The 1945 Moscow Victory Parade (), also known as the Parade of Victors (), was a

victory parade A victory parade is a parade held to celebrate a victory. Numerous military and sport victory parades have been held. Military victory parades Among the most famous parades are the victory parades celebrating the end of the First World War and ...

held by the

Soviet Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, also known as the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union, the Red Army (1918–1946) and the Soviet Army (1946–1991), were the armed forces of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republi ...

(with the Color Guard Company representing the First Polish Army) after the defeat of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

. This, the longest and largest

military parade A military parade is a formation of military personnels whose movement is restricted by close-order manoeuvering known as Drill team, drilling or marching. Large military parades are today held on major holidays and military events around the ...

ever held on

Red Square Red Square ( rus, Красная площадь, Krasnaya ploshchad', p=ˈkrasnəjə ˈploɕːɪtʲ) is one of the oldest and largest town square, squares in Moscow, Russia. It is located in Moscow's historic centre, along the eastern walls of ...

in the Soviet capital

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

, involved 40,000

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

soldiers and 1,850 military vehicles and other military hardware. The parade lasted just over two hours on a rainy June 24, 1945, over a month after May 9, the day of Germany's surrender to Soviet commanders.

Stalin's order for the observance of the parade

The parade itself was ordered by

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

on June 22, 1945, by virtue of Order 370 of the Office of the Supreme Commander in Chief, Armed Forces of the USSR. This order is as follows: This was preceded by another letter by General of the Army

Aleksei Antonov Aleksei Innokentievich Antonov (; 9 September 1896 – 16 June 1962) was a General of the Soviet Army, awarded the Order of Victory for his efforts in World War II. From 1945 to 1946 he was Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of th ...

, Chief of the General Staff of the Soviet Armed Forces to all the participant fronts in attendance on the 24th of the previous month which is as follows:

Parade training

Intensive preparations for the parade took place in late May and early June in Moscow. The preliminary rehearsal of the Victory Parade took place at the Central Airfield, and the general rehearsal on Red Square on June 22.

Marshals Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated of ...

Georgy Zhukov Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov ( 189618 June 1974) was a Soviet military leader who served as a top commander during World War II and achieved the rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union. During World War II, Zhukov served as deputy commander-in-ch ...

, who had formally accepted the German surrender to the Soviet Union, and

Konstantin Rokossovsky Konstantin Konstantinovich Rokossovsky ( 1896 – 3 August 1968) was a Soviet and Polish general who served as a top commander in the Red Army during World War II and achieved the ranks of Marshal of the Soviet Union and Marshal of Poland. He a ...

, rode through the parade ground on white and black

stallion A stallion is an adult male horse that has not been gelded ( castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cre ...

s, respectively. The fact is commemorated by the

equestrian statue An equestrian statue is a statue of a rider mounted on a horse, from the Latin ''eques'', meaning 'knight', deriving from ''equus'', meaning 'horse'. A statue of a riderless horse is strictly an equine statue. A full-sized equestrian statue is a ...

of Zhukov in front of the

State Historical Museum The State Historical Museum () of Russia is a museum of History of Russia, Russian history located between Red Square and Manezhnaya Square, Moscow, Manege Square in Moscow. The museum's exhibitions range from relics of prehistoric tribes that li ...

, on Manege Square. Zhukov's stallion was called Кумир ("

Idol Idol or Idols may refer to: Religion and philosophy * Cult image, a human-made object that is venerated or worshipped for the deity, spirit or daemon that it embodies or represents * Murti, a devotional image of a deity or saint used during puja ...

") while Rokossovsky's was called Столб ("Pole"). The

General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union The General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. was the Party leader, leader of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU). From 1924 until the dissolution of the Soviet Union, country's dissoluti ...

