Victory Day And Victory Parades.

[Simon]

Allow me to comment on a few technicalities. Capt. (later Gen.) Varennikov was appointed by Zhukov to be the commander of Victory Banner Honor Guard who delivered the banner to Moscow and carried it through the Red Square at the Victory Parade. As for captured Nazi banners, they were collected and stored at the museum following the parade. Only gloves and the wooden stand were burned.

Several facts about June 24, 1945 parade might be interesting to other forum members. While passing the Mausoleum, parade participants turned their heads greeting members of Politburo. When marching past representatives of the Allies, Soviet soldiers kept looking forward. Some sources indicate that Egorov and Kantaria were supposed to carry the Victory banner. With them being too skinny and one of them limping, this honor was instead given to Varennikov.

Gen. Varennikov was awarded Kutuzov I. I am dying of curiosity but can't find info on how he earned this order.

Cheers,

Simon

[Tal Inbar]

Originally Posted by ericlida

I
After the Parade all the Nazi unit flags have been burned together with the stand they were thrown on. But, also all the soldiers who carried the Nazi flags burned their gloves.

??

Do you have a reliable source ?

I thought that the Nazi banners and insignia was saved as an historic war relics. That being said, what about the Nazi banners at the war museum in Moscow?

[Auke]

Originally Posted by Simon

Gen. Varennikov was awarded Kutuzov I. I am dying of curiosity but can't find info on how he earned this order.

Varennikov was awarded his Kutuzov 1st Class on 4 November 1981. It was one of only 15 awardings of a Kutuzov 1st Class not for merits in WW2: 6 of these 15 were awarded in 1956 to marshals and generals for actions in Hungary, 1 to an academy in 1968 and the other 8 to senior generals and marshals in 1981 / 1982.

[ericlida]

Originally Posted by Tal Inbar

??

Do you have a reliable source ?

I thought that the Nazi banners and insignia was saved as an historic war relics. That being said, what about the Nazi banners at the war museum in Moscow?

Tal
There was a BIG CLEANING (disinfection) of the Red Square after the Parade. I think that the part of the Nazi flags have been burned, but not 100% sure. The gloves - 100%. I watched this on Russian TV yesterday.

[Greg Collins]

A very Happy Victory Day to all!

Saw part of the parade on t.v.- impressive (as always). If anyone gets the heads up on an available DVD of the parade (Region 1), please let me know.

Thanks!

[Christophe]

Originally Posted by ericlida

Tal
There was a BIG CLEANING (disinfection) of the Red Square after the Parade. I think that the part of the Nazi flags have been burned, but not 100% sure. The gloves - 100%. I watched this on Russian TV yesterday.

Hi Eric,

It would be interesting to find a source confirming this.

And, BTW, where are all the flags today ? I have seen some of them displayed in Moscow, in the Central Museum of Armed Forces, but the others ? Are they in the same Museum, but not displayed ?

Cheers.

Ch.

[desantnik]

Originally Posted by Christophe

And, BTW, where are all the flags today ? I have seen some of them displayed in Moscow, in the Central Museum of Armed Forces, but the others ? Are they in the same Museum, but not displayed ?

Christophe, after 1991 in a money-raising scheme many were sold from the Central Armed Forces Museum to private collectors.

[Christophe]

Hi Paul,

Many thanks for this information. Before these sales, were all of them kept in the Central Armed Forces Museum, or also laid in other Museums in Moscow, Russia or other Republics, or even abroad ?

Cheers.

Ch.

[desantnik]

Originally Posted by Christophe

Many thanks for this information. Before these sales, were all of them kept in the Central Armed Forces Museum, or also laid in other Museums in Moscow, Russia or other Republics, or even abroad ?

Christophe, I don't know. I can only conjecture that they were solely kept in the Central Armed Forces Museum. I highly, highly doubt any would have gone abroad.

[Soviet]

Originally Posted by ericlida

Interesting information.
After the Parade all the Nazi unit flags have been burned together with the stand they were thrown on.

What is your source? And what about those falgs at the Soviet Armed Forces Museum in Moscow?