History of Victory Parades. Dossier

On June 24, 1945, at 10 a.m., a parade was held on Red Square in Moscow to commemorate the Victory of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany in the Great Patriotic War. The parade was hosted by the First Deputy People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR and Deputy Supreme Commander-in-Chief, Commander of the 1st Belorussian Front, Marshal of the Soviet Union G. K. Zhukov. The parade was commanded by the commander of the 2nd Belorussian Front, Marshal of the Soviet Union K. K. Rokossovsky .

On June 22, 1945, the order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief I.V. Stalin No. 370 was published in the central Soviet newspapers: “In commemoration of the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War, I appoint a parade of troops of the active army, the Navy, on June 24, 1945 in Moscow on Red Square Fleet and Moscow garrison - Victory Parade."

At the end of May and beginning of June, intensive preparations for the parade took place in Moscow. On the tenth day of June, the entire composition of the participants was dressed in a new dress uniform and began pre-holiday training. The rehearsal of the infantry units took place on Khodynskoye Field, in the area of the Central Airfield; on the Garden Ring, from the Crimean Bridge to Smolenskaya Square, a review of artillery units took place; motorized and armored vehicles conducted inspection training at the training ground in Kuzminki.

To participate in the celebration, consolidated regiments from each front operating at the end of the war were formed and trained, which were to be led by front commanders. It was decided to bring the Red Banner hoisted over the Reichstag from Berlin. The formation of the parade was determined in the order of the general line of the active fronts - from right to left. For each combined regiment, military marches were specially designated, which were especially loved by them.

The penultimate rehearsal of the Victory Parade took place at the Central Aerodrome, and the general rehearsal took place on Red Square. On June 22 at 10 a.m. Marshals of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov and K.K. Rokossovsky appeared on Red Square on white and black horses. After announcing the command “Parade, attention!” A roar of applause echoed across the square. Then the combined military orchestra of 1,400 musicians under the direction of Major General Sergei Chernetsky performed the anthem “Hail, Russian people!” M. I. Glinka. After this, the commander of the parade, Rokossovsky, gave a report on readiness for the start of the parade. The marshals toured the troops, returned to the Mausoleum of V.I. Lenin, and Zhukov, rising to the podium, on behalf and on behalf of the Soviet government and the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, congratulated “the valiant Soviet soldiers and all the people on the Great Victory over Nazi Germany.” The anthem of the Soviet Union sounded and the solemn march of troops began.

The combined regiments of the fronts, the People's Commissariat of Defense and the Navy, military academies, schools and units of the Moscow garrison took part in the Victory Parade. The combined regiments were staffed by privates, sergeants and officers of various branches of the military who had distinguished themselves in battle and had military orders. Following the regiments of the fronts and the Navy, a combined column of Soviet soldiers entered Red Square, carrying 200 banners of the Nazi troops, defeated on the battlefields, lowered to the ground. These banners were thrown to the foot of the Mausoleum to the beat of drums as a sign of the crushing defeat of the aggressor. Then units of the Moscow garrison marched in a solemn march: a combined regiment of the People's Commissariat of Defense, a military academy, military and Suvorov schools, a combined cavalry brigade, artillery, mechanized, airborne and tank units and subunits.

At 11 p.m., the sky over Moscow lit up with the light of searchlights, hundreds of balloons appeared in the air, and volleys of fireworks with multi-colored lights were heard from the ground. The culmination of the holiday was a banner with the image of the Order of Victory, which appeared high in the sky in the beams of searchlights.

The next day, June 25, a reception was held in the Grand Kremlin Palace in honor of the participants of the Victory Parade. After the grand celebration in Moscow, at the proposal of the Soviet government and the High Command, a small Parade of Allied Forces took place in Berlin in September 1945, in which Soviet, American, British and French troops took part.

Lit.: Belyaev I.N. In the parade line of the winners: Smolyan participants in the Victory Parades in Moscow. Smolensk, 1995; Varennikov V.I. Victory Parade. M., 2005; Gurevich Ya. A. 200 steps along Red Square: [Memoirs of a participant in the Victory Parades of 1945 and 1985]. Chisinau, 1989; Winners: Victory Parade June 24, 1945. T. 1-4. M., 2001-2006; Shtemenko S. M. Victory Parade // Military History Journal, 1968. No. 2.

See also in the Presidential Library:

Victory Parade (in the USSR) is a parade in Moscow, held on June 24, 1945, to commemorate the victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War.

On June 22, 1945, the order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief I.V. Stalin No. 370 was published in the central newspapers of the USSR:

To commemorate the victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War, I appoint a parade of troops of the Active Army, Navy and Moscow Garrison on June 24, 1945 in Moscow on Red Square - the Victory Parade.
Bring to the parade: consolidated regiments of the fronts, consolidated regiment of the People's Commissariat of Defense, consolidated regiment of the Navy, military academies, military schools and troops of the Moscow garrison.
The Victory Parade will be hosted by my Deputy Marshal of the Soviet Union Zhukov.
Command the Victory Parade to Marshal of the Soviet Union Rokossovsky.
I entrust general leadership for organizing the parade to the commander of the Moscow Military District and the head of the garrison of the city of Moscow, Colonel General Artemyev.

Supreme Commander-in-Chief,
Marshal of the Soviet Union
I. Stalin

The Supreme Commander-in-Chief ordered:

1. To participate in the parade in Moscow, in honor of the victory over Germany, select a consolidated regiment from the front.
2. Form the consolidated regiment according to the following calculation: five two-company battalions of 100 people each. in each company (10 squads of 10 people). In addition, 19 people. command staff based on the commander of regiment 1, deputy. commander of regiment 2 (combatant and political unit), chief of staff of regiment 1, battalion commanders 5, company commanders 10 and 36 people. flag bearers with 4 assistant officers; in the combined regiment there are 1059 people. and 10 people spares.
3. In a consolidated regiment, have six companies of infantry, one company of artillerymen, one company of tank crews, one company of pilots and one composite company - cavalrymen, sappers, signalmen.
4. The companies should be staffed so that the squad commanders are mid-level officers, and the squads are composed of privates and sergeants.
5. Personnel to participate in the parade shall be selected from among the soldiers and officers who have most distinguished themselves in battle and have military orders.
6. Arm the combined regiment with: three rifle companies - with rifles, three rifle companies - with machine guns, a company of artillerymen - with carbines on their backs, a company of tankers and a company of pilots - with pistols, a company of sappers, signalmen and cavalrymen - with carbines on their backs, cavalrymen, in addition - checkers.
7. The front commander and all army commanders, including the aviation and tank armies, will come to the parade.
8. The combined regiment arrive in Moscow on June 10 of this year, having with it thirty-six battle flags of the formations and units of the front that most distinguished themselves in battles and all the battle banners of the enemy formations and units captured in battles by the front troops, regardless of their number.
Ceremonial uniforms for the entire regiment will be issued in Moscow.