, stood atop

Lenin's Mausoleum Lenin's Mausoleum, also known as Lenin's Tomb, is a mausoleum located at Red Square in Moscow, Russia. It serves as the resting place of Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin, whose preserved body has been on public display since shortly after his death ...

and watched the parade alongside other dignitaries present. According to certain editions of Zhukov's memoirs, Stalin had intended to ride through the parade himself, but he fell from the horse during the rehearsal and had to yield the honor to Zhukov, who used to be a cavalry officer. However, this story is disputed by former Soviet spy

Viktor Suvorov Vladimir Bogdanovich Rezun (; ; born 20 April 1947), known by his pseudonym of Viktor Suvorov (), is a former Soviet GRU officer who is the author of non-fiction books about World War II, the GRU and the Soviet Army, as well as fictional books ...

. He claims that the story was inserted into Zhukov's memoirs as a counterargument to his theory, (although it apparently was in circulation earlier) that Stalin didn't lead the parade because he considered the war's results not worthy of the effort invested. Suvorov notes several inconsistencies in the story, along with numerous evidence that Zhukov was intended all along for the role of leading the parade; for example, the memoirs of Sergei Shtemenko, the man responsible at the time for the preparation of the parade, state that the roles were decided from the start, and Igor Bobylev (who took part in the preparations) claims that the story never happened and that Stalin never visited the Manege at that time. Another planned part of the parade was the march of the

Victory Banner The Victory Banner or Banner of Victory () was the banner raised by Red Army soldiers on the Reichstag building in Berlin on 1 May 1945, the day after Adolf Hitler committed suicide. This particular banner was raised by three Soviet soldiers ...

, which was delivered to Moscow from

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

on June 20 and was supposed to begin the procession of troops. Despite this, the weak drill training of

Mikhail Yegorov Mikhail Alekseyevich Yegorov (; 5 May 1923 – 20 June 1975) was a sergeant of the Soviet Army who, along with Meliton Kantaria and Alexei Berest, was one of the three soldiers credited with raising the Soviet flag over the Reichstag on 1 May 1 ...

Meliton Kantaria Meliton Varlamis dze Kantaria or Kantariya ( ka, მელიტონ ქანთარია, melit’on kantaria; ; 5 October 1920 – 27 December 1993) was a sergeant of the Soviet Army credited with having Raising a Flag over the Reichstag, ...

and

Stepan Neustroev Stepan Andreevich Neustroev (; 12 August 1922 – 26 February 1998) was a Soviet officer, commander of the 1st Battalion in the 756th Regiment of the 150th Rifle Division. His unit was the first to storm the Reichstag. At a young age, Neustroev ...

forced Marshal Zhukov to not go ahead with this portion of the parade.

The parade

Displays of the Red Army vehicles were some of the focal points of the ceremony. It was one of the few times in which

Cossacks The Cossacks are a predominantly East Slavic languages, East Slavic Eastern Christian people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe of eastern Ukraine and southern Russia. Cossacks played an important role in defending the southern borde ...

took part in a victory parade, with personnel from the 4th Guards Cossacks Cavalry Corps taking part in the procession of troops as part of the 2nd Ukrainian Front's combined regiment. One of the most famous moments at the end of the troops parade took place when soldiers from the Separate Operational Purpose Division of the

NKVD The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (, ), abbreviated as NKVD (; ), was the interior ministry and secret police of the Soviet Union from 1934 to 1946. The agency was formed to succeed the Joint State Political Directorate (OGPU) se ...

carried the German standards and threw them down next to the mausoleum. One of the standards that was tossed down belonged to the LSSAH, Hitler's personal bodyguard. The next day, a reception was held in the

Grand Kremlin Palace The Grand Kremlin Palace () is a building in the Moscow Kremlin. For much of the 19th century, it served as the official residence of the Russian emperor in Moscow, which was not then the capital of the Russian Empire. Designed by a team of arc ...

in honor of the participants in the Victory Parade. Due to the bad weather that day the flypast segment and the planned civil parade were cancelled. Nonetheless, this two-hour parade remains the longest and largest military parade in Red Square's history, and involved 40,000 soldiers and 1,850 military vehicles and other military hardware.

