The Central Archive of Moscow has opened a virtual exhibition to mark the anniversary of the 1945 Victory Parade
To mark the anniversary of the Victory Parade on Red Square, the Central Archive of Moscow has opened an online exhibition entitled Victory Parade, June 24, 1945. It features a collection of rare archival photographs of one of the most significant events in Russia’s 20th century history. The exhibition is hosted by the virtual museum Moscow—Caring for History, and can be found in the 1941–1945 hall, in the Media Library section, Photo Chronicle of Moscow subsection.
The Victory Parade of June 24, 1945, is a symbol of the end of the Great Patriotic War and a solemn celebration of the nation’s great achievement. On this day, front-line soldiers and cadets, marshals and private soldiers—all those who contributed to the liberation of the world from Nazism—gathered on Red Square. The archival photographs presented in the new virtual exhibition allow visitors to see living history: the faces of the heroes, the emotions of the participants, and the solemn but jubilant atmosphere of the capital. “We carefully preserve the memory of such events, and our task is to make this memory accessible,” said Yaroslav Onopenko, head of the Central Archive of Moscow.
More than 35,000 soldiers and commanders of the Red Army and Navy took part in the Victory Parade. A combined regiment was selected from each front. The regiments consisted of six infantry companies, as well as one company each of tank operators, artillerymen, and pilots, and one combined company of sappers, cavalrymen, and signalmen.
The parade was reviewed by Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Zhukov and led by Marshal of the Soviet Union Konstantin Rokossovsky In single file on the country’s main square marched marshals and generals, officers and private soldiers who had distinguished themselves in battle, as well as students of military academies, cadets from military schools, and pupils from Suvorov schools.
The collection features more than 30 archival photographs capturing key moments of the parade. These include photographs by Mikhail Trakhman, Yakov Khalip, Ivan Shagin, Boris Vdovenko, and other famous Soviet photographers. The photographs show the parade participants carrying captured Nazi banners to Lenin’s Mausoleum, Marshal Georgy Zhukov greeting representatives of the Allied armies, and tanks, cavalrymen, and sailors marching through the streets of Moscow. There is a particular focus on the atmosphere of popular jubilation in the capital.