On June 24, 1945, according to the order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the USSR Joseph Stalin, the Victory Parade was held on Red Square in Moscow. According to experts, the solemn event drew a line under the defeat of Nazism and symbolized the emergence of a new geopolitical reality.

“We need to prepare and conduct a special parade”

Joseph Stalin decided to hold the Victory Parade on May 15, 1945, shortly after the surrender of Nazi Germany.

“The Supreme Commander-in-Chief ordered us to think over and report to him our thoughts on the parade in commemoration of the victory over Nazi Germany, while pointing out:“ We need to prepare and conduct a special parade. Let representatives of all fronts and all branches of the armed forces take part in it, ”recalled Deputy Chief of the General Staff Army General Sergei Shtemenko.

According to Alexander Mikhailov, a historian at the Museum of the Victory, the leadership of the USSR had every moral right to hold the Victory Parade in Moscow, taking into account the leading role of the Soviet Union in defeating Nazi Germany. In addition, the show has become a kind of symbol of the emergence of new geopolitical realities of the bipolar world.

“The military asked for two months to prepare, but Stalin gave them only one, since the USSR needed to plan a military campaign against the Japanese empire in the Far East,” the expert said.

On May 24, 1945, the General Staff handed over to Stalin his proposals on holding the Victory Parade. The Supreme Commander decided to hold it on June 24th. Telegrams were sent by the front commanders, instructing them to form consolidated regiments for participation in the review, 1059 people each. The personnel should be selected from among the fighters and officers who distinguished themselves most in battles and had military orders.

In addition to ten combined regiments of the fronts, the combined regiment of the Navy, as well as students of military academies, cadets of military schools and troops of the Moscow garrison were preparing for the parade.

  • Pass to the Victory Parade
  • © Wikimedia commons / KGB of the USSR, 1945

According to historians, the command meticulously approached the selection of future participants in the parade. Combat awards, courage and skill shown during the war were taken into account. In addition, external data was taken into account. For example, the command of the 1st Belorussian Front selected candidates among young people under the age of 30 years and a height of at least 176 cm.

Already at the stage of manning, the number of personnel of combined regiments increased to 1465 people.

Given the scale of the event and the short deadlines for its preparation, the organizers had a number of difficulties. If cadets and students of academies were constantly engaged in drill training, then the front-line soldiers who arrived in Moscow in early June were used to completely different tasks. In addition, participants in the war had to be accommodated, provided with food and clothing. All the capacities of the sewing factories in Moscow and the Moscow Region were thrown at sewing the ceremonial uniforms of the new sample. And by June 20, this task was completed.

Moscow military builders, together with employees of the Bolshoi Theater art and production workshops, made standard design for composite regiments. A silver wreath, framing a gold star, and a horizontal pin with a scarlet velvet standard panel were mounted on an oak shaft. The total weight of the structure was about 10 kg, so special harnesses were thought out for carrying the standards.

  • © Archive of the Ministry of Defense of Russia

Drill classes were held at the Central Airport. M.V. Frunze. They lasted 6-7 hours a day. Officers of the guard of honor company were involved in the training. With a single drill, military personnel helped them. F.E. Dzerzhinsky.

It was the future participants of the Victory Parade who became the first military personnel in the USSR to be awarded the recently established medal "For the victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945."

On June 22, 1945, an order was signed by Stalin to hold a parade. The Deputy Supreme Commander-in-Chief Marshal Georgy Zhukov was instructed to accept it, and Marshal Konstantin Rokossovsky was to command the show.

“Tribute to the heroes”

The Victory Parade was not prevented even by heavy rain. At 9 hours and 45 minutes, members of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks led by Stalin rose to the Mausoleum. By this time, deputies of the Supreme Council, employees of the people's commissariats, scientists, cultural figures, hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church and foreign diplomats had already gathered in the stands.

At exactly 10 o'clock from the gates of the Spasskaya Tower on Red Square, George Zhukov rode on a white horse.

“The powerful and solemn sounds of the melody so famous for every Russian soul“ Glory! ” M.I. Glinka. Then absolute silence reigned immediately, clear words were heard from the command of the parade commander Marshal of the Soviet Union K.K. Rokossovsky, ”wrote Marshal Zhukov in his memoirs.

Five minutes later, Zhukov began a detour of the troops and congratulations to the people of the USSR on the victory over Germany. After that, the national anthem was performed by 1,400 musicians and 50 volleys of artillery fire were struck.

The solemn march was opened by Konstantin Rokossovsky, followed by a group of young drummers - pupils of the 2nd Moscow Military Music School and combined regiments of the fronts, as well as the Navy. Troop movements were accompanied by a giant orchestra.

“The culmination of the parade was the moment when a special company carried out and threw two hundred German banners to the base of the Mausoleum. One of the first to throw the banner of the elite 1st Panzer Division of the SS “Leibstandart Adolf Hitler,” said Alexander Mikhailov.

According to military historian Yuri Knutov, hundreds of German banners were collected in Germany by Smersh employees.

  • Victory Parade on June 24, 1945
  • RIA News
  • © Sergey Loskutov

After the German banners fell to the foot of the Mausoleum, the orchestra again began to play. Parts of the Moscow Military District, the combined regiment of the People’s Commissariat of Defense, students of military academies and cadets of military schools entered Red Square. The procession was closed by Suvorovites.

For military personnel and cadets, anti-aircraft anti-aircraft gun crews, anti-tank and large-caliber artillery batteries, armored vehicles, T-34 and IS tanks, self-propelled artillery installations and other equipment moved in. In total, according to historians, about 1850 units of military equipment were involved. The air part of the parade had to be canceled due to rain.

All the celebrations on Red Square lasted 122 minutes. About 35 thousand military personnel took part in them, including 24 marshals, 249 generals and 2536 other officers.

At 23 hours with about a hundred balloons, about 20 thousand missiles were launched into the air. On June 25, a reception was held in the Grand Kremlin Palace in honor of the parade participants.

  • Postage stamp issued in honor of the Victory Parade on June 24, 1945
  • © Wikimedia commons / V. Andreyev

Victory military parades were subsequently held in the anniversary 1965, 1985 and 1990. Since 1995, Victory Day parades have become annual.

“On June 24, 1945, a line was drawn under the rout of Nazi Germany, and the leading role of the Red Army in the victory over Nazism was also emphasized. However, it must be said that in 1945 no one doubted whose contribution was the main one. Holding a parade of winners in Moscow for the whole world looked logical. He personified the triumph of the Soviet people. Parades today are a tribute to the heroes and a symbol of the continuity of generations in our country, ”summed up Yuri Knutov.