Original subtitles

IMAGE AND SOUND DIGITALLY RESTORED BY MOSFILM CINEMA CONCERN

MAY WE FOREVER HONOR THE HEROES SLAIN IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR

MOSFILM

VREMYA CREATIVE ASSOCIATION

Just great! With a single shot!

And that was our newest tank! A single shot!

RASTENBURG MARCH 25, 1943

Field Marshal General Manstein, go ahead.

My Fuhrer, if I may. Your draft order reads:

"Top Secret.

Operations Order 6.

I have decided to launch Operation Citadel

as soon as weather conditions permit.

Its primary objective

is to attack from the north and south at once,

surrounding and crushing the Russian troops

gathered at the Kursk Salient,

followed by a tank attack northeastward, bypassing Moscow.

17 Panzer divisions, 22 infantry divisions, and 2 motorized ones

will be employed to carry out Operation Citadel,

for the main thrust of the attack."

What's our troop strength?

About one million soldiers,

2,700 tanks including 800 Tiger tanks,

and 1,800 aircraft, my Fuhrer.

Gentlemen!

The two campaigns we undertook in 1941 and 1942

did not defeat the Russians.

Now, in 1943, we begin our third campaign,

and it will be decisive.

We have launched a total mobilization.

Thanks to this, our troop strength has risen

to 9.5 million men on all fronts.

Never before has Germany had such an army!

We built new, highly powerful Tiger tanks

meant to crush the Russians' defenses!

They must crush them!

But what's this?

This Russian antitank shell pierced the Tigers' frontal armor!

And you want to attack now?

I can't risk that!

Return all Tigers to their factories immediately

and reinforce their armor.

We can't begin Operation Citadel now.

Prepare, prepare, and prepare some more!

MOSCOW APRIL 12, 1943

It's been quiet on all fronts...

for almost a month now.

They haven't recovered from Stalingrad, Comrade Stalin.

Nor have we from Kharkov, Comrade Vasilevsky.

Stalingrad was...

a terrible defeat for Hitler,

both militarily and politically.

But at Kharkov...

the Germans showed that they are still very strong...

and that the decisive battle is yet to come.

There's no doubt that...

the enemy will try

to retake the strategic initiative.

The real question is...

where,

when,

and with what forces he will attack.

What do you think, Zhukov?

I believe that Germany is in a position

to prepare a major offensive in time for the summer campaign,

but only in one theater.

Given Southern Ukraine's economic resources,

I expect the enemy to fight tooth and nail for the Donbass.

He is likely to take advantage of the configuration of forces

around the Kursk Salient to do that. Here, look.

Attacking from the north and south would let...

the enemy cut off and surround

the troops of the Central and Voronezh Fronts.

Doing this would grant him wide room to maneuver

in any direction he finds strategically important.

Vasilevsky, what do you think?

Headquarters has recently gathered detailed

air and ground intelligence, Comrade Stalin.

Intelligence has established

that enemy troops

are mainly headed to Poltava and Kharkov,

as well as towards Orel and Bryansk.

This confirms Marshal Zhukov's hypothesis.

What do Headquarters propose, Comrade Antonov?

Headquarters, Comrade Stalin, propose we meet...

the German troops' onslaught with powerful defenses,

drain all the enemy's strength...

and then finish them off with a counteroffensive.

We have begun to plan the operation.

To plan the operation?

What happens if our defenses don't withstand the German assault?

It's happened more than once, in 1941 and 1942.

Can you vouch for them?

We can, Comrade Stalin.

