Mikhail Tukhachevsky - The Fall

The Fall

In 1935 Tukhachevsky was made a Marshal of the Soviet Union, aged only 42. In January 1936 Tukhachevsky visited Britain, France and Germany. Aware that the Soviet military was the only institution which could successfully obstruct his quest for absolute power, Stalin set out to "liquidate" Tukhachevsky and seven other senior commanders. This time, there was no disagreement from his inner circle.

Just before his arrest, Tukhachevsky was relieved of duty as assistant to Marshal Kliment Voroshilov and appointed military commander of the Volga Military District. It is believed that Stalin ordered this ruse (one employed with seven other arrested commanders as well) to separate Tukhachevsky from the officers and men under his command. Shortly after departing to take up his new command, he was secretly arrested on May 22, 1937, and brought back to Moscow in a prison van.

Tukhachevsky's interrogation and torture were directly supervised by NKVD Chief Nikolai Yezhov. Stalin instructed Yezhov, "See for yourself, but Tukhachevsky should be forced to tell everything... It's impossible he acted alone."

According to Simon Sebag Montefiore,

"A few days later, as Yezhov buzzed in and out of Stalin's office, a broken Marshal Tukhachevsky confessed that Yenukidze had recruited him in 1928, that he was a German agent in cahoots with Bukharin to seize power. Tukhachevsky's confession, which survives in the archives, is dappled with a brown spray that was found to be blood spattered by a body in motion."

Stalin commented, "It's incredible, but it's a fact, they admit it."

On June 11, 1937, the Soviet Supreme Court convened a special military tribunal to try Tukhachevsky and eight senior officers for treason. The trial was dubbed the Case of Trotskyist Anti-Soviet Military Organization. Upon hearing the accusations, Tukhachevsky was heard to say, "I feel I'm dreaming." Most of the judges were also terrified. One was heard to comment, "Tomorrow I'll be put in the same place." After his trial, five of the officers serving as judges in that court martial were executed. It was explained to the accused that the trial was being conducted according to the law of 1 December 1934 which meant that counsel of defense was excluded from process and the decision made was to be final and could not be appealed.

At 11:35 that night, all of the accused were declared guilty and sentenced to death. Stalin, who was awaiting the verdict with Molotov, Kaganovich, and Yezhov, did not even examine the transcripts. He simply said, "Agreed."

Within the hour, Tukhachevsky was summoned from his cell by NKVD captain Vasili Blokhin. The former Marshal was then shot once, in the back of the head.

Immediately afterward, Yezhov was summoned into Stalin's presence. Stalin asked, "What were Tukhachevsky's last words?" Yezhov responded, "The snake said he was dedicated to the Motherland and Comrade Stalin. He asked for clemency. But it was obvious that he was not being straight, he hadn't laid down his arms."