[struwwelpeter]

I watched a 3-week mini-series on Zhukov when I was overseas last year. Mostly dealt with his love affairs, but one episode where he marched into the Kremlin and arrested Beria was super.

Also like how he refused to add a blurb about Brezhnev to his autobiography: "Now why would a marshal consult with a nothing political officer?"

End of the series was very sad - he outlived everyone he loved.

Strangely enough, that mini-series was followed by one on the Kennedys.

[cynwoody]

but one episode where he marched into the Kremlin and arrested Beria was super.

From the Wikipedia:

On 26 June 1953, a special meeting of the Soviet Politburo was held by Malenkov. Beria came to the meeting with an uneasy feeling because it was called hastily—indeed, Zhukov had ordered General K. S. Moskalenko to secretly prepare a special force and permitted the force to use two of Zhukov's and Bulganin's special cars (which had black glass) in order to safely infiltrate the Kremlin. Zhukov also ordered the NKVD Guard replaced by the guard of the Moscow Military Zone. In this meeting, Khrushchev, Malenkov, and their allies denounced "the imperialist element Beria" about his "anti-Party", "anti-socialist" activities, "sowing division", and "acting as a spy of England", together with many other crimes. Finally, Khrushchev suggested expelling Beria from the Communist Party and bringing him before the military court. Immediately, Zhukov's Guard rushed in. Zhukov himself went up to Beria and shouted: "Hands up! Follow me!". Beria replied, in a panic, "Oh Comrades, what's the matter? Just sit down." Zhukov shouted again, "Shut up, you are not the commander here! Comrades, arrest this traitor!". Moskaleno's Guard obeyed.^[54][55]

I recall reading somewhere that, at the appropriate moment, Khrushchev pushed a button hidden under the table to signal Zhukov and his soldiers to join the meeting.