Strong with Spirit
Original Poster
Strong with Spirit Silnye dukhom ) is a Soviet 1967 B&W two-part war movie directed by Viktor Georgiyev. It depicts the life and activities of Nikolay Ivanovich Kuznetsov, a Soviet intelligence officer and partisan who operated in Nazi-occupied Ukraine in 1942-1944. Acting under disguise of a German officer (mainly as Oberleutnant Paul Siebert), Kuznetsov personally assassinated a number of high-ranking German officials.
This film is the first screen representation of Nikolay Kuznetsov, followed by 1987 mini-series Otryad spetsyalnogo naznacheniya
The following weapons were used in the film Strong with Spirit (Silnye dukhom) :
Pistols TT-33 A TT-33 is seen during the training in close combat in Soviet intelligence service school.
Error creating thumbnail: File missing Tokarev TT-33 - 7.62x25mm Tokarev. Post-1947 version Error creating thumbnail: File missing Error creating thumbnail: File missing Voronchyuk (Evgeniy Vesnik) knockes out a TT from hand of another trainee. Walther PP While acting as Oberleutnant (later Hauptmann (Capt.)) Paul Wilhelm Siebert, Nikolay Ivanovich Kuznetsov (Gunars Cilinskis ) mainly uses a Walther PP .
Error creating thumbnail: File missing War Time Walther PP Pistol - 7.65x17mm Error creating thumbnail: File missing Error creating thumbnail: File missing Kuznetsov readies his pistol in the scene on a secret address when the Soviet radio station is triangulated by enemy. Error creating thumbnail: File missing During the attack on von Grahn's escort Kuznetsov holds his usual Walther PP and a Walther P38 , dropped by runaway German officer. Due to a continuity error, later in same sequence both Walthers switch to a Luger P08 (see below). Error creating thumbnail: File missing Another view of two Kuznetsov's Walthers. Error creating thumbnail: File missing One more view of the same scene. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Kuznetsov draws his Walther PP when he meets Polish resistance fighter Jan Kaminski. Error creating thumbnail: File missing A perfect view of the Walther PP in same scene. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Kuznetsov holds a Walther PP in another scene. Walther P38 In several scenes Kuznetsov uses a Walther P38 . Some Soviet intelligence officers and German officers also carry P38s.
Error creating thumbnail: File missing Walther P38 - 9x19mm Error creating thumbnail: File missing Prikhodko (Aleksandr Galevskiy ) trains with a P38 in Soviet intelligence service school. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Kuznetsov holds a P38 during the attack on von Grahn's escort. In next moment he is seen with a Walther PP and then - with both pistols. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Kuznetsov holds a P38 in same scene. Error creating thumbnail: File missing A German Oberstleutnant (Lt.Col.) (Arturs Dimiters ) holds a P38. Error creating thumbnail: File missing He drops the pistol. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Kuznetsov holds a P38 (according to the story, it is the same pistol that was dropped by Oberstleutnant ). Error creating thumbnail: File missing A closeup of the pistol. In this scene Oberstleutnant calls his gun "14-shot Walther". Error creating thumbnail: File missing Kuznetsov fires at SS Oberführer Alfred Funk. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Kuznetsov holds a P38 when he stops a car with a German officer. Luger P08 During the attack on Oberst (Col.) von Grahn and his escort, Kuznetsov's Walther switches to a Luger P08 . Some German officers also use P08s.
Error creating thumbnail: File missing Luger P08 - 9x19mm Error creating thumbnail: File missing Von Grahn's adjutant, an Oberleutnant (Anatoliy Romashin ) holds a P38 when trying to escape during the attack of Kuznetsov's group. Error creating thumbnail: File missing He fires at pursuing Kuznetsov. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Kuznetsov also holds a P08 instead of previous seen Walther PP and Walther P38. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Another view of Kuznetsov's Luger. Error creating thumbnail: File missing The Oberleutnant is shot and drops his pistol. Error creating thumbnail: File missing German special group fire Lugers during the training for Unternehmen Weitsprung ("Operation Long Jump"), a plan to assassinate the Big Three at the 1943 Tehran Conference. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Major von Ortel (Yuri Volkov ), the head of special group, holds a Luger. Mauser C96 Col. Dmitriy Nikolaevich Medvedev (Ivan Pereverzev ), the commander of Soviet special unit, carries a Mauser C96 pistol.