The General Staff was in charge of preparations. It’s a troublesome task, similar to a front-line operation: to select 40 thousand of the most distinguished soldiers from the troops and transfer them along with their equipment to Moscow by June 10. The railway workers drove the letter trains out of turn. But people had to not only be accommodated, but also dressed. The order was entrusted to the Bolshevichka factory, and city studios were also involved. The equipment was concentrated at the training ground in Kuzminki. The possibility of rain was taken into account: to prevent the horses from slipping, the paving stones in the square were sprinkled with tyrsa - a mixture of sand and sawdust. In honor of the parade, a 26-meter Fountain of Winners was erected at Lobnoye Mesto. Then it was removed. They thought it was ridiculous.

The parade was hosted by Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov. The parade was commanded by Marshal of the Soviet Union K.K. Rokossovsky. Zhukov and Rokossovsky rode across Red Square on white and black horses. JV Stalin watched the parade from the podium of the Lenin Mausoleum. Molotov, Kalinin, Voroshilov, Budyonny and other members of the Politburo were also present at the podium.

The first in the area was the consolidated regiment of Suvorov drummers, followed by the consolidated regiments of 11 fronts in the order of their location in the theater of military operations at the end of the war - from north to south - and the regiment of the Navy. Representatives of the Polish Army marched with the regiment of the 1st Belorussian Front in a special column.

Ahead of the regiments (each with 1,059 people) are the commanders of the fronts and armies. Banner bearers with assistants - Heroes of the Soviet Union - carried 36 banners of formations and units of each front that distinguished themselves in battle. And for each regiment, an orchestra of 1,400 musicians performed a special march.

The march of the combined regiments was completed by a column of soldiers carrying 200 lowered banners and standards of the defeated German troops. These banners were thrown to the beat of drums on a special platform at the foot of the Lenin Mausoleum. The first to be abandoned by Fyodor Legkoshkur was the Leibstandart LSSAH, the SS battalion of Hitler’s personal guard. The lowering of German flags was deliberately carried out with gloves on to emphasize disgust at the defeated enemy. After the parade, the gloves and wooden platform were ceremonially burned.

Marching along Red Square, the troops turned their heads towards the podium of the Mausoleum, and when passing by representatives of the Allies (who had delayed the opening of the second front for so long), they pointedly did not do this, keeping their heads straight.

Then units of the Moscow garrison marched in a solemn march: a combined regiment of the People's Commissariat of Defense, a military academy, military and Suvorov schools, a combined cavalry brigade, artillery, mechanized, airborne and tank units and subunits, a brigade of heavy tanks "Joseph Stalin-2" and medium-sized tanks. -34, recognized as the best tanks of World War II.

Regiments of self-propelled “hunter-killers” ISU-152, ISU-122 and SU-100, whose shells pierced right through the armor of both sides of the German “Tigers” and “Panthers”. Battalions of light SU-76, nicknamed “the death of four tankers.” Next came the famous Katyushas, artillery of all calibers: from 203 mm to 45 mm and mortars. The steel avalanche rolled across the area for 50 minutes! The parade lasted two hours and nine minutes.

A parade participant recalled: “With greedy interest, as we passed by the Mausoleum, I looked at Stalin’s face for several seconds without stopping. It was thoughtful, calm, tired and stern. And motionless. No one stood close to Stalin; there was some kind of space, a sphere, an exclusion zone around him. He stood alone. I didn’t experience any special feelings other than curiosity. The Supreme Commander was out of reach. I left Red Square inspired. The world was arranged correctly: we won. I felt like a part of the victorious people..."

2,500 guests were invited to the Kremlin reception on the occasion of the parade. On it, Stalin made his famous toast, which included the following words: “I drink, first of all, to the health of the Russian people because they are the most outstanding nation of all the nations that make up the Soviet Union... I raise a toast to the health Russian people not only because they are the leading people, but also because they have a clear mind, persistent character and patience... Thanks to them, the Russian people, for this trust!”

Stalin did not arrange such celebrations again either on June 24 or on May 9: he understood that the country needed to be restored. Only in 1965 did Victory Day become an official holiday in our country, and parades began to be held regularly on May 9. The Victory Parade is dedicated to a documentary film of the same name, shot in 1945, one of the first color films in the USSR.

Interesting Facts

# Zhukov's horse was a Terek breed of light gray color, and his name was Idol. There is a version that Marshal Zhukov’s horse was an Akhal-Teke breed, light gray in color, named Arab. It is this nickname that confuses many. It was with him that the Arab line began. However, this version has not been confirmed. Rokossovsky's horse was a purebred karak saddle horse. His nickname is Pole.
# The decision to hold the Victory Parade was made by Stalin in mid-May 1945 (May 24, 1945), almost immediately after the defeat of the last group of German troops that did not surrender on May 13.
# During the Victory Parade, it was continuous rain, even torrential, this is clearly visible on the newsreel. Many participants in the Victory Parade remember that rain. Due to heavy rain, the aerial part of the parade and the passage of columns of workers in the capital were canceled.

