Anniversary Days/Victory Day parades in Sevastopol, Crimea

We were up at 03:00 on Parade day, 24 June. Nanny arrived to take care of the children morning of 23 June. Spent three days polishing brass and leather, VCO boiled my linen dress uniform to blinding white, fluffed and buffed her uniform. Our uniforms are new old stock original from 1943. Since I am senior officer, my dress uniform has brass buttons and shoulder board buttons and my shoulder boards are gilt with sparkling brass stars. The stars, it’s hard to see but they are not plain, they are quite ornate in a miniature way…and it takes 10 minutes to polish each one. My uniform buttons are not sewn on, they are held in place by an ingenious brass double ring clip. Our shoulder boards, the boards have a leather strap on the inside that goes through a loop at the end of the uniform shoulder, then through a narrow strap to the inside end where the buttons (hers are green painted since she is Sarjant) are held on with strong lace that goes through the button loop, then down through the shirt shoulder through two each side reinforced holes, then through a thin wood plate and tied off. Works grand. Let me tell you how much time it takes to maintain two pairs of 75 year old boots to mirror finish. We have spent most of the last three months getting all the vehicles up to snuff and ready for parade.

We left the digs at 04:45 for 35th Battery and from there convoyed to Ulitsiya Lenina, then down to the base of the feeder road from near train station. At roughly 08:30 Red Army began to drive up to Lenina, where we sat until Parade started at 10:00 sharp. Thousands and thousands of guests passed through us on their way down to the main viewing areas near Nakhimov Square and Ulitsiya Nakhimov, many of them stopping to talk and admire the machines and uniforms, and photo and be photoed.

Vid of machines and Red Army. All of the period armored vehicles are from the Diorama Museum on Sapun Mountain, overlooking both Balaklava and the Valley of the Shadow of Death from Light Brigade fame. Starting 3 years ago with the T34/85, the machines were pulled off the plinths where they had sat since 1955. For diesel powered units, it was found that purging of fuel lines, injectors and fuel tanks with new batteries and the beasts started and moved on their own. The petrol vehicles, including Katyushya, SU 76 and the truck pulling the anti aircraft machine gun and searchlight, did get an engine overhaul if needed, but most didn’t even need that, just a major tune up, fuel line purges and fire up they did. All work on all the vehicles was performed by Black Sea Fleet units. Red Army, we own all our vehicles, as in privately owned and we maintain those vehicles from our pockets, not a kopek comes from anyone for upkeep and repairs. Some are stored and on display at 35th Battery, some in a lager near Balaklava.

The Parade itself? Worth every aching hour of work, the cheers for Red Army are continuous and at times deafening.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pxv4Q7HR7cA

Vid of the entire parade, less Red Army.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcRdV2XIk3k

We do it for our veterans, who, sadly, are fewer every year. We lost Baba Shura 02.02.20, she was our last combat veteran of the war. She was partizan, 14 when the war started. She was captured at 35th Battery when the last resistance ended on 03 July 1942. She managed to escape from the death march to Simferopol, as did many, and she fought to the end of the war. She was Tatar, and she and my  half Tatar wife got along very well. She also spoke fluent German so she and I could converse often. She lived not far from our house, and we miss her very much. She was always in the lead M72 of Red Army.

The child in our Jeep, Jeep being genuine Lend/Lease from 1944 complete with brass tags on the dash, in English, giving the specs, is Anastasiya, the daughter of our driver/security. VCO and I have plotted for four years how to steal her and keep her. Our blue girl Sophia loves her endlessly and when Anastasiya visits us the two of them play to literally exhaustion and when the child spends the night, Sophia is her shadow, never letting Anastasiya out of her sight.

The word 'proud' isn't really adequate is it?

JohninMK wrote:The word 'proud' isn't really adequate is it?

No, not quite adequate indeed. VCO and I are deeply honored to be in Parade and even more so being in the lead Red Army Jeep for 6 years.

Down here, we don't have special units that do the formal events, every one of those men and women in and around parade are in normal service, they just take volunteers for each branch, hone their marching skills after a fashion and have at it. I must say that the block of women marching was the best, each and every one of them in perfect step, unlike a lot of the other units, but the idea is to honor our veterans and this city and a little out of step don't matter in the least.

Baba Shura.

auslander wrote:

JohninMK wrote:The word 'proud' isn't really adequate is it?

No, not quite adequate indeed. VCO and I are deeply honored to be in Parade and even more so being in the lead Red Army Jeep for 6 years.

Down here, we don't have special units that do the formal events, every one of those men and women in and around parade are in normal service, they just take volunteers for each branch, hone their marching skills after a fashion and have at it. I must say that the block of women marching was the best, each and every one of them in perfect step, unlike a lot of the other units, but the idea is to honor our veterans and this city and a little out of step don't matter in the least.

Did you see the video re that women in the St Petersberg parade who lost a shoe but didn't miss a beat?

Saw her, and so did General Shoigu and President Putin. She will get a promotion and special attention, one can rest assured.

Always look forward to this part of the parade every year.

Colder than a mother in law's kiss this morning but no frost or rain. Up since 03:00, to 35th Battery shortly after 04:30, convoy with Spetznaz next door to south end of Ulitsiya Lenina in City Center at 06:00 and there we sat from 07:30 and got gawked at. Parade starts at 10:02 sharp.

Many tens of thousands of citizens in attendance, lining Lenina from top all the way to Naxhimov Square at City Admin and Hero City Monuments, then west on Ulitsiya Naxhimova, then north on Ulitsiya Bolshoi Morskoi to Ushakov Square and end of parade route. Tired by day's end? You betchya.

We are Red Army Sevastopol, we follow at the tail end of Russian Army tanks and vehicles. Crowds go half crazy when we appear. Vid shows our M72's in advance, then the first Willies, then various period vehicles by pairs. Every single vehicle and item of uniform and equipment is privately owned and maintained. Many of us are also 'Searchers', we who are still digging up our, and their, fallen to this day. All the fallen get the same treatment, side don't matter, full military honors interment in our cemeteries.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=951XjBrO1TQ

My wife could not attend with me this year, first time ever. Three of our dogs, the three yellows, are 16 and more frail by the day. Our usual nanny could not come to house this year so VCO stayed home with the children, they can not be left home alone for 8 hours and more. It is still forbidden to publish official images of either of us and this year they cut from my Willies before you can see my face, although you can clearly see me saluting our sadly depleting by the year veterans in the reviewing stands before the cut

Got your camera with you ?

Backman wrote:Got your camera with you ?

The old and tiny one. I was too busy to get but a very few, but others of Red Army will have a bunch. VCO is generally the designated photographer for RA during events.