Band and music

The procession had musical accompaniment that was provided by the massed bands of the Moscow Garrison, led by Major General Semyon Tchernetsky, Senior Director of Music. The combined band consisted of 38

military bands 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 instrument, wind and percussion instruments. The conducting, conductor of a ...

coming from Moscow military schools, as well as military units of the Red Army and the NKVD. The combined band numbered 1,220 musicians under the direction of 50 bandmasters. In total,the parade saw the participation of 1,313 musicians, the youngest of whom was 13 years old. The parade repertoire was finalized for approval on 5 June 1945. The final list included 36 tracks, including the Soviet anthem, fanfares and slow marches. Twenty works that were performed at the parade were written by Tchernetsky himself. The inspection part of the parade commenced with Tchernetsky's Jubilee Slow March "25 Years of the Red Army" and ended with the performance of ''

Slavsya "Slav’sya!", () is the name of the final song in the epilogue of Mikhail Glinka's first opera ''A Life for the Tsar'' (1836) and now considered as one of Russia's greatest classical and patriotic anthems of the 19th century. The original versi ...

''. The first song after the conclusion of the inspection was the Moscow ceremonial fanfare under the direction of conductor Vasily Agapkin. The parade was opened by the young drummers of the Corps of Drums from the Moscow School of Musicians, wearing uniforms similar to those of the Moscow Suvorov Military School and led by a bandmaster, which after marching past soon took its place behind the massed bands to provide additional support. The parade ended with the ''Glory to the Motherland'' march. Additional marches have included ''Jaeger March'', ''March of the 92nd Pechersk Regiment'', ''March of the Leningrad Guards Divisions'', ''March "Joy of Victory"'', ''March "Hero"''.

Parade participants

Marshal of the Soviet Union Marshal of the Soviet Union (, ) was the second-highest military rank of the Soviet Union. Joseph Stalin wore the uniform and insignia of Marshal after World War II. The rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union was created in 1935 and abolished in ...

(parade inspector) * Marshal of the Soviet Union

(parade commander) *

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 instrument, wind and percussion instruments. The conducting, conductor of a ...

s ::* Massed military bands of the

Moscow Military District The Order of Lenin Moscow Military District () is a Military districts of Russia, military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Originally it was a district of the Imperial Russian Army until the Russian Empire's collapse in 191 ...

::** Conductor: Major Gen. Semyon Tchernetsky, Senior Director of Music of the

Central Military Orchestra of the People's Commissariat of National Defense The Military Band Service of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation serves as the official service of military bands in active service within the Russian Armed Forces and formerly the Soviet Armed Forces. It is part of the Military Band Servic ...

::* Moscow A. Surovov Military Music School Corps of Drums

Ground column

* Fronts of the Soviet Army, Navy, Army Air Forces and Air Defense Forces composed of: ** Ground Troops and Air Force officers and personnel of the following fronts: *** Karelian - led by Regimental Commanders Maj. Gen. Grigory Kalinovsky and Marshal

Kirill Meretskov Kirill Afanasievich Meretskov (; – 30 December 1968) was a Soviet Union, Soviet military commander. Having joined the Communist Party in 1917, he served in the Red Army from 1920. During the Winter War of 1939–1940 against Finland, he had t ...

***

Leningrad Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

- led by Regimental Commanders Maj. Gen. Andrei Stuchenko and Marshal

Leonid Govorov Leonid Aleksandrovich Govorov (; – 19 March 1955) was a Soviet Union, Soviet military commander. Trained as an artillery officer, he joined the Red Army in 1920. He graduated from several Soviet military academies, including the Military Aca ...

