Rokossovsky held senior commands until 1937, when he became caught up in Joseph Stalin's Great Purge and accused of "connections with foreign intelligence". His association with the cutting edge methods of Marshal Tukhachevsky may have been the real cause of his conflict with more traditional officers such as Semyon Budenny who still favored cavalry tactics, and whose policy disagreements with Tukhachesvky triggered the Great Purge of the Red Army that resulted in the execution of the latter, among many others. Rokossovsky, however, survived.
After interrogations that included torture resulting in nine missing teeth, three cracked ribs, the removal of his fingernails, and three mock shooting ceremonies, he was sent to the Kresty Prison in Leningrad, where he remained until March 1940, when he was released by Lev Gurshman. Some suggest he was released because there was a need for experienced officers to staff the large army needed for a pre-emptive Soviet strike against Germany,[3] while others will note that full mobilization could also serve a defensive purpose, and was likely in the context of general war mobilization by the other European powers, regardless of intent.
LinkBack URL
About LinkBacks
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by E-learner 
Read an interview with some veterans a few days ago in a local paper -- soldiers really loved him. 
I usually quite like the way it's done. For example, Vladimir Konkin who played Sharapov in "The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed" lended his voice to many characters played by Shahrukh Khan and did it quite well, I should say. I read that for some people reading subtitles is just an insurmountable task so apparently some Americans totally rule out foreign films because of this.