# The Victory Parade was hosted not by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief (Stalin), but by his deputy (Zhukov). S. M. Shtemenko, who was responsible for preparing the parade, argued that Zhukov should have hosted the parade initially. A number of sources claim that Stalin did not accept the parade due to the fact that he did not have sufficient horse riding skills. In the memoirs of Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov, “Memories and Reflections,” according to Stalin’s son Vasily, it is stated that just before the parade, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief tried to learn how to handle a horse, but it carried him and Stalin fell. This episode is missing from the first editions of the book.
# Marshal Zhukov, who hosted the parade, was accompanied by Major General Pyotr Pavlovich Zelensky on a white horse named Celebes. Marshal Rokossovsky, who commanded the parade, was accompanied by his adjutant, Lieutenant Colonel Klykov, on a horse named Eaglet.

# The enemy banners and standards thrown onto the platform at the Mausoleum were collected by captured SMERSH teams in May 1945. All of them were of an outdated 1935 model, taken from regimental storage areas and training camps (new ones were not made until the end of the war; the Germans never went into battle under the banners). The dismantled Leibstandart LSSAH is also an old model - 1935 (the panel from it is stored separately - in the FSB archive). In addition, among the banners there are almost two dozen Kaiser banners, mostly cavalry ones, as well as party flags, Hitler Youth, Labor Front, etc. All of them are now preserved in the Central Military District. Rumors that the “Vlasov tricolor” was among the overthrown trophies are not true. However, in the color version of the film you can clearly see how some White Guard banner (time 00:10:24) with the icon of the Savior is falling.
# The combined orchestra ended the parade with the melody of the “Patriotic Song” - a musical work that had previously been virtually banned for a long time.
# G. Zhukov immediately violated two ancient traditions, which prohibit traveling on horseback and with a bare head through the gates of the Kremlin’s Spasskaya Tower.

Victory salute over the Kremlin

Text from Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia.

70 years ago, on June 24, 1945, the Victory Parade took place on Red Square in Moscow. It was a triumph of the victorious Soviet people, who defeated Nazi Germany, which led the united forces of Europe in the Great Patriotic War.

The decision to hold a parade in honor of the victory over Germany was made by Supreme Commander-in-Chief Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin shortly after Victory Day - in mid-May 1945. Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Army General S.M. Shtemenko recalled: “The Supreme Commander-in-Chief ordered us to think over and report to him our thoughts on the parade to commemorate the victory over Nazi Germany, and indicated: “We need to prepare and hold a special parade. Let representatives of all fronts and all branches of the military take part in it..."

On May 24, 1945, the General Staff presented Joseph Stalin with its considerations for holding a “special parade.” The Supreme Commander accepted them, but postponed the date of the parade. The General Staff asked for two months to prepare. Stalin gave instructions to hold the parade in a month. On the same day, the commanders of the Leningrad, 1st and 2nd Belorussian, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Ukrainian Fronts received a directive from the Chief of the General Staff, Army General Alexei Innokentyevich Antonov, to hold a parade:

The Supreme Commander-in-Chief ordered:

1. To participate in the parade in the city of Moscow in honor of the victory over Germany, select a consolidated regiment from the front.

2. Form the consolidated regiment according to the following calculation: five two-company battalions of 100 people in each company (ten squads of 10 people). In addition, 19 command personnel consisting of: regiment commander - 1, deputy regiment commanders - 2 (combatant and political), regimental chief of staff - 1, battalion commanders - 5, company commanders - 10 and 36 flag bearers with 4 assistant officers. In total there are 1059 people in the combined regiment and 10 reserve people.

3. In a consolidated regiment, have six companies of infantry, one company of artillerymen, one company of tank crews, one company of pilots and one composite company (cavalrymen, sappers, signalmen).

4. The companies should be staffed so that the squad commanders are mid-level officers, and in each squad there are privates and sergeants.

5. Personnel to participate in the parade shall be selected from among the soldiers and officers who have most distinguished themselves in battle and have military orders.

6. Arm the combined regiment with: three rifle companies - with rifles, three rifle companies - with machine guns, a company of artillerymen - with carbines on their backs, a company of tankers and a company of pilots - with pistols, a company of sappers, signalmen and cavalrymen - with carbines on their backs, cavalrymen, in addition - checkers.

7. The front commander and all commanders, including the aviation and tank armies, arrive at the parade.

8. The consolidated regiment arrive in Moscow on June 10, 1945, with 36 combat banners, the most distinguished formations and units of the front in battles, and all enemy banners captured in battle, regardless of their number.

9. Ceremonial uniforms for the entire regiment will be issued in Moscow.

Defeated standards of Hitler's troops

Ten combined regiments of the fronts and a combined regiment of the Navy were supposed to participate in the festive event. Students of military academies, cadets of military schools and troops of the Moscow garrison, as well as military equipment, including aircraft, were also involved in the parade. At the same time, the troops that existed as of May 9, 1945 of seven more fronts of the USSR Armed Forces did not take part in the parade: Transcaucasian Front, Far Eastern Front, Transbaikal Front, Western Air Defense Front, Central Air Defense Front, Southwestern Air Defense Front and Transcaucasian Air Defense Front.

The troops immediately began creating consolidated regiments. The fighters for the country's main parade were meticulously selected. First of all, they took those who showed heroism, courage and military skill in battles. Qualities such as height and age mattered. For example, in the order for the troops of the 1st Belorussian Front dated May 24, 1945, it was noted that height should be no lower than 176 cm, and age should not be older than 30 years.

At the end of May the regiments were formed. According to the order of May 24, the combined regiment was supposed to have 1059 people and 10 reserve people, but in the end the number was increased to 1465 people and 10 reserve people. The commanders of the combined regiments were determined to be:

From the Karelian Front - Major General G. E. Kalinovsky;
- from Leningradsky - Major General A. T. Stupchenko;
- from the 1st Baltic - Lieutenant General A.I. Lopatin;
- from the 3rd Belorussian - Lieutenant General P.K. Koshevoy;
- from the 2nd Belorussian - Lieutenant General K. M. Erastov;
- from the 1st Belorussian - Lieutenant General I.P. Rosly;
- from the 1st Ukrainian - Major General G.V. Baklanov;
- from the 4th Ukrainian - Lieutenant General A. L. Bondarev;
- from the 2nd Ukrainian - Guard Lieutenant General I. M. Afonin;
- from the 3rd Ukrainian - Guard Lieutenant General N.I. Biryukov;
- from the Navy - Vice Admiral V. G. Fadeev.

