Liberation of Belgrade in World War II commemorated

Members of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces participated in a series of events held today to commemorate the liberation of Belgrade in the Second World War.



The “Victory of Freedom” memorial parade to mark the Liberation of Belgrade in the Second World War started at the Terazije Square and ended at the Republic Square with a musical-dramatic programme.  

The event commemorating the liberation of the capital was attended by Assistant Minister of Defence for Budget and Finance Katarina Pavičić, Acting Assistant Minister of Defence for Human Resources Siniša Radović, representatives of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces, the City of Belgrade, SUBNOR (Union of War Veterans of the National Liberation Wars of Serbia) and veterans' organizations. Thirty cadets of the Military Academy led the parade carrying replicas of the flags of the brigades that participated in the liberation of Belgrade in the Second World War.



Symbolically, the radio drama “Free Belgrade” was broadcast from an old military truck’s loudspeakers heading the parade. Alongside the Military Academy cadets, SUBNOR representatives also took part in the parade, carrying photographs of their ancestors who participated in the struggle for liberation in the Second World War.

The musical part of the programme started with the performances of "Stanislav Binički", the MoD’s Artistic Ensemble, and the Children's Choir of the Radio Television of Serbia and the Anthem of the City of Belgrade, and continued with the songs "Written Off" from the film of the same name, "Kud narodna vojska prođe", "Padaj silo i nepravdo", "Budi se istok i zapad", "Partizanska kaćuša" and "Ivo Lola Ribar" by Korni Band.



After several days of fierce combat, members of the Yugoslav People’s Liberation Army, supported by the Red Army, liberated the capital of Yugoslavia on October 20, 1944, thus ending the German occupation of the city which lasted for 1.287 days, during which a large number of citizens of Belgrade were killed and the city suffered serious damage.