*** 1st Baltic - led by Regimental Commanders Guards Lt. Gen. Anton Lopatin and General of the Army

Ivan Bagramyan Ivan Khristoforovich Bagramyan, born Hovhannes Baghramyan ( – 21 September 1982), was a Soviet military commander of Armenian origin who held the rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union. As commander of the 1st Baltic Front, he orchestrated the ...

*** 1st Belorussian - led by Regimental Commanders Maj. Gen. Ivan Rosly and Col. Gen. Vasili Chuikov *** 2nd Belorussian - led by Regimental Commanders Lt. Gen. Konstantin Erastov and General of the Army Vasily Sokolovsky *** 3rd Belorussian - led by Regimental Commander Marshal

Aleksandr Vasilevsky Aleksandr Mikhaylovich Vasilevsky ( 1895 – 5 December 1977) was a Soviet general who served as a top commander during World War II and achieved the rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union. During World War II, he served as the Chief of the General ...

***

1st Polish Army First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

Color Guard Company led by Chief of the Army General Staff, General

Władysław Korczyc Vladislav Vikentyevich Korchits () (1 September 1893 – 17 October 1966) was a Soviet and Polish general. He supported the Bolshevik side during the Russian Revolution, joining the Red Army. He participated in the Polish-Soviet War. In th ...

(the only foreign army squad invited for the parade) *** 1st Ukrainian - led by Regimental Commanders Maj. Gen. Gleb Baklanov and Marshal

Ivan Konev Ivan Stepanovich Konev ( rus, Ива́н Степа́нович Ко́нев, p=ɪˈvan sʲtʲɪˈpanəvʲɪtɕ ˈkonʲɪf, links=no; 28 December 1897 – 21 May 1973) was a Soviet general and Marshal of the Soviet Union who led Red Army forc ...

*** 4th Ukrainian - led by Regimental Commanders Guards Lt. Gen. Andrei Bondarev and Marshal

Fyodor Tolbukhin Fyodor Ivanovich Tolbukhin (; 16 June 1894 – 17 October 1949) was a Soviet Union, Soviet military commander and Marshal of the Soviet Union. He is regarded as one of the finest Soviet generals of World War II. Born into a peasant family i ...

*** 2nd Ukrainian - led by Regimental Commanders Lt. Gen. Ivan Afonin and General of the Army

Andrei Yeremenko Andrey Ivanovich Yeryomenko (; Ukrainian: Андрій Іванович Єрьоменко; November 19, 1970) was a Soviet general during World War II and Marshal of the Soviet Union. During the war, Yeryomenko commanded the Southeastern Front ...

*** 3rd Ukrainian - led by Regimental Commanders Guards Maj. Gen.

Nikolai Biryukov Nikolai Ivanovich Biryukov (Russian: Николай Иванович Бирюков; 6 December 1901, Knyazhaya Baygora, Tambov Governorate – 30 June 1980) was a Soviet Army soldier and officer. He fought in the Russian Civil War and in World War ...

and Marshal

Rodion Malinovsky Rodion Yakovlevich Malinovsky (; ; – 31 March 1967) was a Soviet military commander and Marshal of the Soviet Union. He served as Minister of Defence of the Soviet Union from 1957 to 1967, during which he oversaw the strengthening of the Sov ...

, and the Commander of Bulgarian 1st Army Lt. Gen Vladimir Stoychev ** Fleet, Land and Air personnel of the Soviet Navy, under Navy Contingent Commander Vice Adm. Vladimir Fadeev ***

Northern Fleet The Northern Fleet (, ''Severnyy flot'') is the Naval fleet, fleet of the Russian Navy in the Arctic. According to the Russian ministry of defence: "The Northern Fleet dates its history back to a squadron created in 1733 to protect the terri ...

***

Baltic Fleet The Baltic Fleet () is the Naval fleet, fleet of the Russian Navy in the Baltic Sea. Established 18 May 1703, under Tsar Peter the Great as part of the Imperial Russian Navy, the Baltic Fleet is the oldest Russian fleet. In 1918, the fleet w ...

