On November 7, Moscow’s Red Square hosted a procession commemorating the 70th anniversary of the 1941 Red Army parade in Nazi-threatened Moscow.
On November 7, Moscow’s Red Square hosted a procession commemorating the 70th anniversary of the 1941 Red Army parade in Nazi-threatened Moscow.
The procession was opened by war veteran Mark Ivanikhin who had participated in the 1941 parade. Photo: Military equipment rolling through Red Square in commemoration of the 1941 parade.
The procession involved military personnel from the Russian Interior Ministry’s Interior Troops, representatives of the Moscow children’s movement, cadet corps students and soldiers of the Moscow Garrison.
In all, the event involved about 5,500 people, including military personnel, war veterans and young people.
The Moscow city government said all elements of the legendary November 7, 1941 Red Army parade had been completely reenacted for the first time during this year’s procession.
Notably, spectators saw a group of soldiers riding machine-gun carts, as well as those wearing 1941 uniforms and carrying 1941 weapons.
Procession participants rode vintage military equipment in front of spectators.
The procession also involved T-37 and T-60 tanks manufactured in 1937 and 1939, respectively.
The November 7, 1941 parade was held in commemoration of the 24th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution. Although a state of siege had been declared in Moscow, it was decided to hold the parade in order to boost troop morale. Adolf Hitler wanted to seize Moscow on November 7 and to stage a military parade on Red Square. Consequently, historians believe that the 1941 parade had a substantial impact on the course of the war. Red Army soldiers involved in the parade were promptly redeployed to the front located only a few dozen kilometers from central Moscow.
