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| Day of the Glories of the Army | |
|---|---|
| Name | Day of the Glories of the Army |
| Type | National observance |
| Observedby | Various states and armed forces |
| Significance | Commemoration of military achievements and anniversaries |
| Date | Varies by country |
Day of the Glories of the Army is a national observance commemorating historical military achievements associated with specific armies and armed forces across different states, often tied to landmark battles, treaties, and anniversaries of founding. The observance intersects with public ceremonies, parades, and memorials linked to institutions such as the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), the Pentagon, the Kremlin, and national presidents or heads of government. Rooted in anniversaries of actions like the Battle of Borodino, the Siege of Sevastopol (1854–1855), the Battle of Stalingrad, and the Winter War, the day often features participation by veterans from campaigns such as the Russo-Japanese War, the Crimean War, and the Napoleonic Wars.
The historical development of the observance traces to 19th‑ and 20th‑century commemorative practices established after the Napoleonic Wars, the Franco-Prussian War, and the American Civil War, with state sponsorship later formalized after conflicts like the First World War, the Second World War, and the Finnish Civil War. Early ceremonial models drew on precedents set by the Trafalgar Day commemorations, the Victory Day (9 May) traditions emerging from the Moscow Victory Parade of 1945, and national days instituted during the interwar period by entities such as the Wehrmacht and the Red Army. Cold War dynamics involving the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the Warsaw Pact influenced public ritualization of martial memory, while post‑Cold War states adapted practices from the Chief of the General Staff offices, the United Nations peacekeeping apparatus, and veteran organizations like the Royal British Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
The declared purposes include honoring servicemembers from formations such as the British Army, the United States Army, the Russian Ground Forces, and the People's Liberation Army, commemorating victories like the Siege of Leningrad relief and battles such as the Battle of Kursk, and reaffirming state narratives tied to leaders like Napoleon, Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin, and Franklin D. Roosevelt. The observance functions in relation to memorial institutions like the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Moscow), the Arc de Triomphe, the National World War I Memorial, and the Yasukuni Shrine, and intersects with diplomatic rituals connected to the Geneva Conventions and the Paris Peace Accords.
Dates vary: some countries fix the day to anniversaries of events including the Battle of Poltava, the Battle of Waterloo, the October Revolution, or national founding days observed alongside Independence Day (United States), Bastille Day, and Victory Day (9 May). Others coordinate timing with religious calendars like Orthodox Easter or civic holidays such as Labour Day (May 1), coordinating with military calendars managed by institutions like the Ministry of Defence (India), the Department of Defense (United States), and the General Staff of the Armed Forces (Russia). Commemoration scheduling can reflect treaties such as the Treaty of Versailles anniversaries or armistices like the Armistice of 11 November 1918.
Common ceremonies include parades modeled on the Victory Day Parades (Moscow), inspection ceremonies reminiscent of reviews by figures such as Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini (controversially adopted in form), and wreath‑laying at monuments like the Motherland Calls statue and the National War Memorial (Ottawa). Musical traditions draw on works like "The Internationale", Marseljeza, "The Stars and Stripes Forever", and compositions by Dmitri Shostakovich, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, and John Philip Sousa. Ritual components often include honors rendered by units such as the Guards regiments, the Royal Marines, the Rangers (United States) and ceremonies involving flags like the Union Flag, the Stars and Stripes, and the Red Banner.
Organizational responsibility typically rests with ministries such as the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), the Ministry of Defence (Russia), the Ministry of National Defense (Taiwan), and military branches including the United States Army, the Indian Army, the People's Liberation Army Ground Force, and the French Army. Participants encompass active servicemembers from formations like the 1st Infantry Division (United States), reservists, veterans' groups such as the Israel Defense Forces Veterans Organization, allied contingents from NATO partners, and civil authorities including the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the President of the United States, and municipal figures from cities such as Moscow, Paris, London, and Beijing. Planning involves staffs from institutions like the General Staff of the Armed Forces (Ukraine), the Joint Chiefs of Staff (United States), and military academies including the United States Military Academy and the Frunze Military Academy.
Cultural expression includes literature and memorial art referencing authors like Leo Tolstoy, Ernest Hemingway, Vasily Grossman, and Erich Maria Remarque, and cinematic representations by directors such as Sergei Eisenstein, Stanley Kubrick, Frank Capra, and Aleksandr Sokurov. Public memory is shaped through monuments like The Motherland Calls, museums such as the Imperial War Museum, the Central Armed Forces Museum, and exhibitions at institutions like the Smithsonian Institution. Commemorative practices influence pedagogy at universities like Oxford University, Harvard University, and Moscow State University and inform anniversary publications by presses such as Cambridge University Press and Springer.
Critiques address politicization by leaders like Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, Xi Jinping, and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, contested memorials such as the Yasukuni Shrine visits, and debates over comparisons to ceremonies under regimes like the Third Reich and the Soviet Union. Legal and ethical disputes involve international law instruments like the Hague Conventions and allegations arising from operations such as Operation Barbarossa and Operation Desert Storm, while historians from institutions like the Institute of Historical Research and the Russian Academy of Sciences debate narratives linked to events including the Holocaust and the Great Purge.
Category:Military commemorations