The 147th Automobile Base is a motor transport depot of the

Russian Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (, ), commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military forces of Russia. In terms of active-duty personnel, they are the world's fifth-largest military force, with at least two m ...

, subordinated directly to the

Ministry of Defense {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in state ...

, whose task is to provide vehicles for the military command of the MoD, as well as servicing foreign military delegations, and the leadership of

military district Military districts (also called military regions) are formations of a state's armed forces (often of the Army) which are responsible for a certain area of territory. They are often more responsible for administrative than operational matters, and ...

s/fleets of the Russian Navy arriving in Moscow on a service need at the request of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces.

History

Creation and early years

On 25 October 1918, the Communication Service was formed via an order of the

Revolutionary Military Council The Revolutionary Military Council (russian: Революционный Военный Совет, Revolyutsionny Voyenny Sovyet, Revolutionary Military Council), sometimes called the Revolutionary War Council Brian PearceIntroductionto Fyodor ...

to be used for the expedition of mail and official correspondence from its headquarters. On

International Workers Day International Workers' Day, also known as Labour Day in some countries and often referred to as May Day, is a celebration of labourers and the working classes that is promoted by the international labour movement and occurs every year on 1 May, ...

in 1922, servicemen of the garage unit took its first military oath during the

military parade A military parade is a formation of soldiers whose movement is restricted by close-order manoeuvering known as drilling or marching. The military parade is now almost entirely ceremonial, though soldiers from time immemorial up until the lat ...

Red Square Red Square ( rus, Красная площадь, Krasnaya ploshchad', ˈkrasnəjə ˈploɕːətʲ) is one of the oldest and largest squares in Moscow, the capital of Russia. Owing to its historical significance and the adjacent historical bui ...

. By the end of the 1930s, it was renamed to the automobile bases of the People's Commissariat of Defense and had become larger under Armored Directorate of the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...

. In 1938, construction began on its present-day headquarters on 9 Presnensky Val Street, a unique six-story building in which cars on all floors could enter and exit at the same time, designed by architect Mikhail Minkus.

Second World War

Just before the start of the

Great Patriotic War The Eastern Front of World War II was a Theater (warfare), theatre of conflict between the European Axis powers against the Soviet Union (USSR), Polish Armed Forces in the East, Poland and other Allies of World War II, Allies, which encom ...

, the motor depot formed several convoys to send to the front, ensuring the transportation of representatives of the

State Defense Committee The State Defense Committee (russian: Государственный комитет обороны - ГКО, translit=Gosudarstvennyĭ komitet oborony - GKO) was an extraordinary organ of state power in the USSR during the German-Soviet War (Gre ...

in the battlefield. On 13 May 1944, the

Presidium of the Supreme Soviet The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet (russian: Президиум Верховного Совета, Prezidium Verkhovnogo Soveta) was a body of state power in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).Order of the Red Star The Order of the Red Star (russian: Орден Красной Звезды, Orden Krasnoy Zvezdy) was a military decoration of the Soviet Union. It was established by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 6 April 193 ...

. The depot was responsible for maintenance during the

Yalta Conference The Yalta Conference (codenamed Argonaut), also known as the Crimea Conference, held 4–11 February 1945, was the World War II meeting of the heads of government of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union to discuss the post ...

in 1945, during which it was, by order of the Rear Chief of the Red Army, 14 of its best drivers of the selected and sent to the

Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a p ...

