Order of the Day on the Occasion of the Anniversary of the Soviet Army No. 10
February 23, 1947
Comrades soldiers, sailors, officers, generals and admirals! Today out
country is celebrating the twenty-ninth anniversary of the Soviet Army.
The Soviet Army, founded by the great Lenin, has trodden a glorious
path. Its entire history is a living example of freedom ......Soviet
Arny in the Great Patriotic War.
The Motherland wiil never forget the high heroic deeds of its army.
The Soviet Army celebrates its twety-ninth anniversary at the moment
when our people are untiringly accomplishing the tasks set by the
devastation of the war, in the re-establishment and development of the
national eeonomy.
The workers, peasants and intellectuals of our country, who have
successfully fulfilled the quotas of the first year of the new Five
Year Plan, struggle heroically for the rapid acceleration of economic
activity, for the supplementation of production of consumer goods, for
the rapid progress of Soviet science and technology.
The elections to the Supreme Soviets of the Federal Republics, which
were held, have resulted in the complete victory of the bloc of
Communists and their Party. It shows that the unity of Soviet society
is indestructible, that all the Soviet citizens are firmly grouped
behind their government and the Communist Party, and are firmly
assuring the development of their Motherland.
In times of peace, the Soviet Army must accomplish the task of military
preparation which they have been set, march in advance and win new and
more important successes in military preparation and political
education. The work of consolidating peace and the security of our
country is required.
The essential principle of the military preparation of the Soviet armed
forces has always consisted, and still consists today, of educating the
troops in war conditions. The experience of the last war has proved the
high morale and combat quality of the troops, a good military and
political preparation, a great mastery of the techniques of combat,
coordination and great physical endurance.
The task that now faces our army, navy and airforce is to untiringly
perfect, day by day, their military formation, to profitably pursue
profound study based on their experience of war.
The generals, admirals and officers must continue to broaden their
knowledge of military theory and politics and equally learn the methods
of military preparation, which are necessary for training in peace time.
The non-commissioned officers must .energetically apply the process of
command to become the prime aides of officers in the observance of
military discipline and in the instruction and education of soldiers
and sailors.
The soldiers and sailors must, with all their might, perefct in detail
their preparation from the point of view of mastery of weapons, of
special military tactics and political formations; they must acquire
the necessary physical strength to take part in combat and be able to
surmount all difficulties of battles and combat.
In the instruction and education of their subordinates, all the
commanders and chiefs must take it upon themselves to care for their
conditions of life, their physical well-being and their equipment, in
accordance with the regulations.
Strong military discipline is primarily based on the high conscience
and political education of the military and is the preliminary
condition of most importance for the combat strength of our armed
forces. Also, all the commanders and chiefs must untiringly affirm
military discipline and, very necessary, encourage the spirit of
patriotism unceasingly in their subordinates, the sense of personal
responsibility of every soldier for the defence of the Motherland.
Comrades soldiers, sailors and non-commissioned officers!
Comrades officers, generals and admirals!
I salute and congratulate you on the occasion of the twenty-ninth
anniversary of our Soviet Army, in the name of the Soviet government
and of our Communist Party.
In honour of the twenty-ninth anniversary of the Soviet Army, I order:
today, 23 February, a salute of twenty artillery salvoes in the capital
of our Motherland, Moscow, in the capitals of the federative republics,
in Koliningrad, Lvov, Khabarovsk, Vladivostok, Port Arthur and in the
heroic cities of Leningrad, Stalingrad, Sebastopol and Odessa.
Long live the Soviet Army and the military sailors!
Long live our Soviet government!
Long live our great Communist Party!
Long live our great Soviet people!
("Pravda," 23 February, 1947)
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