Festive fireworks on May 9, 1945. Salutes of the Great Patriotic War. Great May, victorious May

On May 9, Russia celebrates a national holiday - Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, in which the Soviet people fought for the freedom and independence of their homeland against Nazi Germany and its allies. The Great Patriotic War was the most important and decisive part of the Second World War 1939-1945.

The Great Patriotic War began at dawn on June 22, 1941, when Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union. On her side were Romania, Italy, and a few days later Hungary, Slovakia and Finland.

(Military encyclopedia. Chairman of the Main Editorial Commission S. Ivanov. Military Publishing House. Moscow. In 8 volumes -2004. ISBN 5 - 203 01875 - 8)

The war lasted almost four years and became the largest armed conflict in the history of mankind. On a huge front stretching from the Barents to the Black Seas, on both sides in different periods fought from 8 to 12.8 million people, used from 5.7 to 20 thousand tanks and assault guns, from 84 to 163 thousand guns and mortars, from 6.5 to 18.8 thousand aircraft. The history of war has not yet known such a huge scale of hostilities and the concentration of such a large mass of military equipment.

Who unconditional surrender Nazi Germany was signed in the suburbs of Berlin on May 8 at 22:43 CET (Moscow time on May 9 at 0:43). It is because of this time difference that the Day of the End of World War II is celebrated in Europe on May 8, and in the Soviet Union on May 9.

And only in 1965, in the year of the twentieth anniversary of the victory of the Soviet troops, by the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, May 9 was again declared a non-working day. The holiday was given an exceptionally solemn status, and a special jubilee medal was instituted. On May 9, 1965, a military parade was held on Red Square in Moscow, and the Victory Banner was carried in front of the troops.

Since then, Victory Day has always been celebrated in the USSR very solemnly, and the holding of military parades on May 9 has become a tradition. Streets and squares were decorated with flags and banners. At 7 o'clock in the evening, a minute of silence was announced in memory of the victims. Mass meetings of veterans in the center of Moscow have become traditional.

On May 9, 1991, the last parade of the Soviet era took place, and until 1995 there were no parades. In 1995, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Victory, a military parade was held in Moscow along Kutuzovsky Prospekt near Poklonnaya Gora. Samples of military equipment were demonstrated there, and columns of veterans marched across Red Square.

Since 1996, the tradition of holding military parades on the main square of the country has been enshrined in the law "On the perpetuation of the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945." According to him, parades should be held not only in Moscow, but also in hero cities, and in cities where the headquarters of military districts and fleets are stationed. The participation of military equipment is not enshrined in the law.

Since that time, parades have been held annually. On the Victory Day, meetings of veterans, celebrations and concerts are held. Wreaths and flowers are laid at the monuments of military glory, memorials, mass graves, and guards of honor are set up. Memorial services are held in churches and temples in Russia.

Every year on this day in the hero cities of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Volgograd, Novorossiysk, Tula, Smolensk and Murmansk, as well as in the cities of Kaliningrad, Rostov-on-Don, Samara, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Chita, Khabarovsk, Vladivostok, Severomorsk and Festive artillery fireworks are being made in Sevastopol. The first salute on the occasion of Victory Day was fired in Moscow on May 9, 1945 with 30 volleys from a thousand guns.

Since 2005, the patriotic action "St. George's Ribbon" has been held with the aim of returning and instilling the value of the holiday to the younger generation. On the eve of Victory Day celebrations, everyone can tie the "St. George's Ribbon" on his hand, bag or car antenna as a token of memory of the heroic past of the USSR, as a symbol of military valor, Victory, military glory and recognition of the veterans' merits.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources

May 9, 2017, 09:35

Victory Day- holiday of the victory of the people Soviet Union over Nazi Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. Celebrated on May 9.

Abroad, Victory Day is celebrated not on May 9, but on May 8.
War-torn Europe celebrated Victory Day sincerely and popularly. On May 9, 1945, in almost all European cities, people congratulated each other and the victorious soldiers.

In London, Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square were the focus of the celebrations. The people were congratulated by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.

