The first parade in Moscow to celebrate the defeat of the Nazis in the Second World War took place on 24 June 1945, about two months after Germany's unconditional surrender was signed near Berlin.
24 June will see a WWII Victory Day military parade in Moscow's Red Square, which was cancelled on 9 May due to the national lockdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Wednesday event is of symbolic meaning, given that the very first parade dedicated to the defeat of Nazi Germany in the Second World War was held in Moscow on 24 June 1945. Here's an array of interesting facts about this historic event.
No Banner of Victory
Renowned Soviet military commander Georgy Zhukov took a decision that there would be no banner of victory during the historic parade on 24 June 1945.
According to A. Dementyev from the Moscow-based Soviet Army Museum, those who were tasked with carrying the banner had little time for drill practice ahead of the parade. The Soviet banner of victory was first carried during the WWII Victory Day event in 1965.
Who Inspected the Parade?
It was Zhukov rather than then-Soviet leader and Commander-in-Chief Joseph Stalin, who inspected the 1945 parade which was commanded by another prominent Soviet military commander, Konstantin Rokossovsky.
In his memoirs, Zhukov wrote, citing Stalin's son, that the Soviet leader had decided not to inspect the parade because he did not have sufficient riding skills.