Mikhail Tukhachevsky - During The Polish-Soviet War

During The Polish-Soviet War

Tukhachevsky commanded the Soviet invasion of Poland during the Polish-Soviet War in 1920, and was defeated by Józef Piłsudski outside Warsaw. It was during the Polish war that Tukhachevsky first came into conflict with Stalin. Each blamed the other for the Soviet failure to capture Warsaw. Tukhachevsky later lamented,

"There can be no doubt that if we had been victorious on the Vistula, the revolutionary fires would have reached the entire continent."

His orders were frequently disobeyed, even by high-ranking officers, which led the Soviet armies to several major failures throughout the campaign (see also 1st Cavalry Army). On the other hand, Tukhachevsky argued that he could not choose his division commanders or move his headquarters from Moscow, for political reasons. The animosity between Tukhachevsky and Stalin would ultimately have fatal consequences for him.