The Russian winter offensive lasted exactly five days before coming to an end. Other than launching an attack during the day on the first day, all subsequent attacks were carried out at night, in order to avoid the German military's powerful air strikes and reduce troop casualties.
But even so, after five consecutive days of fierce fighting, the Russian forces had lost more than three hundred thousand men. This was only because General Zhukov had limited the intensity of the attacks. If they had launched ferocious assaults day and night, Russian losses would likely have exceeded one million. That would have been another devastating blow to the Russian forces.
The Russian forces lost more than three hundred thousand men, yet the losses they inflicted on the German military and its allies were negligible. The Polish Army and Belarusian Army had both suffered little damage, greatly boosting the morale of these Puppet Troops. The next time they encountered the Russian forces on the frontal battlefield, they would at least have enough courage to fight them.
General Zhukov was now under enormous pressure. Although he was in charge of this operation, those political workers kept finding fault with him, claiming that his current actions were simply not carrying out Joseph's orders. They even repeatedly bypassed him to report directly to the Front Army Political Commissar.
On December 31, General Zhukov received a notice from Area Army Headquarters. Comrade Joseph wanted to see him and ordered him to proceed to the Kremlin immediately.
That afternoon, General Zhukov took a plane to the Kremlin. Although flying at this time was extremely dangerous, with the possibility of being shot down by German Air Force fighter planes, trekking a long distance through ice and snow was clearly far less comfortable than flying.
General Zhukov was fortunate