born Nov. 23, 1898, Odessa, Ukraine, Russian Empire
died March 31, 1967, Moscow, Russia, U.S.S.R.
Soviet marshal prominent in World War II. A corps commander in 1941, he rose to army-group commands and played an important role in the Battle of Stalingrad , then commanded the Soviet drives into Romania (1944) and Austria (1945).
After the war he held command positions in the Soviet Far East (194555). As minister of defense (195767), he oversaw a buildup of Soviet military power.