Table of contents:
- What were the goals of Operation Big Waltz?
- How was the organization of the march and who "took part" in the parade of the vanquished
- How did the population behave during the passage of the columns of Nazi warriors
- Who conducted the "Big Waltz" in Moscow and what was the fate of the organizers of the "parade of the vanquished"
Video: Operation "Big Waltz" of Stalin: How was the parade of the defeated, and why the Germans were taken in Moscow in 1944
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
Victory in the Great Patriotic War was forged not only at the front. Ideological operations played a huge role in the fight against the enemy. One of these was the operation known as the "Big Waltz", organized by order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Joseph Stalin in July 1944. Held almost a year before the historic Victory Parade, Operation Big Waltz even then symbolized the inevitability of Hitler's defeat and the triumph of Soviet weapons.
What were the goals of Operation Big Waltz?
1944 in the Second World War was marked by the brilliantly carried out by the Soviet command Operation Bagration. In the summer, as a result of the large-scale offensive of the Red Army on the territory of Belarus, the Baltic States and eastern Poland, the Wehrmacht troops suffered a crushing defeat, suffering heavy losses of military equipment and manpower - about 400 thousand killed and captured soldiers and officers, 21 captive generals. It was not easy for the allies of the USSR to believe in the reality of these numbers. In addition, the Fuehrer, seeking to refute these reports, gave the order to assign the numbers and names of some of the twenty-six defeated divisions to other military units.
In order to visually demonstrate the military successes of the Soviet Union, a unique demonstration operation known as the "Big Waltz" was developed and carried out - a mass procession of captured Nazi warriors along Moscow streets. This name of the action was proposed by Lavrenty Beria - after the name of the popular Hollywood motion picture at that time. Stalin took the title with humor, saying that it would not hurt for the overseas allies to watch this "film" in the Soviet version.
In addition to the informative load, Operation Big Waltz was carried out with the aim of raising the morale of Soviet soldiers at the front and strengthening the civilian population's faith in victory.
How was the organization of the march and who "took part" in the parade of the vanquished
The selection of the Nazis for participation in the "Grand Waltz" began in July 1944 in an atmosphere of strict secrecy. 57,600 people were taken from prisoner of war camps to railway stations in the Belarusian cities of Bobruisk and Vitebsk. Under the protection of the personnel of special convoy divisions of the NKVD troops, 40 echelons with German soldiers and officers, including 19 generals, arrived in Moscow.
The prisoners were placed on the territory of the city hippodrome and the Dynamo stadium. For the passage of the march, they were divided into two groups. As if repeating the rotation in a waltz and thus emphasizing the name of the operation, the movement of the columns of captured Germans had to go in a circle - the Garden Ring.
The first group (about 42 thousand people) had to travel along Gorky Street, and then along the Garden Ring to the Kursk railway station in a clockwise direction. The march was led by the military leaders of the Wehrmacht, followed by officers and privates. The column procession lasted two and a half hours. The second group (about 15 thousand) also proceeded along Gorky Street to the Garden Ring and headed counterclockwise along it to the Kanatchikovo station of the Okruzhnaya Railway. The members of this group were on the march for more than four hours.
Watering machines closed the procession. This was dictated by sanitary and hygienic considerations, since the streets of the capital were literally dirty. The fact is that in order to maintain the strength of the starving prisoners, they were well fed before the "parade", and many of the stomachs could not stand the fatty food. In addition, watering the pavements was also a symbolic act of washing away the Nazi mud from the ground.
How did the population behave during the passage of the columns of Nazi warriors
According to the report of Lavrenty Beria, the march of the Nazi prisoners of war, popularly called the "parade of the vanquished," passed without incidents. The people gathered on the streets of Moscow did not attempt to physically kill the escorts, confining themselves to shouts of "Death to Hitler!", "Death to fascism!" However, eyewitness recollections are somewhat at odds with this statement. According to witnesses to the event, the population contemplated the passage of the columns without much exclamation. They looked at the prisoners with contempt, but at the same time with a share of pity caused by their poor appearance. The highest military ranks walked in uniforms and with awards left to them in accordance with the terms of surrender. But the rank and file was a deplorable sight.
