By the beginning of 1943, the number of homeless children in areas of evacuation has reached more than 670 thousand people,
the majority of whom are vagrants, beggars, orthieves.
The most daring join gangs and commit heinous crimes;
robbery, larceny of socialist property, murder, and others;''
From a Central Executive Committee report to Comrade Stalin.
Well, you're already familiarwith this order;
''...By decree; Forthe perpetration of especially heinous crimes,
children will be tried as adults to the fullest extent of the law, in compliance with the statutes of the USSR.''
And that's how things are, sir.
Yes....
Of course, sir, the easiest thing would be to follow the penal code.
However, the decision was made to ease the fate of young criminals and give them the chance
to atone fortheir crimes before the Motherland.
We've developed recommendations forthe creation of an intelligence school in your area forthose juvenile delinquents facing the capital punishment
Thanks to this school they will now have a choice.
Vishnevetsky, Anton Viacheslavich.
How do you feel about this? That's why l flew here.
Thank you for your confidence, sir.
-Have they brought him? -Yes sir, in the corridor.
You should change your seat.
We found one fitting candidate.
A distinguished master of the sport; a lieutenant colonel, single, wife and son died a year ago from typhus.
Vishnevetsky?
-So he's...?! -Yes, Vishnevetsky is back from incarceration
to, let's say, atone himself through blood.
-Bring him in! -Come in.
Vishnevetsky, please sit down.
Hello, Anton Viacheslavich.
Good day,
Comrade Lieutenant-General.
General, show him our plans!
Congratulations, Vishnevetsky, you've been selected to head this ''school.''
The staff?
Give us any name. We'll bring them from the front lines; recall from evacuations,
and from other, shall we say, locations.
-And, the cadets? -Well, our ''cadets'' are special.
And then from the Christmas tree, softly sprang the yellow angel - ''Poor maestro you are tired, you are ill.''
They say at night you sing the tango at the haunts!
Even in our bright sky everyone was amazed'' -Hey, what's taking so long?
Stay here, watch it, and hold the animal so it doesn't drag the cart away.
Yeah, ok.
Bring some gingerbread forthe donk.
Cot, get on the roof, we'll go below.
Damn, it's creaky.
Come on!
Line up behind me.
Hey man, got a smoke?
What the fucking hell?
Come on.
-Guys, tinned stew! -Take it. Cot, where are you?
-Bitch, he didn't even have ammo. -Fuck him. lf he had any, he would have shot you for sure.
Find the condensed milk and the powdered eggs.
What the hell do you want all that condensed milk for?
-The piker asked for it. -What the fuck does he want it for?
How should l know?
-Watch it. -Cops!
Where are you going, Cot and Lavrik are still in there, fuck! Dirty scums!
Stop! l'll shoot! Stop!
Cops!
-Dead. -Go, Tulimhan!
So, you shit your pants yet?
Come out with your hands up, one by one!
There, cop!
Stop; come out you dirty fucks,
l'll fuck you up!
Stop!
Put it down, fool!
lt could shoot!
Drop it, kid.
What are you doing, boys?
Don't move, bastard!
''BASTARDS''
Comrade lieutenant-colonel, are we blocked down below?
Yes, below, at the old base. Every approach to the school is covered by a special guard battalion.
Now, there will be no ranks, no last names,
only first names.
The contingent should best be called by nicknames.
Take this.
But why involve the children in this?
Even if they are;
They are not children,
they are repeat offenders; criminals,
-l don't feel good. -pickpockets, thieves,
robbers, murderers. They have no respect for authority.
Therefore, don't expect any fear or respect from them.
And try not to turn your back on them,
or else all they have learned from you, might be turned against you.
And...
As comrade Konstantin Simonov put it;
''no love, no grief, no jealousy.''
Whell...
What did they tell you;
fifteen, not older!
They had to be orphans,
no mom, no dad, no grandparents! And what did you turn up?
-Who did you pick out? -Don't understand.
You are kidding?
Only two...
Chernov, Konstantin Arkadievich..
armed robbery.. theft of personal and socialist property..
participation in the murders of police officers; and so on.
Tiapkin, Valentin Petrovich..gang member murder of a police officer..