***

Dnieper Flotilla The Dnieper Flotilla (, ) is the name given to the various naval flotillas on the Dnieper River. These were particularly active in four conflicts: the Russo-Turkish wars of Russo–Turkish War (1735–1739), 1735–39 and Russo-Turkish War (1787– ...

*** Danube Flotilla ***

Caspian Flotilla The Caspian Flotilla () is the flotilla of the Russian Navy in the Caspian Sea. Established in November 1722 by the order of Tsar Peter the Great as part of the Imperial Russian Navy, the Caspian Flotilla is the oldest flotilla in the Russian ...

***

Black Sea Fleet The Black Sea Fleet () is the Naval fleet, fleet of the Russian Navy in the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov and the Mediterranean Sea. The Black Sea Fleet, along with other Russian ground and air forces on the Crimea, Crimean Peninsula, are subordin ...

***

Naval Infantry Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included raiding ashore (often in supp ...

*** Coastal Forces (including naval artillery) *** Combined battalion of the Corps of Cadets, M.V. Frunze Naval College and Naval Engineering Academy ** Flag Disposal regiment of the 1st Internal Troops Division of the USSR NKVD "Felix Dzerzhinsky" composed of captured enemy standards and colors carried by the fronts ** Maj. Gen. Mikhail Duka was entrusted with carrying the symbolic key to the defeated city of Berlin *

, Armed Forces of the Soviet Union contingent under Garrison and District Commander Col. Gen. Pavel Artemyev ** Military Schools and Academies Combined Joint Division *** Officers and other ranks of the People's Commisariat of Defense *** M. V. Frunze Military Academy ***

Suvorov Military School The Suvorov Military Schools () are a type of boarding school in the former Soviet Union and in modern Russia and Belarus for boys of 10–17. Education in these schools focuses on military related subjects. The schools are named after Alexander ...

*** Military Armored Troops Service School *** Military Engineering Academy *** F. Dzerzhinsky Military Artillery School ***

Lenin Military-Political Academy The V. I. Lenin Military-Political Academy (), abbreviated as VPA, was a higher military educational institution of the Soviet Armed Forces from 1919 to 1991 that provided advanced training to political workers. History The predecessor of ...

*** Air Force Engineering Academy *** Moscow City Soviet Border Protection Superior College *** Moscow Military Infantry Training School *** Guards Mortars Training School *** Airborne Troops Officer Candidate School *** Technical Forces Officer School ** Infantry Units ***

Kremlin Regiment The Kremlin Regiment (), also called the Presidential Regiment (), is a unique military regiment and part of the Russian Federal Protective Service (Russia), Federal Protective Service with the status of a special unit. The regiment ensures the s ...

*** OMSDON 1st NKVD Internal Troops Mechanized Rifle Division (Special Duties) "Felix Dzerzhinsky" *** 2nd NKVD Internal Troops Division ** Border Protection and Security Service of the NKVD ** K-9 Units (engineering, medical troops, anti-tank)

Mounted column

* Army Cavalry regiments within the Moscow area * Army Horse Artillery ** M1927 ** M1909 ** 152 mm howitzer M1909/30 **

122 mm howitzer M1910/30 122 mm howitzer M1910/30 () was a Soviet 121.92 mm (4.8 inch) howitzer, a modernization of World War I era 122 mm howitzer M1910. It was the most numerous divisional howitzer of the RKKA at the outbreak of Great Patriotic War and re ...

