Original subtitles

IT'S GOING TO BE A BEAUTIFUL DAY

THE WINTER WAR ENDED IN MARCH 1940.

THE PEACE TERMS DICTATED

THAT FINLAND HAD TO CEDE PARTS OF ITS TERRITORY

TO THE SOVIET UNION.

IN SUMMER 1941, GERMANY ATTACKS THE SOVIET UNION.

FINLAND HAS AGREED TO HELP GERMANY

WITH THEIR MILITARY EXPEDITION.

THEIR AIM IS TO RECLAIM THE LOST TERRITORIES.

EASTERN FINLAND JUNE 1941

You damn war maniac...

Right, face!

Goddammit bollocks shit.

Machine Gun Company!

At ease!

Platoon leaders!

Can you hear them?

The battalion will be transported to the front,

so we'll dump unnecessary gear.

Take a change of underwear, socks and your overcoat.

And your guns, of course.

Everything else into storage. Hietanen, take charge. Hurry it up.

Where are we going? To hell?

Get a move on.

You'll see it's gonna be one helluva fight.

Hitler will make a move. Us fools will be behind him.

Maybe I'll give them Russian girls a try.

We'll be caught in the middle if Russia goes to war with the Germans.

All I know is that there are plenty of Germans here already.

Vanhala. I heard we're going to Helsinki.

We'll get to change these old rags for new ones.

Every man will get breeches. That's what I heard.

Breeches...

- Attention! - Carry on. Carry on.

Do you know what's written on a scout's belt?

"Be prepared."

Sir, I'm no scout. What should we be prepared for. War?

- We are far away from the battles. - Sir, that could change fast.

- Blitzkrieg and all. - So then we'll fight.

We'll fight and we'll go all the way.

That's the spirit.

- What can I get you? - Let's see. It's my last night.

I'll have coffee and a bun.

Everything must go. We have to empty the canteen.

War is coming. All the signs are there.

Will I ever get to see your beautiful eyes again?

Hurry UP-

- Yes, sir. Doin' my best. - Move along.

I'll have a coffee.

She won't be the mother of your children.

Not enough stripes on your collar.

It's what's in my pants that matters.

- You sure talk big. - I hope you make it out alive.

We could use a stud at our farm.

- I wonder what will happen. - I'm all for a bold attack.

Justice is always on the victor's side.

The losers are simply wrong.

- Can my family stay put? - It's for the best.

We won't be retreating this time.

We'll fight till the end.

Come get these.

Here's my stuff.

Give Salo a fresh pair of boots. Captain's orders.

- I've no time to hand out boots. - I'll be damned.

Why are you so in love with these old rags?

Pretty girls I can understand, but dusty rags?

Never heard of such a thing. It really baffles me.

You have the goddamn nerve. Take the lot of it for all I care!

No spurs to show off, but they are fit for a parade!

I just want regular boots.

Take these and leave your old boots here.

Keep hope alive, Mékilé.

There'll be plenty of rags left for you.

Vanhala.

- Rahikainen. - Sihvonen.

Méiétté.

HELSINKI, JUNE 1941.

I'll miss you.

I'll be back.

- For sure? - Wait for me.

- I will. - Will you?

I'll wait.

I will not abandon my detachment or my flag.

When ordered and as long as I live,

I will follow and defend it to the last drop of blood.

A mighty fortress is our God

Always protecting us from harm

Our sword, our shield

In times of danger and trouble

Old foe

Treacherous and heinous

Hot-tempered and furious

Cruel and wretched

God Almighty will defeat our foe

Alone we have not the strength

It's going to be a beautiful day.

First and second half-platoons onto the trucks.

First and Third Squad, mount truck!

Second and Fourth Squad, wait for the next available vehicle!

What a character!

- Am I sitting on my backpack? - Goddammit.

Watch it.

Move over.

Farewell! Goodbye, shit-hole barracks!

Give the next recruits hell!

Citizens. Our peace-loving nation,

having worked hard for two years...

to rebuild following the Winter War,

has once again become the target of a cruel attack.

The enemy is the same as so many times before.

At short intervals, for nearly 100 years in all,

it has destroyed, crushed and murdered

when it has fought our small nation.

It has invaded our region and bombed innocent civilians,

mostly women, elderly people and children,

and destroyed the property of our peaceful citizens.

