In the audience's perception, "The Dawns Here Are Quiet" became the final, third picture about the fate of a woman in the war, made on the eve of the 70th anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War. And if the past works "Battalion" and "Battle for Sevastopol" professed the concept "based on real events”, then here the creators decided to go a little further and swung at the screen version of the cult story by Boris Vasilyev, which is still an integral part of the patriotic school curriculum. Dozens of critics immediately pounced on the film, trying to compare it with the Soviet film adaptation, and studied every scene from head to toe in search of inaccuracies and plot inconsistencies with the original. Anticipating the attacks, the performer of one of the roles Christina Asmus, who came to Krasnodar for the pre-premiere show (as well as film crew in her video message), tried to convey to the viewer that it is incorrect to compare the new adaptation with Stanislav Rostotskovo's tape. Like, they all love her very much and consider her an ageless classic of Soviet cinema, but in their work they tried more to rely on the literary source. The worst thing is that if, in comparison with the 30-year-old film, Renat Davletyarov's picture could somehow justify its existence with a fashion for remakes, then if you look at it through the prism of a well-known story, it simply does not stand up to any criticism. And the point here is not at all that making films based on old books has long been a criminal bad manners.
The plot of the film initially tries to follow the original source in everything thoroughly. Here are five brave anti-aircraft gunner girls, just as green and frightened by the war that has come up behind them. Here is their brave commander Fedot Vaskov, still, in a peasant way, chantingly teaching them to reason. The Germans, who landed ten kilometers from their place of deployment, did not go anywhere to commit sabotage at an important traffic intersection in the White Sea Canal area. As in the story, in the end only the notorious commander will survive, who then through his whole life will carry the burden of responsibility for the fate of his wards, whom he could not save from the merciless fate of a woman in the war. All ingredients are properly served, cut and mixed. Only, in the end, the audience is presented not with a piercing drama of human characters, but with beautifully filmed shooters with guys in german uniform. But as always.
The main and perhaps fatal mistake Strange as it may seem, the director and screenwriter of the picture was precisely an attempt to thoroughly adapt the film adaptation to the original source. “The Dawns Here Are Quiet” were written during the reigning politics of socialist realism, when in their works the authors tried to criticize the government / war / compatriots furtively, with the help of omissions and transparent hints. It was Vasilyev who was one of the first who tried in his story to abandon the heroic-sublime pathos military prose, turning not to loud slogans, but to the characters of their characters, through which the whole horror of the lawlessness that was happening on Soviet soil was shown. Davletyarov, shooting his tape, for some reason paid great attention to the first feature, but he decided to categorically not give a damn about the second.
In the film, for some reason, a lot of moments from the book were carefully preserved, which to the modern viewer will seem totally incomprehensible, and simply strange. So, for example, for some reason, the famous scene was transferred without changes, in which the girls decide to hold a Komsomol meeting right on the battlefield in order to condemn their cowardly girlfriend, and Vaskov stops the initiative in the bud. It was clear to the Soviet reader that Vasiliev wanted to show a rebellion against the cowardice of the nomenklatura, to focus on the universal, and not the dogmatic party. The current viewer simply will not understand her, thinking that the brave commander just decided to rein in the chatty women. And there are many such scenes.
On the other hand, Davletyarov categorically failed to make each participant in the story a full-fledged personality. Yes, we are shown flashbacks that describe the fate of each heroine, we seem to have to begin to sympathize with them, but for some reason there is no emotional return to the characters. In addition, the scriptwriters made some adjustments to the biography of the girls. So, the orphan Galya Chetvertak turned out to be the daughter of a mother who was repressed in 37, Sonya Gurvich turned into true image somewhat pissed at Soviet power intellectuals. The message of the authors of the new film adaptation is clear: they say, love and protect your homeland, despite the fact that it has not given you anything good in life, even worse, it has broken all the best. But because of such a change of perspective and attitude to the original source, for some reason nothing remains but bravura patriotism. Unfortunate actresses struggle to portray some emotions on the screen, but the director does not need it at all. Instead of the personal tragedy of individual participants in the war, we were shown a classic agitation saturated with cheap patriotic dogmas. And there is no need to talk about any adherence to the letter of the original after that.