Error creating thumbnail: File missing Pre-War dated Mauser C96 "Broomhandle" Commercial Version - 7.63x25mm Mauser Error creating thumbnail: File missing Medvedev carries a Mauser in wooden holster. Error creating thumbnail: File missing The grip with lanyard ring is seen. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Another view of Medvedev's Mauser in holster. Unidentified pistol A pistol is briefly seen in hands of an SS officer during the assassination attempt on Oberführer Alfred Funk. The pistol resmbles M1911 or Vis wz. 35 but it's hard to say for sure.
Error creating thumbnail: File missing For comparison: Vis wz. 35 - 9x19mm Error creating thumbnail: File missing An officer holds a pistol. Error creating thumbnail: File missing The pistol is seen very blurry due to fast motion but its size can be estimated. Submachine Guns PPSh-41 Soviet partisans widely use PPSh-41 submachine guns. Most of PPSh-41s are fitted with drum magazines, but stick magazines are also seen in one scene.
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 A PPSh on the base of Medvedev's partisans unit. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Error creating thumbnail: File missing Partisans, disguised as Hilfspolizei personnel, fire their PPSh-41s during the attack on von Grahn's escort. Error creating thumbnail: File missing A disguised partisan fires a PPSh in same scene. Error creating thumbnail: File missing A partisan at the background holds a PPSh. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Several PPSh-41s are seen on partisans base. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Prikhodko (Aleksandr Galevskiy ) fires a PPSh at pursuing German soldiers. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Partisans on winter march. PPSh-41s with both drum and stick magazines are seen. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Another view of the same scene. A PPSh with a stick magazine is seen at the background right. Error creating thumbnail: File missing A good view of a PPSh-41 of a partisan. MP40 Most German soldiers are armed with MP40s . Nikolay Kuznetsov (Gunars Cilinskis ), Jan Kaminski (Paul Butkevich ) and Belotinskiy (Yuriy Bogolyubov ) use MP40s during the final battle of the group.
Note: see additional images on talk page .
Error creating thumbnail: File missing MP40 - 9x19mm Error creating thumbnail: File missing A partisan, disguised as a Hilfspolizei , fires an MP40 during the attack on von Grahn's escort. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Guards at the Reichskommissariat Ukraine headquarters. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Error creating thumbnail: File missing Kuznetsov's driver Belotinskiy holds an MP40. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Kuznetsov fires an MP40 during the last battle of his group. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Jan Kaminski fires an MP40. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Error creating thumbnail: File missing A German soldier fires an MP40. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Kuznetsov's last shots. Assault Rifles AK Out of time AKs are briefly seen in several scenes. It's hard to differ if these are AK-47s or AKMs but AK-47 is more credible for 1967 movie.
Error creating thumbnail: File missing For comparison: AK-47 with laminated stock - 7.62x39mm Error creating thumbnail: File missing A Hilfspolizei at the left holds an AK. Error creating thumbnail: File missing A German officer, helping wounded Oberstleutnant , holds an AK (typical outlook can be seen). Rifles Mosin Nagant M1891/30 Mosin Nagant M1891/30 rifles are seen in hands of Soviet soldiers.
Error creating thumbnail: File missing Full-length, Soviet Mosin Nagant M91/30 - 7.62x54mm R Error creating thumbnail: File missing Error creating thumbnail: File missing Soviet soldiers with M91/30 rifles in a lorry on Moscow street. They have bayonets, attached backwards (an exclusively cinematic practice, in reality banned by service manuals). Karabiner 98k Some German soldiers and Soviet partisans are armed with Karabiner 98k rifles.
Error creating thumbnail: File missing Karabiner 98k - 7.92x57mm Mauser Error creating thumbnail: File missing A partisan carries a 98k rifle. Error creating thumbnail: File missing German soldiers in the APC hold 98k rifles and MP40 SMGs. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Error creating thumbnail: File missing A 98k rifle is seen on partisans base. Error creating thumbnail: File missing German soldiers carry 98k rifles. Other Weapons Model 24 Stielhandgranate A Model 24 Stielhandgranate is seen in hands of Jan Kaminski (Paul Butkevich ).
