Original subtitles

WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE CINEMA FOUNDATION

WITH THE FINANCIAL SUPPORT

OF THE MINISTRY OF CULTURE OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

RUSSIAN WAR-HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Film company “STELLA” presents

The filmmakers would like to thank all of those who participated unselfishly

in raising funds to enable the creation of this film

It is dedicated to the citizens of Leningrad, both those

who survived its siege, and those who did not.

LENINGRAD 18th January 1943

DIRECTED BY Fyodor Popov

WRITERS Dmitry Karalis, Fyodor Popov

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Maksim Shinkorenko, Igor Grinyakin

SET DECORATORS Alexander Batenev, Valentin Vyrvych

Attention, Moscow speaks!

COSTUME DESIGNER Sergey Struchev

From the Soviet Information Desk...

EDITED BY Alexander Khachko

After seven days of intense fighting,

overcoming exceptionally stubborn resistance of the enemy...

SOUND DIRECTORS Yuri Reinbach, Danila Palatkin

...the forces of the Volkhovsky and the Leningrad fronts

on January 18th...

COMPOSER Andrey Golovin

...were able to unite, and thus broke through...

PRODUCED BY Fyodor Popov

...the blockade of Leningrad!

We broke through, Seryoga! That's the end!

Well, Slavka, my dear!

Now, full steam ahead for Berlin!

Onto the Reichstag! With everything we've got!

-They won't make it easy. -As if we do "easy."

Come on, floor it!

The Commander's a stickler for punctuality.

The width of the corridor is between 4 and 8 kilometers.

FIRST SECRETARY ZHDANOV'S LENINGRAD REGIONAL CABINET AND PARTY COMMITTEE

There are three bridges,

over the Neva, the Nazia, and the Chernaya River.

The roads are swampy and full of bogs.

The Germans occupy the Sinyavino Heights,

with a direct line of sight below.

We've been given 20 days to construct a train bridgehead.

The 400th Brigade will be led by the Commander

of the Military Restoration Corps, Comrade Zubkov.

The first train from the mainland must arrive no later than February 7th.

The freight it will carry is already being assembled.

Will the railway workers be ready for it, Comrade Salambekov?

A great many of them have died.

Those who remain are invaluable. Some don't sleep for days.

They've been rolling trailers from Ladoga on wet logs.

One actual train will be worth a thousand Ladoga trucks!

We must make this happen!

Comrade Salambekov, what about the other workers?

The situation is the same.

Training for youth has been organized at the depot.

They were just schoolgirls yesterday, but they are learning quickly.

The Lady Comrades on Locomotives service is growing by the day.

We'll handle it!

You've taken ten Komsomol classes,

including anti-aircraft defense.

Took part in cleaning brigades of the city.

Will you take the course for train conductors?

It means staying in the barracks. Meals at the canteen.

-We'll go. -Conductors?

That's it? Checking tickets?

More like brakes, couplings, signal lights, train formations.

To prepare the trains and accompany them.

-To go where? -Wherever you'll be sent.

First you need to learn some skills.

I don't know. Maybe you have an orchestra?

I can play flute, violin, and even the drums a bit.

Perhaps you can play the signal horn?

It's the instrument of a signal conductor.

Thanks.

We still have an orchestra for funerals and such.

So shall I register you?

Yes. Register.

Well, sleep on it. Morning is wiser than the evening.

We'll never get home before curfew. We live on Vasilyevsky Island.

Second carriage from the right.

Ask for Clavdia Ivanovna Cheremuha.

Reveille is at six. And don't be late.

That's how I, Masha Yablochkina, and my friend Sonya Vishnevskaya

ended up training as train engineers for the military.

Maybe because it meant extra rations and a warm bed.

That's all anyone dreamt about during the siege of Leningrad.

It's nice and warm.

Oh, no.

I'd rather eat my rags, like a moth.

I'm not staying here.

Eat!

You're leaving?

Let's see, did I miss anything?

Confined to the barracks, waking up at 6:00 in the morning.

All right, fine, whatever. At least there's a shower.

Not now. Everybody is confined to barracks.

I'd rather be helping out at the hospital.

I studied violin for eight years for nothing.

-And where is it? -In the stove.

-I chose the piccolo. -Why?

There's only one in an orchestra.

I'd be a fool to be just another violin, sitting in the 7th row for 30 years,

waiting for the conductor to notice me.

And I'll stay.

Flute-playing.

And a work authorization.

I'll bring it to Mom in the hospital.

Take it.

Thanks.

Girls, we don't lock these doors at night.

During a shelling, the door could jam, and you'd be trapped.

And we came here voluntarily.

There is nowhere to rest for the tormented soul.

Hi! Are you new here?

-Yes. -Doing the training?

Checking us out. Tomorrow at 6:00 in the hall.

-But we've already been checked. -Close the door!

What's your name?

Julio Rodriguez, a Spanish stoker. And what's your name?

You'll know soon enough, Stoker Rodriguez.

And then, in a couple of years, you'll tell your friends

how you once popped into my compartment.

What have we here?

Peeping into women's compartments!

I thought it was forbidden for Spaniards to enter the women's section.

Katya, there are some performers there.

No reason to be a peeping Tom!

It's dark in there. I didn't see anything.

You must have looked closely! You're really asking for it!

Stop buttering me up.

Don Juan.

SHLISSELBURG STATION

Just settled in, and we're taking a trip straight away.

We didn't even have time for breakfast.

They say there's an order about the railway.

This mountain of spruce branches is as big as the Pyramids!

And also these stacks of logs!

Here, put these on under your mittens, or you'll wreck your palms.

Where did you get it?

-Mommy gave them to me. -So beautiful!

It's a shame. They'll be ruined.

-Come on! -And for you?

I got a pair. Here! All from the same place!

And where does your mom work?

She's a chemist at a pharmacy on Nevsky Prospect.

Then why did you sign up for this training?

It's a long story.

It smells like food.

Come on, get up!

There was no permission to rest. Get up, come on!

Get up!

This is war, not a day at the spa!

-Come on, get up! -Listen, woman!

You took our saw.

-Which one? This one? -Yes!

The crew chief gave me this one.

And then you decided to take it home?

There's a right and a left handle on ours.

I'll show you handles!

I'll show you handles! You city girls think you're so special!

Was it you who made a soup from our cat?

-A ginger one, with cross-eyes. -Damn it!

Get out of here!

We're Komsomol members doing our duty. Leave us alone.

Hey, musician, where did you learn that?

I picked up some theatre along the way.

We did Zoshchenko in our acting class.

And, generally speaking,

I don't like it when my friends are insulted.

You're doing great, girls! Carry on, tonight we'll sleep by a fire!

After logging duty we all slept under the open sky,

tossing and turning on the fallen spruce trees.

Meanwhile more and more troop trains kept arriving,

delivering new Leningrad citizens.

The road had to be built as fast as possible.

In January 1943, after the breaking of the blockade,

the construction of the railway between Leningrad and the mainland began.