While watching the film, I had the feeling that the director in each scene simply squeezes out the creative and, worst of all, there seemed to be nothing new to tell him. In all interviews, Renat Davletyarov did not tire of emphasizing that he did not make his film for critics. The main audience, in his opinion, is "youth, with whom we speak in a language they understand." But all that he was able to say "on his own" is only an external form, but by no means the content. Yes, the film was shot really modern, it is clear that domestic filmmakers managed to last decade get your hands on big-budget films. But if language understood by young people is just a good production, then I have bad news for the director: this is not enough to new audience could love this old story.
I will not, like many of my colleagues, say that after such a film adaptation, Boris Vasilyev is probably spinning in his grave in an endless circle. The film, despite many fears, did not turn out to be a desecration of both the cinematic and literary classics the director simply did not have the courage to do this. A new version“The Dawns Here Are Quiet” turned out to be the most terrible of all possible outcomes of two years of work - an empty picture that absolutely does not touch a single string of the soul. After all, what could be worse than a movie about a war in which the viewer is not given even a small chance to show sympathy? Probably only "Stalingrad" by Fyodor Bondarchuk, who with each new picture this year doesn't seem so bad.
There is a theory that young people do not want and will not watch old films. Whether this theory is true or not is hard to say. Naturally, no one releases old films, and the number of downloads from trackers is not a reliable indicator. Either way, movie remakes or re-screenings literary works- an inevitable thing, although it causes discontent among those who saw the original. So I, having forgotten about two films: Thin Red Line or From Here to the Eternity, met with hostility the news about the release of the modern version of The Dawns Here Are Quiet. And it's not that there is no trust in Russian cinema. It's just that the 1972 picture is almost perfect. AND acting work and directing and screenplay. But they say it's outdated. However, compare New film it is with her, although its creators assure that they did not shoot a remake, but made a new adaptation of Vasiliev's story. On the one hand, they did not lie, on the other, they were cunning. But more on that later.
We figured out the question "why", and now we turn to the historical part of the review.
The action of the story and both films takes place in May 1942 at a small crossing of the Kirov (Murmansk) railway, which connected the north of the country with the central regions. The strategic value of this road was enormous: it was used for deliveries of allied aid that came to the northern ports. If the Germans managed to cut this road, the Northern fronts and the fleet would be doomed to death, which would have catastrophic consequences for the course of the entire war. Break through to the road German troops and their Finnish allies were not given, but "Murmanka" became the object of numerous sabotage, which peaked in August 1942 - February 1943. Then, in the sparsely populated Soviet rear, a real battle unfolded between border guards and partisans on the one hand and saboteurs (including from the famous Brandenburg-800 regiment) on the other. The participants in this "quiet war" were the heroes of the story of Boris Vasiliev.
Now more about the heroes. Main character"Dawn", of course, foreman Fedot Vaskov. The character is interesting and typical of the pre-war and post-war Red Army. Vaskov was born in 1909 or 1910 in poor family, lost his father early and actually supported his relatives alone. He received a four-year education, in other words, he learned to read and write. In the year 1928–29, he was lucky for the first time: he was able to get into the service of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army. At that time, military service was a very prestigious business and could give a good career boost. And here Vaskov was lucky again: he, as a literate one, was assigned to a regimental school. Such schools existed in order to train junior command personnel (separated and platoon commanders) from over-conscripts of the Red Army. With further luck and detection additional talent it was possible to continue training and curry favor in command ranks.
