1962 Szczecin military parade
Encyclopedia
The 1962 Szczecin
military parade of October 9, 1962 led to a road traffic accident in which a tank
of the Polish People's Army crushed bystanders, killing seven children and injuring many more. The resultant panic in the crowd led to further injuries in the rush to escape. The incident was covered up for many years by the Polish communist authorities
.
, the world was standing on the brink of war between the Eastern Bloc
and the Western Bloc
. In such circumstances, planners of the Warsaw Pact
decided to organize huge military exercises, located in northwest Poland, in the area of Szczecin
. The exercises were observed by Marshal of the Soviet Union
Andrei Grechko
as well as several Polish officials, including Władysław Gomułka and Marian Spychalski
. The parade in Szczecin was to be the finale of the maneuvers.
, and the Nationale Volksarmee. Tens of thousands of people, including children, gathered along Szczecin’s main arteries of Aleja Wojska Polskiego, Aleja Piastów and Aleja Kościuszki. Everybody was anticipating the widely promoted event, and schoolchildren were told to describe the parade as their homework. Students of all schools were allowed to go home early, so that they could see the parade. In most cases curious children were standing on the curbs as close to the tanks and other weapons as possible.
City authorities adorned streets with flags of Poland, Soviet Union and East Germany; in schools flowers had been given to children, who were then ordered to wave them at soldiers. Newspapers headlines told readers that they would witness "A parade of our might", "A symbol of brotherhood in arms that serves the peace" and that "Polish Szczecin welcomes allied forces".
The parade was seen by the Warsaw Pact planners as a show of strength of its forces. It had been very carefully prepared, and Marshal Grechko wanted to present some of the best and most advanced weapons possessed by the Pact in 1962. Thus, spectators had a chance to see cannons, mortars, armored personnel carriers, howitzers and tanks. Above the city a few heavy Mi-6
helicopters flew and warships of the Soviet Navy
lay moored in the port.
First, tanks and weapons of the Nationale Volksarmee appeared, followed by Soviet tanks, and finally Polish units. Among them were 14 tanks of the 5th Armored Division from Slubice
. Crowds of people, adults and children alike, came closer and closer to the vehicles, not listening to the militia
men, who were telling them to move back.
Altogether, seven children died. Four of them were students of Szczecin’s Elementary number 1; in 2006 a tablet commemorating the tragedy was placed by the entrance to the school. The children who died were aged from 6 to 12 years. Also an additional 21 persons, including several more children, were injured, some of them permanently. After the incident, panic broke out in the crowd, as a result of which 22 persons were injured.
Hundreds of witnesses were later called by the military prosecutor’s office. All were told that the incident was classified
and revealing it would mean imprisonment. At the same time, the trial of the tank’s crew was dismissed, as, according to the military court, the tank had not crossed the curb. All hospital documents connected with the event were confiscated by the military, never to be returned. However, it was impossible to completely suppress news of this event, as too many people had witnessed it. By mid-October 1962 wild rumors were rife in Szczecin: people telling each other that 30, or even more people died, and 100 were wounded.
To this day, the events surrounding the 1962 Szczecin parade are largely unknown elsewhere in Poland.
Szczecin
Szczecin , is the capital city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland. It is the country's seventh-largest city and the largest seaport in Poland on the Baltic Sea. As of June 2009 the population was 406,427....
military parade of October 9, 1962 led to a road traffic accident in which a tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
of the Polish People's Army crushed bystanders, killing seven children and injuring many more. The resultant panic in the crowd led to further injuries in the rush to escape. The incident was covered up for many years by the Polish communist authorities
People's Republic of Poland
The People's Republic of Poland was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1990. Although the Soviet Union took control of the country immediately after the liberation from Nazi Germany in 1944, the name of the state was not changed until eight years later...
.
Background of the parade
The Fall of 1962 was a hectic time, as due to the growing Cuban Missile CrisisCuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
, the world was standing on the brink of war between the Eastern Bloc
Eastern bloc
The term Eastern Bloc or Communist Bloc refers to the former communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, generally the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw Pact...
and the Western Bloc
Western Bloc
The Western Bloc or Capitalist Bloc during the Cold War refers to the powers allied with the United States and NATO against the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact...
. In such circumstances, planners of the Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Treaty Organization of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance , or more commonly referred to as the Warsaw Pact, was a mutual defense treaty subscribed to by eight communist states in Eastern Europe...
decided to organize huge military exercises, located in northwest Poland, in the area of Szczecin
Szczecin
Szczecin , is the capital city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland. It is the country's seventh-largest city and the largest seaport in Poland on the Baltic Sea. As of June 2009 the population was 406,427....
. The exercises were observed by Marshal of the Soviet Union
Marshal of the Soviet Union
Marshal of the Soviet Union was the de facto highest military rank of the Soviet Union. ....