A branch 33 kilometers long was built in just 17 days,

mostly by women, who, despite the famine, cold and constant shelling,

worked nonstop for days.

The Fascists fired directly at the trains

and bombed them from the air.

Work on this road was more dangerous than fighting at the front.

Shlisselburg, the Corridor of Death,

carried 75% of all freight delivered to besieged Leningrad.

CONVOY 48

Pick up the pace! Come on, faster!

Girls, pick it up! Come on, come on! Faster!

And one... And one... And one....

Is it true that there'll be a bridge here?

And the trains will truly go to Leningrad?

Damn it, where are they dragging it? Where are you dragging it?

I'm going to show them!

These trains have got to roll on this bridge!

-Do you have a sweetheart? -No.

You'll have one soon!

And you'll have everything you've ever dreamt of!

Don't slip!

Look at the effect she has on me! Damn it!

Come on, come on!

She knocked me off my feet! The girl with the fiery eyes!

And one!

And one!

And one!

Come on, go!

-Go to hell, fascists! -Stay down, you idiot!

Got him! Good work!

Great job.

Back to work!

Everyone get to work!

And one!

Saw, Spain!

My child.

Can you play the song "Suliko"?

Don't. It's okay.

You need to live.

-Thank you. -I have a daughter like you.

On an ambulance train. She's a nurse. A head nurse.

And a son fighting on the Sinyavino Heights.

What do you think, could he hear it?

He could.

Of course, he could.

That's good.

MURMANSK OFFICE OF MILITARY COMMANDANT

Fyodorov, so how could you, a locomotive driver,

manage to hide the exemption

and get to the Northern Fleet? Tell me.

It dropped out from the military ID, Comrade Chief.

I wanted to pick it up,

but a stampede happened in the military enlistment office.

What, a stampede in the military enlistment office?

Everybody was hurrying to beat Hitler to a pulp.

And in your opinion Sergeev is Hitler?

You couldn't wait to get to a penal battalion?

If there are no direct tickets to the front,

write it out to the penal battalion.

You'll fly to Leningrad.

You have five minutes to get ready.

Yes, sir. But could I get back my mandolin?

A mandolin for what?

To hit somebody over the head with it again?

I hit him with the case. The instrument is intact.

You're not invited to the concert.

Without the mandolin, I'll end up in the penal battalion.

-It's was a gift from my father. -Look at him.

He even makes demands.

Hello there, Slavs! Is everybody going to Leningrad?

Jora!

Look at that!

-Lyokha Ivanov! Is it you? -Yep!

Great!

-You're alive? -We haven't seen each other for a year.

Why do you have it?

I'll tell you later. So...

To our planes, ships and trains.

May I join you?

I'm also going to Leningrad.

Have a seat!

Evdokim Sobakin. From Vologda.

This is my first time on an airplane.

I'm not afraid to die in company like this.

We won't die.

A little liquid courage?

Thanks. But I'm holding off on that.

Why do you have dried bread with you?

From the wife. Nourishment.

Or maybe I'll exchange them for leather boots.

You'll probably get it. They're pretty hungry.

Yep, we Sobakins drive hard bargains.

Always chaos here! They have their exams soon

and instead they're logging!

So eat, frozen devils!

All aboard the carriage! We're leaving!

Petrovich, our former teacher, might be the oldest train driver

in Leningrad.

He couldn't even get to work,

much less into the train cabin without help,

but how we used to be scared of him!

That's good!

Remember, there's no such thing as useless knowledge on the railway.

Vishnevskaya, give the signal for departure.

-Rodriguez, speed her up! -Roger.

So... Stop!

Stop!

Yes.

Yablochkina! Reverse!

Stop! Stop!

That's it!

We've run over the coupler.

-He's lying without a leg. -How could that be?

There is nobody there!

That means he was dragged under the train.

I'm joking!

But why didn't you signal back?

Did you forget?

-Two long ones. -But you didn't say it.

Why did you joke like that? Isn't life difficult enough?

And will be much more difficult,

if you don't become friends with the locomotive.

Remember...

One big accident is a consequence of many small mistakes.

That's why none of us is allowed to make any mistake.

Where can I find the headquarters?

Air raid!

They fell short.

Are you okay?

I'm alive.

And who am I looking at?

Cadet Masha Yablochkina.

And I am Fyodorov.

Look at that.

Take it for reinforcement. We opened it especially for you.

Thank you, but I have enough energy. We are well-fed.

Yes, I can tell. A feather is heavier than you. I'm telling you, take it!

Hey, Cadet Yablochkina, where can I find Koshelev?

There.

Yablochkina. That's a tasty surname.

This is Comrade Sobakin Evdokim Petrovich.

He is also a train driver. He didn't run away to volunteer, like a teenager.

He didn't leave his train, because he understood his workplace

was the best place to do battle.

-Isn't that true, Evdokim Petrovich? -No, that's not true.

Comrade Koshelev, I also ran to the conscription office.

And there, a military commissar and the head of the depot

met us with a gun.

We were all turned back.

Really? Isn't he a clever one?

Did you get through?

Is everybody alive?

My congratulations.

Yes, sir.

The railway line branch.

The first train from the mainland to the Kushelevka station.

The Piroshenkov's locomotive crew did it.

Where is this line?

Just under the Germans' noses. You'll see for yourself.

The Blue Night.

Our railway anthem.

To the breakthrough!

To accessing the mainland, and to your return to the depot.

You, my dear falcons, will need to drive trains on this line.

And the crew is almost ready.

They are all children, Nikolai. 17, 18, 19...

In the USSR, children are under 14 years old.

And at 16, they are citizens of this great country.

Learn their names.

Yablochkina, Vishnevskaya, Cheremukha, Lipochkina.

Kaseke. "Birch"? That's not a crew, it's a tree nursery.

Nikolai Ivanovich! Greetings, Comrades!

I'm here...

Thawed out, thought about, shuffled and ruffled.

At your service, I mean.

I heard there's a need for stokers in your crew.

Will you hire me?

Bagdadskiy, it's not a luxury express to Sochi.

As we used to say back on Ligovskiy Prospect,

we ain't doing it for the kopeks.

I'm all in because I want to shoot hot oil up the Fuhrer's ass

and watch him burn.

-Have a seat Bagdadskiy. -Thanks, I'd rather stand.

You're not with your pals, here. Are you sure?

I'm sure. Ligovskiy-boys don't surrender.

But I have a tiny question.

How many meals a day do we get?

This falcon knows how to heat. Hi, Bagdadskiy.

Hi, Jora. How's it going?

We haven't seen each other for a hundred years.

I can't complain.

I'm not a choirboy, but I'm not a screw-up either.

Won't turn down the occasional glass of denatured alcohol, though.

Comrade Lenin taught us to respect the proletariat,

and no one works harder than the stokers.

Thank you kindly.

There is a thought, Jora, to appoint you as chief train driver.

I'm not a good organizer.

No, you're an excellent organizer.

Everybody on the railway remembers how you organized the carriers

and turned the trolley into a restaurant.

