.."The return reception of the Allies was decided to be held with true Russian hospitality" - this is how Marshal of the Soviet Union K. K. Rokossovsky recalled the reception he gave on May 10, 1945 at the headquarters of the 2nd Belorussian Front in honor of the commander of the 21st Allied Army Group, British Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery. "In the guard of honor we put the Kuban people of the 3rd Guards cavalry Corps of Oslikovsky in a mounted formation, in full Cossack uniform. Montgomery and his officers were greatly impressed. For a long time the British watched with admiring glances the famously retreating cavalry. After the welcoming ceremony, the guests were invited to the large hall, where the table was served with skill and taste. Sitting at a plentiful table (the English had to talk standing up), our guests felt even better. The conversation became intimate. Montgomery himself, who at first tried to limit the time of his visit in a very delicate way, stopped looking at his watch and willingly got involved in the general conversation." It was the first time that such high-level meetings were held with fellow soldiers, commanders whose troops, having marched some from Moscow and Stalingrad, others from the English Channel, made such a significant contribution to the defeat of fascism. Mutual sympathies were reinforced by high awards. Marshal Rokossovsky was awarded the prestigious Order of the British Empire. As for B. Montgomery, the Soviet leadership awarded him the Order of Victory. It is necessary to pay tribute to the British field Marshal: for all his vanity and zeal for other people's glory, he was not only at the time of the war, but also later, was objective in assessing the contribution of the Soviet Union to the defeat of nazi Germany. "We must remember," he said,"that the Russians bore the brunt of the enemy's actions on land." On the same day, July 5, 1945, the same award as Montgomery was awarded for the contribution to the defeat o ... Read more