"...I stand with awe on Fui Heights, the northern anchor of the Japanese line in the late-August climax of the battle, where a mixed battalion of 800 Japanese infantry held off a Soviet force of over 10,000 mechanized infantry and armor for three days before being driven from the heights, enabling Zhukov to encircle and annihilate the Japanese Sixth Army...." [Goldman]
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On June 1, the burly 42-year-old Zhukov, then deputy commander of the Belorussian military district, received an urgent phone call to hurry to Moscow. With Stalin's bloody purge of the Soviet officer corps a very fresh memory, such a summons was most unwelcome. But the rising cavalry and tank commander was not destined for a bullet in a secret police execution cellar. Instead, he was briefed on the recent fighting at Nomonhan. He was instructed to fly there immediately, assess the situation, and if he deemed it necessary, take command. "Please," the deputy chief of the general staff urged him. "The moment you arrive, see what's going on out there and report to us, without pulling any punches."
On June 5, Zhukov arrived in Tamsag Bulak, the Soviet 57th Corps' headquarters in Mongolia, about 100 miles west of Nomonhan. He quickly concluded that corps commander N. V. Feklenko and most of his staff were out of touch with the situation. Only one senior staff officer had visited the combat zone; Zhukov took that officer with him on a tour of the front. Zhukov reported to Moscow that the battle at Nomonhan did not appear to be a mere border clash, that the Japanese were likely to escalate their aggression soon, and that 57th Corps and its leadership would not be adequate to stop the aggression. Zhukov recommended a temporary holding action to safeguard the bridgehead east of the Khalkha River until major reinforcements could be brought up for a counteroffensive.
Feklenko was promptly relieved of his command and Zhukov named to replace him. Zhukov's force was strengthened with powerful reinforcements—the 36th Mechanized Infantry Division; the 7th, 8th, and 9th Mechanized Infantry Brigades; the 11th Tank Brigade; a heavy artillery unit equipped with 150mm guns; the 8th Mongolian People's Republic Cavalry Division; and a tactical air wing with more than 100 aircraft—and designated 1st Army Group. [Goldman]