Quote Originally Posted by screwtype
Perhaps so, but where did Zhukov learn such tactics? From the Germans. He was acquainted with many of the top German leaders, since they helped to train him and other Soviet commanders under the secret treaty during the inter-war period. Zhukov's knowledge of the men he faced also helped him in his later battles against the Wehrmacht.
The main influence was probably Tukhachevksy, the founder of "Deep Operations", which itself was developed from the experience of the wars against the Whites and the Poles.