LIBERATION

FILM ONE

THE SALIENT ABLAZE

Screenwriters: YURI BONDAREV

OSKAR KURGANOV YURI OZEROV

Director: YURI OZEROV

Director of Photography: IGOR SLABNEVICH

Production Designer: ALEKSANDR MYAGKOV

Composer: Y. LEVITIN

Sound: Y. MIKHAILOV

Conductor: E. KHACHATURYAN

Unit Manager: J. KUN

Story Editor: G. MARIAMOV

Costume Designer: D. OZEROVA Make-up: V. YAKOVLEV

Editor: E. KARPOVA Pyrotechnician: V. SUKHORETSKY

Camera Operators: V. GUSEV, A. AKHMETOVA, V. ABRAMOV

Set Designers: I. FYODOROV and S. GAVRILOV

COMPOSITING

Camera Operators: E. SHTYRTSKOBER, G. ZAYTSEV

Set Designers: F. KRASNY, S. ZYABLIKOV

Modelmaker: V. SMIRNOV

Assistant Directors: E. AVAKOVA, L. BUSHAROVA, D. KUZNETSOV, O. NIKOLAEV

Assistant Camera Operators: A. DZHIRKVELOV, T. PROSHIN, A. SHUMILOV

Assistant Designers: V. GLASS, B. VOLSKIY, L. KUZMICHEVA

Lead Military Consultant: General of the Army S. SHTEMENKO

Military Consultants: Colonel General G. ORIOL

Colonel General A. RODIMTSEV Lieutenant General S. SINIAKOV

Colonel (GDR) J. WITZLEBEN

Production Managers: LIDIA KANAREYKINA and Y. DZHOROGOV

Assistant Managers: G. KRYLOV, S. POZDNYAKOV, V. ZEITLIN

Production Intern: T. ZUYEVA

CAST

Tsvetayev: N. OLYALIN Zoya: L. GOLUBKINA

Orlov: B. SEIDENBERG Sashka: S. NIKONENKO

Lukin: V. SANAYEV Gromov: V. SAMOYLOV

Vasiliev: Y. KAMORNY Dorozhkin: V. NOSIK

Janek: JAN ENGLERT (Poland) Maximov: V. AVDYUSHKO

Leontiev: I. OZEROV

Zhukov: M. ULYANOV Rokossovsky: V. DAVYDOV

Vasilevsky: Y. BURENKOV Vatutin: S. KHARCHENKO

Antonov: V. STRZHELCHIK Konev: Y. LEGKOV

Moskalenko: N. RUSHKOVSKY Rybalko: D. FRANKO

Katukov: K. ZABELIN

Stalin: BUKHUTI ZAKARIADZE

Roosevelt: S. JAŚKIEWICZ Churchill: Y. DUROV

Hitler: FRITZ DIEZ (GDR) Mussolini: IVO GARRANI (Italy)

Keitel: G. M. HENNEBERG (GDR) Manstein: S. WEISS (GDR)

Kluge: H. HASSE (GDR) Model: P. STURM (GDR)

Skorzeny: F. PIERSIC (Romania) Voice-over: A. KARAPETYAN

WITH TROOPS FROM THE KIEV, MOSCOW,

AND TRANSCAUCASIAN MILITARY DISTRICTS

KURSK

JULY 5, 00:10

GENERAL OF THE ARMY ROKOSSOVSKY, COMMANDER OF THE CENTRAL FRONT

A private in the 6th Sapper Battalion was clearing lanes in the minefields.

What did you get an Iron Cross for?

Stalingrad?

You're in luck. The war is over for you.

You may shoot me, but your Stalingrad begins tomorrow.

We'll make it to Moscow.

- We heard the Fuhrer's order. - What kind of order?

This morning, you will be dealt a massive blow at Kursk.

It will be the final, deciding blow.

When does the offensive begin?

On July 5, at 03:00.

So, 03:00.

MARSHAL ZHUKOV, DEPUTY COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF

If that's true... we have two hours.

But is it fact or fiction?

First of all, HQ did warn us

that the German offensive would fall between July 3 and 6.

Secondly... as we know, yesterday, Field Marshal Manstein

made a reconnaissance-in-force of the Voronezh Front.

And, finally, Field Marshal von Kluge, Commander of Army Group Center...

What do we have on Kluge?

Partisans report him moving his headquarters yesterday,

out of Orel and closer to the front.

So everything points to them being... ready to start.

At 03:00, if we're to believe the prisoner.

Yes... if we're to believe the prisoner.

What measures do you suggest?

A surprise barrage from all artillery.

Preemptive counter-battery strikes.

Issue the orders.

But we haven't identified the enemy's assembly areas yet.

MAJOR GENERAL TELEGIN - Do we fire at the bushes?

What if the prisoner is right...

and the German attack will start in 1 hour and 55 minutes?