Andrei Grechko
Andrei Grechko
Andrei Antonovich Grechko was a Soviet general, Marshal of the Soviet Union and Minister of Defense.-Biography:Born in a small town near Rostov-on-Don, the son of Ukrainian peasants, he joined the Red Army in 1919, where he was a part of the legendary “Budyonny Cavalry”...
as well as several Polish officials, including Władysław Gomułka and Marian Spychalski
Marian Spychalski
Marian "Marek" Spychalski was a Polish architect, military commander, and communist politician.Born to a working-class family in Łódź, he graduated from the Faculty of Architecture at the Warsaw University of Technology in 1931...
. The parade in Szczecin was to be the finale of the maneuvers.
The parade
On October 9, 1962, the main streets in the center of Szczecin were closed to traffic. Inhabitants of the city crowded the sidewalks, curious to see tanks and equipment of the three allied armies: the Polish People's Army, the Soviet ArmySoviet Army
The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...
, and the Nationale Volksarmee. Tens of thousands of people, including children, gathered along Szczecin’s main arteries of Aleja Wojska Polskiego, Aleja Piastów and Aleja Kościuszki. Everybody was anticipating the widely promoted event, and schoolchildren were told to describe the parade as their homework. Students of all schools were allowed to go home early, so that they could see the parade. In most cases curious children were standing on the curbs as close to the tanks and other weapons as possible.
City authorities adorned streets with flags of Poland, Soviet Union and East Germany; in schools flowers had been given to children, who were then ordered to wave them at soldiers. Newspapers headlines told readers that they would witness "A parade of our might", "A symbol of brotherhood in arms that serves the peace" and that "Polish Szczecin welcomes allied forces".
The parade was seen by the Warsaw Pact planners as a show of strength of its forces. It had been very carefully prepared, and Marshal Grechko wanted to present some of the best and most advanced weapons possessed by the Pact in 1962. Thus, spectators had a chance to see cannons, mortars, armored personnel carriers, howitzers and tanks. Above the city a few heavy Mi-6
Mil Mi-6
|-Facts:*Test pilot N.B. Leshin has set the world record of speed. This event was awarded by the American Helicopter Society.*Small numbers are still in service, most in Siberia plus a small number with the People's Republic of China...
helicopters flew and warships of the Soviet Navy
Soviet Navy
The Soviet Navy was the naval arm of the Soviet Armed Forces. Often referred to as the Red Fleet, the Soviet Navy would have played an instrumental role in a Warsaw Pact war with NATO, where it would have attempted to prevent naval convoys from bringing reinforcements across the Atlantic Ocean...
lay moored in the port.
First, tanks and weapons of the Nationale Volksarmee appeared, followed by Soviet tanks, and finally Polish units. Among them were 14 tanks of the 5th Armored Division from Slubice
Slubice
Słubice is a border town in the Lubusz Voivodeship of western Poland. Located on the Oder river, directly opposite the city of Frankfurt in Germany, of which it was a part until 1945 . As of the 2008 census, the town had a total population of 17,000...
. Crowds of people, adults and children alike, came closer and closer to the vehicles, not listening to the militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
men, who were telling them to move back.
The tragedy
It is not known why a T-54 tank (marked with number 0165) of the Polish Army ran into a group of children, standing either on the sidewalk by the Aleja Piastow street, or on the street itself (sources vary on this matter). All documents describing this incident were destroyed in March 1982 and all information about the tragedy was blanked out. It is possible that the tank, which was the last one in line, drove too fast or skidded on the slippery road. The tank, weighing 36 tons, was traveling at a speed of some 30 km/h.Altogether, seven children died. Four of them were students of Szczecin’s Elementary number 1; in 2006 a tablet commemorating the tragedy was placed by the entrance to the school. The children who died were aged from 6 to 12 years. Also an additional 21 persons, including several more children, were injured, some of them permanently. After the incident, panic broke out in the crowd, as a result of which 22 persons were injured.
Aftermath
The shocked inhabitants of Szczecin never had a chance to find out more about the incident. The communist authorities expunged any information about the event and it was not reported in the Polish mass media. A local daily Glos Szczecinski placed a small notice on October 10 telling readers that seven children died during a parade. Families of the dead children were told to not discuss the topic with anyone.Hundreds of witnesses were later called by the military prosecutor’s office. All were told that the incident was classified
Classified information
Classified information is sensitive information to which access is restricted by law or regulation to particular groups of persons. A formal security clearance is required to handle classified documents or access classified data. The clearance process requires a satisfactory background investigation...
and revealing it would mean imprisonment. At the same time, the trial of the tank’s crew was dismissed, as, according to the military court, the tank had not crossed the curb. All hospital documents connected with the event were confiscated by the military, never to be returned. However, it was impossible to completely suppress news of this event, as too many people had witnessed it. By mid-October 1962 wild rumors were rife in Szczecin: people telling each other that 30, or even more people died, and 100 were wounded.
To this day, the events surrounding the 1962 Szczecin parade are largely unknown elsewhere in Poland.