Winston Churchill delivered a speech from the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

In the USA, there are two whole Victory Days: V-E Day (Victory Day in Europe) and V-j day(Victory Day over Japan). Americans celebrated both of these Victory Day in 1945 on a grand scale, honoring their veterans and remembering President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Victory Day coincided with the birthday of President Harry Truman. He dedicated the victory to the memory of his predecessor Franklin Roosevelt, who died of a cerebral hemorrhage a month before Germany's surrender.

Now the veterans are celebrating like this - they are going to lay wreaths and pay tribute to the victims in the city of Washington to the memorial to the heroes of World War II. And the real Victory Day in the USA is September 2, 1945.

On this day, September 2, 1945 at 9:02 am Tokyo time, the Act of Surrender of the Empire of Japan was signed on board the American battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay. On the part of Japan, the document was signed by Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu and General Staff Yoshijiro Umezu. The representatives of the Allied Powers were the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers Douglas MacArthur, American Admiral Chester Nimitz, Commander of the British Pacific Fleet Bruce Fraser, Soviet General Kuzma Nikolayevich Derevyanko, Kuomintang General Su Yun-chan, French General Blrallisky Leclerc, T. Australian K. Halfrich, New Zealand Air Vice Marshal L. Isit and Canadian Colonel N. Moore-Cosgrave.

In addition to the USSR, May 9 was officially recognized as Victory Day only in Great Britain. This country waged a war against fascism from 1939 and until 1941 fought Hitler almost alone.

The British clearly lacked the strength to defeat Germany, but when faced with the terrible Wehrmacht machine, it was they who were able to appreciate the feat of the Soviet people who crushed it.

After the end of the war, many of our veterans remained in Great Britain, so now England has the largest diaspora of USSR veterans in Western Europe... It is worth noting that although Victory Day is celebrated in Britain, it is not done so pompously and loudly. On the streets there are no crowds of celebrating people, large processions and parades.

On May 9 in London, in a park near the Imperial War Museum, a traditional wreath-laying ceremony is held at the monument to Soviet soldiers and citizens who died in the war, as well as a meeting of veterans of the Northern convoys aboard the cruiser Belfast.

The northern convoys and the naval fraternity that linked the British and Soviet sailors united the veterans even more. The celebrations are not splendid, but they are very dignified, with the participation of members of the royal family and senior government officials. The surviving survivors of air battles with the Luftwaffe, icy but no less hot campaigns across the northern seas and those who happened to swallow the hot sand of the African desert, listen to the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra after meeting on the cruiser Belfast. There are fewer and fewer veterans, and if previously the music was played only for them, now there are more free seats, and everyone who wants to enjoy it is invited to enjoy it.

The history of the Victory Day holiday has been going on since May 9, 1945 when, in the suburbs of Berlin, the Chief of Staff of the Supreme High Command, Field Marshal V. Keitel from the Wehrmacht, Deputy Supreme Commander-in-Chief Marshal of the USSR Georgy Zhukov from the Red Army and Air Marshal of Great Britain A. Tedder from the Allies, an act of unconditional and complete surrender of the Wehrmacht was signed.

Berlin was taken on May 2, but German troops resisted the Red Army for more than a week before the fascist command, in order to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, finally decided to surrender.

On May 7, at 2:41 am in Reims, the act of unconditional surrender of Germany was signed. On behalf of the German High Command, the Act of Surrender was signed by General Jodl in the presence of General Walter Smith (on behalf of the Allied Expeditionary Forces), General Ivan Susloparov (on behalf of the Soviet High Command) and General of the French Army François Sevez as a witness.

General Susloparov signed the act in Reims at his own peril and risk, as he did not have time to contact the Kremlin in time and receive instructions. Stalin was outraged by the signing of the capitulation at Reims, in which the Western allies played a leading role.

Representatives of the allied command (from left to right): Major General I.A. Susloparov, Lieutenant General Walter Smith, Army General Dwight Eisenhower and Air Marshal Arthur Tedder. Reims, May 7, 1945.

The document signed in Raines entered into force at 23:00 on May 8. Many believe that due to the time difference between the USSR and Europe, it turned out that we celebrate this holiday in different days... However, not all so simple.
The act of surrender was re-signed.

Stalin ordered Marshal Zhukov to accept a general surrender in the capital of the defeated state, Berlin, from representatives of the branches of the German armed forces.

