The 1977 October Revolution Parade was a
military parade that took place in the
Red Square in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
on 7 November 1977 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the
October Revolution
The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key moment ...
. The annual parade marks the protest of the
Bolsheviks
The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...
against the
Tsarist autocracy
Tsarist autocracy (russian: царское самодержавие, transcr. ''tsarskoye samoderzhaviye''), also called Tsarism, was a form of autocracy (later absolute monarchy) specific to the Grand Duchy of Moscow and its successor states th ...
of the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
. The
Soviet Communist Party General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev
Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev; uk, links= no, Леонід Ілліч Брежнєв, . (19 December 1906– 10 November 1982) was a Soviet Union, Soviet politician who served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Gener ...
and
Soviet Prime Minister Alexei Kosygin attended the parade, among other foreign leaders from
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact (WP) or Treaty of Warsaw, formally the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, was a collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland, between the Soviet Union and seven other Eastern Bloc socialist republic ...
and allied countries who decided to fly in for the celebrations.
Marshal
Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...
Dmitry Ustinov delivered his second holiday address to the
Soviet people
Soviet people ( rus, сове́тский наро́д, r=sovyétsky naród), or citizens of the USSR ( rus, гра́ждане СССР, grázhdanye SSSR), was an umbrella demonym for the population of the Soviet Union.
Nationality policy in t ...
on this day, right after the parade inspection that had been presided over by him and led by the commander of the
Moscow Military District Colonel General Vladimir Govorov. Music was performed by the Combined
Military Band
A military band is a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind and percussion instruments. The conductor of a band commonly bears the tit ...
of the Moscow Garrison conducted by Colonel
Nikolai Mikhailov. As per tradition, 14 other Soviet Cities (including
Leningrad
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
) held their parades on this day. A folding stock version of the
AK-47 appeared in the contingent of troops from the
Soviet Airborne Forces. This parade included the updated
anthem of the Soviet Union
The "State Anthem of the Soviet Union" was the national anthem of the Soviet Union and the regional anthem of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic from 1944 to 1991, replacing "The Internationale". Its original lyrics were written b ...
.
International dignitaries
Parade units
Military bands
* Massed Bands of the Moscow Military District under the direction of Major General
Nikolai Mikhailov, Senior Director of Music of the Bands Service
* Corps of Drums of the
Moscow Military Music School
The Valery Khalilov Moscow Suvorov Military Music College is one of the leading military music institutions in Russia. It is a separate branch of the Suvorov Military Schools in Russia, and the oldest of them all (opened 1937).
History
On Augu ...
Ground column
Leading the column was the limousine carrying the parade commander, Col. General Vladimir Govrov, the commanding general of
Moscow Military District.
* Color Guard Unit
*
Frunze Military Academy
The M. V. Frunze Military Academy (russian: Военная академия имени М. В. Фрунзе), or in full the Military Order of Lenin and the October Revolution, Red Banner, Order of Suvorov Academy in the name of M. V. Frunze (rus ...
*
V.I. Lenin Military Political Academy
*
Felix Dzerzhinsky Artillery Academy
*
Military Armored Forces Academy Marshal Rodion Malinovsky
* Military Engineering Academy
*
Military Academy of Chemical Defense and Control
* Yuri
Gagarin Air Force Academy
* Prof. Nikolai
Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy
* Naval Engineering Institute
*
Moscow Border Guards Institute of the Border Defence Forces of the KGB "Moscow City Council"
* Active military units:
**
98th Guards Airborne Division
The 98th Guards Airborne Division is an airborne division of the Russian Airborne Troops, currently based in Ivanovo.
Russian 98th Airborne Division patch.svg, 98th Guards Airborne Division shoulder sleeve insignia (1993)
History
During the Se ...
**
OMSDON
The Separate Operational Purpose Division or ODON, formerly called OMSDON (a.k.a. ''Felix Dzerzhinsky, Dzerzhinsky Division''), is a rapid deployment internal security Division (army), division of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal ...
** 336th Marine Regiment of the
Baltic Fleet
, image = Great emblem of the Baltic fleet.svg
, image_size = 150
, caption = Baltic Fleet Great ensign
, dates = 18 May 1703 – present
, country =
, allegiance = (1703–1721) (1721–1917) (1917–1922) (1922–1991)(1991–present)
...
*
Suvorov Military School
The Suvorov Military Schools (russian: Суворовское военное училище) are a type of boarding school in the former Soviet Union and in modern Russia and Belarus for boys of 10–17. Education in these schools focuses on mil ...
*
Nakhimov Naval School
*
Moscow Military High Command Training School "Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR"
Mobile column
The parade saw the return of military tanks after a two-year hiatus.
The highlight was the
T-72
The T-72 is a family of Soviet/Russian main battle tanks that entered production in 1969. The T-72 was a development of the T-64, which was troubled by high costs and its reliance on immature developmental technology. About 25,000 T-72 tanks ha ...
tank was first publicly seen at this parade. The parade also featured a full return to the iconic armor columns and missiles in the second half of the military portion of the parade.
Gallery
File:Moscow 1977-11-07-11.jpg, Saint Basil's Cathedral
The Cathedral of Vasily the Blessed ( rus, Собо́р Васи́лия Блаже́нного, Sobór Vasíliya Blazhénnogo), commonly known as Saint Basil's Cathedral, is an Orthodox church in Red Square of Moscow, and is one of the most pop ...
before the parade
File:Red Square 1977-11-07-19.jpg, Tanks on Red Square
File:Red Square 1977-11-07-10.jpg, Troops of the Nakhimov Military Academy on Red Square
File:Red Square 1977-11-07-9.jpg, Corps of Drummers of the Moscow Suvorov Military Academy
File:Red Square 1977-11-07-7.jpg, The Kremlin
The Kremlin ( rus, Московский Кремль, r=Moskovskiy Kreml', p=ˈmɐˈskofskʲɪj krʲemlʲ, t=Moscow Kremlin) is a fortified complex in the center of Moscow founded by the Rurik dynasty, Rurik dynasty. It is the best known of th ...
during the parade
File:Red Square 1977-11-07-30.jpg, The Massed Bands during the parade finale
File:Red Square 1977-11-07-4.jpg, Spasskaya Tower during the parade
File:Red Square 1977-11-07-32.jpg, Demonstrations during the parade
References
{{Annual Great October Socialist Revolution Parade
November 1977 events in Europe
1977 in Moscow
1977 in the Soviet Union
October Revolution parades