MOSCOW, November 7 (RIA Novosti) - Two famed WWII T-34 tanks will take part in a march on Moscow's Red Square on Saturday to commemorate the legendary military parade of 1941 and in honor of the country's World War II effort.
The T-34 Soviet medium tank, produced from 1940 to 1958, was the mainstay of the Red Army armored forces throughout World War II. It has been often credited as the most effective, efficient and influential tank design of the war.
The November 7, 1941 parade, which commemorated the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, was held for the first time after Russia entered the war and aimed to raise morale as Nazi German forces closed in on Moscow. After troops marched pass leader Josef Stalin they headed straight for the frontlines just outside the Russian capital.
The festive march on Saturday will involve units from the Moscow military district, wearing WWII Soviet military dress and other historical military costumes, and about 4,000 members of various youth groups.
At least 45 participants of the 1941 parade are expected to attend the Saturday parade as guests of honor.
Meanwhile, Russia's communists plan separate marches and rallies in central Moscow and around the country on Saturday to celebrate the 92nd anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution, which is more commonly referred to in Russia as the Great October Socialist Revolution.
Although November 7 has not been celebrated as a national holiday since former president Vladimir Putin abolished it several years ago, opinion surveys say many Russians still mark the date as the anniversary of the revolution.