Then we really do need an artillery strike, Comrade Marshal.

Artillery Commander,

go ahead.

LT. GENERAL KAZAKOV

LT. GENERAL KAZAKOV - Sir!

03:10

There you go...

"An uncertain silence hung in the air,"

as a writer would say.

Why are you whistling?

Enjoying yourself?

Why not, Comrade Captain?

We're moving forwards, trophies await.

I bet there's a depot in Orel.

A depot...

- We might be running back to Kursk. - Come on.

Well, we might.

Captain, the colonel wants you.

Remember, a lot can happen in a situation like this.

LT. COLONEL LUKIN, COMMANDER OF THE 206TH RIFLE REGIMENT

The infantry will let tanks through,

so they'll head right for you. Keep that in mind.

I am, Comrade Lieutenant Colonel.

"I am" what? What an airheaded answer.

You can't keep everything in mind, Tsvetayev.

Will it be 10 tanks charging at you or 50?

At any rate, plan for 50.

Your ridge is right where Maximov's and Orlov's battalions meet.

- Orlov! - What?

- Nothing. - I got all of that.

- Am I free to go, Comrade Colonel? - Go.

You too, back to your battalions.

- Keeping that in mind? - I am.

They're silent.

Weirdly silent.

Maybe they had second thoughts.

- Break a leg, Maximov. - Oh, go to... you know where.

Hey Orlov, what's wrong? Your teeth hurting?

Is it nerves?

No idea. They're really wearing me out.

Like how lousy soldiers get diarrhea before battle.

Ah, Zoya, dear! I'm awfully glad to see you.

- Go straight on and don't look back. - Yes, sir.

What are you doing here?

I'm a little scared.

I have a bad feeling.

Nothing will happen to us.

Everything will be alright.

03:55 CENTRAL FRONT HEADQUARTERS

It's strange, a German attack would feel like a relief.

It's now... 03:56.

- Are they going to begin or not? - They must.

They must.

It's clear there's no stopping their war machine, now that it's in motion.

Connect me to the Voronezh Front.

Silent as the grave here, Comrade Zhukov.

MARSHAL VASILEVSKY

No, no sign of them actually beginning.

Maybe we'll be in luck and it'll start soon.

Take care.

GENERAL OF THE ARMY VATUTIN, COMMANDER OF THE VORONEZH FRONT

What?

- Are they waiting? - They are, too.

Quiet enough to make your ears ring.

Well?

Same as it was, Comrade Vatutin. Zero movement on the front line.

Comrade Vasilevsky...

should we alert the next-in-command?

Let's do it.

Connect me with Katukov.

LIEUTENANT GENERAL KATUKOV, COMMANDER OF THE 1ST TANK ARMY

Comrade General, red alert!

Got it.

- Let me help you. - Go.

I'm coming.

Go on.

Damn it.

- What is it? - Red alert, Comrade Lieutenant.

Fine.

Get on your motorcycle, Dorozhkin.

And don't get too inquisitive. You know I don't like that.

Yes, sir.

What is this, the crew?

The crew of Tank 13, Comrade General!

So where's your tank?

Where's your commander?

[speaking Polish]

Did you understand what he said?

- No sir, Comrade General! - Well, I did.

This crew always tries valiantly to protect its commander.

So where is the commander?

General, Lieutenant Vasiliev is arriving!

So you do speak Russian.

Are you Polish?

Yes sir, Comrade General, Polish.

From Warsaw. Been in the Red Army 3 years.

So why were you still speaking Polish?

I think in Polish, Comrade General.

I see you always have an answer on hand.

- Lieutenant Vasiliev reporting... - Hold the reporting.

Tired of those shoulder stripes, are you, Lieutenant Vasiliev?

I want a straight answer. Well?

No sir, Comrade General. I am not tired of my shoulder stripes.

Well, he should be.

Fine. We'll see if your stripes are too heavy for you after the battle.

- Off to your platoon! - Yes sir!

04:30

COLONEL GENERAL MODEL, COMMANDER OF THE 9TH ARMY

FIELD MARSHAL VON KLUGE, COMMANDER OF ARMY GROUP CENTER

Field Marshal, sir.