Right there.

A marsh.

That's Koskela's platoon's first real test.

Koskela will provide support for the Third Rifle Company.

Lammio and his men will support them at the right flank.

You might get your feet wet.

Those are guns, boys.

When we heat those up, the Russkies are gonna lose it.

Those aren't big enough. The Russkies have bigger guns.

It won't be as easy as some say.

Some boys were so eager to fight they had to be tied to a tree.

NORTHERN KARELIA JULY 4, 1941

Wake up, boys! It's started.

Hurry up!

Firing their cannons.

Their aim is way off. Can't even hear the whistle.

The guns are singing.

So...

We're going with Third Company.

All you need to remember is to keep calm.

Aim for the waist. That's best.

Remember, they're just men like us.

Lead will kill them.

All right. Move out!

It Autio promised me two of your machine guns.

- I know. - Give it to them full force.

I'll see you there.

Well, boys...

Quiet now, and we'll catch a rabbit.

Hietanen, who are these men again?

- The noble machine gun troops, sir. - That's good.

Time to set the ball rolling.

- We're ready, sir. - Good. Quiet now.

Goddamn branches.

Men are falling.

Hurry. The guns are already singing.

Kariluoto.

The artillery will fire a barrage in front of Second Company.

After that we go in. Try to push through all at once.

Do not stop under any circumstances.

Good luck.

Fire!

- Fourth Platoon, forward! - Forward!

Fourth Platoon, forward!

Don't stop!

Forward!

Keep going!

Machine guns, take your positions!

Forward. Forward.

- Shoot 'em in the balls, boys! - In the balls!

More belts!

Goddamn clown, I should dump you in the marsh!

It's a tank.

- I doubt that. - Doubt it all you like.

But it's still a tank.

Well, well. There will be lots of berries this year.

They're blooming so nicely.

What have we here?

No,no,no. This isn't how you fight a war.

The others have already taken their objectives.

Let's cross this marsh with wings on our feet.

Lieutenant, let's try again.

You can do it.

Up and at 'em, boys!

Let's go! C'mon, let's go!

Up and at 'em, boys!

Up and at 'em...

Medic!

Up and at 'em, boys!

Not a single Russian down. Not one.

Found one over here!

They don't care much for their comrades.

They just left him like that.

Damn.

Hello there. Is it cold in Russian hell?

- What did you find? Show me. - These are mine.

Give it to me. What is it?

- Who's this guy on the bill? - That's Lenin.

His eyes are so crossed he could see six ways from Sunday.

A bit of perfume, boys.

You smell so goddamn bad.

Sir.

Kariluoto. That was a good start.

- How did it feel? - Fine, once we got the hang of it.

- We had trouble getting started. - Right.

- Captain Kaarna... - I heard.

Well done. You did a great job.

Gather up and get a move on.

No tears, no nights neither...

Hello.

Is it cold in Russian hell...

Cold...

Now is our time.

It's time for Finland to take back what we lost.

It's our right.

Is it not?

Take five.

Disperse!

Disperse!

Disperse! Don't stay on the road!

Disperse! Are you deaf!

You have to start following orders!

That was close.

- Carry on. - Shake a leg, boys, the Urals await.

Move it!

If I were God, I wouldn't have created stars.

If I could, I'd smash them. What are they good for?

God didn't make stars. That's just nonsense.

God didn't create humans either.

Humans were born from the sea.

We're made of carbon and other elements.

People are fed capitalist lies. That's all.

Carbon? The sea?

Carbon? Lahtinen, you're crazy.

How the hell were humans born from the sea?

Thirty seconds under water, you're dead.

- Not if you have gills. - Gills? No way.

We're made of meat and bones.

- In the beginning humans were fish. - Fish?

Even capitalist scientists admit it.

No way. Fish?

Vanhala, I'm a perch. A perch made of carbon.

Yeah, a perch.

Nature created us. That's how it is.

You know whose song the capitalists sing when it comes to money.

And there we go again. You'll see.

Russia has an endless supply of men.

One Finnish soldier can take on ten Russkies.

Sure.

But what if there's eleven?

Crawl forward, dammit!

Dammit, move forward!

Lehto! Mount the machine gun!

Hurry up, goddammit!

Crawl forward!

Forward!

Damn it!