(also used by the regular artillery) *

Tachanka A tachanka (Russian and ) was a horse-drawn cart (such as charabanc) or an open wagon with a heavy machine gun mounted on the rear side. A tachanka could be pulled by two to four mules and required a crew of two or three (one driver and a machin ...

battalion

Mobile column

*Soviet Air Defence Forces ** Anti-aircraft guns (towed and truck-mounted) *** 72-K *** 61-K *** 52-K ** Searchlight trucks ** Acoustic range finders * Army Rocket Forces and Field Artillery ** Mortars *** 160mm Mortar M1943 ***

120-PM-43 mortar The M1943 Mortar or 120-PM-43 () or the 120-mm mortar Model 1943 (), also known as the SAMOVAR, is a Soviet 120 millimeter calibre smoothbore mortar first introduced in 1943 as a modified version of the M1938 mortar. It virtually replaced the M193 ...

Field gun A field gun is a field artillery piece. Originally the term referred to smaller guns that could accompany a field army on the march, that when in combat could be moved about the battlefield in response to changing circumstances (field artillery ...

s ***

76 mm divisional gun M1942 (ZiS-3) The 76-mm divisional gun M1942 (ZiS-3) () (GRAU index: 52-P-354U) was a Soviet 76.2 mm divisional field gun used during World War II. ''ZiS'' was a factory designation and stood for ''Zavod imeni Stalina'' ("factory named after Stalin"), th ...

***

100 mm field gun M1944 (BS-3) The 100 mm field gun M1944 (BS-3) () is a Soviet anti-tank and field gun. History Development The BS-3 was based on the B-34 naval gun. The development team was led by V. G. Grabin. World War II During World War II the Soviet Army empl ...

***

76 mm divisional gun M1936 (F-22) The 76-mm divisional gun M1936 (F-22) was a Soviet Union, Soviet divisional semi-universal gun, adopted for Red Army service in 1936. This gun was used in conflicts between the USSR and Japan on the Far East, in the Winter War and in World War II. ...

*** 76 mm regimental gun M1943 ***

85 mm divisional gun D-44 85 may refer to: * 85 (number) * One of the years 85 BC, AD 85, 1985, 2085 * 85 Io 85 Io is a carbonaceous asteroid in the central region of the asteroid belt, approximately 170 kilometers in diameter. It is an identified Eunomian interlop ...

Anti-tank gun An anti-tank gun is a form of artillery designed to destroy tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, normally from a static defensive position. The development of specialized anti-tank munitions and anti-tank guns was prompted by the appearance ...

s *** 53-K *** M-42 ***

ZiS-2 The ZiS-2 () (GRAU index: 52-P-271) is a Soviet 57 mm anti-tank gun used during World War II. The ZiS-4 is a version of the gun that was meant to be installed in tanks. ''ZiS'' stands for ''Zavod imeni Stalina'' (Russian ''Завод им� ...

Mountain gun Mountain guns are artillery pieces designed for mountain warfare and other areas where wheeled transport is not possible. They are generally capable of being taken apart to make smaller loads for transport by horses, humans, mules, tractors, or ...

s *** 76 mm mountain gun M1938 (also used by the Airborne) **

Katyusha rocket launcher The Katyusha ( rus, Катю́ша, p=kɐˈtʲuʂə, a=Ru-Катюша.ogg) is a type of rocket artillery first built and fielded by the Soviet Union in World War II. Multiple rocket launchers such as these deliver explosives to a target area m ...

s of the Army Rocket Forces and Artillery *** BM-8 *** BM-13 *** BM-30/BM-31 **

Howitzer The howitzer () is an artillery weapon that falls between a cannon (or field gun) and a mortar. It is capable of both low angle fire like a field gun and high angle fire like a mortar, given the distinction between low and high angle fire break ...

s *** D-1 *** M-10 *** ML-20 *** M-30 *** B-4 *** A-19 ***

152 mm gun M1935 (Br-2) 152 mm gun M1935 (Br-2) () was a Red Army, Soviet 152.4 mm heavy gun, produced in limited numbers by the Barrikady Industrial Association, Barrikady Plant in Stalingrad in the late 1930s. The most unusual feature of the gun was its track ...