On May 8 at 22:43 CET (May 9 at 12:43 Moscow time) in the suburbs of Berlin, Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, as well as Luftwaffe representative Colonel General Stumpf and the Kriegsmarine, Admiral von Friedeburg signed the act of complete surrender of Germany again ...

“I cannot but boast,” the photographer Petrusov wrote later. - It took a lot of effort for me to break away from the close-up filming - Marshal Zhukov, Keitel and others, to give up a place that was torn out by the table itself, to go to the side, climb onto the table and take this picture, which gives an overall picture of the signing. I am rewarded - there is no such second picture. "

However, all these details are of interest to researchers and in no way affect our attitude to the very fact of the Great Victory.

Berlin, May 1945

Red banners on the Brandenburg Gate quadriga. Berlin. May 1945 (Archival photos)

Soviet soldiers on the streets of Berlin. May 1945. (Archival photos)

Fireworks in honor of the Victory. On the roof of the Reichstag, soldiers of the battalion commanded by Hero of the Soviet Union Stepan Andreevich Neustroev. May 1945 (Archival photos)

Red Army troops on the streets of Bucharest, 1944. (Archival photos)

And earlier than all these events, Stalin signed a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR stating that from now on May 9 becomes a public holiday Victory Day and is declared a day off. At 6 o'clock in the morning Moscow time, this decree was read by radio announcer Levitan. The first Victory Day was celebrated by the fact that people on the streets congratulated each other, hugged, kissed and cried.

On May 9, in the evening in Moscow, the Victory Salute was given, the largest in the history of the USSR: out of a thousand guns, thirty volleys were fired.

But the day off on May 9 was only three years away. In 1948, the war was ordered to be forgotten and all efforts were made to restore the national economy destroyed by the war.

Only in 1965, already in the relatively prosperous era of Brezhnev, in the 20 years of Victory, the holiday was again given what it deserved. May 9 again became a day off, parades resumed, large-scale fireworks in all cities - Heroes and honoring veterans.
Victory Banner

The banner removed from the Reichstag, where it was hoisted by Yegorov and Kantaria, did not participate in the first Victory Parade. The name of the 150th division, where the soldiers served, was displayed on it, and the country's leadership considered that such a banner could not be a symbol of the Victory, which was achieved by the whole people, and not by one division. And in fact, this is correct, since in those days this Banner was not the only one that Soviet soldiers hoisted on the day of the capture of Berlin.

In 2007, a controversy flared up around the banner of Victory again: after all, you can see the hammer and sickle on it - symbols of a state that no longer exists. And again common sense prevailed, and the banner again proudly fluttered over the ranks of soldiers and cadets striking a step along Red Square.

In addition to the festive victory parades in the cities of the country, Victory Day has other attributes and traditions:
Laying wreaths and flowers at the memorial cemeteries and monuments to the soldiers of the Great patriotic war. Traditionally, flowers are laid on the poklonnaya hill and at the monument to the unknown soldier, in St. Mamaev Kurgan... And throughout the country there are thousands of thousands of monuments, memorial plaques and memorial places, where on the Victory Day on May 9 everyone brings flowers from young to old.
A minute of silence. The solemn and funeral ceremony of laying flowers is traditionally accompanied by a minute of silence in memory of all those who died during the Great Patriotic War. A minute of silence is a sign of respect to all people who gave their lives to have a peaceful sky over our heads today.

Salute of victory. The Victory Day ends with a festive fireworks display. The first salute in Moscow was given in 1943 in honor of the successful offensive of the Red Army, after which it became a tradition to arrange salutes after successful operations with Nazi troops. And, of course, one of the most grandiose fireworks was the salute on May 9, 1945, on the day of the announcement of the complete surrender of the fascist troops. The fireworks began at 22 o'clock Moscow time, since then, every year at 22 o'clock, Victory salutes begin in many cities, reminding that the country survived, overthrew the invaders and is rejoicing!

St. George Ribbon.

There are fewer and fewer living witnesses of that war, more and more political forces of some foreign countries trying to blacken heroic soldiers our victorious army. And in order to pay tribute to the memory and respect for the exploits of our heroes, so that the younger generation knew, remembered and was proud of their history, in 2005 a new tradition was introduced - to tie on Victory Day george ribbon... The action is called “I remember! IM proud of!"

