In midJune 1944, the Red Army carried out one of the most powerful offensives of World War II on the Eastern Front. Known in code as Operation Bagratión, its execution meant the almost complete destruction of the backbone of the German army in the east; it was only the beginning of the socalled Soviet steamroller.

At the same time, on June 17, another unusual event took place: in the center of the city of Moscow, one of the most symbolic and shocking episodes of the war took place, when 57 000 German soldiers belonging to both the Wehrmacht and the WaffenSS paraded before the astonishment of many Muscovites present on the balconies of their homes and in the main avenues of the Soviet capital; however, and unlike what they once dreamed, their march on Moscow was not carried out as victors, but as defeated.

The socalled Operation Great Waltz was one of the most symbolic episodes of the Great Patriotic War for the Soviets, since it meant one of the most imposing humiliations that a nation had ever inflicted on its enemy's army, and today we will learn all the details about how the Parade of the Vanquished was carried out in the summer of 1944.


Music used in this video:
Wicked Games by Philip Ayers
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Weapon of Choice by Fabien Tell
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Break Free by Fabien Tell
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Sniper Force by Mark Rutherford   / markrutherfordofficial  
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The Plan by Andreas Waldetoft |   / andreaswaldetoftmusic  
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Bibliographic references:
• Adair, P. (1994). Hitler's Greatest Defeat: The Collapse Of The Army Group Centre, June 1944. London: Arms and Armour Press. Retrieved from: https://cloudflareipfs.com/ipfs/bafy...

• Bychkov, V. (July 17, 2018). Фашисты хотели увидеть Москву? Они ее увидели (in Russian). Retrieved from: https://radiosputnik.ria.ru/20180717/...

• Kamenir, V. (n.d.). Soviet Operation Bagration Destroyed German Army Group Center. Retrieved from: https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/art...

• Lawrenceby, W. H. (July 18, 1944). 57,000 Nazis Parade in Moscow As Prisoners From White Russia; 57,000 Nazis Parade in Moscow As Prisoners From White Russia. Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/1944/07/18/ar...

• Sputnik World Editorial staff (July 18, 2019). Hace 75 años: El histórico día en el que miles de nazis derrotados marcharon por Moscú (in Spanish). Piensa Chile. Retrieved from: https://piensachile.com/2019/07/18/50...

• Rare Historical Photos Editorial staff (n.d.). Parade of German prisoners of war in the streets of Moscow, 1944. Retrieved from: https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/germ...

• RT Editorial Staff (July 16, 2019). El día que miles de nazis marcharon por Moscú (in Spanish). Retrieved from: https://actualidad.rt.com/actualidad/...

• The International Affairs Editorial staff (August 12, 2022). The 'Defeat Parade' of the German POWs in Moscow. Retrieved from: https://en.interaffairs.ru/article/th...

• Yegorov, B. (July 6, 2019). How German soldiers marched through Moscow during WWII. Retrieved from: https://www.rbth.com/history/330588h...