1939 20th August
Battle of Nomonhan
Attacks the Japanese in what began as a series of border skirmishes in May
Second World War · permanent subject timeline
Georgi Zhukov
Soviet commander from Nomonhan to Berlin. This page combines historical context with 15 matching records drawn directly from the World History Database World War II battle archive.
Historical context
Georgi Zhukov: overview and significance
What happened?
Georgi Zhukov commanded Soviet forces at Nomonhan before the European war and later held senior commands during the defence of Moscow, major Eastern Front offensives and the final assault on Berlin.
Why was it important?
Zhukov was one of the Soviet Union's most important operational commanders. His career spans the pre-war conflict with Japan, the survival of the Soviet state in 1941 and the Red Army's advance into Germany.
World History Database records
Georgi Zhukov timeline
The records below are selected from the 797-record World War II battles archive and rendered as static HTML in chronological order.
1939
1939 31st August
Battle of Nomonhan
Destroys the IJA forces in & around Nomonhan, 45000 Japanese soldiers were killed
1939 August
Battle of Khalkin-Gol
Defeats a Japanese force at Khalkin-Gol in Manchuria
1939 September
Battle of Nomonhan
Victory over Japan at Nomonhan means that Russia does not have to fight a 2 front war. After Nomonhan transfers 1700 tanks, 3 cavalry Divs, 15 rifle Divisions & 1500 aircraft
1942
1942 19th November
Battle of Stalingrad
Leads the attack on the north & south flanks of the Germans
1942 22nd November
Battle of Stalingrad
Captures the supply bridge at Kalach
1942 23rd November
Battle of Stalingrad
Zhukov begins attacking the German 5th Army & 4th Panzer Army in the rear. The 300,000 force of the German 6th Army is encircled
1942 25th December
Battle of Stalingrad
Zhukov drives the German forces in the north beyond the Chir & Aksay. Zhukov drives Hoths army back across Kotelnikov
1943
1943 31st January
Battle of Stalingrad
The German 6th Army surrenders. Since Zhkovs counter-attack 32 Axis Divisions & 3 Axis Brigades have been destroyed
1945
1945 12th January
Battle of Berlin
The Red Army begins the Vistula-Oder offensive across the Narew River and, from Warsaw, a three-day operation on a broad front which incorporated four army Fronts
1945 16th January
Battle of Berlin
Starting on 16 January 1945, the Red Army breached through the German front as a result of the Vistula-Oder Offensive and rapidly advanced westward as fast as 30-40 kilometres a day
1945 20th April
Battle of Berlin
The 1st Belorussian Front led by Marshal Georgy Zhukov starts shelling Berlins city centre
1945 29th April
Battle of Berlin
The Soviet 3rd Shock Army crossed the Moltke bridge and started to fan out into the surrounding streets and buildings
1945 30th April
Battle of Berlin
The Soviets rapidly advance through the city and reach the city centre, conquering the Reichstag on 30 April after fierce fighting
1945 2nd May
Battle of Berlin
The Soviets capture the Reich Chancellery
Editorial provenance
Sources and editorial review
Compiled and edited by World History Database.
Historical context is editorial material; the chronology is generated from World History Database Second World War records.
Last reviewed: September 2026.
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