The Triumph of Eternity: how the 1945 Victory Day Parade was organized
On June 24, 1945, the Victory Day Parade took place on Red Square, a solemn procession of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War. Two hours of well-deserved triumph, which will forever remain the brightest page in our history. Izvestia recalled how it was.
One month to prepare
The idea of a parade in the heart of Moscow, which will bring together representatives of all fronts and all branches of the armed forces, arose on May 9, 1945. On May 24, the Chief of the General Staff, Army General Alexei Antonov, sent a directive to the troops, according to which a consolidated regiment was to be allocated from each of the 10 fronts to participate in the parade. They tried to include soldiers and officers who distinguished themselves in battles and had military orders.
It takes at least two months to prepare for such a parade. I had to do it in 30 days. And — immaculately, in a military manner. To create the banners under which the consolidated regiments of the fronts were to march on Red Square, they turned to the artists of the workshops of the Bolshoi Theater. They also made the order ribbons that crowned the shafts of 360 battle flags of the Red Army units.
Participants of the Victory Day Parade on Red Square in Moscow on June 24, 1945
The preparation was thorough, but in an accelerated mode — both rehearsals and tailoring of uniforms, which were carried out by dozens of enterprises in Moscow and the Moscow region. New navy—colored uniforms were issued for the top command staff instead of the old ones, which were steel-colored. For the first time at the Victory Day Parade, marshals and generals also had sabers in leather scabbards with a brass device. It was possible to equip all participants of the parade by June 20.
The training took place at the then Frunze Central Airfield, at Khodynka Field. Many front-line soldiers have never participated in parades, and this is a special skill. Rehearsals were difficult. There was a directive to select soldiers and officers no less than 176 cm tall and no older than 30 years old to participate in parades. But it was not possible to fulfill these conditions: many Heroes of the Soviet Union, famous cavaliers of the highest orders, did not meet them. Such honored people could not fail to be included in the consolidated regiments of the fronts. Many of them did not like drill, but they perceived participation in the Victory Day Parade as a great honor, as the main reward for the entire war. Cavalrymen and horses trained hard on the Khodynka field, who were taught not to be afraid of loud music, roaring engines and trampling. The sappers were preparing to march across the square with their fighting dogs.
Sappers with dogs of the mine search service walk through Red Square during the Victory Day Parade on June 24, 1945
Banners and standards of the defeated Nazi army were delivered from Berlin to Moscow. 200 of them were chosen, which it was decided to carry through the Red Square. The Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Army General Sergei Shtemenko, recalled how Joseph Stalin told him at one of the meetings: "Hitler's banners should be brought to the parade and they should be thrown down at the feet of the victors in disgrace. Think about how to do it." Most likely, this idea was suggested to the Supreme Historian, academician Evgeny Tarle. He reminded him of the Roman tradition of throwing the regalia of a defeated enemy at Caesar's feet. It's a strong symbolic gesture. But the ceremony required careful preparation. The squad of "trophy banner bearers", who were supposed to throw them to the foot of the Mausoleum, selected young, physically strong, tall and experienced fighters with excellent bearing. The battalion was commanded by Dmitry Vovk, a senior lieutenant of the F.E. Dzerzhinsky Separate Motorized Rifle Division of the NKVD Internal Troops.
A parade like no other in history
Finally, on June 22, the anniversary of the outbreak of the war, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief signed an order that concluded as follows: "To receive the Victory Day parade to my Deputy Marshal of the Soviet Union Zhukov. Marshal of the Soviet Union Rokossovsky will command the victory parade."
Marshals of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov and K.K. Rokossovsky during the Victory Day Parade on June 24, 1945
The famous ace pilots were anxiously waiting for the order to take to the skies. But the weather was not good, and the aerial part of the parade had to be canceled. 216 aircraft that were supposed to participate in the celebration remained at the airfields. The legendary Pokryshkin fighter participated in the parade in the consolidated regiment of the 2nd Ukrainian Front. This was the only flaw in the Parade, but only nature can be blamed for it.
"Red Square looks festive and solemn. A 26-meter fountain has been erected on the Frontal Site — a granite model of the Palace of Soviets, with sculptural figures of a worker and a collective farmer crowning it," the newspaper Pravda wrote the next day. Honored guests and spectators were accommodated in the stands. The heroes of the home front are the leaders of production, representatives of foreign powers. Children stood in front of them, gazing with admiration at the ranks of soldiers.
Self-propelled artillery installations are moving towards Red Square along Gorky Street. June 24, 1945
At exactly 10 a.m., after the chimes struck on the Spasskaya Tower, Marshal Georgy Zhukov rode out of its gates on a white horse named Idol. Another marshal of Victory, Konstantin Rokossovsky, moved to meet him at the Pole of the Karakum suit.
A combined military orchestra of 1,400 musicians conducted by Sergei Chernetsky performed Glinka's "Glory".
