Richard Simpkin
Encyclopedia
Brigadier Richard Evelyn Simpkin MC
(1921–1986) was a British Army
officer.
Simpkin was commissioned into the Royal Tank Regiment
in 1941. He cut short a degree course at the University of Cambridge
to do so. He served in North Africa
where he won the Military Cross
and was taken prisoner. Simpkin was awarded an Order of the British Empire
(OBE) for his part in the new design of the Chieftain tank
and retired from the army in 1971. He continued to write, lecture and consult about armor doctrine, tactics and Soviet thinking, living at first in Norfolk
, England where he was brought up and then in Elgin, Scotland. This was the birth place of his wife, Barbara, descended from the Grant family who owned Glen Grant Whiskey before it was sold to Seagrams in the 1970's.
Simpkin became a Russian language
specialist and military theorist
.
Race to the Swift is a comprehensive military theory work in the NATO context; it contains Simpkin's ideas and observations on the nature of warfare, technology and manoeuvre.
Deep Battle is a work about Red Army
general and theorist Mikhail Tukhachevsky
. It is part biography, part theory, and part translation of Tukhachevsky's works, focusing on Tukhachevsky's concepts of Deep Battle Theory
. The centerpiece is the translation of the 1936 Red Army operations manual PU-36 Deep Operation, which Tukhachevsky is believed to have masterminded.
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
(1921–1986) was a British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer.
Simpkin was commissioned into the Royal Tank Regiment
Royal Tank Regiment
The Royal Tank Regiment is an armoured regiment of the British Army. It was formerly known as the Tank Corps and the Royal Tank Corps. It is part of the Royal Armoured Corps and is made up of two operational regiments, the 1st Royal Tank Regiment and the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment...
in 1941. He cut short a degree course at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
to do so. He served in North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
where he won the Military Cross
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
and was taken prisoner. Simpkin was awarded an Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(OBE) for his part in the new design of the Chieftain tank
Chieftain tank
The FV 4201 Chieftain was the main battle tank of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s. It was one of the most advanced tanks of its era, and at the time of its introduction in 1966 had the most powerful main gun and heaviest armour of any tank in the world...
and retired from the army in 1971. He continued to write, lecture and consult about armor doctrine, tactics and Soviet thinking, living at first in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, England where he was brought up and then in Elgin, Scotland. This was the birth place of his wife, Barbara, descended from the Grant family who owned Glen Grant Whiskey before it was sold to Seagrams in the 1970's.
Simpkin became a Russian language
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
specialist and military theorist
Military theory
Military theory is the analysis of normative behavior and trends in military affairs and military history, beyond simply describing events in war and military theories, especially since the influence of Clausewitz in the nineteenth century attempt to encapsulate the complex cultural, political and...
.
Race to the Swift is a comprehensive military theory work in the NATO context; it contains Simpkin's ideas and observations on the nature of warfare, technology and manoeuvre.
Deep Battle is a work about Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
general and theorist Mikhail Tukhachevsky
Mikhail Tukhachevsky
Mikhail Nikolayevich Tukhachevsky was a Marshal of the Soviet Union, commander in chief of the Red Army , and one of the most prominent victims of Joseph Stalin's Great Purge.-Early life:...
. It is part biography, part theory, and part translation of Tukhachevsky's works, focusing on Tukhachevsky's concepts of Deep Battle Theory
Deep operations
Deep battle was a military theory developed by the Soviet Union for its armed forces during the 1920s and 1930s. It was developed by a number of influential military writers, such as Vladimir Triandafillov and Mikhail Tukhachevsky who endeavoured to create a military strategy with its own...
. The centerpiece is the translation of the 1936 Red Army operations manual PU-36 Deep Operation, which Tukhachevsky is believed to have masterminded.