Medic! Move forward!

Artillery, fire three times at targets one and two.

We lost many men and my best squad leader.

The whole battalion is engaged.

If you can get through, this will be your day.

I'll do what I can if I can just get the men to move.

Fourth, forward!

Fourth, forward!

Leave it be. Don't get yourself killed.

If one man could get close enough with a satchel charge.

- I'll give it a try. - I'll go.

It's my mission, not yours.

Your mission is to get the men moving.

Lehto! After I go, light 'em up, and keep 'em lit the whole time.

OK.

Lehto!

- Take him away. - Give covering fire to Koskela!

They're retreating!

First Squad. Viirilé.

First and Second Squad, to the right! Third and Fourth, left!

Méntynen!

Méntynen!

Viirilé.

That was quite a trick!

Let's keep moving!

No time for looting.

Let's keep moving.

Damn you, Riitaoja!

- What are you grinning for? - I'm not.

- Sir... - "Sir, sir."

You think that'll get you out of this?

- I'm scared, sir. - Don't you start crying.

Go fetch me two cartridge boxes. And be sure to get back.

Bloody day, boys.

How does that old song go again?

"O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,"

"we have witnessed every crack."

Quiet. There's an open field up ahead.

Hold your fire.

Start the music, boys.

Valse triste.

Fire!

Cease fire!

Way to 90, boys!

Get down!

The Germans have advanced surprisingly fast.

Faster than anyone could have dreamed.

The German military leaders have a golden rule.

They don't hope, they calculate.

Confiscated Russian weapons. Let's take a photo.

By the mortar. That's right.

And smile a bit.

Thank you.

Okay, lift.

There, good.

"No one is evil, some people are just weaker than others."

"There's much warmth in every heart,"

"even though we can't always see it."

- Have you boys been fed? - Yes, sir.

- I see. Do you have tobacco? - Yes, sir.

- We're rollin' Russian smokes. - I see.

- What do they taste like? - Like cigarettes, sir.

- Cigarettes taste like cigarettes. - Right.

Look at those hips!

But poor Rahikainen won't get his share.

Unfair as it is.

If I was a general, I'd put 'em in a brothel.

A brothel? Right...

Prepare.

- For what? - To move out.

- Where are we off to? - To attack!

- You thought you were going home? - Goddammit.

Are we the only battalion in Finland?

Put your packs on.

When the Finnish bear strikes, it strikes hard.

We're the amazing heroes of Finland.

Future generations will sing songs of us.

We'll march till the end of days.

This fella really wants his stripes.

I'm in no need of stripes. But of something else entirely.

Something else entirely...

- Shit, I found potatoes. - Potatoes?

I don't even know what to call a fella like you.

You're like a wet sock.

- Change carriers. - Vanhala.

- I carried it longer. - Stop complaining, dammit.

Give me the tripod.

Let's take a break.

How far does the brass think we can walk on these rations?

They don't think. They know.

They've counted every calorie, or whatever the hell you call 'em.

If you complain you're hungry, they'll prove you can't be.

Lehto.

Don't you know that's forbidden?

So is killing.

I've never seen pigs like you before.

What?

Boys. I don't believe in calories

or in any other supernatural things.

But I know one thing. I'm sure Lahtinen thinks

calories were invented by capitalists.

I don't know about capitalists,

but if my old man dies before I do, I'll get a 9,5 hectare...

Over there!

Hands UP!

Hands UP!

Check for others.

Search his pockets.

Soviet gear looks ragged.

Comrade, comrade.

Are there others?

Understand?

He would've blown us up with the grenade.

He's not that kind, you can tell by looking at him.

Son of Russia, zdravstvuj.

Who'll take him to the command post?

I will. Move. That way.

Go on.

Go. That way.

Here.

A souvenir.

Go, go.

- What did he do? - Died.

- Did he try to escape? - Yes.

It wasn't necessary. He wasn't that kind of man.

Let the devil sort 'em out.

You shot him in the back. He didn't try to escape.

Better in the back than in the front.

You're not gonna cry, are you?

Shoot for all I care. I'm no judge.

But that man was scared enough.

No use crying over a Russky.

Alright. Let's move on.

- How many days will they march? - Infantrymen are used to marching.

A Finnish soldier will march for weeks if he has to.

Move aside!

Hands off the car!