Say thanks to Salambekov, otherwise you would have been booted from the party.

"The leader of the Stakhanov-Krivonosov movement could move a thousand tons,

but three hundred grams of vodka broke his strength."

If only three hundred!

And who will approve me for this job?

I'll agree to this.

Tomorrow the cadets have a graduation.

Make your beloved AY-683-32 ready. It stands in Building 3.

As they say, the rope must be long, but the speech short.

You don't need to agitate for the Soviet government .

Now you are soldiers, enforcing the constitution and military law.

Some of you will go on the first trip.

It may be a baptism of fire, but that's all right.

The older comrades with you have survived their own

baptisms of water and ice and mangled steel.

But the youngsters here

will have to dip high above the acorn.

They have to grow tall and strong and courageous.

That's right!

The Nazis will not know what hit them!

May I ask a question, Comrade Fyodorov?

Go on, Fighter Vishnevskaya.

Here, you just said, "dip high above the corn". How is that?

I said "an acorn". That's the top of the ship mast.

And in railway slang, it's the train whistle that's highest.

-I'm sorry. -No worries.

There are no stupid questions. Never be afraid to ask.

Here is the plan.

Today we take the loaded train to the front.

The Baltic fleet battery and the long-range artillery

will cover us in the corridor.

Here is the breakdown of duties.

Ivanov's crew will conduct the train till Volhovstroy,

while the second shift rests.

In Volhovstroy, the crews change.

Conductor Cheremuhova!

On the deck...

Is everything all right in the carriage?

I swept the compartment, shook the doormats,

distributed the bedding... the boiler works.

Georgiy Ivanovich, if someone smokes in the compartment, I'll curse them out.

That means you.

Thank you, Clavdia. Back in line.

Did everybody outfit the cards in the shop compartment?

-Everybody. -Everybody.

Can't hear you!

Everybody!

That's better. Any questions left?

I'm very sorry...

Will there be days off?

To go to the Philharmonics, for example, or to the cinema at least.

Days off?

The Commandant issues them. Here he is, by the way.

Greetings.

Hitler got two loud slaps across his face

at Stalingrad and Leningrad.

They were heard on all fronts and all continents.

When we built the road,

they declared that not even a single train would make it to Leningrad,

that they would be destroyed by the artillery and the bombing!

But the trains run!

And every train that passes is a new slap to the Führer.

Every carriage full of flour, coal, missiles...

that's power for the city and the front!

And today the whole world watches you.

Those who didn't live to see this day are also watching.

Your relatives and friends are watching.

So, let us beat Hitler to a bloody pulp.

And return alive, guys. God willing, alive.

Everybody to their stations!

We're going at a good pace.

Wish we could make it to Volhovstroy at the same speed.

The plan was this, as soon as it got dark, around 6:00 in the evening,

the trains would dead-end at Morozovsk.

Five more tracks and four additional trains are prepared there.

At the Shlisselburg station the water supply is restored, firewood is stocked,

the technical and mechanical inspection take place there.

SHLISSELBURG STATION

Twenty trains will depart altogether.

At midnight, the first train crosses the bridge that we built over the Neva.

The rest follow on the five-minute intervals.

It's a one-way track, with no connections, just the traffic lights.

We replenish wood for the steam at Lipki, Mezhdurechye and Polyana.

From Shlisselburg to Polyana, it's 33 kilometers.

Wait! Who's there?

Convoy Chief Fyodorov.

How are things, Yablochkina?

The signal equipment is working well.

The wicks have been checked. The panes have been cleaned.

Well done, Conductor Yablochkina. Was that scary?

Not at all.

What's the matter? Are you afraid of me?

No, I'm not afraid.

At ease, Yablochkina.

Why is the brake hose hanging out?

I forgot. Do you want a hand?

I can manage.

Thank you.

Someone is coming.

Just me. I'm bringing dinner to you.

It's hot tea with pancakes.

You'll lick your fingers.

-I'll join you up here. -Why?

An order from high up, Georgiy Ivanovich.

Let Yablochkina go warm up.

I'll accompany her, before I turn into an icicle.

Don't worry, Comrade Commander.

We were given very warm cotton pants, so I'm not cold.

Oh, I see.

Fine, stand guard in your warm pants, then.

Why didn't you go to warm up?

Are you afraid he'd flirt with you?

What do I have to be afraid of?

I have a boyfriend, an intelligence officer. He is young, cheerful, strong.

He said as soon as the war is over,

everything will be as I dreamed.

At ease! Stay at your stations!

I made it as hot as a sauna.

The steam is good.

God is with us. Come on.

The first dangerous spot we had to get through

was the bridge over the river Neva, if you could call it that.

The railroad tracks were directly over the ice,

and they held only when it was freezing.

It was the best we could build in 17 days,

and we had no choice but to do what was necessary for victory.

Oh, dear, how much longer?

The first one is already on the shore. They'll pull us out now.

Damn it! The ice is creaking like an ungreased cart.

Are you chickening out?

I'm trembling like a lover hiding in a closet.

If it wasn't for your square jaw, I'd have dropped dead from fear.

Come on, drop in some more wood!

-They aren't shooting. -Let the sleeping dogs lie.

-Sand. -Yes, sir.

And add more steam.

Bagdadskiy!

Is that a tail?

Yes, that's the rear end. I'll haul it up.

A month ago we broke the blockade,

and now we're busting through it.

So much for the thousand-year Reich.

Fast is never good.

Could be good. You know the old proverb.

While the clever person gets ready,

the fool crosses the river.

It's our situation exactly.

Lipochkina!

We arrive soon at Lipki. Get ready.

May I go?

We practiced this at the factory training courses.

-Leave it! Lipochkina, to the exit! -Let me help her.

Step back!

She knows what she's doing out there. Don't get in her way.

Snow is about to stop. A resupply train is waiting.

You have a message.

"Full speed ahead to Polyana. Shooting near Mezhdurechie."

Listen up! Sobakin, Stalnoy and Rodriguez stay on the train.

Lipochkina, head to the tail.

And who'll take the baton?

Go, goalkeeper. We'll manage.

-Let me help you. -I can do it myself.

Watch out! Speed is 25!

Rodriguez!

-Poke the furnace, so it doesn't smoke. -Yes, sir.

Sobakin, go the front platform, see what's ahead.

And what will I see there?

They'll stop in the front, we'll put on the signal torches.

And if they get confused?

Will they keep up?

We've got schoolgirls manning the tail.

Schoolgirls!

Leningrad's a great metropolis, but its trains are run by teenagers.

The shelling started.

Are you sure?

I guess so.

We're speeding up.

Get some rest.

How far are the Germans?

About five kilometers. They are positioned on the heights.

-Maybe it's ours? -Maybe!

Jora said that we'd be covered.

And what if they hit the tracks?

You'll run 800 meters back with the torch and firecrackers.

-Me? -You.

And how do you know you've gone 800 meters in the dark?

-Count your steps. -And what if I lose count?

Don't panic!

Pretend you're not afraid, and after a while you won't be.

A live traffic light! There's a message!