Error creating thumbnail: File missing Model 24 Stielhandgranate "Potato Masher" high-explosive fragmentation hand grenade Error creating thumbnail: File missing Error creating thumbnail: File missing Kaminski holds a grenade during the last battle of Kuznestov's group. 45mm 53-K AT Gun 45mm 53-K AT gun , standing for German 3.7 cm Pak 35/36 , is seen in the column of German troops on the street of the town of Rovno.
Error creating thumbnail: File missing M1937 (53-K) anti-tank gun - 45mm (1.77 in) Error creating thumbnail: File missing Trivia Holsters Error creating thumbnail: File missing Kuznetsov carries a holster for Walther PP . Error creating thumbnail: File missing SS Obersturmführer (Leonid Markov ) carries a universal holster for Luger P08 and Walther P38 . Error creating thumbnail: File missing An SS officer carries a TT-33 holster. Error creating thumbnail: File missing SS Sturmbannführer Gettel (Yuriy Solomin ) carries a Walther P38 holster. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Voronchyuk (Evgeniy Vesnik) carries a TT holster (at the left). Error creating thumbnail: File missing Gettel carries a universal holster for P08 and P38. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Kuznetsov carries a Walther PP holster. Armour Soviet post-war BTR-152 APCs, standing for German half-track Sd.Kfz. 251, are seen in the column of German troops on the street of the town of Rovno.
Error creating thumbnail: File missing Error creating thumbnail: File missing Two BTR-152, one of them tows a 45mm AT gun. Mosin Nagant M1891/30 Error creating thumbnail: File missing Full-length, Soviet Mosin Nagant M91/30 - 7.62x54mm R Error creating thumbnail: File missing Soviet soldiers with Mosin Nagant M1891/30 and SVT-40 rifles. Mosin Nagant M1938 Carbine Error creating thumbnail: File missing Mosin Nagant M1938 Carbine - 7.62x54mm R Error creating thumbnail: File missing A Soviet artilleryman carries a Mosin Nagant M1938 Carbine . SVT-40 Error creating thumbnail: File missing Tokarev SVT-40 - 7.62x54mmR Error creating thumbnail: File missing Soviet soldiers with Mosin Nagant M1891/30 and SVT-40 rifles. MG34 Error creating thumbnail: File missing MG34 with front and rear sights folded down - 7.92x57mm Mauser Error creating thumbnail: File missing Error creating thumbnail: File missing A German soldier carries an MG34 . Degtyaryov DT Error creating thumbnail: File missing DT machine gun - 7.62x54mm R Error creating thumbnail: File missing A Degtyaryov DT is seen mounted on a T-34 tank. Berezin UBK Error creating thumbnail: File missing Berezin UBK (for the wings) - 12.7x108mm Error creating thumbnail: File missing A closeup of Pe-2. The barrel of frontal Berezin UBK machine gun is seen. Artillery Error creating thumbnail: File missing Soviet Katyusha rocket launchers in action during the Battle of Stalingrad. Error creating thumbnail: File missing 152mm ML-20 gun-howitzer in action during the Battle of Stalingrad. Error creating thumbnail: File missing A row of ML-20s during the Battle of Stalingrad. Error creating thumbnail: File missing 85mm 52-K AA guns during the Battle of Stalingrad.Error creating thumbnail: File missing A 45mm 53-K AT gun is seen in footage from Stalingradskaya bitva Error creating thumbnail: File missing 152mm BR-2 heavy guns during the Battle of Kursk. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Katyusha rocket launchers during the Battle of Kursk.Error creating thumbnail: File missing BR-2 gun is transported during the Soviet offensive in January 1944. Armour Error creating thumbnail: File missing Error creating thumbnail: File missing German StuG III self-propelled gun. This is a late version, armed with 75mm StuK 40 gun. Error creating thumbnail: File missing German Panther tank during the Battle of Kursk. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Error creating thumbnail: File missing Error creating thumbnail: File missing German tanks during the Battle of Kursk. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Soviet T-34-76 tank. Error creating thumbnail: File missing Soviet SU-85 self-propelled gun. Error creating thumbnail: File missing T-34 tanks during the Soviet offensive in January 1944. Airplanes Error creating thumbnail: File missing Soviet Petlyakov Pe-2 bombers. Error creating thumbnail: File missing A closeup of Pe-2. The barrel of frontal Berezin UBK machine gun is seen. 
