Panzertruppenschule Kama

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Panzertruppenschule Kama was a top secret research and training facility, located near Kazan in the USSR, jointly operated by the Soviets and Germans between 1926 and 1933. The Panzertruppenschule prefix was there to provide the location a cover as an Armoured school. The Kama part of the name was a codename created by the words Kazan and Malbrant.

Oberstleutnant Malbrant was the Reichswehr officer who selected the location for the training and testing of military technology, away from the prying eyes of the League of Nations inspectors. The Russo-German cooperation was agreed upon as a part of the Treaty of Rapallo, signed 1922, and the Berlin Friendship Treaty of 1924.

From 1926 to 1929, 146 officers completed training at the Panzertruppenschule Kama. The most famous 'graduate' was Ewald von Kleist, future Generalfeldmarschall. Reichswehr Generaloberst Lutz and NKVD Kommisar Josef Unshlicht were jointly responsible for the conducting the training. Security for the facility was provided by troops of the NKVD. Several armoured fighting vehicles were developed at Kama, worked on under the alias of Tractor. The German companies Rheinmetall-Borsig, Krupp and Daimler Benz were responsible for most of the development. The preliminary work at Kama resulted in the designs for the Panzer I, II, III and IV. The training and development which took place at Kama made the Panzerwaffe a reality.