St. George ribbon - bicolor (two-color) orange and black. It traces its history from the ribbon to the soldier's order of St. George the Victorious, established on November 26, 1769 by Empress Catherine II. This ribbon, with minor changes, was included in the USSR award system as the “Guards Ribbon” - a badge of a soldier's special distinction.

It covers the shoe of a very honorable "soldier" Order of Glory. The black color of the tape means smoke, and the orange color means flame. In our time, an interesting tradition has appeared associated with this ancient symbol. Young people, on the eve of Victory Day, wear a ribbon as a sign of respect, memory and solidarity with the heroic Russian soldiers who defended the freedom of our country in the distant 40s.

For a disrespectful attitude towards a symbol, they can easily write out a fine

New rules for wearing the Victory symbol are being spread among the population of the country by volunteers. From the very beginning of the action "St. George's Ribbon", on April 24, volunteers warn about the strict rules that are associated with wearing the symbol.

“It is strictly forbidden to attach the tape to a bag or car, wear it below the waist, on the head, tie it on the hand or treat it disrespectfully,” the Victory Volunteers project website says. In case of neglect of a citizen, a fine may await».

You can wear the St.George ribbon only on the lapel of a jacket, near the heart. This is reported to everyone who decides to take part in the action "St. George's Ribbon".

“This is a symbol of respect and memory. Therefore, we believe that the most place for him is on the left side of the chest. This is how we demonstrate our recognition to the departed heroes, ”the volunteers add.

Metronome sounds. In St. Petersburg there is a special attribute of the Victory Day - the sound of a metronome from all radio broadcasting points. In the hardest 900 days of the siege of Leningrad, the sounds of the metronome did not die down for a minute, announcing that the city was alive, the city was breathing. These sounds gave vitality to the exhausted siege of Leningraders, it can be said without exaggeration that the sounds of the metronome saved thousands of lives.

Marches of the "Immortal Regiment"
On Victory Day, soldiers who died during the war walk along with the living participants of the processions in an endless stream through the squares and streets of cities. The Immortal Regiment consists of photographs of these people. The descendants found a way to once again remember dear relatives and friends, pay tribute to their memory, bow deeply for their feat.

Festive Parade... The Victory Parade in Russia is traditionally held on Red Square, in Moscow. In addition to Moscow, on May 9, Parades are held in other cities - heroes of the former USSR.

The first Parade in honor of the Victory of the USSR in the Great Patriotic War, which took place on June 24, 1945, on Red Square.

The decision to hold the Victory Parade on Red Square was made by Stalin in mid-May 1945, almost immediately after the defeat of the last grouping of German fascist troops that resisted on May 13.

June 22, 1945 the newspaper "Pravda" published the order of the supreme commander-in-chief I.V. Stalin No. 370: “In commemoration of the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War, I appoint on June 24, 1945 in Moscow on Red Square the Parade of the troops of the Field Army, the Navy and the Moscow garrison - the Victory Parade. To bring to the Parade: consolidated front regiments, consolidated regiment of the People's Commissariat of Defense, consolidated regiment Navy, military academies, military schools and troops of the Moscow garrison. The Victory Parade will be hosted by my Deputy Marshal of the Soviet Union Zhukov. Command the Victory Parade to Marshal of the Soviet Union Rokossovsky. "

The first Victory Parade was prepared very carefully. According to the recollections of veterans, the rehearsals took a month and a half. Soldiers and officers, who for four years were accustomed to crawling on their bellies and moving in short dashes, had to be taught to mint a step with a frequency of 120 steps per minute. First, stripes were drawn on the asphalt along the length of the step, and then they even pulled the strings that helped set the step height. The boots were covered with a special varnish, in which the sky was reflected as in a mirror, and metal plates were nailed to the soles, which helped to mint the step. The Parade began at ten o'clock in the morning, almost all this time it was raining, at times turning into a downpour, which was recorded by newsreels. About forty thousand people took part in the Parade. Zhukov and Rokossovsky drove to Red Square on white and black horses, respectively.

Joseph Vissarionovich himself only watched the Parade from the rostrum of the Lenin Mausoleum. Stalin stood on the podium of the mausoleum on the left, losing the middle to the front-line generals - the victors.

