Stalin's 1937 execution of eight top generals crippled the Soviet military before WWII
On the eve of World War II, Joseph Stalin executed his most brilliant military minds, leaving the Soviet Red Army leaderless and vulnerable during the Great Purge.
On June 11, 1937, a secret military tribunal sentenced eight top Soviet generals, including the innovative Marshal Mikhail Tukhachevsky, to immediate execution. Stalin feared a military coup and chose to eliminate his most talented commanders to ensure absolute political loyalty.
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