Made by the Soviet Union during the Brezhnev era, this propaganda film showcases the nation’s nuclear forces and features what appears to be a full scale missile test complete with warhead detonation. However there is good reason to believe that the missile launches and atomic bomb blast shown were unrelated, as most Soviet nuclear tests were not conducted with ICBMs.
The film begins and ends with footage of the annual military parade in Red Square, where it was not uncommon to see missiles on display. At :40, a roadable IRBM or ICBM similar to those seen in Red Square is seen on the move, literally crashing through the forest and fording a stream. At 1:46 the missile system is erected above a silo, and slowly moved into it. At 2:15, Soviet ski troops are seen protecting strategic assets. At 3:00, a strategic warning drill is conducted at a launch complex. At 3:50, manufacture and assembly of a Soviet ICBM is shown. At 5:29, the final stage of an ICBM is seen installed into a missile silo. At 6:00, a launch specialist gets medical care. At 6:23, a missile silo crew is seen on alert. At 8:00, a Soviet helicopter flies over a silo in the remote forest, while a tank makes its way through snow nearby. At 8:50,
crew use a closed circuit television to gain entry to a silo, through a blast door seen at 9:30. At 9:36 the launch control room is shown. At 10:10, Premiere Leonid Brezhnev is seen arriving to observe.
At 10:20, a launch alert sounds. At 10:30, the ICBMs begin rising out of their silos.
At 11:21, a hydrogen bomb blast is seen along with a shockwave that levels test articles including Mig fighter aircraft and tanks. At 11:46 a mushroom cloud rises over the Semipalatinsk Test Site. At 11:55, the warhead of an ICBM, probably an R-12 ICBM or SS-4 Sandal, is shown.At 12:10, Marshall of the Soviet Union and commander of the Strategic Rocket Forces N.E. Krylov is shown. At 12:14 the “red phone” to call an alert is seen on his desk. At 12:28 strategic forces crews are seen on alert, maintaining their strategic readiness.
At 13:30 the Red Army is seen parading through Red Square as part of an annual military parade. R-36 ICBMs are seen on trailers behind tractors.
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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