Our whole plan was based on the element of surprise. Now we've lost that.

Their artillery has disrupted comms

and caused serious losses at the front.

So what do you propose?

Call off the operation.

That's not possible.

Did you inform the Fuhrer of last night's events?

I didn't find it necessary.

It will be too late, if we wait.

So what do you want?

Field Marshal, please call the Fuhrer.

This is a decisive military operation!

The fate of Germany is at stake!

We're starting the battle

that will decide the war.

- When can you attack? - In an hour.

Do it.

JULY 5, 05:30

Leontiev, man the guns!

To your posts!

Forward!

The time has come for you too to face reality.

Almost all the countries in Europe have become part of Germany.

Here you have them.

Portugal, Spain, France,

Italy, Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Norway,

Finland, the entire Balkans.

Soon new states will be set up

on the land conquered by Germany

in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia,

Belorussia, and Ukraine.

What is left in Europe?

A strip of Russian land

whose fate is already set.

Today, German troops broke through the Soviet line

at the base of the Kursk Salient,

trapping ten Soviet armies in a ring of fire.

Bolshevik Russia will not withstand

SACHSENHAUSEN CONCENTRATION CAMP - such a massive blow.

As you can see, our uniforms bear the RLA insignia.

That stands for Russian Liberation Army.

You, too, may join this army...

if you want your wives and children,

your mothers and fathers,

to greet you as their liberators.

I invite any of you

who want to join the Russian Liberation Army

to step forward.

My name is Arthur von Kristman.

I represent the International Red Cross.

I have here a news report from Swiss newspapers.

A delegation of the Red Cross set out to Moscow from Switzerland

to discuss potential aid measures for Russian POWs

with the Soviet authorities.

After much difficulty, the delegation secured an audience with Stalin.

After listening to a delegate from the Swiss Red Cross,

he said, "There are no Soviet POWs.

There are only traitors."

Now you know what awaits you at home.

Once more, I invite

those who want to join us

to step forward!

Anyone else?

Take Vlasov's men away...

give the rest a lashing.

Are you Stalin?

- No. - Who are you, then?

Yakov Dzhugashvili.

What difference does it make? You're Stalin's son.

You and I have met before.

I don't remember.

At training exercises in Kiev, before the war.

I was in the blue team HQ then.

Now where are you?

Don't forget your place, Yakov Stalin.

I'm trying to help you, and you're getting cocky.

How long have you been a POW?

Since August '41.

Almost 2 years.

Well, now you have a chance to return home.

With your army?

I was instructed to tell you that Hitler wants to

exchange you for Field Marshal Paulus,

who was captured at Stalingrad.

But for that to happen, you must write to your father.

I'm not writing anything.

You may want to think again.

I'm not writing Stalin anything.

If the exchange with Paulus doesn't work out...

you'll be shot.

JULY 5, 15:00

COMMANDER, 381ST RIFLE DIVISION

COLONEL GROMOV - Colonel, our tanks.

Those don't look like ours.

Back up! Go left!

Go left, quick! Come on, hurry!

Come on!

Hang in there! Orlov, my boy, hang in there!

The anti-tank guys are on their way. I know, I know-

Did you know, Colonel, I was just fired on

by German tanks behind your lines?!

- Yes sir. - "Yes sir", what?!

So how come they broke through?

Forty tanks broke through Maximov's defenses.

- Look, it's Major Maximov. - What? What's he doing here?

Where did you come from?

Abandoning your battalion, your men!

Let me find out what happened.

Well, why are you here? Why?!

A shell wiped out the dugout.

I came to and saw Germans in the trench.

My men weren't there.

I couldn't.

I just couldn't!

Your men are on the ridge! Over there!

Get to the ridge! Fight to the bitter end!

Get to your battalion immediately! Go on, on the double!

His men are fighting to the last breath, and he's...

a coward!

Maximov, where are you going?!

He's gone crazy. Maybe he's shell-shocked.

Anti-tank guns, fire!

Comrade Captain, Comrade Captain, the 2nd Battalion is retreating!

Look, there! They turned tail!

- Where? - There!

Orlov is retreating. Those rogue Slavs couldn't take it!