Sergeant Major Vaskov: always fit and neat. Pay attention - on his belt he does not have the authorized HP-40, as in the new film, but a Finn with a typesetting handle, most likely a trophy of the Winter War
However, Vaskov did not reach such heights. It took him ten years to rise to the rank of foreman - the ceiling for a junior commander. But foreman is a special title. Here is what Boris Vasiliev writes about Vaskov's sense of self : “I knew one thing: he is older than privates and lieutenants, equal to all majors and always younger than any colonel. The point here was not in subordination - in the worldview ". Vaskov lives according to the Charter. He is smart but undereducated. He recognizes this and is embarrassed by it. Vaskov, without any doubt, is a brave man: he has two medals received in the short Finnish war - “For Courage” and “For Military Merit". He ended up in the rear after an incomplete recovery from severe wounds. Now he is busy checking the safety of the warehouse, checking the seals daily and unsuccessfully trying to maintain order among the anti-aircraft gunners, who have drifted to a quiet place.
Even after a hike through the swamp, foreman Vaskov maintains a neat appearance as required by the statute
All his life, Fedot Evgrafych carried out orders. He performed literally, quickly and with pleasure, because it was in this punctual execution of someone else's will that he saw the whole meaning of his existence. As a performer, he was appreciated by his superiors, and nothing more was required of him. He was the transmission gear of a huge, carefully debugged mechanism: he spun and spun others, not caring where this rotation began, where it was directed and how it ended..
And then a situation arises when for the first time in his life he has to act on his own, without superiors, relying solely on his decisions and his experience. Andrey Martynov plays this Vaskov in Rostotsky's film (when he was filming, he was only 26 years old). His hero is always shaved, and although his everyday uniform is worn, it looks neat, in full accordance with the Charter. Vaskov, performed by Pyotr Fedorov, looks completely different: Fedorov is generally a nervous actor. He brings out the character of the foreman well in the second half of the movie when it's time to act. But in the first half, it's like it's not there. Frankly speaking, he does not look like a foreman-“bourbon”, who has been pulling the strap for the second decade, but as if he was recently called up and regularly uses moonshine along with anti-aircraft gunners. Fedorov had to solve a difficult task - it is impossible to copy Martynov, it is extremely difficult to play another Vaskov. Vasilyev prescribed the hero in this way and not otherwise, and there can be no other interpretations in principle. And it is precisely for this reason that Fedorovsky Vaskov is not particularly visible in the first half of the film. Well, some comedian is walking around. And, most importantly, at first he does not seem older than the anti-aircraft gunners. Then it will seem, but not at first.
The “new” foreman Vaskov looks like the actor Fedorov, who put on his tunic for the first time five minutes before entering the frame
Anti-aircraft gunners. Beautiful and glamorous girls play the role of anti-aircraft gunners. And this glamor cannot be beaten out of them. But it is necessary. Here Charlize Theron is not afraid to gain weight and spoil her appearance with terrible makeup. Demi Moore was not afraid to shave her head if necessary. Went Sigourney Weaver to look almost like a skeleton in the third "Alien". But the young ladies from the new film adaptation of "Dawn" in no way resemble the girls of the spring of 1942. Although they try to play honestly. And hairstyles... Okay, according to the plot, Komelkova is supposed to wear a long mane, but Osyanina, the widow of a border guard commander! Do you know what the wives of the command staff of 1941 are? All possible degrees of badges BGTO, PVCO and BGSO! The outpost commander's wife, who took her place next to him in the trench and shoots the adversary with a rifle, is the propaganda type of pre-war cinema. Look at the photographs of the war years - most often the hair at the back is cut so that it does not touch the collar of the tunic. And this hairstyle - despite the fact that the actress Mikulchina copes well with her role - interferes. Turns her into a mummer. Little things, but spoil the impression. I don’t want to compare modern actresses with those who played in the film forty years ago. Another acting school, other times. From new team Sofia Lebedeva, who plays the role of Brichkina, looks the best. Worst of all, predictably, is Agniya Kuznetsova as Gurvich.