***

203 mm howitzer M1931 (B-4) 203 mm howitzer M1931 (B-4) (, GRAU index: 52-G-625) was a 203 mm (8 inch) Soviet Union, Soviet high-power heavy howitzer. During the Second World War, it was under the command of the Stavka's strategic reserve. It was nicknamed " ...

***

* Army Infantry - joint regiment of motorized infantry formations ** Dnepr M-72

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheeled); quad (if four-wheeled)) is a lightweight private 1-to-2 passenger personal motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar from a saddle-style ...

s **

BA-64 The BA-64 (, from , ''Bronirovaniy Avtomobil'', literally "armoured car") was a Soviet four-wheeled scout car, armoured scout car. Built on the chassis of a GAZ-64 or GAZ-67 jeep, it incorporated a hull loosely modeled after that of the Leichter ...

armored cars **

BA-20 The BA-20 () was an armored car developed in the Soviet Union in 1934. It was intended to replace the FAI and its field trials were completed in 1935. The BA-20 was then used in the early stages of World War II. Design and production The BA-20 ...

* Army Airborne Forces * Army Tank Forces contingent **

T-34 The T-34 is a Soviet medium tank from World War II. When introduced, its 76.2 mm (3 in) tank gun was more powerful than many of its contemporaries, and its 60-degree sloped armour provided good protection against Anti-tank warfare, ...

(Victory tanks) ** T-34/85 **

IS-2 The IS-2 (, sometimes romanization of Russian, romanized as JS-2The series name is an abbreviation of the name Joseph Stalin (); IS-2 is a direct transliteration of the Russian abbreviation, while JS-2 is an abbreviation of the English or Germa ...

T-44 The T-44 was a medium tank developed and produced near the end of World War II by the Soviet Union. It was the successor to the T-34, offering an improved ride and cross-country performance, along with much greater armor. Designed to be equipp ...

T-70 The T-70 is a light tank used by the Red Army during World War II, replacing both the T-60 scout tank for reconnaissance and the T-50 light infantry tank for infantry support. The T-80 light tank was a more advanced version of the T-70 with ...

* Army Artillery self-propelled artillery contingent **

SU-76 The SU-76 ('' Samokhodnaya Ustanovka 76'') was a Soviet light self-propelled gun used during and after World War II. The SU-76 was based on a lengthened version of the T-70 light tank chassis and armed with the ZIS-3 mod. 1942 76-mm divisional ...

SU-100 The SU-100 ( Russian: самоходная установка-100, СУ-100 romanized: '' Samokhodnaya Ustanovka-''100) is a Soviet tank destroyer armed with the D-10S 100 mm anti-tank gun in a casemate superstructure. It was used extens ...

SU-152 The SU-152 () is a Soviet self-propelled heavy howitzer used during World War II. It mounted a 152 mm gun-howitzer on the chassis of a KV-1S heavy tank. Later production used an IS tank chassis and was re-designated ISU-152. Because of it ...

ISU-152 The ISU-152 (, meaning " IS tank based self-propelled installation with 152mm caliber gun") is a Soviet self-propelled gun developed and used during World War II. It was unofficially nicknamed ''Zveroboy'' (; "beast killer") in response to seve ...

ISU-122 The ISU-122 (acronym of'' Istrebitelnaja - or Iosif Stalin-based - Samokhodnaya Ustanovka 122'') was a Soviet assault gun used during World War II, mostly in the anti-tank role. History and purpose A prototype of the ISU-122 (in Russian ИСУ ...

SU-85 The SU-85 ('' Samokhodnaya ustanovka'' 85) was a Soviet self-propelled gun used during World War II, based on the chassis of the T-34 medium tank. Earlier Soviet self-propelled guns were meant to serve as either assault guns, such as the SU-122, ...

SU-122 The SU-122 (from '' Samokhodnaya Ustanovka 122 mm'') was a Soviet self-propelled howitzer or assault gun used during World War II. The number "122" in the designation represents the caliber of the main armament, a 122 mm M-30S howitzer. The ...