The Victory Parade was hosted by Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov. The parade was commanded by Marshal of the Soviet Union Konstantin Konstantinovich Rokossovsky. The entire organization of the parade was led by the commander of the Moscow Military District and the head of the Moscow garrison, Colonel General Pavel Artemyevich Artemyev.

Marshal G.K. Zhukov accepts the Victory Parade in Moscow

During the organization of the parade, a number of problems had to be solved in a very short time. So, if students of military academies, cadets of military schools in the capital and soldiers of the Moscow garrison had ceremonial uniforms, then thousands of front-line soldiers needed to sew them. This problem was solved by garment factories in Moscow and the Moscow region. And the responsible task of preparing ten standards, under which the combined regiments were to march, was entrusted to a unit of military builders. However, their project was rejected. In an emergency, we turned to specialists from the Bolshoi Theater art and production workshops for help. The head of the art and props shop, V. Terzibashyan, and the head of the metalworking and mechanical shop, N. Chistyakov, coped with the assigned task. A horizontal metal pin with “golden” spiers at the ends was attached to a vertical oak shaft with a silver wreath, which framed a gold five-pointed star. On it hung a double-sided scarlet velvet panel of the standard, bordered with gold patterned hand lettering and with the name of the front. Individual heavy golden tassels fell along the sides. This sketch was accepted. Hundreds of order ribbons, which crowned the staffs of 360 battle flags, which were carried at the head of the combined regiments, were also made in the workshops of the Bolshoi Theater. Each banner represented a military unit or formation that had distinguished itself in battle, and each of the ribbons commemorated a collective feat, marked by a military order. Most of the banners were guards.

By June 10, special trains carrying parade participants began arriving in the capital. In total, 24 marshals, 249 generals, 2,536 officers, 31,116 privates and sergeants took part in the parade. Hundreds of military equipment were prepared for the parade. The training took place at the Central Airfield named after M.V. Frunze. Soldiers and officers trained for 6-7 hours every day. And all this for the sake of three and a half minutes of immaculate march across Red Square. The parade participants were the first in the army to be awarded the medal “For Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945,” established on May 9, 1945.

At the direction of the General Staff, about 900 units of captured banners and standards were delivered to Moscow from Berlin and Dresden. Of these, 200 banners and standards were selected and placed under guard in a special room. On the day of the parade, they were taken in covered trucks to Red Square and handed over to the soldiers of the parade company of “porters.” Soviet soldiers carried enemy banners and standards with gloves, emphasizing that it was disgusting to even hold the poles of these symbols in your hands. At the parade, they will be thrown onto a special platform so that the standards do not touch the pavement of the sacred Red Square. Hitler's personal standard will be thrown first, the last - the banner of Vlasov's army. Later this platform and gloves will be burned.

The parade was planned to begin with the removal of the Victory Banner, which was delivered to the capital on June 20 from Berlin. However, the standard bearer Neustroyev and his assistants Egorov, Kantaria and Berest, who hoisted it above the Reichstag and sent to Moscow, went extremely poorly at the rehearsals. During the war there was no time for drill training. The same battalion commander of the 150th Idritso-Berlin Rifle Division, Stepan Neustroev, had several wounds and his legs were damaged. As a result, they refused to carry out the Victory Banner. By order of Marshal Zhukov, the banner was transferred to the Central Museum of the Armed Forces. The Victory Banner was brought to the parade for the first time in 1965.

Victory parade. Standard bearers

Victory parade. Formation of sailors

Victory parade. Formation of tank officers

Kuban Cossacks

On June 22, 1945, order No. 370 of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief was published in the central newspapers of the Union:

Order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief

“In commemoration of the victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War, I appoint a parade of troops of the active army, the Navy and the Moscow garrison on June 24, 1945 in Moscow on Red Square - the Victory Parade.

Bring the combined front regiments, the combined regiment of the People's Commissariat of Defense, the combined regiment of the Navy, military academies, military schools and troops of the Moscow garrison to the parade.

The Victory Parade will be hosted by my Deputy Marshal of the Soviet Union Zhukov.

Command the Victory Parade to Marshal of the Soviet Union Rokossovsky.

I entrust general leadership for organizing the parade to the commander of the Moscow Military District and the head of the garrison of the city of Moscow, Colonel General Artemyev.”

Supreme Commander
Marshal of the Soviet Union I. Stalin.

The morning of June 24 turned out to be rainy. Fifteen minutes before the parade started, it started to rain. The weather improved only in the evening. Because of this, the aviation part of the parade and the passage of Soviet workers were canceled. At exactly 10 o'clock, with the Kremlin chimes striking, Marshal Zhukov rode out onto Red Square on a white horse. At 10:50 a.m. the troop detour began. The Grand Marshal alternately greeted the soldiers of the combined regiments and congratulated the Parade participants on the victory over Germany. The troops responded with a mighty “Hurray!” Having toured the regiments, Georgy Konstantinovich rose to the podium. The Marshal congratulated the Soviet people and their valiant armed forces on their victory. Then the USSR anthem was played, performed by 1,400 military musicians, 50 artillery salutes thundered, and three times the Russian “Hurray!” echoed over the square.

The ceremonial march of the victorious soldiers was opened by the commander of the parade, Marshal of the Soviet Union Rokossovsky. He was followed by a group of young drummers, students of the 2nd Moscow Military Music School. Behind them came the consolidated regiments of the fronts in the order in which they were located during the Great Patriotic War, from north to south. The first was the regiment of the Karelian Front, then the Leningrad, 1st Baltic, 3rd Belorussian, 2nd Belorussian, 1st Belorussian (there was a group of soldiers of the Polish Army), 1st Ukrainian, 4th Ukrainian, 2nd th Ukrainian and 3rd Ukrainian fronts. The combined regiment of the Navy brought up the rear of the solemn procession.

