Every second Sunday in September, Day of Tankmen or Tankman’s Day, a professional military holiday, is observed in Russia and the former Soviet Union. Since the Russian Civil War, when tanks were first used on Russian soil, it honours the service and sacrifices of tank crews and commanders in armoured formations.
Tankman’s Day 2022: Celebration, History, Pictures & More
Let’s discuss about Tankman’s Day 2022: Celebration, History, Pictures & More!
Celebration:
By order of the Supreme Soviet in 1980, a new method of celebration was devised. The procedure mandated that the holiday not have a set date and that, starting in that year, it be observed on the second Sunday of September.
One of the most significant and cherished professional holidays in the Russian army. To commemorate the importance of mechanised and armoured forces in the Great Patriotic War victory over Nazi Germany, this day was made a federal holiday.
Soviet tank forces, which had a powerful shock force and firepower, broke through the enemy’s lines during the largest fight near the village of Prokhorovka in 1943, also known as the Orel-Kursk, preventing its recurrence.
History:
The holiday was instituted in the USSR by order of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet on July 11, 1946, to honour the part played by the Red Army’s mechanised and armoured units in the defeat of the Wehrmacht during the Great Patriotic War. From 1946 to 1980, it was observed on September 11, the anniversary of the East Carpathian Strategic Offensive.
On the first holiday of that year, a military parade of armoured vehicles was held on Red Square in front of the military leadership on Lenin’s Mausoleum and spectators from the nearby stands.
The participants in the 3-hour parade were selected from the 4th Guards Tank Division. From Okhotny Ryad to Mayakovsky Square, its forces were concentrated on Gorky Street (now Tverskaya Street). Following the march, it was found that St. Basil’s Cathedral had been harmed by a significant, albeit slight, vibration.
Pictures:
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