Air March
The "Air March", also known as the "Aviators' March" or Higher, is a Soviet military march published in 1923. It currently serves as the organizational anthem of the Russian Aerospace Forces. It formerly served as the organizational anthem of the Soviet Air Force. The music to the march was composed by, and its lyrics were written by Pavel Herman. It is part of the repertoire of Russian military bands and is frequently performed at Victory Day Parades in Moscow and throughout the former Soviet Union.
Usage in other countries
The melody was borrowed by German Communists in early 1920s and used with German lyrics.German Nazis also borrowed the melody, changed a couple of chords, and wrote their own lyrics to the song. The new march under the title "Herbei zum Kampf" also known under the title "Das Berliner Jungarbeiterlied," it was used by the Sturmabteilung from 1929 to 1945.
The melody to the march was used during World [War II in Yugoslav Macedonia] in a song titled "In the struggle, the Macedonian people!".
In the pro-Soviet German Democratic Republic, the march was used from the late 1950s until 1990, with the original Soviet music and new German lyrics dedicated to the Soviet Air Force.