The celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II began on Sunday in Prague with a military parade.

The parade began at 10:00 a.m. (local time) and finished an hour and a half later. Members of historical military clubs and soldiers of countries who took part in the liberation of Czechoslovakia in 1945 took part in the ceremony.

President Vaclav Klaus, Defence Minister Karel Kuehnl, togetherwith World War II veterans and representatives of the military watched the parade from bleachers.

The largest group of vehicles were from the British and American armies, including dozens of jeeps, lorries and motorcycles. Their crews were mostly made up of enthusiasts from the United States, the Czech Republic and other states.

The parade was completed by a display of current military equipment used by the Czech army and air force. The crowd was buzzed overhead by Mi-17 and Mi-24 helicopters, followed by L-39, L-159 and two new Jas-39 Gripen fighters.

After the parade ended, the equipment was put on display.

Source: Xinhua