Made in honor of the 50th Anniversary of the Soviet Revolution in 1967, this Soviet Air Force & Navy propaganda film shows the military might and capabilities of the country in the late 1960s, as its jets raced to new heights, and its nuclear submarines patrolled the world’s oceans and arctic regions, helping the USSR achieve superpower status.
The film begins with images of the fall of Berlin and tomb of the unknown soldier, and talks about how now a “new generation” of men are called to support the state. Narration: (00:00:00) “The capture of the Reichstag building took place in Western Berlin; the eternal accomplishment of the Soviet Army’s soldiers will never get erased from the people’s minds. Unfortunately, not everyone could reach here and stay alive until this moment. Now, a new generation will immortalize the name of their elders who have been heroes.” At (1:35) a monument is seen to two soldiers who heroically blocked the enemy advance, and 18 who perished doing so. Narrator: “There are many similar fights ..that are unknown now.” At (3:20), the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and war monuments are seen at the Kremlin. Narrator: “These engines are stable, these tanks are steadfast, these weapons are rusty. No one’s hands have touched the knobs and no one looks in the target hole anymore. However, these weapons will never get old and will always stay in place, and the courage of their crew will always stay alive.”
At 4:26, Soviet jets are seen. These are Tupolev Tu-28 (NATO reporting name Fiddler) long-range interceptor aircraft, the largest and heaviest fighter ever in service. At 4:56, The Tupolev Tu-22 (NATO reporting name: Blinder) supersonic bombers (first supersonic bomber to enter production in the USSR) are seen. Manufactured by Tupolev, the Tu-22 entered service with the Soviet military in the 1960s. At 7:00, Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (NATO reporting name: Fishbed) supersonic jet fighter aircraft are seen scrambling and then a mock combat / dogfight ensues. Narration: (8:30): “Ilian Jilyabteh has dreamt of flying since forever, but he is still an aircraft mechanic. Captain Lessy Bufsky is flying now. This is an opposite attack by Major Slaskov.”
At 9:45, a Tu-95 bomber is seen. Narrator: “Strategic missiles holders hover in the air. Somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean, the missile holder will meet a flying oil tanker. Now the missiles holder can fly to any point on Earth and executes a military order.” The tanker is seen at 10:20. At 11:56, a nuclear-capable cruise missile is test launched from the bomber.
At 12:41, the Soviet surface fleet is seen including submarines and warships. A cruiser’s crew is seen going into battle stations. At 14:18, anti-aircraft missiles are launched. At 15:40, amphibious forces make a beach landing. At 16:30, narration: “Nuclear submarines are considered the main power of the fleet, for they can dive for months without going to the surface and it can shoot missiles with atomic charges from any point.” A missile launch is seen at 16:50. Narration (16:56): “The crew of this atomic submarine have been under water for many months. They visited the North Pole in early May of 1967.” Narration: (19:06): “Football season has begun in the North Pole one day earlier than in Moscow.”
At (19:49), the 1967 May Day Parade is seen in Red Square, Moscow. Narration: ” Red Square has witnessed 100 parades so far. The parades do not include soldiers only, but also guests of Moscow.” Narration: (00:23:47:23) “For 50 years, the Communist party, the Soviet government and the people have cared for the military a lot and have never spared it anything. The military fiercely protects its country. Moreover, its unions with the other countries are truly strong. It can successfully carry out the military mission it has.”
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