For some reason, modern filmmakers believe that if the hero is a colonel, then he must be whitened with gray hair. In fact, the colonel of 1940–41. might not even be thirty years old
Vasilyev's story is so compact, and the script written by him and Rostotsky is so detailed that it was extremely difficult to reshoot the film without quoting from the original. In general, almost all original ideas” fell on “flashbacks” - the girls' memories of their past. Rostotsky made them phantasmagoric. Bright colors, pavilion shooting. Everything is "fake", as in dreams. And here only Komelkova was lucky. Her story was included in the film unchanged.
Brichkina was made dispossessed, although in Vasiliev's book the fact that she was not one of the dispossessed is specified precisely and specifically:
- And you, for an hour, were not dispossessed, Ivan Petrovich? the guest suddenly asked quietly.
- Why fist me? the forester sighed. - I have two fists and a wife and daughter. It is unprofitable for them to fist me.
- Them?..
- Well, to us! .. - Father splashed into a glass, went nuts. - I'm not a wolf, dear man, I'm a hare.
In addition, the Bryansk girl, whom Rostotsky registered in the Vologda region, was now driven to Siberia.
Gurvich was "given" her mother's death in the Minsk ghetto, although a conversation with Vaskov in the forest, from which everything becomes clear, seems to be enough. And for some reason, the filmmakers also killed a student who gave her a book of Blok's poems. Although we know from Vasiliev's text that he went to the front on the fifth day of the war.
Most "lucky" Chetvertak. According to the text of the book, she is an orphan foundling, thrown into an orphanage. The scriptwriters made her the child of a repressed woman. Indeed, why not include in the film both scenes of dispossession and repression. And to show how a five-year-old Chetvertak (by the way, they gave her a surname in an orphanage) is brought to an orphanage for children of traitors to the Motherland. And here it begins simple arithmetic. A quarter at the time of the film's action, about 18 years old. Her mother could not be repressed before 1937 (of course, they could, but how would the screenwriter Korotkov know about this?). So, poor Galya should get to the orphanage at the age of 12-13. In fact, they didn’t take her mother away on some exotic cases of the second half of the 20s? But Chetvertak was bred by Vasiliev as a pathological liar who passes off her dreams as reality. And in her original flashback, she introduces herself as none other than Lyubov Orlova.
As for Osyanina, her flashback does not seem to contradict the plot, but contains the stupidest battle scene of the border detachment (the outpost commander fires a machine gun from the tower (!!!). It was this scene in the trailer that made the fans military history grab bottles of Corvalol.
In general, the creators of the new "Dawns" could well do without these flashbacks. Moreover, up to a certain point, they completely dispensed with off-screen commentary.
Another sign that we are still dealing with a remake is the episode with the downing of the plane. In the book, Osyanin shoots down a balloon, and then shoots an observer who jumped out with a parachute - but this happens before the girls are transferred to the crossing. Vasiliev and Rostotsky transferred the episode to the film. From there, he migrated to the picture of Davletyarov. In addition, some of the phrases that Vaskov says in the book are transferred by the scriptwriters to other characters. Surprisingly, in both films - the same. Thus, let's assume that Rinat Davletyarov made a remake of Stanislav Rostotsky's film. And there is nothing terrible in this.
There are also problems with the installation from which anti-aircraft gunners fire at aircraft: Vasilyev’s book speaks of a “quad”. In the spring of 1942, the quad Maxim anti-aircraft machine gun, or rather, the M-4 anti-aircraft machine gun of the 1931 model, could be considered as such. No one would have given the quad 12.7-mm Browning machine gun to the young ladies, and it is unlikely that at that time they were generally supplied to the USSR. Rostotsky's film features a 14.5-mm ZPU-4 mount. The thing is beautiful and effective, but post-war. Finally, in the new film, the anti-aircraft gunners were armed with a 37-mm installation 61-K of the 1939 model. She is also good, but she has one drawback: she is not a "quad". The funny thing is that both in 1971 and today, finding the M-4 was not a big deal.