Breakaway carriages ahead!

Damn it!

1-0, Ligovskiy losing.

They won't shell anymore?

They could start to bomb.

When the snow falls, that's a good time for them.

You're mean, so mean! I'll ask to be in another crew.

And be away from your precious Jora?

You've fallen for him. I can tell.

Fallen for him? Please, he's old enough to be my father.

He definitely could be a father for your babies.

In Estonia, we say that a woman without children

is like a tree without branches... What can you do?

I told you already, I have a boyfriend.

Stop this nonsense.

Watch out!

Emergency! Reverse, reverse!

Jump off!

Jump off!

Jump off!

Jump! Jump!

Jump!

Goddamn it!

Help!

Go to the cabin.

Full valve!

We can't get up this little slope.

Damn it, we stalled on the slope!

You couldn't increase the steam earlier?

The steam is at normal! We're moving up the slope!

The nozzles are clogged. Who fell asleep?

How is that possible? I poured a half a ton myself!

Maybe the pipes were damaged.

Sobakin! Throw me a spade!

Come on! Come on!

Come on, you iron cockroach!

And what?

That's it! On the train!

Let's go!

-Vishnevskaya! -Yes!

Vishnevskaya!

My hat!

-We did it! -Come on, come on, speed up!

Fighter Vishnevskaya...

For that you'll get a commendation.

I'm serving the Soviet Union!

And a reprimand. For not paying attention.

The order was to go on the locomotive, not under it.

-But I-- -Is everyone accounted for?

CHEREPOVETS STATION

I can't believe it, we reached Cherepovets.

It's a completely different life here.

There is no siege, no starvation.

From here we can bring back to Leningrad

the bread that is so sorely missing.

We'll put the aspens on top.

And none of the hits can damage us.

How are we moving all these logs?

We? That's why you're here.

Why do you think I took you in the crew?

Or you'll just get lazy being warm in the depot.

And this? What's this for?

You don't know?

It's to plug holes in the cisterns and tanks.

I learned this back in Estonia, when we smuggled diesel oil.

Oh, how many times I drove across Estonia.

Once I won a lot of dough in a restaurant in Tartu.

I stuffed the money in my shirt. My chest puffed out like this.

-Oh, no. -I was even crackling.

-And then they made accusations. -What?

Well, they said that I had marked the deck.

-Oh! -Yeah.

They took off my belt, pulled down my pants,

the money flew out, all over the floor.

Yeah, and there was a porter there who gathered it all up,

put the cash in a bin, took it to the bastard who'd lost it.

I got away by the skin of my teeth. They don't like us Russians.

And the deck wasn't marked?

I didn't say that.

Are you a card shark?

A shark... that's a profession.

Someone who lives off his cheating. For me it's just a hobby.

Look, it's a cat.

And there is a dog.

And a fat man. Life is good here.

Enough looking out the window. Come on, ask me about a coupler.

"How do you combine an auto coupler device with a handle coupler?"

The automatic couple device combines the use of the coupler...

-A completely other life. -...handle.

In Leningrad, the people are starving,

and here a woman is carrying a rooster.

Do you think I don't want to eat?

The woman with the rooster doesn't help you study.

I'll handle your education.

I'll feed you with ideas.

Come on, answer. Where does the chief conductor-signalman

need to be during the formation of the cars into a train?

The chief conductor-signalman needs to be...

I don't remember.

The black thread isn't pretty.

-Lovely ladies, it's lunchtime! -Klava?

-What? -Do you have white thread?

Thread?

Ah, your clothes need taking out.

Finally getting a little meat back on your bones, eh?

I'll see if I can find some white thread.

You don't know the answers.

In that case, let's get to it.

Alfred, just one question.

Why do Estonians dislike Russians?

Because the sky is blue.

They don't like us, and that's it.

We established them as a Soviet Republic, right?

And in 1941 those sleazeballs sat in their cafés in their white suits

waiting for the Germans to waltz in.

But a bunch of brave stokers smuggled out the Estonian archives.

For that we were shot at in the forest three times.

Katerina is an Estonian, but she is different.

She is an anti-fascist.

Oh, of course.

-Have you already been with her? -What?

No. And shut your mouth.

You'll see. The essence of any woman comes out in bed.

And if she starts to babble in German or mutter "Heil, Hitler" in her sleep--

Shut your damn mouth, or I'll kill you!

Calm down!

Look what we have here, a matador!

So, eagles and pigeons, how are things?

We've done it, made a tunnel for the crew to escape through.

It's not a proper tunnel, more of a dugout.

You'd better put an armor plate on top, as well.

How will you carry the logs?

This is what I was wondering, as well.

We were waiting for you to consult with.

That make sense.

The roof must be taken apart.

Or someone will blow out their last brains. A hero!

How's the wood?

Wet. Still fresh. We'd better have some coal.

Soon there will be some coal, Bagdadskiy.

Soon there will be everything.

Soon there will be milk and honey.

-Who's on trash duty? -Huh... In a second!

-Rodriguez, get down there now! -Me?

-You. -And why?

Because!

Son of a bitch!

Why do you torment the guy?

The hard work is good for him. Keeps him away from despair.

When we liberate Spain, he'll thank me.

He'll invite me as his guest, we'll eat well, then play cards.

You're a loudmouth, Bagdadskiy.

Pick.

And what did I say?

We'll break through.

Teach me, Jora!

Did you know that Fyodorov issued a commendation for me?

Yes, and then a reprimand.

One commendation is more important than two reprimands.

All the more from a man like him.

And do you know what Stalnoy said?

He skydived.

The first jump was scary,

but the second one was even worse because you already knew

how terrifying it'd be.

So that's why I'm thinking, how will we get back?

Schoolgirls with names of fruit trees and the hot-headed Spaniard...

When we go back to Leningrad, I'll ask for a transfer.

Oh, I doubt that, Jora.

-What are you doubting? -That you'd ask for a transfer.

They're like every new recruit.

They'll make mistakes...

but they'll learn.

No, really, this is how I got out.

Missiles were coming from left and right.

We were being targeted.

I served in the artillery. I understood what they were doing.

They'd fire until they found the target.

So I pull the boiler blower, slowing down.

Then I scatter the smoke grenades.

With all the steam and smoke, make the Germans think they've hit me.

Then they keep silent so we can't tell where they are.

I wait as well. Then full speed ahead.

Before they can blow their noses, I'm already a kilometer away.

And then there is another battery.

I'm like a rabbit running through a minefield.

What if there's aircraft?

You're a sitting duck.

And if we steamed up the whole corridor?

How do the torpedo boats do it?

One goes ahead and lays smoke.

The others speed through it towards the target.

Bang, bang, bang!

They go back right through the same smoke screen.

That's on the sea. We're on rails.

How are we supposed to get away from aircraft?

What if we crash into each other? There are missiles on every train.

-That's right. -Then you keep a distance.

If the Germans destroy the rails ahead,

it'd be impossible to see in the smoke, and you'll dive into the vortex.

And then there'll be a tribunal!