The movement of the troops was accompanied by a huge orchestra of 1,400 people. Each combined regiment marches through its own battle march almost without pause. Then the orchestra fell silent and 80 drums beat in silence. A group of soldiers appeared carrying 200 lowered banners and standards of the defeated German troops. They threw banners onto the wooden platforms near the Mausoleum. The stands exploded with applause. It was an act full of sacred meaning, a kind of sacred rite. The symbols of Hitler’s Germany, and therefore of “European Union 1,” were defeated. Soviet civilization has proven its superiority over the West.

After this the orchestra started playing again. Units of the Moscow garrison, a combined regiment of the People's Commissariat of Defense, students of military academies and cadets of military schools marched across Red Square. Closing the march were students of the Suvorov schools, the future of the victorious Red Empire.

Heavy tanks IS-2 pass through Red Square during the parade in honor of the Victory on June 24, 1945

The parade lasted 2 hours in heavy rain. However, this did not bother people and did not spoil the holiday. The orchestras played and the celebration continued. Late in the evening the fireworks began. At 23:00, out of 100 balloons raised by anti-aircraft gunners, 20 thousand missiles flew in volleys. Thus ended this great day. On June 25, 1945, a reception was held in the Grand Kremlin Palace in honor of the participants of the Victory Parade.

It was a real triumph of the victorious people, of Soviet civilization. The Soviet Union survived and won the most terrible war in mankind. Our people and army defeated the most effective military machine in the Western world. They destroyed the terrible embryo of the “New World Order” - the “Eternal Reich”, in which they planned to destroy the entire Slavic world and enslave humanity. Unfortunately, this victory, like others, did not last forever. New generations of Russian people will again have to stand in the fight against world evil and defeat it.

As Russian President Vladimir Putin quite rightly noted in his written address addressed to visitors to the exhibition “Victory Parade of June 24, 1945,” which opened at the State Historical Museum on the eve of the 55th anniversary of the Victory Parade: “We must not forget about this strong parade. Historical memory is the key to a worthy future for Russia. We must adopt the main thing from the heroic generation of front-line soldiers - the habit of winning. This habit is very necessary in our peaceful life today. It will help the current generation build a strong, stable and prosperous Russia. I am confident that the spirit of the Great Victory will continue to preserve our Motherland in the new, 21st century.”

On June 24, 1945, the legendary first Victory Parade took place in Moscow. On that rainy day on Red Square, the capital honored the winners of fascism. The parade was commanded by Marshal of the Soviet Union K.K. Rokossovsky, and hosted by Marshal G.K. Zhukov.

In theory, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief was to take over the parade on a white horse, i.e. I.V. Stalin, but as the leader’s son, Vasily, later told Zhukov, Stalin supposedly was supposed to host the parade himself, but while training, fell from his horse and, citing the fact that he was “already too old to host parades,” entrusted this matter to Zhukov.

An interesting detail: marching along Red Square, our troops turned their heads towards the trumpet of the Mausoleum, greeting and saluting the Politburo, and when passing by representatives of the Allies (who had delayed the opening of the second front for so long), no matter how demonstratively they did this, keeping their heads straight.

~40,000 people were involved in the first Victory Parade. According to the recollections of the participants, the main task of the marchers was not to lose their stride and keep the line. To do this, those walking nearby clasped their little fingers with each other, which made it possible to walk more harmoniously.

It is also curious that the gloves of the standard bearers, who threw 200 captured German banners onto special platforms at the Mausoleum (Hitler’s personal standard was thrown first), were burned after the Parade, as were the platforms themselves. This is disinfection from the fascist infection.

It is not clear why, having held such a grandiose parade in 1945, Stalin no longer organized similar celebrations on either June 24 or May 9. It was only in 1965 that Victory Day became an official holiday in our country and parades began to be held regularly on May 9.

The first Victory Parade was filmed by numerous photographers and was also filmed, incl. and on color trophy film (video links are also attached).

ORDER OF THE SUPREME COMMANDER-CHIEF

“In commemoration of the victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War, I appoint a parade of troops of the active Army, Navy and Moscow garrison on June 24, 1945 in Moscow on Red Square - the Victory Parade.

Bring to the parade: consolidated regiments of the fronts, consolidated regiment of the People's Commissariat of Defense, consolidated regiment of the Navy, military academies, military schools and troops of the Moscow garrison.

The Victory Parade will be hosted by my Deputy Marshal of the Soviet Union Zhukov. Marshal of the Soviet Union Rokossovsky will command the victory parade. I entrust general leadership for organizing the parade to the commander of the Moscow Military District and the head of the garrison of the city of Moscow, Colonel General Artemyev."

Supreme Commander
Marshal of the Soviet Union
I. Stalin
June 22, 1945. N 370

Marshals Zhukov and Rokossovsky on horseback. Manezhnaya Square
(on the left is Zholtovsky’s house, where the American Embassy was, in the background is the National Hotel):

Georgy Zhukov listens to the report of Konstantin Rokossovsky:

These guys won the war
(probably not even 20):

And their "fathers-commanders"

Tankers at the Victory Parade:

Sailors at the Victory Parade:

Kuban Cossacks at the Victory Parade:

Artillerymen and their guns at the National Hotel are preparing to enter Red Square
(on the site of the house to the right of the hotel, the now broken Intourist will later be built):

Memoirs of an old Muscovite who took part in the first Victory Parade:

“The day of June 24, 1945, when the Victory Parade took place, unfortunately turned out to be cloudy, it has been raining since morning. On Red Square, occupied by the consolidated regiments, we were positioned next to the Execution Ground, on which for some reason a fountain was built. It worked and made a lot of noise, the jets rose up to twenty meters, and this, together with the rain, created the impression that streams of water were falling on you. However, it was difficult to cool our excited mood!

Was published yesterday order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief on the Victory Parade, and we finally officially learned that G.K. will host the parade. Zhukov, and commanded by K.K. Rokossovsky. Many of us thought that Stalin might be the host. I also admitted this idea, but it was not entirely clear what he would look like on a horse. This parade has been described many times and formally, so for me its everyday details, perceived from the point of view of an ordinary participant, are of intrinsic value; they make this event mine.