With difficulty, but it is possible to distinguish that the ZPU-4 is used in the original film
ZPU-4
In the new film - 61-K
And this is the "quad" M-4, which actually should have been in both films
The very scene of the downing of the plane in the new film is amazing and is accompanied by heartbreaking details. Anti-aircraft gunners fire on the "Old Aunt Yu", a Ju-52, a slow-moving transport vehicle that was used in parachute landings, but not in operations against the Murmanka. The Brandenburg soldiers were thrown out from the FW-200 Condor, and the Finnish saboteurs, who refused to jump with a parachute, got to the place on motor boats and on foot. The Ju-52 was extremely vulnerable, poorly protected, and the only possible reaction of the pilot to the shelling from the ground or from anywhere was to turn the car around and try to fly away. In Davletyarov's film, the plane dives on anti-aircraft gunners, trying to shoot them with bow machine guns (!!!). In principle, this is impossible, because the Ju-52 has one firing point and it is located behind. By the way, anti-aircraft gunners could easily identify the downed "Aunt Yu" as a transport aircraft. It was no longer used for bombing in 1942, but it was known as a "cab driver" for paratroopers. His downing would unequivocally provoke the appearance of a detachment of border guards at the crossing, and the foreman would not have to lead the girls to their death. By the way, posters with silhouettes of enemy aircraft that should hang on the walls office space, are absent in the new film, but they are in the old one.
The Ju-52 was vulnerable to almost any fire from the ground. Even the M-4, which fired rifle-caliber cartridges, was deadly for him.
Pay attention - on the left just hangs a table with the silhouettes of aircraft
By the way, it is worth dwelling in more detail on the relationship between Vaskov and anti-aircraft gunners. The fact is that the foreman is the senior military officer at junction 172, therefore, he is the head of the garrison. That is, on disciplinary and combat issues, anti-aircraft gunners obey him, but not on issues of firing at aircraft. But when it becomes necessary to intercept saboteurs, Vaskov gives orders that no one can cancel or challenge.
Finally, one cannot but mention the German saboteurs. It is amazing, but in 2015, when Russia and the world are full of reenactors and consultants, there was no one who would tell the props that German paratroopers, due to the peculiarities of the parachute device, could not jump from airplanes in the M-35 steel helmet. A special helmet was developed for them in 1938. And in the old movie, the saboteurs wear just such helmets. In addition, SS units in sabotage on Kirovskaya railway did not participate. For this reason, the Germans were either in Wehrmacht uniforms or wore Luftwaffe uniforms, as in Rostotsky's film.
The saboteurs in the old movie wear the "correct" helmets, but are dressed in Luftwaffe flight suits.
A still from the trailer that didn't make it into the movie. The frame shows that "modern" saboteurs are dressed in the correct jump jackets (in soldier slang - "bone bags"), but they wear ordinary infantry steel helmets
And now about the movie itself. If we ignore the existence of Rostotsky's painting, it is not at all as bad as it might seem when watching the trailer. Moreover, against the general background of the gray and miserable domestic military film production, it is even good. You can watch it, you can take your children to see it. Proper respect is shown both to the memory of the fallen and to those who survived. In general, director Renat Davletyarov and his group did a good job. Watch his film or be satisfied with the picture of Rostotsky - it's up to you.
The valor of Soviet soldiers in the Great Patriotic War is shown in the works of many writers. But B. Vasiliev's story "The Dawns Here Are Quiet..." especially touches the soul. The feat of five girls and foreman Vaskov was especially remembered.
The author vividly and accurately portrayed the image of Fedot Vaskov. At first, we see him as a stern commandant who requires his subordinates to comply with the charter. Of course, all these business qualities come from childhood. Our hero grew up in a military family, and he himself participated in the Finnish war. Therefore, as a responsible person, he was especially strict about the protection of the assigned objects, with all his professional skills he trained the girls entrusted to him to complete the task.
Everything in his life was not easy for him. At the age of 10, he lost his father, and in order to feed his relatives, he went to work at the age of 14. Therefore, he perfectly understood Galya Chetvertak, who grew up in an orphanage, and Lisa Brichkina, who grew up in a forester's family. All this was close and more familiar to Fedot. Being an observant person, Vaskov knew the forest very well, as an experienced commander could calculate all the enemy’s attack plans, and therefore he showed by example all the techniques and skills to young fighters.