Halt! I'll shoot whoever's in front!

- Back! Go back! - Back!

- Halt! Halt! - To the trench!

The tanks got around us. We're done for here!

Where's Orlov?

Where is Orlov?

Get down in the trench and return fire.

All you wimps can go to hell.

Go back!

Go back! Dig in here!

- Orlov, you alive? - It's not my day to die yet!

I'm still here, and they're running!

Go back!

Go back, blast you! Dig in here!

Savchuk, you wounded?

Load!

Get me a shell!

A shell! A shell!

Load!

Hang in there, Comrade Captain! I'll get the shells!

- Hurry! - Yes sir!

Comrade Captain, we have five shells left.

Go, Sashka. Run!

- Darling boy! Get us a dozen shells. - I will!

- A dozen! - I will! We should have them.

Sunflower, come in. We all died carrying out orders.

We all died carrying out orders.

What are you talking about? We didn't die.

- We didn't die! - We all died...

You're shell-shocked. Shell-shocked.

Sashka, my boy, we have two shells. Just two shells left.

Get back to the rear! Please, my boy, hurry up.

They won't kill him.

They can't kill him.

They won't kill him.

Nurse! Nurse!

It'll all be fine, sweetheart. One second.

It'll all be fine. Hang on one second.

Hang on, sweetheart.

It'll all be alright.

Hang on a second, hang on...

Hang on, sweetheart.

Oh God, let this be over soon.

It has to end sometime, doesn't it?

It has to end.

Nurse! Nurse!

Zoya!

Zoya!

Sergei!

You must be Major Gennady Maximov,

commander of the 2nd Battalion, 206th Rifle Regiment, 381st Division.

You speak Russian?

Major, the general has a few questions for you.

Your answers may save your life.

You know Russian.

Are you Russian?

I'm German...

but I lived in Russia.

The general has one question:

how deep are the Soviet defenses around Ponyri Station?

I'll ask you again.

Are you listening?

I'm waiting.

Is it true that Zhukov has arrived at the front

and is now among the troops?

We know Russian soldiers like to say,

"When Zhukov arrives, we start the attack."

Is that so?

It is.

And now you can shoot me.

We Germans don't shoot captured Russian officers.

As a soldier, your life belongs to Zhukov and Rokossovsky.

You're free to go.

If you happen to see them, tell them

that German tanks will be in Kursk in 3 days.

Here's my advice, Major: don't get captured again.

A brave officer would choose a bullet to the head instead.

Run along now.

We've let you live, Major.

Rejoice... Run.

Go on, run.

I've been let live...

by you Krauts?

And you're coming to Kursk? Never!

Your tanks are burning right there! Look at them burn!

You should have your necks wrung like rats! Why I oughta...

Run, you Red bastard!

Shoot.

I'll show you how Major Maximov the Russian dies!

Shoot, you German whore!

For the last time, run!

- Run! - Shoot! Shoot!

CENTRAL FRONT HQ, JULY 9TH - And so, throughout July 5th, 6th,

8th, and all of the 9th,

General Model's strike force

tried to penetrate our troops' defenses

in the area of the 13th, 48th, and 70th Armies.

The enemy advanced up to 10 kilometers,

but ultimately failed to penetrate our defenses.

Today's report from the Voronezh Front, if you please.

The Germans cut through the defenses

of Chistyakov's 6th Guards Army,

advancing 30 kilometers towards Oboyan.

The second defense belt is seeing heavy fighting.

Katukov's tank army took the brunt of the attack.

That is the situation as at July 9.

They cut through!

Yes...

Vatutin has it pretty rough.

So do we, Comrade Zhukov.

It's not as bad here.

We were all expecting the main blow

to fall on the Central Front, not on Vatutin.

Then again...

In war, every general thinks

he's the target of the main blow.

It's Moscow, Marshal.

Comrade Zhukov?

Yes, Comrade Stalin. Good evening.

- What is it, sir? - How are things?

Rokossovsky and I believe the enemy is losing steam.

We identified their units regrouping in the Tyoploye-Ponyri 2 area.

The enemy lacks the strength...

for a breakthrough.

It looks like they will go on the defensive.