The consolidated shelves stood on the square in relation to the Mausoleum in two rows: the 1st row corresponded to the northern half of the former Soviet-German front, the second - to the south. Our combined Navy regiment stood behind the regiment of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, that is, in the second row (behind us was already a company carrying enemy banners and battle relics). So we could see the back of the first row. I was delighted by the magnificent spontaneity of the front-line soldiers: hidden from the eyes of their superiors, some of them managed to quietly smoke in their fists, and one, apparently tired of standing, even took off his helmet and, placing it on the pavement, sat down. From the cadet's point of view, such liberties were impossible.

Until the “ceremonial march” began, I kept glancing at the German banners and especially at Hitler's personal standard. We saw these priceless trophies for the first time, and their spectacle was amazing. It was impossible to take your eyes off the dazzling whiteness of the silk of the flag banners touching the wet, almost black paving stones of Red Square. The white color on the banners was an unexpected dominant feature. I thought that red and black should prevail, as on the former state flag of Hitler's Third Empire.

After Zhukov’s speech, the performance of the anthem and the roar of artillery salute the passage of troops began. I really wanted to get a better look at Stalin. With greedy interest, as we passed by the Mausoleum, I stared at his face for several seconds. It was thoughtful, calm, tired and stern. And motionless. The pockmarks on the cheeks were very clearly visible. No one stood close to Stalin; there was some kind of space, a sphere, an exclusion zone around him. And this despite the fact that there were a lot of people at the Mausoleum. He stood alone. I looked at him for these few seconds, turning my head to the right in alignment, raising my chin and touching my neighbor in the line with my elbow so that the line would in no case lose its ideal straightness. I didn’t experience any special feelings other than curiosity. The Supreme Commander-in-Chief was unattainable.

As soon as our regiment passed the Mausoleum, the orchestra fell silent, and a thunderous crash of drums was heard over the quiet square. The culmination of the parade came: the banners of defeated Germany were thrown onto the wooden platforms at the foot of the Mausoleum, to its stands, and to Stalin.

Radio report from the Victory Parade led by well-known writers, poets and journalists: Sun. Ivanov, A. Tvardovsky, L. Kassil and several more people. The passage of our regiment was commented on by the author of "Optimistic Tragedy" and the film script "We are from Kronstadt" Vs.Vit.Vishnevsky. Of course, during the march, fragments of phrases from the speakers reached my ears, but my attention was not focused on them. The text of that comment was later published. It contains these words:

“A battalion of naval school cadets is coming - future officers of the USSR Large Fleet, those who will lead ships into the open ocean, those who will show the USSR flag in the waters and ports of the whole world. Greetings to you, who shed blood in the battles for Russia!”

From Red Square I left inspired. The world was arranged correctly: we won. I felt like a part of the victorious people, and what could be sweeter than the feeling of fulfilled duty!

We were soaked to the skin: having taken off the flannel, I saw with some sadness that the new snow-white uniform underneath was covered in purple stains on the shoulders and chest, but the vest was fine, just wet. At lunch we received a festive "one hundred grams", and then we received parcels from American Christian Baptists. Of course, this was pleasant, despite the fact that the boxes had previously been opened (they said that either special officers or political officers confiscated the Bibles).

The parcels contained: a pack of Old Gold cigarettes, Pearl soap, candy, a chocolate bar, granulated sugar, a small towel and some other small items. It made us all laugh that many of the packages contained knitting needles and white gloves. This somehow resonated with my idea of the allies: well, which of us will knit during the war, we must fight! They don't quite understand what war is. And white gloves, not our cut, were of no use: they may be comfortable to play golf in, but we have nowhere to put them (we wear white thread gloves to the parade, but these American ones have a completely different cut and shade). So, most of all, I was happy with the cigarettes, and my mother, as I noticed when I got home, was happy with the granulated sugar, although she and Nonna said that they weren’t interested in the package at all, what was important was that I was home, at least for a little while.

The next day, a parade was organized for the parade participants. the reception at which Stalin made his famous toast about the patience of the Russian people. Naturally, the authorities were invited to the reception, and even then not all of them, and by order of the People's Commissar of the Navy, we were thanked, which, frankly speaking, is very dear to me.

There were two receptions in honor of the Victory: May 24 and June 25, 1945, both of them took place in the St. George Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace. Stalin made his famous toast about the patience of the Russian people at the first one.

It was written incredibly quickly a huge painting dedicated to this significant reception, I saw her in the Tretyakov Gallery later, in September or November. If my memory serves me correctly, it was called “For the Russian People!” At a huge table in the St. George's Hall of the Kremlin, Stalin, Molotov, Beria, Zhukov, all the marshals, members of the Politburo and Council of People's Commissars, commanders of fronts and fleets, and in general all the celebrities of that time are depicted with photographic precision. Some kind of hard bluish radiation emanated from the painting. There were no people in the painting... It’s a pity that this painting is not on display; it managed to retain the hypnotic charm of that year.

After the second reception, on June 26, 1945, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the military rank of Generalissimo of the Soviet Union was introduced, and on June 27, 1945, this title was awarded to Stalin.

The painting occupied the entire hall. The visitors spoke only in whispers and moved around the hall almost on tiptoe: the picture was overwhelming. A whole range of thoughts were born - from admiration for the splendor of the victory, to... to “to whom is war, and to whom is a mother.” It was this picture that involuntarily and gradually led me ultimately to the idea that for Stalin it, the war, was “native mother.” But this understanding came much later."

Today marks the 70th anniversary of the legendary Victory Parade! It was a brilliant idea - Zhukov and Rokossovsky on horseback, these enemy banners thrown onto the square at the foot of the mausoleum...
On June 24, 1945, the Victory Parade took place in Moscow

Victory Parade in Moscow on Red Square on June 24, 1945
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69 years ago, on June 24, 1945, the Victory Parade took place on Red Square in Moscow - a historical parade to commemorate the victory of the USSR over Nazi Germany in the Great Patriotic War.