Legacy

*Outside the 1945 parade, the only parade to be held on 24 June was in 2020 in honor of the 75th anniversary of the victory. Elements of the 1945 parade were included in the 2020 parade, the most notable of which being the bands playing the Jubilee Slow March "25 Years of the Red Army" at the outset of the inspection stage. *A statue of Zhukov on his parade horse is located near the

on Manezhnaya Square. There was an original debate over where to place the statue, with many saying that it should be located at the site of the parade, Red Square. *During the

2010 Moscow Victory Day Parade The 2010 Moscow Victory Day Parade was held on Victory Day (9 May), 9 May 2010 to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the German Instrument of Surrender, capitulation of Nazi Germany in 1945. The parade marks the Soviet Union's victory in the ...

, the contingent from

Turkmenistan Turkmenistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the south and southwest and the Caspian Sea to the west. Ash ...

, upon request from the government of Turkmenistan, was led by an officer riding on horseback, with the horse being a descendant of the horse used during the 1945 parade. *In 2008, during the celebrations of the Independence Day of South Ossetia, the annual military parade in

Tskhinvali Tskhinvali ( ka, ცხინვალი ) or Tskhinval (, ; , ) is the capital of the disputed ''de facto'' independent Republic of South Ossetia, internationally considered part of Shida Kartli, Georgia (except by Russia and four other UN m ...

saw Georgian flags being thrown to the ground by South Ossetian militiamen, resembling how Soviet soldiers threw German flags on Red Square during the parade of 1945. *In 2020, during a Victory Parade in the

South Ossetia South Ossetia, officially the Republic of South Ossetia or the State of Alania, is a landlocked country in the South Caucasus with International recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, partial diplomatic recognition. It has an offici ...

n capital of

, equestrian team from the Russian FSB took part, with the equestrian ranks being led by an officer on a stallion called ''Brilliant'', a direct descendant of Idol. *In the

2017 Moscow Victory Day Parade The 2017 Moscow Victory Day (9 May), Victory Day Parade was a military parade that took place in Red Square in Moscow on 9 May 2017 to commemorate the 72nd anniversary of the capitulation of Nazi Germany in 1945. The annual parade marks the Allied ...

, officers wore the new standing-collar tunic for the first time, which was supposed to resemble the uniforms officer corps in the 1945 Parade of Victors. At the 2020 parade, the Mongolian contingent wore a modified version of those uniforms and later that year, officers of the

Korean People's Army The Korean People's Army (KPA; ) encompasses the combined military forces of North Korea and the armed wing of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). The KPA consists of five branches: the Korean People's Army Ground Force, Ground Force, the Ko ...

wore uniforms based on those worn at the 1945 parade at a

Kim Il-sung Square __NOTOC__ Kim Il Sung Square is a large city square in the Central District of Pyongyang, North Korea, and is named after the country's founding leader, Kim Il Sung. The square was constructed in 1954 according to a master plan for reconstructin ...

. *In the Kazakh city of

Almaty Almaty, formerly Alma-Ata, is the List of most populous cities in Kazakhstan, largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population exceeding two million residents within its metropolitan area. Located in the foothills of the Trans-Ili Alatau mountains ...

, there is a street near Abay Avenue on called 24 June Street, named in honor of the first Victory Parade.

References

Works cited

External links

Moscow Victory Parade Video // Net-Film Newsreels and Documentary Films ArchiveOfficial site for the 65th anniversary of the original Victory Parade of June 24, 1945

Official site of the 2005 Russian 60th celebration of the 1945 Victory Parade

Russian site from where the short video of the parade can be downloaded

Video of the parade
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Moscow Victory Parade Of 1945 1945 in the Soviet Union Eastern Front (World War II) Events in Moscow * Victory parades Parades in Russia 1945 in military history Articles containing video clips June 1945 in Europe 1945 in Russia 1945 in Moscow