Who conducted the "Big Waltz" in Moscow and what was the fate of the organizers of the "parade of the vanquished"
Reliable and responsible employees of various branches of the armed forces were involved in organizing the passage of captured Nazis through the streets of the capital. Thus, the guard of the hippodrome and the Dynamo stadium, where the German prisoners of war were placed before the march, was provided with the guards of the 36th division of the NKVD convoy troops under the command of Colonel Ivan Ivanovich Shevlyakov. He was also entrusted with escorting the convoys and preventing acts of violence against prisoners along the entire route. The development of measures for the "Big Waltz" fell on the People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs, in particular - on Colonel-General Arkady Nikolaevich Apollonov. Responsibility for the passage of Hitler's warriors through the streets of the capital was assigned to Colonel-General Pavel Artemyevich Artemyev, commander of the troops of the Moscow Military District.
Subsequently, the fates of these people developed in different ways. Ivan Shevlyakov was awarded the rank of major general. There is very little information in the public domain about this person, since in the post-war years he was involved in secret projects related to nuclear missile development. Arkady Apollonov, at the age of 46, was transferred to the reserve from the post of deputy minister of state security for command and control of troops. He died in 1978 and was buried at the Kuntsevo cemetery in Moscow. After the death of Stalin, Pavel Artemyev was sent for further service in the Ural military district with a demotion. He retired in 1960, after his death in 1979 he was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery.
In general, the Second World War was a living hell for both its participants and civilians. But the biggest nightmare was what happened in captivity with Soviet female military personnel.
Recommended:
How Soviet soldiers survived, who were carried into the ocean for 49 days, and How they were met in the USA and the USSR after they were rescued
In the early spring of 1960, the crew of the American aircraft carrier Kearsarge discovered a small barge in the middle of the ocean. On board were four emaciated Soviet soldiers. They survived by feeding on leather belts, tarpaulin boots and industrial water. But even after 49 days of extreme drift, the soldiers told the American sailors who found them something like this: help us only with fuel and food, and we will get home ourselves
Why did the Germans want to kidnap Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill, and why they did not succeed
The plan to kidnap the leaders of the "Big Three" states could be called an adventure, if not for the punctuality and scale with which the Germans were preparing for the operation. One thing the German leaders did not take into account before the "Long Leap" - the activity and awareness of Soviet intelligence, the coherence and scale of their secret, but effective work. Thanks to the timely detention of SS saboteurs and the arrests of German agents, the USSR special services managed to disrupt the operation already at the first stage it was completed
How Berlin was taken, and why the Soviet army did not frighten, but surprised the Germans
When only a few days remained before the long-awaited Victory, and it was clear to everyone on whose side she would be, the battles became more and more fierce. The Nazis were, elite units flocked to Berlin, they were in no hurry to give up their lair without a fight. Much has been written about how the Nazis behaved in the occupied territories during the Second World War. Did the Red Army men, who had already entered Berlin not as occupiers, but as victors, allow themselves too much?
Attack of the Dead: How 60 Dying Russian Soldiers Defeated 7000 Germans
"The Russians are not giving up!" - Many have heard this well-known phrase, but few know about the tragic events accompanying its appearance. These simple words are about the heroic feat of Russian soldiers, which was forgotten for many decades
Why in the 19th century everyone wanted to become hussars, and before that time only foreigners were taken there
The legendary Kozma Prutkov, whose image was given the status of a retired hussar, advised everyone to become a hussar if they want to be beautiful. The officer's uniform in this branch of the army was dazzling. By the beginning of the 19th century, everyone was striving for hussars. Another question, not everyone could afford this role: in itself, caring for an exquisite form provided for substantial costs. The hussar regiment was considered an elite military unit. And the best were selected there