You still need to get out from a vortex.

As for a tribunal, you won't be sent further than the front.

The sea guy has the right idea.

So where will you get smoke grenades for 30 kilometers?

We use denatured alcohol from the anti-aircraft guns.

They have lots of it.

Come on, come on, come on. What a thing! Where did you get it?

You need to know secret places and magical words.

Our people understand everything, if you explain it clearly.

When to flatter, and when to demand.

So, fellas, we're doing this like we agreed.

I'm going first to spread the smoke.

And we'll go after.

Either a cross on your chest or a cross in the ground, as they say.

-Be ready! -Go down!

Smoke flares, grenades!

Slow down!

Full speed ahead!

Klava, we're on fire!

The main line has been damaged!

Watch out! Everybody look for the leak!

Now they're going to attempt a pincer movement on us, Jora!

Maybe we try smoke flares?

Evdokim Petrovich, over the side!

Don't light the smoke grenades. Sit quietly.

I'll put the fire out and will be back!

Don't mess around! You can't go alone!

So, did you find it?

Jora! Jora! Veselov has been killed!

Jora!

Damn it!

-Petrovich, go over the side! -I'm telling you, don't fool around!

-Protocol forbids you to go alone! -I'm not alone.

And who else?

He is standing on the stairs!

Your guardian angel!

A man like me must live Not waste his precious time

Pining away for a girl A girl with a stubby nose

A thorn among roses Who has pricked my heart

Come on!

Help me!

What a scamp! You want medals?

And we are feeling sad, begging for mercy.

This will be enough for you for half an hour.

You'd better spin holes for medals. While we move away.

That's it!

Well, this is sad a state of affairs.

Jora!

Comrade Fyodorov!

Are you injured?

Halt!

Halt! Halt! Halt!

Where is it? Where is this bloody valve?

Emergency. We're going to crash.

Darling!

Darling, my love! Where are the emergency brakes?

Darling!

Where is the emergency brake?

In the...

Don't move. Lay quiet.

In the corner.

Pull it towards yourself.

Is it painful? Is it painful?

Hold it. Hold it.

Wait a second.

I was buried in the tender car, under the logs.

Like this. Like this. Here. Let's do it like this. Like this.

Like this.

Like this. Come on.

"My darling, my love."

Those words will wake up a dead man.

"My darling, my love."

You can't say those words to anybody else. Do you hear?

No, to nobody else. To no one but you.

You are alive.

Go take a look. Did we make it through the woods?

What happened? Where did you lose the car?

We camouflaged it. We're going to get it back.

Why are you still?

We stopped up the chute. We have missiles in the tail cars!

What a disaster we could have had.

Don't worry. We braked just at the right time.

How are you feeling?

I'm okay.

-Over there! -Me?

-Do you see anybody else? -But I don't know how...

Twist it in reverse. Counterclockwise, till the end.

Put the controller on the fourth tooth.

-This tiny thingy? -Yes, that one.

Like that. Now hold it.

Georgiy Ivanovich!

We passed through the live traffic light! She waved at me!

Just a little bit forward.

Done.

I see red!

Slow down.

Fyodorov is injured!

Delay for 20 minutes, and the whole line stops!

That's a tribunal!

This deserves a medal, not a court-martial!

If he hadn't done this, we'd have all been blown to smithereens!

It's no joke to have four coaches loaded with missiles.

Veselov has been killed.

How did he die? When?

Right before your jump-start.

The guardian angel was good to me.

I'm sorry, Evdokim Petrovich.

Anyway. Come on, come on.

Deckhands!

We are backing up!

Let's go!

Sonya, I haven't been here for such a long time.

Look how beautiful it is!

Let's go, or the rounds down in the hospital will start.

How did you drive the locomotive? I don't understand that!

Fyodorov told me what to do, and I did it.

You could do it too if you had to.

-Do you like him? -He is a good commander.

He is courageous, full of life. But I have a boyfriend.

Well, I like men like him! His moustache, eyes, whoa!

Don't lag behind. Let's go, let's go.

Left. Left. Left, right, left! Left. Left. Left, right, left!

As of the 22nd of February,

the bread quotas will increase for all categories of citizens.

For engineers, defense and factory workers

the new quota is 700 grams.

For non-defense-related engineers and technical workers, it is 600 grams.

Managers' quotas are 500 grams.

For dependents and children, the quotas are 400 grams.

Also, the quotas on other food products have been increased.

-Did they increase? -They increased!

Masha, they increased! They increased!

Hurray!

Yesterday half the clinic was destroyed by one bomb.

Girls, why are you so sad?

The rations have been increased!

We keep living, beauties!

Where should I go?

To a mortuary! To the mortuary! Everybody's there!

Yablochkina! Yablochkina!

Are you Masha, the daughter of Serafima Petrovna?

You were told wrong, the day before yesterday

she was evacuated to the mainland. Here, she signed the order.

She went by an ambulance train. It's newly in service.

-Is this true? -Absolutely!

Girls, why are you crying? You need to rejoice!

She was evacuated!

We are rejoicing! We are!

It would have been nice not to have a heart attack first,

but believe me, we're rejoicing.

You're not being fair.

Yesterday a nurse was killed in the clinic. It was an honest mistake.

I was her attending physician.

And where was she evacuated?

She'll write to you. The most important thing is that she was evacuated.

The trains are running now.

They say it's warm there. You're given hot tea and a warm bed.

Not like Ladoga. She'll write you.

Take it.

Take it, take it. I was bringing this to Mom.

Thank you. Stay well. The trains are running now, girls!

Sonya, she was evacuated yesterday. During our change-over!

I talk to you under the whistle of shells

Illuminated by a sullen glow

I talk to you

From Leningrad

It's my country, my sorrowful country

Kronstadt's angry, indomitable wind

Beats on my uplifted face

The children slumber In the bomb shelters

The night watch stands at the gate

Over Leningrad, a mortal threat

Sleepless nights Make every day hard

But we have forgotten what tears are

What fear and pleading is

I say

We, citizens of Leningrad

Will not be shaken By the roar of cannons

And if tomorrow there are barricades We will not leave our barricades

And mothers will stand Side-by-side with soldiers

And their children Will pass them bullets

The ancient banners of Petrograd Will fly above us

Hands clutching a charred heart

This is my promise

I'm the citizen

Mother of the Red Army

Who died in battle near Strelnyi

We will fight with selfless strength

We will overcome the rabid beasts

We will win

I swear this to you, Russia

On behalf of Russian mothers

Jora, could you take my nephew to replace Veselov?

He'd taken seven classes at a school for factory apprenticeships.

He's a refugee.

Now he repairs cars at the depot. It's his specialty.

What's his name?

Kesha.

Innokenty. The Red Proletarian factory school.

Then the Baltic Sea railway Latvian SSR.

I was at the revolving shed for Resekne station,

working as a mechanic on repairs.

In June of 41--

Do you know two-axle rolling stock?

-I do. -Have you worked with a four-axle?

I have.

