The exhibition “The Feat of the Army” houses the painting “Moscow on November 7, 1941” by Pavel Kucherov. This work is dedicated to the historic military parade on Red Square.
The parade of November 7, 1941 influenced the course of the war almost as much as some of the major military operations. Nazi troops had planned to march across the captured Moscow on that very day. The Soviet intelligence service found out about this plan. An urgent decision was made to conduct a parade of Soviet forces on Red Square.
During that time, tough and fierce battles were fought to the west of Moscow. The enemy’s forces were closing in and could try to disrupt the ceremony. Until the last moment, most soldiers and officers did not even know that they would march across Red Square and were simply waiting for an order. Commanders were only told about the decision to organize a Red Army parade the day before.
On the day of the parade, it was dull in Moscow, with low clouds hanging in the sky. By eight in the morning, Moscow Garrison troops stood to attention on Red Square. The parade was commanded by Colonel-General Pavel Artemyev and inspected by the legendary Marshal Semyon Budyonny. All government officials of the Soviet Union watched the parade from the mausoleum stand. At 8 am sharp, loudspeakers all over the country broadcast the Moscow parade, starting with the following announcement, “All radio stations of the Soviet Union speaking! The Moscow Central Radio Station starts a broadcast of the parade of Red Army units from Red Square in honor of the 24th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution.” The troops marched to the musical accompaniment of the Staff Band of the Moscow Military District under the baton of Vasily Agapkin, author of the well-known march “Farewell of Slavianka”.
The parade lasted only twenty-five minutes but had an enormous impact on all Soviet people. For most of them, it came as a surprise. Both frontline soldiers and workers of the home front considered the parade to be a sign that the country would not be defeated. Experience shows that it inspired many volunteers to fight valiantly for their Motherland.
The painting was created by Pavel Kucherov, a member of the Artists’ Union of the USSR. He was born in Moscow in 1922. In 1941, Kucherov graduated from the Moscow Art School where he had studied under such prominent artists as Vasily Pochitalov and Nikolay Andriyaka. During the Great Patriotic War, Kucherov fought on the Stalingrad and Voronezh Fronts where he was the commander of a machine-gun troop. Kucherov was awarded orders and medals. He dedicated his creative work to the military and patriotic genre.
The parade of November 7, 1941 influenced the course of the war almost as much as some of the major military operations. Nazi troops had planned to march across the captured Moscow on that very day. The Soviet intelligence service found out about this plan. An urgent decision was made to conduct a parade of Soviet forces on Red Square.
During that time, tough and fierce battles were fought to the west of Moscow. The enemy’s forces were closing in and could try to disrupt the ceremony. Until the last moment, most soldiers and officers did not even know that they would march across Red Square and were simply waiting for an order. Commanders were only told about the decision to organize a Red Army parade the day before.
On the day of the parade, it was dull in Moscow, with low clouds hanging in the sky. By eight in the morning, Moscow Garrison troops stood to attention on Red Square. The parade was commanded by Colonel-General Pavel Artemyev and inspected by the legendary Marshal Semyon Budyonny. All government officials of the Soviet Union watched the parade from the mausoleum stand. At 8 am sharp, loudspeakers all over the country broadcast the Moscow parade, starting with the following announcement, “All radio stations of the Soviet Union speaking! The Moscow Central Radio Station starts a broadcast of the parade of Red Army units from Red Square in honor of the 24th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution.” The troops marched to the musical accompaniment of the Staff Band of the Moscow Military District under the baton of Vasily Agapkin, author of the well-known march “Farewell of Slavianka”.
The parade lasted only twenty-five minutes but had an enormous impact on all Soviet people. For most of them, it came as a surprise. Both frontline soldiers and workers of the home front considered the parade to be a sign that the country would not be defeated. Experience shows that it inspired many volunteers to fight valiantly for their Motherland.
The painting was created by Pavel Kucherov, a member of the Artists’ Union of the USSR. He was born in Moscow in 1922. In 1941, Kucherov graduated from the Moscow Art School where he had studied under such prominent artists as Vasily Pochitalov and Nikolay Andriyaka. During the Great Patriotic War, Kucherov fought on the Stalingrad and Voronezh Fronts where he was the commander of a machine-gun troop. Kucherov was awarded orders and medals. He dedicated his creative work to the military and patriotic genre.