Kalinin, Molotov, Budyonny, Voroshilov and other members of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee were also present on the podium. Zhukov “took” the Parade from Rokossovsky, galloped along with him along the soldiers lined up and greeted them with three “hurray”, then went up to the podium of the Mausoleum and read out a welcoming speech dedicated to the victory of the USSR over Nazi Germany. Consolidated regiments of the fronts solemnly marched across Red Square: Karelian, Leningrad, 1st Baltic, 3rd, 2nd and 1st Belorussian, 1st, 4th, 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian fronts, consolidated regiment Navy. As part of the regiment of the 1st Belorussian Front, representatives of the Polish Army marched in a special column. In front of the marching columns of the fronts were the commanders of the fronts and armies with their sabers bare. The banners of the formations were carried by the Heroes of the Soviet Union and other order-bearers. They were followed by a column of soldiers of a special battalion from among the heroes of the Soviet Union and other soldiers who distinguished themselves in battle. They carried the banners and standards of defeated Nazi Germany, which they threw at the foot of the Mausoleum and set on fire. Further, units of the Moscow garrison marched along Red Square, then cavalrymen rode, drove legendary carts, followed by air defense formations, artillery, motorcyclists, light armored vehicles and heavy tanks. Airplanes, piloted by renowned aces, swept in the sky.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Victory Day parades stopped again for some time. They were revived again only in the anniversary 1995 year, when two parades were held in Moscow at once: the first on Red Square and the second on the memorial complex Poklonnaya Gora.

Happy Victory Day, my dears!

On every public holiday at the end of the evening, the festive sky is lit up with fireworks. On a certain territory, from which the fireworks are clearly visible, they enclose the territory, drive a special car with a pyrotechnic installation and launch it at the appointed time. These holidays include New Year, City Day, Independence Day, of course, May 9th.

Victory Day is relevant for the countries of the post-Soviet space, since the Second World War brought many troubles and losses to the USSR, and at the cost of incredible efforts and courage she was able to overcome the enemy.
There are a number of symbolic stages on Victory Day. Since many monuments to courage have been erected in the countries of the former Soviet Union Soviet soldiers, then an integral part of each Victory Day is the laying of wreaths at such monuments, as well as the procession of veterans, who are getting smaller and smaller from year to year.
For the first time on May 9, it blew up the sky in 1945, when 30 volleys were fired on Red Square. Fireworks in honor of significant victories Soviet army began to give in 1943. Initially, there were no colorful fireworks in the Soviet army, and in this case, volleys were fired even by machine-gun bursts. Although most often used signal flares.

In history, photographs of the first fireworks have been preserved, on May 9, 1945, when illumination was created on the festive Red Square and, having installed 1000 anti-aircraft guns, 30 salutes thundered. according to eyewitnesses preserved in the archives, it was a grandiose, incredibly beautiful event.
After the war, this day was non-working for 3 years, then congratulations to the front-line soldiers arrived on this day, and the tradition of celebrating this day was resumed in 1965.
As you know, fireworks and fireworks are given on the most significant holidays in the country, and for about 50 years now, fireworks on Victory Day have signified the importance of freedom for each country and are an integral part of the celebration.
Recalling the history of the fireworks, it was originally used to enable ships to greet each other, and represented a malfunctioning artillery salute - a volley. And today, the celebration of Victory Day is related to the military salute, since an artillery salute is held on this day.

How to create your own holiday and organize fireworks

Of course, no one can replace such beauty as the country's main fireworks, but sometimes you want to launch your charge into the sky on significant holidays. Of course, you can buy fireworks at the pyrotechnics store for this. However, this is not the best option, since any pyrotechnics is unsafe and can leave not the best impressions about yourself. Therefore, it is best to contact professional pyrotechnics who will tell you which salutes or fireworks are best to buy, organize the process and control that everything goes smoothly. You should order fireworks from the pyrotechnicians - and you will not have to worry about anything. Working in the market of these services for more than one year, we know how to provide a holiday to every home.

One of major events The twentieth century was the victory of the Soviet people over fascism in World War II. The main holiday, Victory Day, will forever remain in the historical memory of the peoples and in the calendar, the symbols of which are the Parade on Red Square and the festive fireworks in the sky of Moscow.

