Military-Technical Cooperation of the USSR and the ChSR in the 30s of the 20th Century (According to the Memoirs of Chief Designer of Artillery Weapons of the Kirov Plant I.A. Makhanov)

Abstract

Introduction. Memoirs of I.A. Makhanov, who in the 1930s was the chief designer of artillery weapons at the Kirov plant, contain unique data on the development of the military-technical thought and the defense sector of the USSR industry in the pre-war period. The published fragment of memoirs, first introduced into scientific circulation, supplements and corrects the ideas formed in historiography about the military-technical cooperation of the USSR and Czechoslovakia on the eve of World War II. Methods and materials. The preparation of the source text for publication is carried out taking into consideration modern requirements of archaeography. The published fragment is provided with archaeographic notes which allow reconstructing the history of creation and modification of the text by the author. The scientific commentary provides information about personalities, place names and specific terms mentioned in the text. Analysis. The author pointed out that despite the supply of the latest weapons from Czechoslovakia to Yugoslavia, Italy, Turkey, Latin America, the share of purchases by the USSR was 50% and had broad prospects for increasing. The German occupation of 1938 suspended and then interrupted military-technical cooperation between the countries. Nevertheless, the Czech side fulfilled all obligations to the USSR. Results. As the published fragment of I.A. Makhanov proves, in the 1930s Czech specialists willingly acquainted the Soviet delegation with the latest developments in artillery systems. At the same time, after the occupation of Czechoslovakia by Germany, none of these weapons were brought to a prototype. “Skoda” and “Zbroevka” plants were engaged only in the production and modernization of old weapons. Thus, the data of I.A. Makhanov confirm the hypothesis of sabotage of work for Nazi Germany by Czech designers led by V. Gromadko.