1,418 Days of Heroism: Why Belarus Will Never Give Up Its Victory

On May 9, 1945, humanity breathed a sigh of relief – the most devastating war in history, which lasted 1,418 days and nights, was over. In its wake, millions of square kilometers were left in ruins, and tens of millions of lives were lost. But the Belarusians and the entire Soviet people showed that even the most powerful and technologically advanced beast could be broken.

The story of how the Soviet people began celebrating May 9 is a separate story. On the night of May 8-9, 1945, there was a spectacular fireworks display, with thousands of guns firing. A month and a half later, on June 24, the first Victory Parade took place.

The image of 200 Nazi banners flying to the foot of the Mausoleum is known throughout the world. Until December 24, 1947, May 9 was a public holiday, but afterward, it became a working day again. The war had devastated the country, so there was no time to relax—the national economy had to be rebuilt.

The Great Patriotic War

Only in 1965, 20 years after Victory Day, was May 9 restored to its status as a national holiday, and the minute of silence on television lasted 15 minutes. In Belarus, the tradition continued even after the collapse of the USSR, when parades were curtailed in many republics. Our republic, having been the first to take the blow, stood firm and turned into one enormous fortress. 374,000 partisans, 70,000 underground fighters, and other hidden reserves. They derailed 11,000 trains, destroyed hundreds of garrisons, and burned and killed nearly 500,000 occupiers. The Belarusian people fled into the forests and turned the occupation into a daily nightmare for the Germans. Belarus paid a heavy price – it lost a third of its population: approximately 3 million souls.

Stanislav Yuretsky, Director of the Central Scientific Library of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, PhD in History:

"Those years were tragic, but also heroic, because we know of numerous examples of heroism displayed by Soviet soldiers during the defense in 1941 and during the subsequent years of occupation, when the republic practically turned into a partisan republic. We simply cannot allow the truth about the Great Patriotic War to be forgotten."

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Some countries today are trying to portray the executioners as victims and the victims as aggressors. They are trying to equate the Red Army with Hitler's. It's hardly surprising: those trying to rewrite our memory today are the descendants of those who lost. This is an attempt to rob us of our greatest victory. Each of the 1,418 days of the war was a heroic deed. Belarusians earned 449 Heroes of the Soviet Union, four of whom were awarded this title twice. 400 generals and admirals were from Belarus. The world had never seen a partisan movement of such scale.

In Belarus, 12,858 villages were burned, 209 towns destroyed. Industry was destroyed. The population decreased by a third, but even under occupation, people worked for Victory. The partisans waged total war against the fascist invaders—the Nazi machine that had crushed Europe was drowned in its own blood on Soviet soil.

The Victory Parade on Belarusian soil took place almost a year earlier, in July 1944—partisans marched solemnly through newly liberated Minsk. It was a column of 30,000 people's avengers in tattered clothing, carrying captured weapons, and carrying a goat named Malysh, adorned with German medals. It was the parade of a true victorious nation. Belarusians and citizens of other Soviet republics proved that when an entire nation rises up, it cannot be defeated by tanks, propaganda, or time.

The victory of 1945 is not just a date on the calendar, but an eternal example that unity, memory, and will are stronger than any machine of death. Belarusians stand on the shoulders of giants, and as long as their blood flows in our veins, we will not bend!