During the first Victory Day parade in Moscow on June 24, 1945, all participants and spectators were wet from heavy rain, Nazi symbols were thrown at the foot of Lenin’s Mausoleum and gas was thrown. American military assets were brought through Red Square.
The idea of organizing a special parade for the winners in Moscow, in which representatives of all fronts and arms participating in the Great Patriotic War, was first raised by Mr. Joseph Stalin at the a dinner at the Kremlin on May 15, 1945. Just a week later, the Red Army General Staff presented a plan for the Victory Day parade and requested 2 months to prepare. However, the top management only gave a period of 1 month.
Marshal Georgy Zhukov participated in the Victory Day Parade for the first time. Photo: Rian
Initially, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin refused to personally watch the Victory Day Parade, citing his age. The parade will be supervised by Marshal Georgy Zhukov and commanded by Marshal Konstantin Rokossovsky. According to the memoirs of Marshal Georgy Zhukov, the real reason was that Mr. Joseph Stalin did not learn to ride a horse in time and was almost seriously injured when he fell off a thoroughbred stallion during training.
To participate in the parade, combined regiments were drawn from 10 fronts and 1 combined naval regiment was formed. A total of 2,809 officers, including 249 generals, 31,115 sergeants and soldiers, as well as 1,400 musicians in the general military orchestra participated in the largest Victory Day parade ever.
Guard Sergeant Aleksandr Popov recalled: “Each of us had mixed feelings inside. We cannot help but think of the great losses the country suffered during the war, and the hardships of the people in the rear. Many people in the rear did not have enough to eat, so they had to devote themselves, everything for the benefit of the front. When participating in the parade, I thought that, if my father was still alive, at least he would be proud of his son.”
Red Army units participate in the parade. Photo: Rian
Those shortlisted for the parade had to meet certain criteria: They had to be tall (by the standards of the time) and under 30 years old; Show courage and heroism in battle. “The request came for people with a height of at least 174cm,” recalls Aleksei Kudryavtsev, officer of the first rank of the Dnieper fleet. I’m 173cm tall, but I can still participate. In addition, participation standards also depend on many other things. For example, I have a medal and a pretty good service record and have observed good discipline during my service.”
Foreigners also participated in the Victory Day parade. Polish Army soldiers who fought from Eastern Belarus to Berlin alongside the Red Army. They were allowed to go in a separate line. The only foreign general considered worthy to command one of the combined Red Army Regiments during the parade with the Soviet commanders was Bulgarian Lieutenant General Vladimir Stoychev.
Participating in the parade, soldiers must carry the Victory symbol hanging on the roof of the Reichstag building (Nazi German Parliament). The soldiers who performed that work in the campaign to liberate Berlin, Stepan Neustroev, Meliton Kantaria, Mikhail Yegorov and Alexei Berest, were invited to Moscow to participate in the operations. However, due to injuries, they were unable to participate in the parade as planned. Since changing the flag bearer would be ridiculous, this idea was abandoned, the Victory symbol was moved to a museum and servicemen with the title “Hero of the Soviet Union” were placed above. stands among the honored guests.
Symbols of the Nazi army were thrown at the foot of Lenin’s Mausoleum. Photo: Rian
Hundreds of flags of Soviet Red Army units and 200 flags of the Nazi army were used in the parade. “When the last mass of soldiers passed through the Mausoleum, the ceremonial music was replaced by the sound of drums and accordingly a column of soldiers marched forward. Those were Soviet soldiers carrying crushed fascist army flags and lowering them to the ground. They threw enemy banners at the foot of Lenin’s Mausoleum,” 2nd Guards Lieutenant Arkady Zakharov recalled. After the parade, the trophies were sent to a museum and the gloves the soldiers used to wear them were burned.
A total of 1,850 military assets participated in the first Victory Day parade, including the legendary T-34 tank, Katyusha rocket artillery and IS-2 heavy tank. Allied military equipment supplied to the Soviet Union was also not forgotten. US Army Dodge and Studebaker trucks as well as the Willys command vehicle drove along Red Square. They were later used in many subsequent military parades.
Combat vehicles participate in the parade. Photo: Rian
One notable thing in the first Victory Day parade was the heavy rains in Moscow. It caused the cancellation of outdoor events. “It was sad when the radio announced that the parade had been postponed because of the rain. In heavy, wet coats, with wet feet and many with colds, people in the crowd were still disappointed to have to disperse and return home or visit friends,” said Nina Pokrovskaya, a worker. present in Moscow shared and said that Marshal Rokossovsky’s uniform was soaked and when it dried he could not take it off. The entourage officer had to cut the stitches to remove the suit and sew it back together later.
After 1945, Victory Day parades were rarely held under the Soviet Union and were limited to important milestones: 1965, 1985 and 1990. However, the Russian Federation transformed this activity into Annual event since 1995.
TUAN SON (compiled by Rian, Lenta)
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