In this episode of Mil History Talk, Hope and Brian dig into the Soviet military theory that changed how the world fights wars—Deep Battle. Born from the chaos of World War I and the Russian Civil War, this doctrine turned warfare into science: layered offensives, relentless tempo, and total coordination across air, land, and logistics. Hope breaks down the drama (and the ego) behind the theorists like Tukhachevsky and Triandafillov, while Brian explains how their ideas went from banned in Stalin’s purges to victorious at Stalingrad and beyond. Together, they trace how “Deep Battle” shaped not just the Red Army’s triumphs, but even NATO’s own strategy decades later. Smart, funny, and full of “wait—how did I not know this?” moments, this episode proves that sometimes the most dangerous weapons are ideas.

For a deeper dive into the creation of deep battle click on this link: The Theoretical and Historical Origins of Soviet Deep Battle Doctrine