Maybe it's time for Rokossovsky to attack.

What do you think?

I think it's time to bring in troops from the Bryansk and Western Fronts,

as we outlined in Operation Kutuzov.

Without their support,

Rokossovsky's counterattack cannot succeed.

When do you think we can start?

I think...

the 12th at the earliest.

Let's make that the deadline.

The Chief is rushing us.

What is it now, Comrade Antonov?

The International Red Cross approached

our military attaché in Sweden.

Trying to impose their morals on us again, I bet.

It's about your son...

about Yakov, Comrade Stalin.

The Germans propose you exchange him

for Field Marshal Paulus through the Red Cross.

I don't exchange privates...

for field marshals.

Our motto is:

"Victory or Death."

The Fuhrer has said:

"I am starting from the beginning."

And his words are now being shown to be true.

The great German army has launched an attack

of unprecedented ferocity on Kursk.

One more decisive push, and the Bolsheviks

LONDON - will be overrun.

May the Lord bless and keep our weapons!

Turn that thing off.

I can't stand listening to that scoundrel talking about the Lord.

Even if only half of what Goebbels said

about Kursk was true, I do think the situation is serious.

According to our intelligence, the German strength in this offensive

is about a million men, with up to 3,000 tanks there.

I'm afraid that this time the Russians may not hold out.

We're approaching a very serious crisis.

Perhaps we should revise Operation Overlord

and invade Normandy sooner?

For my part I consider the best way to be through the Balkans.

Especially since the situation of the Yugoslav partisans

is very serious indeed.

I'm afraid, sir, that there's practically no hope for them.

YUGOSLAVIA

JOSIP BROZ TITO, SUPREME COMMANDER OF THE PEOPLE'S ARMY OF YUGOSLAVIA

Captain, how is the mountain march treating you?

It's easier to bear if one knows the aim.

If we manage to join

the partisan forces operating in Eastern Bosnia,

our forces will double.

I hope so.

Perhaps, by that time the Allies will land in the Balkans.

Mr. Churchill wants to beat the Russians

to the Balkans and shut them out.

He calls it the second Balkan front.

That front has already been opened by the People's Army of Yugoslavia.

We're seeing heavy combat here. We're fighting.

I'll do my best to help, sir.

I know that, Captain. Thank you.

Comrade, there are German vehicles ahead, we're surrounded.

We'll try to break through.

LIEUTENANT GENERAL SHTEMENKO - General, a radio intercept.

"Attention! Attention! The People's Army of Yugoslavia has

broken out of the encirclement. It fights on."

It's essential you maintain the connection.

Yes sir.

General Rybalko is here.

LIEUTENANT GENERAL RYBALKO, COMMANDER OF THE 3RD TANK ARMY

Glad you're here, Comrade Rybalko.

Thank you.

Come on, let's talk.

Here we have the situation as at 18:00 on July 10th.

Field Marshal von Kluge has managed to dig

as deep as 10 or 12 kilometers into Rokossovsky's defenses.

And at Vatutin's front, the enemy moved

40 kilometers into our defenses.

Today, our intelligence reports,

that Field Marshal von Kluge sent in his last reserves:

the 12th Panzer Division and 10th and 36th Motorized Divisions.

In so doing, Comrade Rybalko, he's weakened his left flank.

Headquarters believes it's time to launch Operation Kutuzov,

to strike at the Germans' flank, right here.

Comrade Shtemenko, explain the task to General Rybalko.

As your tank army advances through the Bryansk Front zone,

you should take the city of Orel, if conditions permit.

I... will not take Orel.

What do you mean?

The streets there are narrow, no turning around. They'll fry my tanks.

So what do you propose?

I'll go around it...

and let the infantry take all the glory.

Alright, we'll divide up the glory after the war.

Good luck to you.

ON JULY 11, AT 05:35,

THE BRYANSK FRONT AND THE LEFT WING OF THE WESTERN FRONT

BEGAN THE ADVANCE TOWARDS OREL.

About an hour ago, the Russians' Western and Bryansk Fronts

went on the offensive...

against my left flank.

This puts Model's entire strike force at risk of being encircled.

In these conditions, I have no alternative

but to give up attacking Kursk from the north.