The foreman understood that performing an important task, the girls could die, and therefore, until the last minutes, he tried to save them from death. However, the forces were unequal, and this always tormented the foreman. He considered himself guilty that these young girls had to give their lives, because a woman should raise children, and not crawl on cold ground and shoot at the enemy. Vaskov tried to listen to every girl, give the right advice, make her believe in a brighter future.
The courage and heroism of the foreman is especially vividly depicted in the scene when he and Chetvertak were on reconnaissance. An inexperienced girl helped to discover their group, and therefore, Vaskov had to outwit the Nazis, dragging them into the depths of the forest. Having lost his last girls in battle, Vaskov, with a small amount of ammunition, with special courage and fearlessness, destroys the remaining enemy. This once again shows us not only a brave soldier, but also a real commander.
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Death is the constant companion of war. Soldiers die in battle, and this brings indelible pain to their loved ones. But their fate is to defend the Motherland, to make heroic deeds. The death of young women in war is a tragedy that cannot be justified. The story “The Dawns Here Are Quiet” is devoted to this topic. The characterization of the heroes, which were invented by Boris Vasiliev, gives the work a special tragedy.
Five female images, so different and so alive, were created by a talented writer in the story, which was later filmed by a no less gifted director. The system of images in the work plays important role. The story of five lives that ended tragically early is the story "The Dawns Here Are Quiet." Characteristics of the characters plays a central place in the plot.
Fedot Vaskov
Petty officer passed Finnish war. He was married and had a child. But to the beginning Patriotic War became a completely lonely person. The young son died. And there was not a person in the whole world who would yearn for Vaskov, would wait for him from the front and hope that he would survive in this war. But he survived.
There are no main characters in the story "The Dawns Here Are Quiet". The characterization of the heroes is nevertheless given by Vasiliev in some detail. Thus, the author depicts not just people, but the fate of five girls who barely managed to finish school, and an elderly front-line soldier. They have nothing in common. But the war bound them forever. And even after many years, Vaskov returns to the place where five lives of young anti-aircraft gunners ended.
Zhenya Komelkova
Why has the story “The Dawns Here Are Quiet” not lose the interest of readers over the years? The characterization of the characters in this book is presented so voluminously that the death that overtakes each of the girls begins to be perceived as the death of a familiar person.
Zhenya - red-haired beautiful girl. She is distinguished by her artistry and extraordinary charm. Her friends admire her. However important qualities her character are strength and fearlessness. In war, she is also driven by a desire for revenge. The characteristics of the heroes of the work “The Dawns Here Are Quiet” are connected with their fates. Each of the characters is a person with his own sad story.
Most of the girls had their parents taken away by the war. But the fate of Zhenya is especially tragic, because the Germans shot her mother, sister and brother in front of her eyes. Of the girls, she is the last to die. Leading the Germans away, she suddenly thinks about how stupid it is to die at the age of eighteen... The Germans shot her at close range, and then peered into her beautiful proud face for a long time.
Rita Osyanina
She seemed older than the other girls. Rita was the only mother from a platoon of anti-aircraft gunners who died in those days in the Karelian forests. She gives the impression of a more serious and reasonable person compared to other girls. After being seriously wounded, Rita shot herself in the temple, thereby saving the life of the foreman. Characteristics of the heroes of the story "The Dawns Here Are Quiet" - a description of the characters and a brief background on the pre-war years. Unlike her friends, Osyanina managed to get married and even give birth to a son. The husband died at the very beginning of the war. And the war did not give her a son to raise.
Other heroines
The above characters are the brightest in the story "The Dawns Here Are Quiet." The main characters, whose characteristics are presented in the article, are still not only Vaskov, Komelkova and Osyanina. three more female images depicted in his work Vasiliev.