Drop by and see me tomorrow, Kesha. We'll have a talk.

-Who else wants to make a toast? -May I say something?

Speak, Sonya.

A berry juice for me.

Today is sad.

At the same time, it's a happy day.

We all know why it's sad,

and it's happy because since yesterday

the people of Leningrad have more food to eat.

To children and to grown-ups.

To the elderly, to teenagers, to grandmothers and grandfathers,

to moms, and sisters.

To classmates, to neighbors,

to those who pulled us by little braids,

and then helped us carry our school books.

Everybody's rations have been increased.

And Anatoly Ivanovich, Uncle Tolya,

he died so this increase could happen.

And now he is enjoying this food with us.

He is rejoicing! His soul is singing.

Or his death would be intolerable.

I'm toasting to the increase.

To the increase.

The increase! The increase! The increase!

To bread!

The increase! The increase! The increase!

Ladies! That's for your dessert!

The increase! The increase! The increase!

The increase! The increase! The increase!

No, they didn't increase!

A shopkeeper woman told me confidentially.

They'll increase at the end of the month,

after we come back from our next run.

We won't have to wait long.

The Cossack doesn't drink with the money he has,

but with the money he will have!

The important thing is that they increased!

-They can't take it back! -Bagdadskiy, you're a loudmouth.

To Uncle Tolya.

Here you go.

I'm thinking on a cigarette

That it's better for a guy To live and not die... of love

But I fell for a girl With a little stubby nose

A thorn, not a rose she is But how she's pricked my heart

-It's a sad state of affairs -Who wants more?

How many times Have I looked in her eyes?

And how many times

Have I gotten lost forever within them?

How many times have I Been unable to find my way home?

-What a sad state of affairs -A sad state indeed

She isn't even such a beauty

But when she passes by Her eyes pass right by me

Why do I not suit her? This girl who suits me fine?

Why does she want to Break a heart like mine?

Like mine

I'm thinking on a cigarette

Friends, I do not even smoke But I fell for a stubby nose girl

A thorn, not a rose she is But she's pricked my heart

Masha! Here's a small present for Red Army Day.

There wasn't a new tunic at the warehouse.

I don't need it.

No, please, take it.

I'm giving you an order to wear warm clothes

instead of the clothes you ruined bandaging a wounded man.

-Thank you. -Sure.

What were you talking about?

I don't remember.

Was there a romantic kiss?

That means there was.

Sleep, Sonya. Sleep.

Get out, damn it!

I used the wrong cards.

I got rusty being away from gambling.

No matter, I'll do better next time.

Your crew will take on a special load at the Kooshelevka station.

For this quota you respond not only with you party card, but with your head!

Don't scare me, Nikolai Ivanovich!

Every rail run has a special load.

Will there be a backup?

Boris Pavlovich, what about aviation?

There will be no armored train.

As little attention as possible.

You'll go on an ordinary run. But you'll be empty.

This is for Germans to waste their shells on you.

Also if saboteurs appear, just one, and that's it,

you need to slink past like a grey mouse, like a fast lizard.

In your life there might not be a more important run than this one.

KOOSHELEVKA STATION

In two months, we've done 50 runs or so.

I already lost count.

The crew is my family.

I can't imagine how I'll live without them

when the war is over.

That's the military transportation service, beautiful. Seven people.

That's our crew. All the way to Moscow.

Get inside!

Here it is, the special shipment.

-Is there coal for the boiler? -There is.

Water, electricity, camouflage curtains?

Everything is ready.

What about food?

They're children of war, from Leningrad.

Some of them don't know the alphabet,

but could tell you whether a plane flying overhead

is one of theirs or one of ours.

Gather the children together.

In case of shelling, Auntie Klava will yell "aisle"!

Everyone will get on the floor!

This is because of Kat'ka, who'll sit nearby.

-They got a bit stronger. -Disperse!

We gathered here for the kids.

Here's some dried bread and buckwheat flour.

Now we are going to make pancakes.

Are we going to be bombed or shelled?

Neither, sweetheart.

Lucky for you I know how to toss away the firebombs.

Lucky for us, yes. It'll be useful.

-Do you know my dad by any chance? -Your dad?

No, I don't know him.

If you see him, tell him that mom died,

but they dug me out.

I will for sure.

It's not good that we're going in the carriage with the Red Cross.

The Nazis love to bomb the ambulance carriages.

And how do you know about the Red Cross, eh?

I climbed up there, had a look.

Lyokha.

Lyokha, you have it wrong. The oldest extends a hand first.

But I am the oldest. I'm Lyokha the Oldest.

That's what they all call me.

Don't feel bad, Lyokha the Oldest, we'll get it right, I promise.

-I'm Jora Fyodorov. -Lyokha the Oldest.

Pull it!

What's this for? Who allowed it?

It's just in case. It was agreed.

God damn it! And ribbons on the side.

Come on, get lost! Everybody is the oldest around here!

Only Fyodorov is a first-year cadet.

I'll ask to be an anti-aircraft gunner.

-Masha, help me to take off the cover! -Aren't you afraid?

I'm afraid when they bomb and you can't answer them.

In the beginning, I threw coal at them.

Maybe I'll also become an anti-aircraft gunner.

As if you'd leave your Jora.

A couple more lessons, and you can write a manual.

Just don't fuss when you take off the safety pin.

I wanted to do it faster.

Just be deliberate. Slower can be faster if you move smoothly.

-Got it? -Yeah.

We wait. We are the second.

The departure is at 0:40.

Seem to be ours.

Yes.

It looks like an artillery preparation.

-The first one is leaving. -Get ready!

Move.

They are shooting on the line.

The track at Kilometer 16 is flooded.

Speed is 5 kilometers per hour.

Happy sailing!

The speed must be 10 kilometers!

Why are the military people going with us?

All of them seem so important, especially the Captain.

They seem so unapproachable.

And Jora suggested they travel in the coal wagon, that didn't go over well.

They clearly have some important mission.

Maybe they were ordered to guard the children's carriage.

Or maybe something else.

All men are fools.

They don't understand anything.

The bastards!

They committed the heavy artillery

and now they shell Leningrad every day.

They manage to lob plenty our way, too.

Still, it's impossible to compare it with February.

The Nazis take one shot at us, we take two at them!

Now we have actual bread to eat!

Look, we are running on Vorkuta coal.

Here, the Baltic fleet supports us with offshore artillery.

Would you like a sandwich? Here, take this one.

A salami-sandwich. Salami!

And all this will be without cutting into cards! I promise.

There is an unexploded shell on the line!

A lineman caught it!

-Where is it? -It's on the 17th.

The lineman put marked poles there,

but the sappers won't get here until morning!

The line will have to stop.

Thank God it didn't explode.

Imagine if it'd gone off and destroyed the line.

-What's your name? -Lida.

Take it, Lida.

926. 927. 928. 929.

Stop.

Slowly move back.

-Jora. -I said, slowly move back.

Don't step on the rail or the sleepers.

Stand back and lie low.

It could detonate the whole line. We need to wait for the sappers.

