Zhukov.

This is coolbert:

"I have to say frankly that we did not have complete certainty." - - Zhukov.

Here thank to the Telegraph, a part of the story, but not the whole story.

Marshal Zhukov, famous Soviet military commander from World War Two [WW2], as seen in a once-banned for many decades television broadcast The Soviet position vis-a-vis the German invader, outside Moscow, 1941, was not certain. Zhukov was of the opinion that the defensive line possibly could not be held, German breakthrough not contained.




"Soviet commander admits USSR came close to defeat by Nazis"

"An interview in which a Soviet commander admitted how close Moscow came to defeat by Germany during the Second World War has been broadcast in Russia for the first time."

"Zhukov, the most decorated general in the history of both Russia and the Soviet Union, admitted that Soviet generals were not confident that they could hold the German forces at the Mozhaisk defence line outside Moscow."

Again, this all from a banned television interview originally recorded in 1966!!

"in the frank television interview that has been banned since it was recorded in 1966"

This entire article and the interview itself is somewhat misleading. Zhukov expressed his opinion to Stalin in October of 1941. That was two months before the definitive Soviet counter-offensive, occurring on 5 December, 1941. A counter-offensive which was intended not merely to protect and "save" Moscow from German attack, but had the intention of destroying and obliterating German Army Group Center.

A Soviet counter-offensive, overwhelming in nature, nearly succeeding, MOSCOW NOT ONLY "SAVED" but the initiative on the battlefield taken from the German.

Now you have the rest of the story.

coolbert.