Dust for the lowly soldier's eyes, dammit.

No fuel shortage for the brass and their tramps.

Take a good look, men!

There goes a true Finnish detachment.

What a nitwit.

So that rake's the company commander.

If he shows up on the line, he'll be dead.

If the Russkies won't shoot him, I will.

The machine gun company will cross the old border.

Alright.

Boys, this is the old border.

We're in Russia from here on.

Right now this boy is stepping onto foreign soil.

This is where our rights end. We're bandits from now on.

No, we're just crossing borders.

Others move borders to protect national security.

Isn't it a local tradition to sing sad poems and songs?

We should be singing the sad songs.

They're gonna be fighting back harder, now that we've crossed over.

Not to worry. We won't end up on the front line anytime soon.

People want a Greater Finland so much their heads are smoking.

We're building a bigger Finland!

In three weeks, we'll be home harvesting hay.

NATIONAL FRONTIER

Boys, who wants some?

You want to buy? Thanks.

And so sang black Saara

A happy little black child

I once went down and dirty in the middle of the day.

An eager broad she was.

Y'know what these are?

You snitched 'em from a clothes line.

Screw you. You still remember?

This spot's been close to the center of the world.

Oh, the sweet little pussycat.

Put the knickers away and shut the hell up.

Come now, buddy. You'll get some one day, too.

Take these away before I kiss 'em.

The rake's coming.

You'll be given your allowances, so stay in the camp.

You are to cut your hair and shave.

This is not some boy scouts' club.

Wartime is not an excuse for a lack of discipline.

I hope you understand what I'm saying.

Move it.

- And there goes the rake. - I guess y'all heard that.

Hope you understood what he meant.

"Do it like the Germans.“

On whose permission did you ride the truck?

What's in those boxes?

- Cookies and marmalade. - Where did you steal them from?

- They were given to us. - You're lying.

Lehto, didn't you know you're not to break ranks when marching?

- I did. - How arrogant!

What if I court-martial you? You'd be stripped of your ranks,

and sent to dig the swamp. How's that sound?

You're the lieutenant, you should be able to figure it out.

2nd Lieutenant Koskela.

- What is it? - I'll punish corporal Lehto

and Privates Méétté and Rahikainen with 24-hour confinement.

The punishment is converted to two hours of standing at attention.

It is effective at the start of the next full hour.

- Is that clear? - Fine.

Koskela, I will not be standing.

I won't interfere, but it's best you do.

It's easiest that way.

Let's get this stuff to camp.

- Come on, Rahikainen. - Coming.

Boy, it sure is a beautiful day.

At least they don't spend their allowances right away.

Here's a good spot.

- Go on. Over there. - Where?

You're standing there like on Golgotha.

Which one is the impenitent thief?

In the Bible it says that on one side there was a impenitent thief,

and a penitent one on the other.

- I'm very penitent. - That's nonsense.

You're the impenitent thief.

Méétté is penitent and Lehto is Jesus.

Maybe they're our own?

The squadron's too big.

Air raid!

They're coming at us. Let's go.

I'm staying here. I'm doing my punishment.

- This is insane! - Tell that to the rake.

- I'm in no hurry, either. - Goddamn!

I'll stay, too.

If you won't leave...

- I'll stay as well, then. - We're dead!

Stay put!

Goddammit!

Someone's hit!

Let's help him!

- I'm going! - Just stay here.

Hietanen will do what he can.

Come down from there!

The bombs make one helluva smoke cloud.

The regiment has already drawn its mark

in the glorious pages of Finland's military history.

Now that I finally have the chance to see you all together,

let me take this opportunity to thank every one of you

for your deeds.

2nd Lieutenant Koskela has thus been granted the Cross of Liberty.

Corporals Hietanen, Lehto and Lahtinen

and Private Méétté are granted the Medal of Liberty.

- Congratulations. - Thank you, sir.

- Congratulations. - Thank you, sir.

- Congratulations. - Thank you, sir.

- Congratulations. - Thank you, sir.

- Congratulations. - Thank you, sir.

I ain't killing people or getting killed for this.

That's what it takes to get these ribbons.

Won't be long before we'll pay for these.

Good thing you got that medal.

You might finally get laid.

Take it if you want! I don't care for any trinkets.

Come on, old buddy. Me neither.