“Katyusha”, also transliterated “Katusha” is a 1938 Russian love song by Matvei Blanter with lyrics from Mikhail Isakovsky. It gained fame during World War II as an inspiration to defend one’s land from the enemy. The theme of the song is that the soldier will protect the Motherland and its people while his grateful girl will remain true to him. “Katyusha” was first sung in July 1941 by female students from a Soviet industrial school in Moscow, bidding farewell to soldiers going to the battle front against Nazi Germany. It quickly became popular throughout the USSR. The song is the source of the nickname of the BM-8, BM-13, and BM-31 “Katyusha” rocket launchers that were used by the Red Army in World War II. Felice Cascione wrote Italian lyrics for “Katyusha”, his adaptation Fischia il vento (The Wind Blows) became one of the most famous partisan (anti nazi and fascists) anthems, along with Bella ciao and La Brigata Garibaldi. During the Greek Civil War, Greek partisans who had also fought against the German invasion in 1941 wrote their version of “Katyusha” named Ο Ïμνος του ΕΑΜ (The Hymn of EAM). The song was translated into Hebrew and performed by 1945, and has been popular ever since in Israel. In Popular Culture, this song was used in the Girls Und Panzer anime series as well as the movie Girls und Panzer der Film. The song was sung by the Soviet school which was led by a girl also called Katyusha.