After touring the combined regiments, Marshal Zhukov ascended to the podium of the Mausoleum. In his speech, he spoke several times about the decisive role played by Soviet soldiers in defeating the Third Reich: "The Red Army not only defended the freedom and independence of our Fatherland, but also freed the peoples of Europe from the German yoke. From now on and forever, our victorious Red Army will go down in world history as a liberating army, wreathed in a halo of unfading glory. A victory has been won that history has never known before."
Soldiers of the 2nd Belorussian Front at the Victory Day Parade on Red Square on June 24, 1945
As the Marshal of Victory concluded his speech, triumphant volleys erupted from behind the Kremlin wall. The parade has begun.
In front of each regiment were the standard-bearers and commanders of the fronts, the commanders of Victory. The regiments of the fronts entered the square in geographical order — from north to south. On that day, seasoned soldiers, who had gloriously endured the greatest of wars, stamped their steps on Red Square. The uniforms were decorated with gold stars of the Heroes of the Soviet Union, Orders of Glory and the Red Star, and silver medals for Bravery.
Victory Day Parade on Red Square in Moscow on June 24, 1945
In the parade line is tankman Pavel Gudz, a participant in the 1941 parade. He returned to the front more than once after being wounded. He fought, even when his left arm had to be replaced with a prosthetic arm. A cavalryman scout, Guard Sergeant Ivan Papyshev, destroyed nine mortar crews during the crossing of the Warta River in Poland, and a month before the Victory he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. At the same time, another participant in the Victory Day Parade, Senior Lieutenant Anuchkin, received the same award. His anti-aircraft machine gun company distinguished itself in the battles on the Oder River in January 1945. Then Anuchkin's fighters not only shot down Junkers and messers, but also captured enemy firing points and repelled enemy attacks. And the commander of the mortar platoon, Safa Hasanov, received his Hero's star for crossing the Dnieper River, when, near the village of Nivki, surrounded by a group of brave men, he fought off the attacks of the Nazis for almost two hours.
Participants of the parade throw German banners at the foot of Lenin's Mausoleum
After the sailors, a combined regiment of the Red Fleet led by Admiral Vladimir Fadeev, marched along the cobblestones, the orchestra fell silent, and a tense silence hung over the square for a minute or two. The pause was interrupted by a drum roll. Soldiers wearing gloves, in order not to get their hands dirty with Nazi mud, carried Hitler's standards with their shafts to the ground and threw them to the ground in front of the Mausoleum of the founder of the Soviet Country.
And then the orchestra struck up again, and next to the soldiers of the Moscow garrison, cadets of military academies walked across the square, and in the final, the crews of the Kalinin, Gorky, Oryol and Tula Suvorov military schools, which were opened during the war. The children of Victory, her heirs, for whom the world was saved. It was a great honor for them to walk along the cobblestones next to the war heroes. The boys, having overcome their excitement, marched flawlessly. And — the future defenders of the Fatherland. Since then, it has become a tradition. The parades on Red Square are completed by young Suvorov and Nakhimov fighters.
Foreign guests who arrived at the Victory Day Parade on June 24, 1945
24 marshals, 249 generals, and about 40 thousand soldiers took part in the Parade. Water dripped from the helmets and visors. Everyone— privates and marshals alike, was soaked to the skin that morning. Many saw a symbolic meaning in this: a downpour cleanses from war, cleanses wounds. That's how I remember that happy day.
The rain in Moscow stopped only in the evening, and soon the fireworks that the country had become so fond of during the last months of the war thundered. Each of his volleys was perceived as a toast in honor of the victors and an offering to the fallen. A huge banner with the image of the Order of Victory appeared in the sky, raised on balloons. It was brightly illuminated by floodlights.
The Immortal Procession
The parade was filmed by front-line cameramen. We have prepared two documentaries, one in black and white and one in color. When they were submitted to Stalin for approval, he immediately noticed the director's blunder.: "Why aren't all the frontline commanders shown in the picture of the parade? Where did Bagramyan and Yeremenko go?" It was a fair rebuke: the cameramen had not filmed these generals. By that time, Baghramyan and his staff were in Riga, and Yeremenko was in Krakow. I had to finish shooting them for both color and black-and—white films - against the background of banners, in the same downpour. In the final version of the films, these glues are invisible.
Colonel-General V. I. Kuznetsov, Commander of the 3rd Shock Army, greets soldiers of the 1st Belorussian Front at the Victory Day Parade on Red Square on June 24, 1945
The Victory Day Parade of 1945 will never be forgotten. After all, this is the result of unprecedented exertion of forces in the army and in the rear, the result of almost four years of self-sacrifice. And — the immortal procession, the great army mystery, which has a deep meaning. Remembering this Parade, looking at the newsreel, we understand that the troops defending the Motherland and the truth are indestructible. A nation that is inseparable from its army cannot be defeated.
The author is the deputy editor—in-chief of the magazine "Historian"
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
