The Tunnel (Tunelul)
Original Soviet Poster
The Tunnel Tunelul , Russian title Tunnel ) is a Romanian-Soviet 1966 B&W war movie, directed by Francisc Munteanu. In Autumn 1944, soon after Romania turned against Nazi Germany, a joint Soviet-Romanian commando group is sent across enemy lines with a mission to prevent the destroying of strategic mountain tunnel by German troops.
The following weapons were used in the film The Tunnel (Tunelul) :
Pistols Tokarev TT-33 TT-33 pistols are used by the commander of the group Lt. Aleksei Denisov (Aleksei Loktev ) and deminer experts Sergei (Viktor Filippov ) and Grigoriy (Lev Prygunov ). In the climactic scene Petrescu's (Ion Dichiseanu ) Walther P38 switches to a TT.
Error creating thumbnail: File missing Tokarev TT-33 - 7.62x25mm Tokarev. Pre-1947 version. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Denisov, with a TT in hand, examines the abandoned building in which the group settled down for the night. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Denisov interrogates the contact whom he suspects to be a traitor. The pistol is of correct pre-1947 version. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Denisov fires his TT during the failed night operation. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Sergei holds a TT when he is trapped in the tunnel. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Grigoriy holds his TT (at the right). Error creating thumbnail: File missing Error creating thumbnail: File missing Denisov fires his TT in the climactic scene. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Petrescu fires his TT in the climactic scene. Luger P08 A Luger P08 is Hauptmann (Capt.) Otto von Keller's (Emmerich Schäffer ) service sidearm. Lt. Aleksei Denisov (Aleksei Loktev ) holds a Luger in one scene instead of his TT-33 .
Error creating thumbnail: File missing Luger P08 - 9x19mm Error creating thumbnail: File missing Denisov holds a Luger in the scene in safe house. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Iulia (Margareta Pislaru) grabs von Keller's pistol. Error creating thumbnail: File missing But the gun appears to be unloaded, and von Keller takes it back with ease. Walther P38 A Walther P38 is a personal sidearm of Romanian Sublocotenent (2nd Lt.) Mihai Petrescu (Ion Dichiseanu ). In the climactic scene the Walther switches to TT-33 .
Error creating thumbnail: File missing Walther P38 WWII dated with black grips - 9x19mm Error creating thumbnail: File missing Petrescu cleans his disassembled P38 in the scene in safe house. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Petrescu holds his pistol during the night raid. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Petrescu holds the Walther in the climactic scene. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Petrescu fires. M1911A1 While crossing the frontline and in the first scene in safe house Sublocotenent Mihai Petrescu (Ion Dichiseanu ) carries a different pistol that seems to be an M1911A1 or some similar looking gun.
Error creating thumbnail: File missing World War II Colt M1911A1 - .45 ACP. This was an issued U.S. Army pistol with parkerized finish, thus the official designation of M1911A1 Error creating thumbnail: File missing Petrescu holds his pistol at night. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Error creating thumbnail: File missing Petrescu holds his pistol when sneaking to German ambulance car. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Petrescu holds his pistol in safe house. Unidentified pistol Radio Operator Sgt. Natasha (Valentina Malyavina ) carries an unidentified pistol. It appears to be smaller than a TT. The shape and size are similar to Korovin TK but it's unproved guess.
Error creating thumbnail: File missing For comparison: Korovin TK - .25 ACP Error creating thumbnail: File missing Error creating thumbnail: File missing Error creating thumbnail: File missing Natasha holds her pistol (at the left). Submachine Guns PPSh-41 PPSh-41 SMGs are widely used by Soviet soldiers, notably by members of commando group Grigoriy (Lev Prygunov ), who has a PPSh with stick magazine, and Sergei (Viktor Filippov ).
Error creating thumbnail: File missing PPSh-41 - 7.62x25mm Tokarev Error creating thumbnail: File missing PPSh-41 with 35-round box magazine - 7.62x25mm Tokarev Error creating thumbnail: File missing Grigoriy shows his marksmanship, using a mirror for aiming. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Grigoriy holds his PPSh. Error creating thumbnail: File missing A PPSh with drum magazine is seen on the wall in Soviet headquarters. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Dutu (Florin Piersic ) shows his marksmanship, firing Grigoriy's PPSh single-hand. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Natasha (Valentina Malyavina ) with PPSh. She doesn't use it in action. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Sergei holds a PPSh with drum magazine on rest. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Soldier Tolya (Artur Nishchyonkin ) from Capt. Dronov's unit holds a PPSh. Error creating thumbnail: File missing In the climactic scene Grigoriy breaks a burning fuze with a single well-aimed shot of his PPSh. PPS-43 In the opening scene Molchanov (Leonid Zverintsev ) has a PPS-43 . During the shootout in the tunnel Grigoriy's (Lev Prygunov ) PPSh-41 and Dutu's (Florin Piersic ) MP40 switch to PPS-43s and then back.
