March of shame

On July 17th, 1944, the Hitlerite Nazis captured during Operation Bagration were made
to march through Moscow

A group of 19 German generals was convoyed in front of a column of thousands of soldiers and officers 

Great Waltz. How it was

The morning of July 17th, 1944, began unexpectedly for Muscovites — it was reported on the radio that traffic would be restricted in some areas of the city. A huge horde of almost 60,000 captured fascists was delivered from Byelorussia. The commanders of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Byelorussian Fronts participating in Operation Bagration were given secret instructions to select strong and healthy Germans for their subsequent transfer to Moscow. The Hitlerite Nazis were mentally saying goodbye to their lives being sure that they were taken to a mass execution. In total, Moscow received 40 echelons of defeated fascist soldiers, including 19 German generals. Upon arrival, it turned out that the captured fascists were to become participants in the Parade of the Vanquished. The shameful march of the despicable remnants of the Wehrmacht’s defeated Army Group Centre went down in world history as Operation Great Waltz. 
The film epic Liberation: Direction of the Main Blow features a reliable episode: having listened to the report of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Army General Aleksei Antonov, on the defeat of fascist troops in Byelorussia, Joseph Stalin said, “You capture prisoners but neither enemies nor allies believe you. Do not hide your prisoners, show them — let everyone see.”
The name Great Waltz was invented by Stalin. More precisely, he borrowed it from his favourite American comedy. The Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union believed that the overseas allies should watch this film in the Soviet version. One can admit that it would definitely not hurt the current Anglo-Saxons, like many others, to look at the 80-year-old march of the ‘chosen Aryans’.

Parade of the Vanquished: march of captured Hitlerite Nazis through Moscow on July 17th, 1944 

Legendary march covered by Sovetskaya Byelorussia in 1944

The newspaper Sovetskaya Byelorussia did not ignore the landmark event, especially considering the fact that the participants of the shameful parade became prisoners specifically in Byelorussia. Here is a fragment from the material Convoy of German Prisoners of War through Moscow dated July 19th, 1944:
On the morning of July 17th, endless columns of captured German soldiers and officers were moving through the streets of Moscow. There were 57,600 of them. However, this is only a part of the huge mass of prisoners of war who were captured in less than a month by the advancing troops of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Byelorussian Fronts. They follow through Moscow to the prison camps.
The parade also showed those who were caught in the pockets near Vitebsk, Bobruisk and Minsk, who in impotent rage rushed from one pocket side to another everywhere bumping into an impenetrable curtain of fire and, finally, realising the senselessness of further resistance, laid down their weapons and raised their hands up.
Hundreds of thousands of Muscovites lined the Leningrad Highway, Gorky Street, Sadovoye Koltso (Garden Ring) and other streets, along which columns of prisoners were sent to be loaded into trains and further to the camps. There were especially many women among the public, who were looking with hatred and contempt at this miserable and dirty rabble. “Here you got to Moscow!” ironic exclamations of Muscovites could be heard from the sidewalks.
It is no coincidence that newspaper correspondent N. Kozev used the expression ‘miserable and dirty rabble’. The fact is that the Germans were to appear before the eyes of Muscovites in the same form as they were captured. Thus, the fascists had to walk through the streets of Moscow looking dirty and ragged. The exception was made only for officers. Sovetskaya Byelorussia revealed the details:
There are 19 German generals at the head of the column. All of them, as stipulated in the terms of surrender, were left with the full general’s uniform, insignia and orders. The generals are walking with downcast eyes. It is clear that the pavement, on which they were going to prance like conquerors, is burning their soles. The generals are followed by an officer column that includes senior officers, captains, and lieutenants. Each of them has their own insignia, many have orders. The stripes indicate that some of them are tank crewmen, others are infantrymen, artillery men, signallers, cavalrymen — all kinds of broken German weapons are represented here, in this massive officer column. Columns of soldiers are moving behind it in an endless stream. It is significant that most of them have a satisfied look on their faces as if to convey an idea: we have had enough; we are through with fighting! They managed to raise their hands up in time, and it is clear that they are incredibly happy about this.

They expected to be given a treat of lead but were offered porridge with butter instead

There were enough pockets for everyone

It can be added that the Hitlerites were pleased not only because they were not subjected to mass execution but also because they had had a hearty lunch before the parade. The menu consisted of porridge with butter and bread with salo [salt-cured slabs of pork fat with thin layers of meat; traditional Belarusian food]. Among those who tucked into Soviet porridge while waiting for the Parade of the Vanquished was Lieutenant Colonel Litzmann, captured near Vitebsk. That is how Sovetskaya Byelorussia wrote about him:  
Lieutenant Colonel Litzmann, who commanded the regiment, was captured near Vitebsk, and Sergeant Major Wonneberger was captured near Bobruisk. However, what they are telling seems as like as two drops of water — the same scenario unfolded near Vitebsk, near Bobruisk, east of Minsk, in the area of Polotsk, and in Vilnius, as well as in a dozen other large and small pockets into which the advancing Soviet troops drove German military groups and garrisons.
“Before the start of the Soviet offensive, my regiment numbered 2,000 people,” said Lieutenant Colonel Litzmann. “By the time of the surrender, there were no more than 500 left. Our situation was hopeless, there was no connection with the High Command, all its promises to come to help turned out to be a lie. The remnants of the defeated regiment wandered around in the woods for seven days without food or rest, and finally I gave the order to lay down their weapons and surrender.” Sergeant Major Wonneberger repeated the same story word for word about the Bobruisk grouping. 

As a result of the Byelorussian offensive codenamed Operation Bagration, there remained only 10 of the 38 divisions of the Wehrmacht’s Army Group Centre. German historians have estimated their losses at almost 400,000 people, half of whom were killed and 80,000 captured. Our historians believe that there were twice as many prisoners.

Shameful march of the remnants of the Wehrmacht’s defeated Army Group Centre

Moscow does not believe in tears

Let us return to Moscow and, more precisely, to the publication in Sovetskaya Byelorussia 80 years ago: 
As the column of fascist prisoners of war was marching by, the public was cheering and greeting the Red Army enthusiastically. There were also numerous anti-fascist shouts: Death to Hitler! Death to fascism! May these bastards die! Muscovites were looking at those ragged and dirty ‘conquerors’ with smouldering hatred and deep contempt. They knew that those were the murderers of our brothers and sisters, robbers, arsonists, rapists. However, thanks to the organised nature and discipline of the Soviet people, exceptional self-control and exterior quietness prevailed along the entire route of the columns of captured fascists. No incident took place nor a single attempt to give vent to the feelings of anger and indignation that overwhelmed everyone.
It should be noted that the first minutes of the Parade of the Vanquished were marked by heavy silence. Moscow residents and guests of the capital were watching the Germans without making a sound. Eyewitnesses shared later that there was an unbearable suffocating sweat odour emanating from dirty fascists as they were marching along the street.
Absolute order reigned in Moscow on July 17th. In particular, it was due to the fact that Stalin had banned any misconduct towards prisoners of war the day before to ensure that the demonstration of the Red Army’s success was not marred with mass lynching. Who knows how history would have turned out if it had not been for 4,500 NKVD [People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs] officers and 12,000 soldiers guarding the marching fascists.
After the Great Waltz, a big cleaning took place — watering machines with disinfectant passed behind the columns with the Nazis. This was important not only from a hygienic point of view. It was necessary to remove the rotten stench of the fascist evil spirits… 

By Oleg Usachev