Lisa Brichkina is a girl from Siberia who was brought up without a mother and, like any young woman, dreamed of love. Therefore, when meeting with an elderly officer Vaskov, a feeling awakens in her. The foreman will never know about him. Fulfilling his task, Lisa drowns in a swamp.
Galina Chetvertak - former pupil orphanage. She did not lose anyone during the war, because in the whole world she did not have a single soul mate. But she so wanted to be loved and have a family that she indulged in dreams with self-forgetfulness. Rita died first. And when the bullet overtook her, she shouted out "Mom" - a word that she did not call a single woman during her lifetime.
Once Sonya Gurvich had parents, brothers and sisters. In the war all the members of the big Jewish family died. Sonya was left alone. This girl differed from others in refinement and education. Gurvich died when she returned for a pouch, forgotten by the foreman.
The film “The Dawns Here Are Quiet” was watched by almost everyone in our country, so there is no need to recall its content. Let's dwell on the moment of the meeting of foreman Vaskov and the girls with a detachment of German saboteurs. There are only six of us and they are armed with carbines. There are sixteen Germans and all are armed with machine guns ( correct name submachine gun, but we will call it more familiar - automatic). There are more Germans, and, according to the authors, they are better armed. With which, without much thought, the viewer agrees. Everything seems to be logical: the rifles in the foreman's detachment are older weapons, they shoot single shots, and the machine gun is a newer weapon, and shoots in bursts. And from here further development plot, with all the consequences.
But let's consider the plot offered to us from the point of view of how the weapon offered to us was used in reality.
The foreman with his detachment took a position where the Germans were blocked by a river. To cross it, it is necessary to overcome one and a half hundred meters of open space with a very uncomfortable terrain. Including several tens of meters, you have to walk along a turbulent stream, with ice water and rocky bottom. That is, to become an easy target for an experienced shooter.
For Vaskov, it is enough to choose a comfortable position among the rocks and put one of the girls next to him to reload carbines. The remaining three girls (one was sent for help) should be placed in secluded places among the rocks a little further. Their task will be to fire at everything that moves. It is important not so much to hit as to distract the Germans from the foreman and create the illusion of a large detachment. Vaskov himself, with three carbines (regularly reloaded), calmly shoots saboteurs when trying to cross the river.
In the film, this situation is complicated by the Germans, who from their shore are firing heavy automatic fire. But here is where the problem arises. In the film and the story, all saboteurs are armed with MP.40 submachine guns. The tabular firing range is two hundred meters. Aiming from it, you can shoot at a hundred meters, with single shots, folding the butt and having good support: for example, resting on the ground. In the situation proposed to us, the Germans could not conduct aimed fire from their shore. Crossing the river, it was only possible to shoot in random bursts. For my own peace of mind. They could only frighten Vaskov, who was well hidden among the rocks, which would hardly affect an experienced military man. The carbines, which were in the foreman's detachment, allowed an experienced shooter to hit a target at a distance of three hundred meters.
Thus, having a significant advantage in the range of aimed fire, Vaskov could shoot an enemy slowly walking through a stormy stream, as in a shooting range. It is clear that having lost at least three or four people, the Germans stopped trying to cross.
After that, the foreman could calmly retreat. And then find and take another one of the same position. Fortunately, there are enough rocks and turbulent rivers in this area. If in each such clash the sabotage group would lose three or four people, then there would soon be nothing left of their detachment. Moreover, Vaskov, who knew the area, could also arrange ambushes, knocking out the enemy one by one in the thicket of the forest, where his carbine in any case gave an advantage over the saboteurs' automatic weapons.
In fact, the MP.40 submachine gun was by no means mass weapons Wehrmacht. It was originally created to arm the crews of armored vehicles, however, due to its simplicity and cheapness, it was used more widely. But more broadly - it's not without exception. In the infantry department of the Wehrmacht, only one person had a submachine gun - the commander of the department. Everyone else was armed with rifles.
And, of course, no one would arm a sabotage group with machine guns. They would have had completely different weapons, and therefore, everything would have happened differently.
