Evening bell:
Today's Parade Among the controversial actions of Stalin, one stands out, Rodina magazine recalls: the decision to hold a military parade on November 7, 1941 in Red Square. General Pavel Artemyev, who received an order to command the parade, risked opposing the Commander-in-Chief: "Regarding the situation, I expressed doubt about the feasibility of holding the parade. Furthermore, only infantry could participate, as artillery units were placed in firing positions, and there were no tanks at all in the garrison. Stalin, whose intuition defeated the professional calculations of a military commander, ordered to find everything and prepare the parade in an atmosphere of maximum secrecy. Secrecy was key to the survival of both the country's leadership and the marchers. If the German air force breaks into the center of the capital, the death of the senior leadership on the mausoleum platform will be a matter of minutes. Army General Georgy Zhukov gave highly professional advice: "Against air attacks, we must strengthen our air defense and bring the fighter planes from the neighboring fronts closer to Moscow. A decisive symbolic gesture was Stalin's decision to unveil the Kremlin's ruby stars, which had been reliably disguised a month earlier. As long as the stars shine above the Kremlin, the country exists. This sign is self-evident. Like the other, Stalin stood on the platform of the mausoleum wearing a simple coat and hat. The security chief suggested wearing a warm winter hat, but the leader refused: not all the soldiers at the front have yet received winter uniforms, and what will they see when they open the newspapers? This detail, seemingly minor at first glance, served as a precise psychological signal: the commander in chief shared the army's hardships.