On May 9, 1945, at 2 am Moscow time, announcer I. Levitan reported on behalf of the command about the surrender of Nazi Germany. Four long years have ended, 1418 days and nights of the Patriotic War, full of losses, hardships, grief.

And on June 24, 1945, the first parade dedicated to the victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War took place in Moscow on Red Square. The combined regiments of the fronts, the combined regiment of the People's Commissariat of Defense, the combined regiment of the Navy, military academies, military schools and the troops of the Moscow garrison were withdrawn to the Victory Parade. More than 40 thousand soldiers and 1850 pieces of equipment marched across Red Square at that time. It was raining during the parade, so military aircraft did not take part in the parade. The parade was commanded by Marshal of the Soviet Union K.K. Rokossovsky, and Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov.

From the rostrum of the Lenin Mausoleum, Stalin watched the parade, as well as Molotov, Kalinin, Voroshilov, Budyonny and other members of the Politburo.

The Victory Parade was dedicated to documentary- one of the first color films in the USSR.It was called “Victory Parade”.

On this day, at 10 o'clock in the morning, Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Zhukov rode out on a white horse from the Spassky Gate to Red Square.

After the command "Parade, Attention!" the square exploded with a roar of applause. The parade commander Konstantin Rokossovsky presented a report to Georgy Zhukov, and then together they began to detour the troops.

Following this, the signal "Hear everyone!" Mikhail Glinka. After Zhukov's welcoming speech, the anthem of the Soviet Union was sung, and a solemn march of troops began.

Victory Banner hoisted over the Reichstag in Berlin, 1945

The parade opened with the Victory Banner, which was transported in a special car along Red Square, accompanied by Heroes of the Soviet Union M.A. Egorova and M.V. Kantaria, who hoisted this banner on the defeated Reichstag in Berlin.

Then the combined regiments of the fronts marched across Red Square.

After that - the famous Soviet Combat vehicles, which ensured our army superiority over the enemy.

The parade ended with an action that shook the whole world - the orchestra fell silent and, to the beat of drums, two hundred soldiers entered the square, carrying captured banners lowered to the ground.

Line after line of soldiers turned to the mausoleum, on which stood the country's leaders and outstanding military leaders, and threw the banners of the destroyed Nazi army captured in battles on the stones of Red Square. This action has become a symbol of our celebration and a warning to all who encroach on the freedom of our Motherland. During the Victory Parade, at the foot of the mausoleum of V.I. Lenin threw 200 banners and standards of the defeated Nazi divisions.

The tradition of celebrating major victories of the Soviet army with artillery salutes appeared in 1943. According to the testimony of Marshal of the Soviet Union Andrei Eremenko, the author of this idea was the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Joseph Stalin.

The first artillery salute took place in Moscow on August 5, 1943 in honor of the liberation of the cities of Orel and Belgorod by Soviet troops. According to the order Supreme Commander-in-Chief Joseph Stalin, 12 artillery volleys from 124 guns were fired in the capital at an interval of 30 seconds. Blank charges were fired by 100 anti-aircraft guns and 24 mountain guns of the Kremlin battalion.

Later in 1943, three categories of fireworks were established - depending on the scale of military achievements.

1st degree (24 volleys from 324 guns)- in commemoration of especially outstanding events: the liberation of the capitals of the republics of the USSR and foreign states, the achievement of the state border by Soviet troops, the end of the war with the allies of Germany. The first such fireworks took place on November 6, 1943, on the day of the liberation of Kiev, and the last on September 3, 1945, in honor of the victory over Japan. In total in 1943-1945. 26 1st degree fireworks were produced.

2nd degree (20 salvoes from 224 guns)- in honor of the liberation of large cities, the completion of important operations, the crossing of large rivers. During the years of the Great Patriotic War, 206 such fireworks took place. The first of them was given on 23 August 1943 in honor of the liberation of Kharkov, the last - on 8 May 1945 in honor of the capture of the cities of Jaromerice and Znojmo in Czechoslovakia and Gollabrunn and Stockerau in Austria.

