Komdiv Mikhail Bukshtynovich led the corps from August 1935 or the end of 1936 until his arrest in 1938.

The corps was put on alert for movement to the front and on 24 June was ordered to join the Reserve of the Supreme High Command in the Gzhatsk District.

On the night of 26 June corps headquarters arrived at Smolensk, but could go no further due to congestion.

[5] By the time it went into battle, the strength of the corps had been reduced to 428 tanks due to breakdowns.

The corps attacked without air support, and with a shortage of fuel, ammunition, and anti-aircraft guns.

[4] When the corps reached its starting positions for the counterattack, Vinogradov sent the 14th and 18th Tank Divisions forward without a reserve.

The corps withdrew east across the Dnieper to the Orsha region, where it received replacement tanks and new attack orders for 11 July.

[7] The attack in support of 19th Army south of Vitebsk resulted in the loss of a combined 100 tanks from both the 5th and 7th Mechanized Corps.

[10] Corps headquarters and two tank battalions broke out and joined Rokossovsky's group.

[11] On 21 July, the corps was ordered withdrawn to the Sukhinichi area as part of the 4th Army and reformed as a tank division.

[12] Instead, the corps became part of Rokossovsky's Group Yartsevo, and participated in a counterattack toward Dukhovshchina on 28 July.

The corps formed part of the northern shock group during the attack on Kirovograd with the 5th Guards Army.

On 5 January the 7th Mechanized Corps and 5th Guards Army broke through the German defenses north of the city.

Joined by the 8th Mechanized Corps, the northern shock ground encircled Kirovograd, linking up with the 5th Guards Tank Army.

The corps fought in the capture of the northern part of Odessa Oblast and advanced to the Dniester.

The corps supported the main attack of the 3rd Ukrainian Front on the west bank of the Dniester.

On 22 August it was thanked by Stavka for breaking through heavily fortified defenses south of Bender and capturing Căușeni, Cimișlia, and Tarutino.

On 9 September the corps received the Order of Suvorov 2nd class for breaking through defenses south of Bender and helping to capture Chișinău.

[22] The German relief attempt at Budapest in late January, Operation Konrad III, surprised the corps.

In March and April the corps was part of the Reserve of the Supreme High Command.

In late April the corps returned to the front during the Bratislava–Brno Offensive with the 1st Guards Cavalry-Mechanized Group.

[27] After its capture of Tuchuan, the corps had an extreme shortage of fuel due to its rapid advance.