Marshal Mikhail Tukhachevsky and the development of the Red Army's armored forces in the 1930s

Michail N. Tukhachevsky is one of the key figures in the Soviet military leadership in the 1930s, even though contradictory enough. The persisting polarity of historiographic assessments of his role in the development of the Red Army in the period between the two world wars is another justification for this. While holding the top military posts of the head of the Red Army’s General Staff and deputy People’s Commissar for Military and Maritime Affairs, Tukhachevsky devised a Soviet military theory which laid the foundation for the Red Army’s military warfare concept during the Great Patriotic War. This fact is even recognized by his opponents. What is far less known and studied is his contribution to the practical issues of the development of the USSR’s armed forces in the pre-war period. Moreover, Tukhachevsky’s views and activities in the area of development of specific troops and armaments are subject to him being accused of scheming and even sabotage. This article based on a series of archival documents analyses Tukhachevsky’s contribution to the development of the Red Army’s tank forces in the 1930s: it reconstructs his views concerning the role of tank forces in the future war and reveals his misconception and miscalculations in relation to certain aspects of tank warfare theory and development of tank forces. Particular emphasis is made on Tukhachevsky’s vision of the structure of tank forces, tanks’ technical characteristics, and the nomenclature of tanks of basic and special types. The dynamics and implementation of Tukhachevsky’s views and solutions are examined in the context of the relationships among the country’s top military and political officials with J. Stalin at the head. The author arrives at the well-grounded conclusion that among the USSR’s military leadership in the 1930s Tukhachevsky was a chief expert in the theory of tank warfare. His key theoretical views proved to be correct providing for the employment by the Red Army of tank troops in the course of the Great Patriotic War. At the same time a number of miscalculations and mistakes were made by Tukhachevsky in both theoretical and technical issues.