The Victory Parade in Moscow on Red Square on June 24, 1945 is a historical parade commemorating the victory of the USSR over Nazi Germany in the Great Patriotic War. The parade was hosted by Deputy Supreme Commander-in-Chief, Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Zhukov. The parade was commanded by Marshal of the Soviet Union Konstantin Rokossovsky.
The decision to hold a parade of winners was made by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the USSR Armed Forces, Joseph Stalin, shortly after Victory Day. On May 24, 1945, he was informed of the General Staff's proposals for holding the Victory Parade. He accepted them, but did not agree with the timing. The General Staff allocated two months to prepare the parade; Stalin ordered the parade to be held in a month.
The first Parade of Winners on Red Square in Moscow. Filming 1945
On June 22, 1945, the order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Stalin No. 370 was published in the central Soviet newspapers: “In commemoration of the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War, I appoint a parade of troops of the active army, the Navy and the Moscow garrison on June 24, 1945 in Moscow on Red Square - Victory parade".
At the end of May - beginning of June, intensive preparations for the parade took place in Moscow. Horses were selected in advance for the host of the parade and the commander of the parade: for Marshal Georgy Zhukov - a white light gray color of the Terek breed, nicknamed "Idol", for Marshal Konstantin Rokossovsky - a black krak color named "Polyus".
To produce ten standards, under which the combined front regiments were to parade, they turned to specialists from the Bolshoi Theater art and production workshops for help. Also, in the workshops of the Bolshoi Theater, hundreds of order ribbons were made, crowning the poles of 360 military banners. Each banner represented a military unit or formation that had distinguished itself in battle, and each of the ribbons commemorated a collective feat, marked by a military order. Most of the banners were guards.
On the tenth day of June, the entire parade participants were dressed in new dress uniforms and began pre-holiday training.
The rehearsal of the infantry units took place on Khodynskoye Field, in the area of the Central Airfield; on the Garden Ring, from the Crimean Bridge to Smolenskaya Square, a review of artillery units took place; motorized and armored vehicles conducted inspection training at the training ground in Kuzminki.
To participate in the celebration, consolidated regiments from each front operating at the end of the war were formed and trained, which were to be led by front commanders. The formation of the parade was determined in the order of the general line of the active fronts - from right to left. For each combined regiment, military marches were specially designated, which were especially loved by them.
The penultimate rehearsal of the Victory Parade took place at the Central Aerodrome, and the general rehearsal took place on Red Square.
The morning of June 24, 1945 was cloudy and rainy. By nine o'clock, the granite stands at the Kremlin wall were filled with deputies of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and the RSFSR, workers of the People's Commissariats, cultural figures, participants in the anniversary session of the USSR Academy of Sciences, workers of Moscow factories and factories, hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church, foreign diplomats and numerous foreign guests. At 9.45, members of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party, headed by Joseph Stalin, went up to the Mausoleum.
The commander of the parade, Konstantin Rokossovsky, took a place to move towards the host of the parade, Georgy Zhukov. At 10.00, with the striking of the Kremlin chimes, Georgy Zhukov rode out to Red Square on a white horse.
After the announcement of the command "Parade, attention!" A roar of applause echoed across the square. Then the combined military orchestra of 1,400 musicians under the direction of Major General Sergei Chernetsky performed the anthem “Hail, Russian people!” Mikhail Glinka. After this, the commander of the parade, Rokossovsky, gave a report on readiness for the start of the parade. The marshals toured the troops, returned to the Mausoleum of V.I. Lenin, and Zhukov, rising to the podium, on behalf of and on behalf of the Soviet government and the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, congratulated “the valiant Soviet soldiers and all the people on the Great Victory over Nazi Germany.” The anthem of the Soviet Union sounded, 50 volleys of artillery salute rang out, three times “Hurray!” rang out over the square, and the solemn march of the troops began.
The combined regiments of the fronts, the People's Commissariat of Defense and the Navy, military academies, schools and units of the Moscow garrison took part in the Victory Parade. The combined regiments were staffed by privates, sergeants and officers of various branches of the military who had distinguished themselves in battle and had military orders. Following the regiments of the fronts and the Navy, a combined column of Soviet soldiers entered Red Square, carrying 200 banners of the Nazi troops, defeated on the battlefields, lowered to the ground. These banners were thrown to the foot of the Mausoleum to the beat of drums as a sign of the crushing defeat of the aggressor. Then units of the Moscow garrison marched in a solemn march: a combined regiment of the People's Commissariat of Defense, a military academy, military and Suvorov schools, a combined cavalry brigade, artillery, mechanized, airborne and tank units and subunits. The parade ended on Red Square with the march of the combined orchestra.
The parade lasted two hours (122 minutes) in pouring rain. It was attended by 24 marshals, 249 generals, 2,536 other officers, 31,116 sergeants and soldiers.
At 11 p.m., out of 100 balloons raised by anti-aircraft gunners, 20 thousand missiles flew in volleys. The culmination of the holiday was a banner with the image of the Order of Victory, which appeared high in the sky in the beams of searchlights.
The next day, June 25, a reception was held in the Grand Kremlin Palace in honor of the participants of the Victory Parade. After the grand celebration in Moscow, at the proposal of the Soviet government and the High Command, a small Parade of Allied Forces took place in Berlin in September 1945, in which Soviet, American, British and French troops took part.