FIELD MARSHAL GENERAL MANSTEIN

Don't inform the Fuhrer of your decision yet.

Operation Citadel is entering its final stage.

I'm sending in all the Panzer divisions today.

Yes, all eleven of them.

The division commanders are here.

They are determined to take Kursk.

I wish you success.

Gentlemen,

Field Marshal von Kluge is confident we will be in Kursk tomorrow.

Or even today, Field Marshal.

We men of the Adolf Hitler Panzer Division will be.

Those are worthy words, Obergruppenfuhrer. Thank you.

You need to see that the enemy's situation is dire.

The battle is starting to look like a tight string.

It's bound to snap.

Much, if not everything, depends on what our divisions do.

The SS Reich Panzer Division is ready to attack.

My SS Totenkopf Panzer Division will fight its way to Kursk.

The 19th Panzer Division will do its duty.

Our duty unites us all:

victory or death.

Yes, Field Marshal, I won't forget it.

One firm push towards Kursk...

and the string will snap.

Gentlemen, you may go.

THE VORONEZH FRONT JULY 11

Well, I'd cross myself if I believed in God.

- Let's go! - Yes sir!

Platoon... Do as I do!

Forward!

The machine gun!

- Janek! - Yes?

A sub-caliber shell, now!

Sir!

Fire!

Come on! Come on, damn it!

Fire!

Only fools say there's no such thing as hell!

Comrade Lieutenant, the 15th isn't responding.

Forward!

Say hello to Auntie Motya, Krauts!

- Everyone OK? - Gorokhov!

What about him?

Looks injured. He can't see.

Get the tank to the river! We need to put it out!

Gorokhov, can you hear us? Get to the river!

Bastard!

Chistyakov...

eliminate the breach on your own, you hear me?

Retake Kazachye.

Don't call me until you take Kazachye.

How are things at Prokhorovka?

Bad, Comrade Vasilevsky.

The enemy broke the 183rd Division and 2nd Tank Corps' defenses.

They're barging their way through to Prokhorovka.

- What about elsewhere? - They're giving it all they've got.

Our reserves are all deployed.

Comrade Vasilevsky...

ask Stalin for the 5th Tanks.

It's high time, God knows it is.

I know, Comrade Vatutin,

but the 5th Tank Army belongs to Konev's Steppe Front.

and the Steppe Front...

is HQ's reserve in case of an offensive.

Don't you see that a crisis is brewing in the enemy's offensive?

A counterattack by the 5th could make the difference.

Comrade Vasilevsky, ask Stalin.

I'll try.

Connect me with Headquarters.

COLONEL GENERAL KONEV, COMMANDER OF THE STEPPE FRONT

The Steppe Front was the Headquarters' reserve front.

It was meant to be sent into battle

should our counteroffensive at the Kursk Salient be successful.

But Stalin, anxious about the situation south of Kursk,

gave two armies from the Steppe Front to Vatutin:

General Zhadov's 5th Guards Army

and General Rotmistrov's 5th Tank Army.

LIEUTENANT GENERAL ROTMISTROV, COMMANDER OF THE 5TH TANK ARMY

To the plane.

General, the 5th Tank Army was ordered to destroy

the enemy forces that have pushed into our lines.

Their line of deployment is west of Prokhorovka.

The enemy is already in Prokhorovka.

- Turn the army back immediately. - Yes, General, sir!

JULY 12

The Battle of Kursk has hit a crisis point.

Perhaps our whole operation in the East has.

Field Marshal, sir.

My division is no more.

But I haven't forgotten my duty.

What was that?

Senseless.

Tell the troops...

to hold on at any cost.

I'll prepare the order.

There's nothing for us to say to our soldiers, General.

Hold on! Hold on!

But the German troops could not withstand

the Soviet armies' powerful counteroffensive.

The tank battle at Prokhorovka,

the greatest in World War II,

had turned the tide of the Battle of the Kursk Salient.

It was the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany,

although there remained two long years

of fighting, suffering, bravery, and loss until the final victory.

Restoration Producer: KAREN SHAKHNAZAROV

© MOSFILM CINEMA CONCERN, 2020

END OF FILM ONE