“Comrades, Red Army and Red Navy men, commanders and political instructors, men and women workers, collective farmers, professional workers, brothers and sisters in the rear of the enemy who have temporarily fallen under the yoke of the German brigands, our brave men and women guerrillas, destroying the rear of the German invaders!

On behalf of the Soviet Government and our Bolshevik Party, I welcome and congratulate you on the 24th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution. Comrades! In severe conditions we have to celebrate the 24th anniversary of the October Revolution. The treacherous attack of the German brigands and the war foisted upon us, posed a threat to our country. We have temporarily lost a number of areas, the enemy found himself at the gates of Leningrad and Moscow. The enemy counted on the fact that after the first blow, our army would be dispersed, and our country would be forced to its knees. But the enemy severely missed a figure. Despite temporary setbacks, our army and our navy heroically are beating off all the enemy attacks during the whole front, inflicting heavy damage, and our country — our whole country —organized itself into a single fighting camp in order to defeat German invaders, along with our army and our navy”, with these words Joseph Stalin began his speech at the Red Army parade on November 7, 1941.

At that time Moscow was under siege, the enemy was in about 70-100 kilometers from it.

It was decided to hold Military parade of the Soviet troops in the Red Square on November 7, 1941, to enhance morale. The USSR leadership thought that to be an opportunity to declare to the world that Moscow stood and would stand firmly.

Commander of the Moscow Military District, General Pavel Artemyev commanded the Parade, Marshal Semyon Budyonny took the salute.

Solemn march was opened by cadets of Mortar college and the school named after the Supreme Council; then followed shooters of the 322nd Ivanovo and 2nd Moscow divisions, Dzerzhinsky Division, Brigade regiment of special designation. Then everything went more or less the usual way: the cavalry, artillery and tanks.

Immediately after the parade the Red Army soldiers were sent to the front ...

“For the complete defeat of the German invaders!
Death to the German invaders!
Long live our glorious motherland, its freedom and independence!
Under the banner of Lenin — forward to victory!’
Joseph Stalin (a fragment of the speech at the parade on November 7, 1941 on Red Square).

And so, on June 24, 1945, on Red Square was held the Victory Parade!

Marshal of the Soviet Union, Georgy Zhukov took the parade. Marshal of the Soviet Union, Rokossovsky commanded the parade. Zhukov and Rokossovsky drove along Red Square on white and black horses. Joseph Stalin watched the parade from the rostrum of the Lenin Mausoleum.

During a solemn march a specially equipped car drove the Victory Banner ahead, then followed mixed front regiments (in the order they appeared in the theater of military operations by the end of the war — from north to south): Karelian, Leningrad, 1st and 2nd Baltic , 3rd, 2nd, and 1st Belorussian, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Ukrainian Fronts, mixed regiment of the Navy. In the regiment of the 1st Belorussian Front, representatives of the Polish Army passed in a special convoy. Ahead of consolidated front regiment were the commanders of fronts and armies, the Heroes of the Soviet Union carried the banners of famous units. For each composite regiment an orchestra played a special march.

Mixed regiments included ordinary soldiers, sergeants and officers of different arms, distinguished themselves in battles and who had the battle Orders (every regiment, including the command staff had over a thousand people). Standard bearers with assistants were carrying 36 battle flags most distinguished themselves in battle formations and units of each Front. Composite regiment of the Navy consisted of representatives of all branches of the North, Baltic and Black Sea Fleets, the Dnieper and the Danube fleet.

Combined military orchestra of 1,400 people also took part in the parade.

Then the Moscow garrisons marched past: the combined regiment of Commissariat of Defense, the military academies, military, and Suvorov schools, cross-equestrian brigade, artillery, mechanized, airborne and armored units and divisions.

Holiday with tears in his eyes. Many never returned from the war, and yet there was joy because the Soviet Union won, persevered in this brutal, bloody war! Under fraction of drums summary column of soldiers dropped to the foot of the Lenin Mausoleum 200 banners of the defeated German troops. Hitler's personal standard was thrown ahead.