Let's wait until sunrise.

The whole valley will be like the palm of your hand.

Lay down nice and easy.

Take a rest.

Commander, let me dig it out carefully and carry it to a swamp.

You need to be careful with it... like with a lady.

My fingers can tell the difference between spades and clubs by touching.

When I stroke a woman,

she thinks that the wind runs through her.

This is not a woman, Bagdadskiy, it's worse.

In my case, as always, the catch is on the latch.

Do you know this proverb?

Do they see us in the dark?

They hear us. You talk too much.

Go ahead, do it.

Stalnoy! Go to the locomotive. Don't let anybody come here.

All right.

Give your orders.

-What? -I said you're the boss.

Grip it strongly, like in a vice.

Now, grab it.

Like this. That's it, let's go.

-Damn it! -What?

In my coat. I left the cigarettes and the documents there.

-Little Star? -No, Knight.

That's a heavy shell.

Lift it gently like a baby.

Let's get out! That's it, let's go, let's go!

Listen! Wait, commander!

-What? -I forgot my hat there!

-Wait! Wait, I'm telling you! -I'll be back in a second!

Damn it!

Bagdadskiy!

-Are you alive? -For sure!

And the hat is in its place!

The father didn't kick his son for gambling once,

but for all those times he went back after losing.

Well, now we'll eat pancakes, and we'll continue on, yes?

Take it. Take it. Take it.

Take my pancake. I can't eat it. I have a stomachache.

But nothing bad has happened.

That's our shooting, beating the fascists.

What's going on? Come here. Come on, come on, take the pancake.

Come on, eat, eat. That's right. Good. Sh, sh... well done.

We got rid of the bomb.

Lida, tell the sappers they owe us.

Okay. They called, the Gypsy passed through. We're cleared to go.

Thanks for the bread.

We're departing!

Since 1940, not even one issue of Physical Review has been published.

But they are still conspiring. They have been classified.

I envy your commitment, Felix Davidovich.

-Artillery is firing on us-- -Hold this,

and you keep speaking about science.

Well, my dear friend, science distracts from a lot.

Or I'd have already shit in my pants.

Macmillan and Abelson are completely silent, like they don't exist anymore.

-Want some? -Yes, thanks.

What I'm saying is that everybody is in a hurry to get the element first.

It's piling up on Gypsy. Looks like it's an armored train.

Why can't they liquidate it after such a long time?

'Cause he's tricky. He's got a hiding place there.

Right outside of Apraksin.

He comes out of the den,

fires two or three volleys from a glade, and runs back in.

So our long-range artillery can't find him.

Here is a glade.

Throw all the grenades together at the glade! Understand?

Got it!

Fire on my command!

Everybody get ready!

Steam it!

Is everybody alive?

Everybody!

Come on, come on!

Fyodorov here!

It's ordinary shooting, Comrade Captain!

Did you even not realize that we're inside the pincer?

We're on fire!

It's not about the schedule, not about the speed limit!

-Guys, more steam, steam! -Till the end!

It's like a shooting range.

The carriage has taken a direct hit.

One, two, three, four.

They're firing from about six kilometers away.

Don't worry, little soldiers. We'll break through.

Who's worried?

Pull it, Sobakin, pull it!

-Don't tickle me, Kot'ka! -I'm not tickling!

-Why are you blowing in my ear? -Be quiet, be quiet.

It takes them three seconds to reload!

-Let's go! Let's go! Let's go! -They aren't going to do anything now!

Moscow-Voronezh, just you catch us!

Speed up, Evdokim Petrovich!

Speed up, Evdokim Petrovich! Speed up!

A link has broken on the train!

Slow down!

No! No, don't brake!

Sonya, don't brake! Let us pass the glade!

That's it! We passed through it!

Sonya!

Sonya, they won't get us out there!

-We drove like the wind! -Yeah.

The only thing is, we'll need a push to get out of here.

I'm going to find help.

Captain Mustachio is following us. Let him push us.

Let me go. I have longer legs.

Hold down the fort, and don't play with matches!

Sonya!

Tell them about the children's carriage!

I will!

-Konstantin, give me a hand! -Be careful.

Felix Karlovich! Push me!

Push me! Come on!

-Everything is all right. -It seems there aren't any scratches.

A shell only destroyed a board.

Everybody's all right.

So, how is the "property of orphanage"?

Totally fine.

And what about this?

It was destroyed by shrapnel.

It's good that we had time to pass through the glade.

Can we move?

Yes, we can, but what about the other half?

In that case, fix it! Use the best crew.

A link chain was destroyed. We need to fix it.

So, fix the link chain, immediately!

That, Comrade Captain, is easier said than done.

However...

-Is it destroyed? -Cut off.

They are behind the glade, and in the glade there are fascists.

How are the children?

They are listening to the mandolin, celebrating that we got past the Nazis.

That's not so sure yet, Klava.

-I'll go to investigate. -We'll keep an eye out here!

I found it!

Get down!

Didn't expect that. Damn it!

They have a mortar on an armored platform.

In that case, even long-range weapons won't help.

A mortar is not like a cannon. It's not as easy to detect.

He doesn't see a target!

He's shooting in a grid pattern until he finds the train!

You'd better be afraid. God, there are 27 children in the carriage.

But he doesn't see us. He only feels us.

Soon it'll get lighter, he'll be able to see us.

His rangefinder is much better than ours.

Hurry up into the shelter.

You drive to a glade, we'll slap him with an armor-piercing gun,

destroy the platform, steam ourselves up and get out of there.

-Where will we go? -Downhill. Where else?

To take the children back.

While you get on target, he'll screw us from the main caliber.

He'll be afraid. The long-range shooters

will be able to triangulate his position.

He'll sit quietly and bash the train with mortars.

Bash us...

We'll have to show him what getting bashed back feels like.

-Will we hit the target? -Don't worry, we'll hit the target.

The ASC has a range of four and a half, the firing rate is 300.

We'll demolish it like a hurricane.

Well, let's fix the line chain first. Then we'll see.

The donkeys start to speak

Through a light like in a penny game

All men are fools All men are fools

Especially Germans

Up yours, but it's not Sonya!

All men are fools All men are fools

Mom!

Captain, I don't want to frighten you...

But if the link chain can't be repaired,

they'll need to detach your carriage downhill and re-anchor.

I'll show you "detach"! You'll go in front of a tribunal!

Or I'll shoot you on the spot!

I have my orders.

I have mine, as well.

If anyone tries to obstruct, shoot them on the spot.

Do you know what--

Do you know what this freight is?

And do you know what my freight is?

We could send another train for them!

We'll bring a link chain, we'll put it down, but what for?

In any case, you can't get out of here without a pusher.

There is a 21,000 high track with twisting

-curves. -We need a pusher!

You're moving slower than a crippled turtle.

-I know what I'm doing! -And what's that?

If I was a few inches shorter,

my trip to Spain after the war might have been cancelled.

I suppose.

To be honest, why do I need such protection?

I'd much rather go to service.

I'm stuck.