Error creating thumbnail: File missing PPS-43 - 7.62x25mm Tokarev Error creating thumbnail: File missing Molchanov sleeps in a jeep with his PPS-43 at hand. Error creating thumbnail: File missing A German soldier in center holds a PPS-43 instead of MP40. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Both Grigoriy and Dutu fire PPS-43s. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Dutu fires a PPS. MP40 An MP40 is used by Romanian Sgt. Dutu (Florin Piersic ). Most German soldiers are armed with MP40s.
Error creating thumbnail: File missing MP40 - 9x19mm Error creating thumbnail: File missing Dutu carries an MP40, preparing for the raid. Error creating thumbnail: File missing A German guard fires his MP40 in air. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Friedrich (Dan Spataru), a sentry, holds an MP40. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Error creating thumbnail: File missing Error creating thumbnail: File missing Error creating thumbnail: File missing German soldiers with MP40s in action in the climactic scene. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Dutu fires his MP40. Rifles Vz.24 Czech Mauser Romanian and German soldiers use Vz.24 Czech Mauser rifles.
Error creating thumbnail: File missing Czech vz. 24 - 7.92x57mm Mauser Error creating thumbnail: File missing A number of Mauser rifles stand near the ZiS-3 field gun of a Romanian unit. Error creating thumbnail: File missing A Romanian soldier at the left carries his rifle. The straight bolt handle can be seen. Error creating thumbnail: File missing A German soldier at the right holds a rifle. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Error creating thumbnail: File missing A soldier reloads and fires his rifle. Karabiner 98k German soldiers also carry Karabiner 98k rifles.
Error creating thumbnail: File missing Karabiner 98k - 7.92x57mm Mauser Error creating thumbnail: File missing German soldiers march with 98k rifles. Error creating thumbnail: File missing A soldier in center holds a 98k rifle with bayonet. Machine Guns Goryunov SGM In the final scene a group of Soviet and Romanian soldiers, lead by Capt. Dronov (Gennadiy Yukhtin ), break through the tunnel on a railbus. A machine gun on tripod is mounted in the railbus. It appears to be a post-war Goryunov SGM (the tripod mount for SGM was issued only in 1949).
Goryunov SGM on tripod - 7.62x54mm R Error creating thumbnail: File missing Error creating thumbnail: File missing Error creating thumbnail: File missing The machine gun on tripod (red 1) is seen inside the railbus. ZB-30 In the same scene a light machine gun on bipod is seen on the rooftop of the railbus. It seems to have a top-mounted magazine, so a Romanian issued ZB-30 would be a good guess. It's hard to say if the magazine is straight or curved; in latter case the machine gun could be a Bulgarian issued ZB-39 (Bren is uncommon for Eastern Europian cinema).
Error creating thumbnail: File missing ZB-26, a forerunner of ZB-30 - 7.92x57mm Error creating thumbnail: File missing For comparison: Bulgarian issued ZB-39 - 8x56 mm R Error creating thumbnail: File missing Error creating thumbnail: File missing Error creating thumbnail: File missing The light machine gun on bipod (red 2) is seen on top. Degtyaryov DT A Degtyaryov DT machine gun is mounted on T-34 tank.
Error creating thumbnail: File missing DT machine gun - 7.62x54mm R Error creating thumbnail: File missing A frontal DT is seen on T-34. Other Weapons Hand Grenade In the climactic scene Molchanov (Leonid Zverintsev ), disguised as a Romanian railroad worker, tries to use a bundle of hand grenades to explode the rails. The grenades are of "pineapple" type but the model is uclear: they looks different from Soviet F-1, its Romanian post-war version, French F1 and other similar grenades.
Error creating thumbnail: File missing Error creating thumbnail: File missing Molchanov draws grenades from cache. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Error creating thumbnail: File missing He tries to explode the railway. Note that only a single grenade has a fuze. Trivia Holsters Error creating thumbnail: File missing Lt. Denisov (Aleksei Loktev ) carries a TT holster. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Hauptmann Otto von Keller (Emmerich Schäffer ) carries a Luger holster.Error creating thumbnail: File missing Capt. Dronov (Gennadiy Yukhtin ) carries a TT holster. Armour Error creating thumbnail: File missing A Soviet T-34-85 tank Artillery A Romanian artillery unit is armed with Soviet ZiS-3 field guns.
Error creating thumbnail: File missing ZiS-3 (M1942) divisional gun - 76.2x385 mm R Error creating thumbnail: File missing Error creating thumbnail: File missing 