1946-2009

In June 1946, the NKO Motor Depot was subordinated to the General Staff of the

Soviet Army uk, Радянська армія , image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg , alt = , caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army , start_date ...

and was headed by Major General Aleksandr Gladkov. Since 1975, car depot has taken part in the annual competition "For traffic safety", which is held among all car companies in Moscow. More than 60 drivers of the depot have in different years been awarded the honorary title of "The best driver of the city of Moscow". Personnel of the base took part in

military exercises A military exercise or war game is the employment of military resources in training for military operations, either exploring the effects of warfare or testing strategies without actual combat. This also serves the purpose of ensuring the comb ...

such as "Dnepr", "West-77", and "South" during the Cold War. In 2009, it was abolished as a structural subdivision of the Ministry of Defense, with its equipment and structural units being transferred to the 147 Automobile Base. On the occasion of its 75th anniversary in July 2019, the servicemen of the base demonstrated the

UAZ UAZ or Ulyanovsky Avtomobilny Zavod (russian: Ульяновский Автомобильный Завод, УАЗ, Ulyanovsky Avtomobilny Zavod, UAZ, Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant, UAZ) is an automobile manufacturer based in Ulyanovsk, Russia, ...

assembly, elements of extreme driving, as well as "danced" the

waltz The waltz ( ), meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple ( time), performed primarily in closed position. History There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the w ...

on all cars that historically took part in military parades in Moscow.

Role in Moscow Parades

It plays a major role in all

military parades A military parade is a formation of soldiers whose movement is restricted by close-order manoeuvering known as drilling or marching. The military parade is now almost entirely ceremonial, though soldiers from time immemorial up until the lat ...

, particularly the

Moscow Victory Day Parade The Moscow Victory Day Parade ( rus, Парад Победы в Москве, r= Parad Pobedy v Moskve) refers to the annual military parade of the Russian Armed Forces on Moscow's Red Square on May 9 during the Victory Day celebrations. The mos ...

. It specifically provides two drivers for the inspection cars of the Minister of Defence and the parade commander. Prior to 1945, most were held on horseback, with a parade convertible being used for the first time in 1940. Cars replaced horses at military parades in 1953, the year of Soviet leader

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secreta ...

death Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...

. This led to the base having a more active role in parades, with the main vehicle then being a ZIS-110B. In 1981, the ZIL-115V was introduced, with three convertibles being built at the Likhachev Plant to participate in parades. It took part in military parade. on Red Square until 2009, being replaced by a black version that year. In 2019, the ZILs were replaced by a specialized

Aurus Senat The Aurus Senat (russian: Сенат) is a luxury full-size sedan by Russian automaker Aurus Motors and developed by NAMI in Moscow, Russia. The armoured limousine is powered by a 4.4 litre V8 engine developed by NAMI, with a 6.6 litre V12 (6 ...

armored limousine.

Base band

The base

military band A military band is a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind and percussion instruments. The conductor of a band commonly bears the ti ...

was founded in 1977 when musician Yuri Saygashov was asked to organize a band within the General Staff. In 1996, the band, which by that time had become a regular unit, was headed by Yakov Zinoviev. From 2001 to 2008, it was directed by Yuri Kubyshkin, and from 2008 to 2011, it was directee by Andrei Nisenbaum. Both of them, like many band members, are graduates of the Military Institute of Military Conductors. Since June 2011, the band has been led by Anton Mezentsev. Currently 13 contract servicemen and 7 conscripts serve in the band, serving as one of the leading creative units in the territory of the former

Moscow Military District The Order of Lenin Moscow Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The district was awarded the Order of Lenin in 1968. In 2010 it was merged with the Leningrad Military ...

. It is part of the Combined Military Band of the Moscow Garrison during all

Victory Day Parades ukr, Парад Перемоги be, Парад Перамогі , nickname = Victory Parades , observedby = Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, some former Soviet countries , duration = 1 day , frequency = annual , scheduling = same d ...

, and takes part in various large ceremonial and mourning events.

Gallery

File:147 автомобильная база Министерства обороны Российской Федерации 02.jpg, Aurus Senat cars File:147 автомобильная база Министерства обороны Российской Федерации 03.jpg, File:Band of the 147th Base.jpg, Unit band

References

{{Reflist Ministry of Defence (Russia) Military units and formations of Russia Military units and formations established in 1918 Transport units and formations 1918 establishments in Russia Military vehicles of Russia Military logistics of Russia