3rd degree (12 volleys from 124 guns)- about "important military-operational achievements": the seizure of significant railway, sea and highway points and road junctions, the encirclement of large enemy groupings. During the war, 122 3rd degree salutes were fired: the first was given on August 30, 1943 in honor of the liberation of Taganrog, the last - on May 8, 1945, in honor of the capture of the city of Olomouc in Czechoslovakia by Soviet troops.

Fireworks in honor of lifting the Siege of Leningrad

The salutes were appointed by order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief and took place in Moscow. The only exception was the 1st degree fireworks in Leningrad on January 27, 1944, in honor of the complete lifting of the blockade of the city. Unlike the others, the order to carry it out was signed by the commander of the Leningrad Front, General of the Army Leonid Govorov, on behalf of Joseph Stalin.

Sometimes salutes in honor of the victories of the Soviet troops were given several times during the evening. So, five salutes of the 2nd degree were fired on July 27, 1944 (for the capture of the cities of Stanislav, Lvov, Bialystok in Poland; Siauliai, Daugavpils in Lithuania and Rezekne in Latvia) and on January 22, 1945 (for the capture of the cities of Insterburg, Hohensaltz, Allenstein, Gnesen, Osterode, Deutsch-Aylau in East Prussia). Immediately two 1st degree and three 2nd degree fireworks took place on January 19, 1945 in connection with the liberation of the Polish cities of Krakow, Lodz, Kutno, Tomaszow, Gostynin, Leczyca and a number of others. In total, 355 fireworks were fired during the Great Patriotic War. accompanied by fireworks of multicolored signal flares and illumination of anti-aircraft searchlights.

Fireworks of Victory in Moscow

On May 9, 1945, in commemoration of the victory over Germany, a salute of 30 artillery salvos of 1,000 guns was given in Moscow. It was accompanied by cross-beams from 160 searchlights and the launch of multi-colored rockets.

V post-war years in the USSR, annually on May 9 at 21 o'clock local time (later at 22 o'clock), a salute of 30 artillery volleys was fired (in 1956-1964 - 20 artillery volleys. 40 volleys The list of cities where fireworks were given was published in the order of the USSR Minister of Defense, including Moscow and Leningrad, the capitals of the Union republics, and since the 1960s, hero cities and centers of military districts, fleets and flotillas.

In 1967, a special platoon of salute installations was formed in the Taman division to conduct a salute in Moscow. Now it bears the name of the 449th separate salute division.

In 1995, the provision that Victory Day on May 9 "is annually celebrated with a military parade and artillery salute" was included in the law "On the perpetuation of the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945", signed by Russian President Boris Yeltsin.

On August 5, 1943, an artillery salute took place in Moscow in honor of the liberation of the cities of Orel and Belgorod by Soviet troops. 12 artillery volleys were fired from 124 guns at intervals of 30 seconds. In the photo: fireworks in Moscow, August 5, 1943
ITAR-TASS

The commander of the Moscow Military District and the Moscow Defense Zone, Colonel-General Pavel Artemiev, and the commander of the Moscow Air Defense Front, Lieutenant-General Daniil Zhuravlev, were responsible for conducting the first salute. In the photo: fireworks in Moscow, August 5, 1943
ITAR-TASS / B. Levshin

Photo: fireworks in Moscow in honor of the liberation of Lviv, July 27, 1944
ITAR-TASS

In the photo: fireworks in honor of the liberation of Kharkov, August 23, 1943
ITAR-TASS / Naum Granovsky

On May 9, 1945, in commemoration of the victory over Nazi Germany, a special salute was given in Moscow: 30 artillery salvoes from 1,000 guns, accompanied by the cross beams of 160 searchlights and the launch of multi-colored missiles. On the picture:
ITAR-TASS / Nikolay Sitnikov

ITAR-TASS / Vasily Fedoseev

Salute of Victory in Moscow, May 9, 1945
ITAR-TASS / Nikolay Sitnikov

Salute of Victory in Moscow, May 9, 1945
ITAR-TASS / P. Vorobiev

Salute of Victory in Leningrad, May 9, 1945
ITAR-TASS / A. Brodsky

After the war, the tradition of celebrating the Victory Parade with salutes was entrenched. In the photo: celebration of the tenth anniversary of Victory in Moscow, 1955
ITAR-TASS / Nikolay Rakhmanov