11 little-known facts about the legendary June 24, 1945 parade

The parade included 24 marshals, 249 generals, 2,536 officers, 31,116 privates and sergeants. More than 1,850 pieces of military equipment passed through Red Square.
1. The Victory Parade was hosted by Marshal Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov, not Stalin. A week before the parade day, Stalin called Zhukov to his dacha and asked if the marshal had forgotten how to ride a horse. He has to drive staff cars more and more. Zhukov replied that he had not forgotten how to do it and in his spare time he tried to ride a horse.
“That’s it,” said the Supreme Commander, “you will have to host the Victory Parade.” Rokossovsky will command the parade.
Zhukov was surprised, but didn’t show it:
– Thank you for such an honor, but wouldn’t it be better for you to host the parade?
And Stalin told him:
“I’m too old to host parades.” Take it, you are younger.
The next day, Zhukov went to the Central Airfield on the former Khodynka - a parade rehearsal was taking place there - and met with Vasily, Stalin’s son. And it was here that Vasily amazed the marshal. He told me in confidence that my father himself was going to host the parade. I ordered Marshal Budyonny to prepare a suitable horse and went to Khamovniki, to the main army riding arena on Chudovka, as Komsomolsky Prospekt was called then. There, the army cavalrymen set up their magnificent arena - a huge, high hall, covered in large mirrors. It was here that Stalin came on June 16, 1945 to shake off the old days and check whether the horseman’s skills had not been lost over time. At a sign from Budyonny, they brought the snow-white horse and helped Stalin into the saddle. Gathering the reins in his left hand, which always remained bent at the elbow and only half active, which is why the evil tongues of his party comrades called the leader “Sukhorukiy,” Stalin spurred the restive horse - and he rushed off...
The rider fell out of the saddle and, despite the thick layer of sawdust, hit his side and head painfully... Everyone rushed to him and helped him up. Budyonny, a timid man, looked at the leader with fear... But there were no consequences.
2. The Victory Banner, brought to Moscow on June 20, 1945, was to be carried across Red Square. And the crew of the flag bearers was specially trained. The Keeper of the Banner at the Museum of the Soviet Army, A. Dementyev, argued: the flag bearer Neustroyev and his assistants Egorov, Kantaria and Berest, who hoisted it over the Reichstag and were sent to Moscow, went through the rehearsal extremely unsuccessfully - they had no time for drill training in the war. By the age of 22, Neustroev had five wounds and his legs were damaged. Appointing other standard bearers is absurd and too late. Zhukov decided not to carry the Banner. Therefore, contrary to popular belief, there was no Banner at the Victory Parade. The first time the Banner was carried out at the parade was in 1965.
3. The question has arisen more than once: why does the Banner lack a strip 73 centimeters long and 3 centimeters wide, since the panels of all assault flags were cut the same size? There are two versions. First: he tore off the strip and took it as a souvenir on May 2, 1945, who was on the roof of the Reichstag, Private Alexander Kharkov, a Katyusha gunner from the 92nd Guards Mortar Regiment. But how could he know that this particular chintz cloth, one of several, would become the Victory Banner?
Second version: The banner was kept in the political department of the 150th Infantry Division. Mostly women worked there, who began to be demobilized in the summer of 1945. They decided to keep a souvenir for themselves, cut off a strip and divided it into pieces. This version is the most likely: in the early 70s, a woman came to the Museum of the Soviet Army, told this story and showed her scrap.
4. Everyone saw the footage of fascist banners being thrown at the foot of the Mausoleum. But it is curious that the soldiers carried 200 banners and standards of the defeated German units with gloves, emphasizing that it was disgusting to even take the shafts of these standards into your hands. And they threw them onto a special platform so that the standards would not touch the pavement of Red Square. Hitler’s personal standard was thrown first, the last was the banner of Vlasov’s army. And in the evening of the same day, the platform and all the gloves were burned.
5. The directive on preparations for the parade was sent to the troops within a month, at the end of May. And the exact date of the parade was determined by the time required for Moscow garment factories to sew 10 thousand sets of ceremonial uniforms for soldiers, and the time required for sewing uniforms for officers and generals in the atelier.
6. To participate in the Victory Parade, it was necessary to go through a strict selection: not only feats and merits were taken into account, but also the appearance corresponding to the appearance of the victorious warrior, and that the warrior was at least 170 cm tall. It is not for nothing that in the newsreels all the participants in the parade are simply handsome , especially pilots. Going to Moscow, the lucky ones did not yet know that they would have to practice drill for 10 hours a day for three and a half minutes of flawless march along Red Square.
7. Fifteen minutes before the start of the parade, it began to rain, turning into downpour. It only cleared up in the evening. Because of this, the aerial part of the parade was cancelled. Standing on the podium of the Mausoleum, Stalin was dressed in a raincoat and rubber boots, depending on the weather. But the marshals were soaked through. Rokossovsky's wet ceremonial uniform, when dry, shrunk so that it turned out to be impossible to take it off - he had to rip it open.
8. Zhukov’s ceremonial speech survived. It is interesting that in its margins someone carefully wrote down all the intonations with which the marshal was supposed to pronounce this text. The most interesting notes: “quieter, more severe” - in the words: “Four years ago, Nazi hordes of bandits attacked our country”; “louder, with increasing intensity” - on the boldly underlined phrase: “The Red Army, under the leadership of its brilliant commander, launched a decisive offensive.” And here it is: “quieter, more penetrating” - starting with the sentence “We won the victory at the cost of heavy sacrifices.”
9. Few people know that there were four epoch-making parades in 1945. The first in importance, undoubtedly, is the Victory Parade on June 24, 1945 on Red Square in Moscow. The parade of Soviet troops in Berlin took place on May 4, 1945 at the Brandenburg Gate, and was hosted by the military commandant of Berlin, General N. Berzarin.
The Allied Victory Parade was held in Berlin on September 7, 1945. This was Zhukov’s proposal after the Moscow Victory Parade. A combined regiment of a thousand men and armored units participated from each allied nation. But the 52 IS-2 tanks from our 2nd Guards Tank Army aroused general admiration.
The Victory Parade of Soviet troops in Harbin on September 16, 1945 was reminiscent of the first parade in Berlin: our soldiers marched in field uniform. Tanks and self-propelled guns brought up the rear of the column.
10. After the parade on June 24, 1945, Victory Day was not widely celebrated and was an ordinary working day. Only in 1965 did Victory Day become a public holiday. After the collapse of the USSR, Victory Parades were not held until 1995.
11) Why was one dog carried in the arms of a Stalinist overcoat at the Victory Parade on June 24, 1945?
During World War II, trained dogs actively helped sappers clear mines. One of them, nicknamed Dzhulbars, discovered 7,468 mines and more than 150 shells while clearing mines in European countries in the last year of the war. Shortly before the Victory Parade in Moscow on June 24, Dzhulbars was injured and could not participate in the military dog school. Then Stalin ordered the dog to be carried across Red Square on his overcoat.
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By the way, now (23-50) “Culture” is showing that same Parade.