In 1954 ceremonial military parades were held in Prague, Pilsen and Bratislava on the occasion of the National Day "Czechoslovak Liberation Day by the Soviet Army" (May 9). The most important of these was traditionally held at Letná in Prague. Leading political and military leaders led by President of the Republic, Antonín Zápotocký, who last appeared in the ceremonial uniform of the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces saw the show from the central grandstand. The film "Military Parade 1954", shot by the film of the Czechoslovak Army, was much more concise than the comprehensive reports from parades of previous years. It did not contain a "political introduction" and rather chronologically recorded the course of the show in Prague at Letná. Directed by the then-emerging filmmaker Pavel Háša (1929–2009).