалось решить довольно быстро. Загрузили мы полученные продукты и вылетели в Камышин. Однако уже на подлете выяснилось, что Камышин не принимает самолеты. Сели в Николаеве, на другом берегу Волги. У меня все в опломбированных коробках, в корзинках. Начальник аэродрома говорит:

- Я машину дам. Вези все через переправу.

Я смотрю, на переправе очередь, можно простоять несколько суток, так что все продукты испортятся. Спрашиваю:

- А каким самолетам разрешено лететь на тот берег? Отвечает:

-- У-2 и Р-5. Говорю:

-- Давай самолеты. Я же должен Жукова кормить.

Чтобы загрузить весь мой багаж, понадобилось три самолета. Пора - складывал свой груз куда только можно. Перелетели через Волгу. Самолеты сели в разных местах, поэтому пришлось побегать и собрать все в одно место. Дали мне машину, так что в конечном итоге поставленную задачу я выполнил и груз доставил вовремя.

Рядом с Жуковым мне довелось быть до весны 1943 года.

And in April 1943, on the instructions of Georgy Konstantinovich, I was sent to Moscow and appointed instead of Zhevlakov as commandant of the marshal's apartment and dacha. From that time until 1946, the entire household of the Zhukov family was on me. Twice I had to transfer Zhukov's dacha either to the KGB or to the Ministry of Defense. And each time, thorough commission checks were carried out, since almost all the property that was in the country was state-owned.

In March 1953, after Stalin's death, Georgy Konstantinovich returned to Moscow. He was appointed First Deputy Minister of Defense. At that time, I was in Odessa on a business trip, where I was checking the organization of deliveries to Bulgaria and Albania. And when I returned home to Moscow from Odessa, a note was waiting for me, in which I read: "Marshal Zhukov asks you to call him..." There were also phone numbers listed. I called Georgy Konstantinovich. He asks:

"Well, are you going to work for me?"

I gave my consent and started arranging the transfer from Vneshtorga, and after a while I started the work I was familiar with, taking over the household chores of the Zhukov family. Here I got to know the marshal even better.

Once, when Georgy Konstantinovich was the Minister of Defense, the Deputy Minister for Construction and Quartering, Alexander Ivanovich Shibunin, came to his dacha. At this time, the dacha was undergoing major repairs. All work was to be carried out by Glavvoenstroy. Zhukov at this time was just going to leave with his family on vacation in Karlovy Vary. And since I was responsible for the entire household, I was also in charge of the repairs. So Shibunin met Zhukov then and says:

- Comrade Marshal, let's make you a swimming pool. Here is the size (gives dimensions), heated, from the boiler room we will conduct hot water, tile it, it will be like a bath. A great swimming pool will turn out.

Zhukov listened and asked:

"How much will it cost?" Shibunin answers:

- 12 thousand rubles.

Zhukov said goodbye to him, and then calls me and says:

- Call the chief engineer, General Kazansky Dmitry Nikolaevich, give me the dimensions, let him instruct the specialists to calculate how much this pool will cost.

I've completed my assignment.

A day later Kazansky calls me and says:

- According to experts, such a pool will cost 76 thousand rubles.

I went to the marshal and reported back.

Zhukov says:

- And at the expense of what Shibunin wants to build me for 12 thousand?

Zhukov always counted the state ruble.

As Defense Minister, Georgy Konstantinovich had to work for a relatively short time. As you know, in October 1957, a Plenum of the Central Committee of the party was held, at which Marshal Zhukov was removed from his post and dismissed.

Having worked with G. K. Zhukov for many years, I would describe him as follows: Georgy Konstantinovich was endowed with great courage, self-control, will to win, indomitable energy, breadth and depth of operational and strategic thinking, and brilliant organizational talent. He was not afraid of responsibility, and at the most critical moments of the war, he was especially active, focused, and purposeful. Having walked the rough roads of war with him, I have never, even in the most critical situation, seen him confused or depressed. I thank fate for giving me a happy opportunity to be close to Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov for many years, this wonderful man, who is rightfully the pride of our great people and went down in its history as the Marshal of Victory.

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