Do they really see us in the rangefinder?

Yep. You should flash those pearly whites at them.

Give me a crowbar!

One smile, and they'll see every one of your 32 teeth.

The only thing we don't need here is you!

Go, go get out of here! Dash from here!

But close your mouth so your teeth don't give us away.

The Germans can see us in the rangefinder!

Let him look. The link chain was already broken, and nothing happened.

We repaired everything, and reached the destination. How can I help?

-Run to our train. -Yeah.

Tell them to be ready.

We'll drag-and-drop the link chain.

I'll do that.

Gather all the tools and follow me, quickly!

Damn it!

It had dislodged. Go on.

Who's on the tail?

Cheremuha.

Sonya ran toward Captain Moustachio,

to tell him that we couldn't pull it out by ourselves.

We'll pull it out!

Watch out!

A solo target!

-Reconcile! -Is target acquired?

-Altitude 2700! -Fire!

-Don't shoot! -Fire!

He can't see us! Don't shoot!

What are you doing?

Do you want to go in front of a tribunal?

I'm talking to you!

Calm down, Captain!

The commander of the machine-gun platoon

assesses the combat situation by herself.

Calm down.

She signaled the beacons!

If you can't hit it, shut up!

In a rag!

Now we're going to get Goering's saber-hawks.

You'll get your tree needles and carrots!

-You're a screw-up! -Are you done? Is the coupling ready?

It's ready.

Go to your stations! Remove the slipper brakes!

Sobakin!

Ignition!

Wait! Get it away!

Come on. You're playing with fire!

Another strike and you're out.

Rodriguez!

-Get the smoke grenades ready! -Right!

So? What did I say?

We detach the rear and continue.

-Halidov! -Yes, sir.

Drag our things into the service coach. Don't forget a phone.

Captain, you're jumping the gun.

We'll begin to smoke now, and we'll pass through it.

It's impossible to go without the rear end.

What are you saying? What's the rear end?

The sun's about to rise! We'll be sitting ducks.

Watch out! Fall into place!

Stand down!

Detach your freight.

Who are you to give orders to a train chief,

and brandish a gun here?

I'm Kondratiev, Captain of the State Security Service.

I'm implementing a special task, and I'm giving the orders.

That is our special cargo, which we need to deliver before sunrise.

It's impossible to detach the rear, but the rise uphill is more than 21000.

Another locomotive will come afterwards.

If you disobey, I'll need to resort to force.

We have a special cargo. And you?

Is it waste material?

Are you going to leave children at the mercy of the Nazis?

Shoot me.

I'm Kondratiev, Captain of the State Security Service!

I order the crew to their stations!

Your Chief Fyodorov disobeyed the order and got arrested!

His command will go to Ivanov Stalnoy!

-We're departing! -We're departing!

Everybody to their stations!

Bastard!

Mind your own business, fool!

At my command, fall in place!

Bagdadskiy!

I heard you. Fall in...

Comrade Captain, what do I do with this one?

Georgiy Ivanovich! Georgiy Ivanovich! Georgiy Ivanovich!

There...

Georgiy Ivanovich!

Is everybody alive there?

Yes, everybody is, but there's shooting out there,

and the children are asking when we're going to depart.

-Is Sonya back? -No.

Who did she leave with the rear with?

Beryozka is there.

Klavochka, find Sonya.

Go, go on.

-Go on! -Yes, sir.

We're departing!

Masha.

As you were! Yablochkina!

-Halt! -Don't shoot!

Halt! Halt!

Don't shoot!

Not so fast, Captain!

You can shoot at the front,

but there are no enemies here, and it won't help now.

That's it.

That's over the line. The next stop is a tribunal.

Let him go. Let him command.

A fool! What a fool!

How to sort all this out now?

We could lose both the freight and the children.

So, shall we try it? We'll move in 30 seconds.

We need to destroy this mortar.

Or it'll be impossible for us to leave.

Aren't you afraid?

I'm afraid. But what can I do?

Whether we wipe him out, or challenge him to a duel,

he won't leave on his own.

Okay, I'll go with you.

You can't. Everyone must do their own job.

Fall in!

Vishenka.

-Is this okay? -Great!

Go on!

Come on, sweetheart!

Multiple-round bursts! Fire!

Pull it! Pull it out!

Uncle, give me water to drink. My mouth is dry.

Here is a kettle.

Thanks.

-Are you scared? -Yes, a bit.

-Thank you. -You're welcome, Kesha.

You're welcome.

What are you doing, parasites?

I'm gonna hit him again.

No, I won't let you touch the guns. I'm not authorized to do that.

And I have no right to risk you the second time.

You're fighting me with buckshot!

You have no idea who tickles you!

Get down!

Masha, what are you doing here?

I can pass you the bullets. For the machine gun.

Pull out!

Divert!

Divert!

Petrovich, the reverse is jammed. I'll check the traction.

Okay!

Divert! Divert!

Bloody hell, three little planks in the sea!

Masha, give me the bullets!

Halt! Halt! Halt, scum! Halt!

What's up with you? What are you doing, huh?

Why, Keshka? I've loved you like a son.

I hate you. I hate you and all your Soviet power.

My mother told me everything about you.

That it was you who ruined my dad.

-And my mom, as well. -What a little fool you are.

A little fool.

Haul it!

Pull it, Sobakin!

Pull it!

Kesha!

You'll get bombed anyway. You won't reach your destination.

I had no idea. What a skunk you are!

Come here, skunk! You bastard!

What now, scumbag?

One of ours!

That's ours!

Hurray!

Hurray, hurray.

Jora, my sweet, my love. We won. We won.

Yablonka.

Jora.

Jora.

Jora...

No, no, no.

No! No! No!

No! No. No...

We're going out. Be careful.

One by one, be careful. Watch your step. Give me your hand.

So, watch your step, hold a handrail. One by one.

One, two, three, four...

It's not native.

Did you fix it on the road? Or did you go from Leningrad with it?

We fixed it, fixed it.

Come on.

Give me my suitcase.

Konstantin, follow us.

-26. -Catch.

I got her.

-Auntie Klava, did everybody get out? -Yes.

And where is the last one?

What do you mean?

-Did you count yourself? -Oh, that's right!

27.

So, children, say good-bye to Auntie Klava.

Good-bye, Auntie Klava.

Auntie Klava, are you coming with us?

I'll catch up with you later.

Good-bye, Auntie Klava!

Masha, this was Uncle Jora's. Please take it.

Auntie Klava, Auntie Klava!

I'm going with you!

Where do you want to go with me, kid?

Come on, catch up with the others.

I'll come back for you. Come on.

You play it.

In April of 1943, the first cyclotron,

created in 1941 at the Leningrad Institute of Physics and Technology,

and buried at the beginning of the war in the courtyard of the Institute,

was taken from besieged Leningrad along the death corridor

to the Moscow Laboratory No. 2,

headed by Igor Kurchatov.

With his help, the most important experiments

of the nuclear project were carried out,

leading to the creation in 1949 of a Soviet atomic bomb.