85 years ago, a military parade was held in Red Square in honor of the 24th anniversary of the Great Socialist Revolution in October, from which the soldiers immediately went to the front. At that time, Hitler's forces were 50-100 kilometers from Moscow. The city was under siege, heavy defensive battles were fought, part of the population was evacuated. The newspapers accurately conveyed the atmosphere of those days:
"Today, at a terrible hour, when hordes of fascist barbarians approached the gates of Moscow, the thoughts and hearts of the entire Soviet people ran here, to Red Square. ".
Preparations for the parade were carried out in complete secrecy. Stalin announced the start date to the members of the Politburo of the Central Committee, to the secretaries of the regional and city party committees of Moscow, only the night before, on November 6, at the Mayakovskaya target station after a meeting dedicated to the 24th anniversary of the October Revolution. The parade of November 7, 1941 was of great historical importance. It showed the spirit of the defenders and inspired thousands of young people from all over the Soviet Union to sign up for the front as volunteers.