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The Beast of War
The following weapons were used in the movie The Beast of War:
More widely known to American Viewers under the U.S. release title of "The Beast". The Film was shot in Israel, using the Middle Eastern Landscape, and more importantly, Israeli Armorers. The very real Ti-67 tanks (Israeli-modified T55 tanks featuring a larger 105mm gun vs. the original 100mm gun) used as well as the authentic Soviet Weaponry were all provided by Israel, with cooperation from the IDF. The T55 tanks were well obsolete by the time frame of this film, however it was nice to see authentic Soviet armor in a Western movie. When the film was made in 1987 (released in 1988), the Russo-Afghan war was still ongoing, and thus a topic of debate, but the quaint perception of the mountain tribes of Afghanistan as 'victims of Soviet oppression' is now out of date. Views of Afghanistan, it's peoples and the outer tribal areas have changed in recent years with the current U.S. involvement in the country and the radicalization of the mountain regions towards militant Islam. An attempt to paint the Russian invasion (1980-1988) as a mirror of the American action in Vietnam (1965-1973) seems awkward and glosses over the very real differences.
AK-47
The AK-47 is one of the more common weapons in the film, used by both the Soviets and the Afghan Mujahideen alike. The Soviets use mostly AK-47S folding stock rifles, while the Afghans have both folding and fixed stock models.
RPG-7
The RPG-7 plays a focal role in the film, first being used by Soviet soldiers during the raid on the village (including being used to blow up a mosque by Koverchenko at the beginning of the film) then is captured by the Mujahideen who intend to use it to take revenge ("badal") on a Soviet tank that is lost in the Afghan desert after the murderous raid. The Afghans initially have poor luck using the weapon, even damaging it to the point it won't fire, though a defector from the tank's crew, Konstantin Koverchenko (Jason Patric), is able to repair it using parts from a Lee-Enfield rifle sight spring, and is given the responsibility of firing the weapon at the tank, though ends up only blowing off the end of the tank's main gun barrel.
LPO-50 Flamethrower
An LPO-50 flamethrower is used by a Soviet soldier in the raid on the village, and is also used by the tank in the scene where all the tank's weapons are fired simultaneously when the crew believe they are surrounded by Mujahideen in the middle of the night, though the tank isn't equipped with one and none of the crew are shown with one ready to use.
Short Magazine Lee-Enfield
A Short Magazine Lee-Enfield bolt-action rifle is among the collection of weapons used by the Afghan Mujahideen in the film. A Lee-Enfield is seen in the hands of Taj (Steven Bauer), the leader of the small Afghan Mujahideen group and it was his main weapon in the film. Taj is also seen holding his Lee-Enfield rifle when he swears badal (revenge) to God when he was standing at the crushed remains of his brother. The weapon's main role in the film is being cannibalized for parts by Koverchenko to repair the damaged RPG-7 launcher. Another Lee-Enfield can be seen being cleaned by one of the villagers just prior to the raid by the Soviets at the beginning of the film.
B-10 Recoilless Rifle
During the raid on the village, one of the inhabitants mans a B-10 recoilless rifle mounted on a hill overlooking the village and attempts to engage the attacking tanks, nearly scoring a hit on one before the emplacement is destroyed when the tank returns fire, the gunner diving clear just in time to save himself.
Musket
During the raid on the village, one of the inhabitants catches Koverchenko off-guard with an ancient Musket of unknown make and model and pulls the trigger point-blank, though the gun is unloaded, producing only a harmless click as the Afghan smirks and says something to him in Pashto before one of Koverchenko's comrades knocks him down and beats him with the butt of his AKS-47. Koverchenko can later be seen holding it at the end of the film when he's airlifted out by a Soviet helicopter, having had it given to him by Taj.
Israeli FAL
Another weapon used by the Mujahideen is an Israeli FN FAL. The Mujahideen seen carrying it ends up drinking from a watering hole that had been filled with poison by the tank crew lying in wait nearby.
RPD Light Machine Gun
Another weapon employed by the Mujahideen is an RPD light machine gun.
SGMT Machine Gun
One of the weapons on the Soviet tanks is the SGMT machine gun, the vehicle-mounted version of the SG-43 Goryunov machine gun. The weapon is mounted in a "coaxial" configuration parallel to the main gun, and is most notably seen being fired in the scene where the tank is trying to make it through a mountain pass to safety while being persued by Koverchenko and the Mujahideen, as well as in the scene where all the tanks' weapons are fired at once when the crew believes themselves to be surrounded by the Mujahideen at night.
Fake DShK Heavy Machine Gun
Browning M2 BMG heavy machine guns are seen impersonating DShK heavy machine guns in the film. One is mounted on the commander's hatch of the Soviet T55 tanks, and is used by the tyrannical Commander Daskal (George Dzundza) to impose his authority over his crew, as well as murder Afghan crewmember Samad (Erick Avari) when he is suspected of being a traitor. Daskal attempts to use it to fend off the Mujahideen when they are advancing on the tank while it's stranded due to an overheated engine, but runs out of ammo after firing only a few rounds, none of which hit their mark. The use of a Browning M2 is curious, since Israeli Armorers have easy access to real DShK guns they have captured from the Arab armies over the years.
NSV Heavy Machine Gun
At one point, the tank crew finds themselves trapped in a dead-end valley. As they're trying to decide their next move, a helicopter scouting for water comes upon them, the helicopter equipped with a door-mounted NSV heavy machine gun.
Makarov PM
The Makarov PM makes a few appearances in the film. Daskal carries one in a holster, and one of the Mujahideen carries one as well, using it to end the suffering of one of his comrades who is mortally wounded by a booby trap left by the crew of the tank.
RGD-1 Hand Grenade
The RGD-1 is the Soviet World War II fragmentation grenade and is anachronistic for this conflict. Front line Soviet soldiers byt this time would have the RGD-5 or later. The Mujahideen would not have RGD-1 grenades unless they captured them from the Communist Puppet Regime of Afghanistan (who was supplied by the Soviets and may have received older ordnance). In the film, during a night ambush, the Mujahideen shower the tank with RGD-1's from a cliff above, wounding one of the crew before they're able to retreat to the safety of the tank and escape. A group of Afghan women also use RGD-1 grenades (attached to Plastic Explosives) to trigger a rock slide that disables the tank.
RGD-5 Hand Grenade
RGD-5 hand grenades make several appearances in the film, typically used by the Soviets to booby trap objects (including Koverchenko when he defies Daskal) for the persuing Afghans. Finally, a deranged Daskal intends to use RGD-5's to commit suicide rather than face capture by the Afghans, but is stopped by the remaining crew as the act would take their lives as well.
- Actually it is not surprising that he is unharmed. The rock was a perfect shield. He was elevated away from the ground by at least three feet or more, shielded by solid rock. The only part of him that would have been exposed to the blast would be the soles of his boots, and the grenade would have blown outward, away from him (several feet below him amongst the attacking dogs).
Tokarev TT-33
Following the raid on the villiage, several Afghans who weren't around during the raid return to find the devastation, including a group of scavengers led by Taj's cousin Mustafah, who discards several weapons in a gesture of peace as he approaches Taj, though Taj still finds him packing a Tokarev TT-33, grabbing it and holding it on him.
Webley Mk VI
A boy who runs with the Mudjahideen carries a Webley Mk VI revolver as his weapon.
Flare Gun
When the helicopter happens upon the tank crew, Daskal uses a flare pistol of unknown make and model to signal the chopper.
Flamethrower (Vehicle Mounted)
The integral flamethrower for the Soviet T55M Tank.