Hold it! Tiapkin isn't fourteen! He's only thirteen.
We've checked, he's fourteen, precisely on April 3rd.
Chernov, out!
Face the wall,
move.
Ask forthe penal colony, or else you'll go to the front line, as a ''son of the regiment,'' plugging gun ports with your ass.
Hands behind your back.
-Where are you taking them? -The seventh..
Move!
The boys are there!
l've already been in the colony, betterthe front.
-You might be a good thief, but you're stupid. -And you, wise guy, got yourself a screw's discharge..
Face the wall!
Go in.
You have to say hello!
Yeah, yeah,
uh huh.
-Are you really recruiters? -Yeah, recruiters..
l'll smoke.
Do you want to atone for yourwrongdoings before the Motherland?
What, now l need to atone before him? Really?
You don't...
have a choice Chernov
lt's eitherthe death row orthe school..
Well, explain, what kind of school?
ln 5 months we must prepare 5 sabotage groups, each capable of the unconditional execution of any task,
l emphasize the word ''any.''
Around 50 people will arrive here,
but don't expect the huge thugs from the front recruitment films
or army legends.
Take 'em, man, you'll be here awhile.
-Hey, what's your name, kid? -Tiapa
-What about the official name? -Tiapkin Valentin Petrovich.
-Valentina... -Valyusha, our little sister... darling.
Here, come on, come over here, get up.
-Why? -What, you didn't understand what your elder said?
-What do you want? -Don't act stupid, your asshole !
Hey wolf, you don't say hi, huh?
Whatever, we'll deal with you later, we've got a sweat gerl.
Come here Valyushka.
-Don't move, lousy bitch! -l'll crush you, bastard!
Beat them!!!
They aren't afraid of God, the Devil, or even Soviet power.
Each one of them is a finished scoundrel.
And don't try your methods, comrade.
To your bunks, scum! To your bunks, fuck!
And that recruiting asshole asks me, ''Want to atone forwrongdoings before the Motherland?''
l tell him; last spring l robbed some guy
who had packets of cash the size of bread loaves in his basement.
Should l be buying my atonement from people like him?
And this asshole tells me, ''Chernov you haven't got a choice.''
And what is he afterthat?
An asshole, fuck! Asshole!
Hey, put that out!
l'm talking to you!
Go to hell.
Asshole.
What did we get ourselves into?
Most importantly, not prison.
Don't get involved in anything, we'll escape anyway.
Let me go, Cot, l'll fuck them all up! l'm telling you, let go!
-Don't interfere in other people's business. -Can you hold him?
Don't touch me you old goat!
Bitch!
Just let me go, why are you holding on to me like l'm a little kid, let go!
Boys, stop, what are you doing? Cut it, sons of bitches, what!?
He's a fucking kid!
ls he alive?
-Who is that man? -Anton, head of this ''school.''
Starting a fight for a tub of hot water...
we expected to get desperately brave boys,
but instead we got 50 half brained worthless idiots.
-The next time the instigators... -Will be expelled from school? -Will be expelled...
-...from school! Will be taken below;and shot.. -Quit fucking with us.
-We're minors, we can't even be tried underthe law. -We can't try you.
We can kill you!
Get yourselves in order.
Dismissed!
Ok.
ln time.
Last lot.
How many?
Seven.
Are we taking down anyone?
-We'll wait for now. -Now take them.
-Who are you? -Nikita.
-You a thief? -We're
All right, let's go to bed.
Troublemakers;
-And what holds the glass? -Bread putty. -Shut up!
l was a store thief on the outside and can tell where everything is by instinct.
Skull, what do you need?
-Pot. -This isn't a pharmacy, so what have we here?
-Kon6aca. -Tak, yto y Hac 3Aecb?
Chocolate, sausage, halva, boys!
Hands, hands.
-Here. -Ok.
Hands!
Turn them around! Cut yourfingernails!
No sick, no wounded.
Three missing.
Where are the rest?
Robbed the storehouse;
Will we be taking them down?
Feed them first...
Shitheads!
Need to figure out how to get out of here, you know?
Doesn't look like much of a guard.
l overheard they have a whole battalion below.
There are mountains all around.
Need to learn to climb like those mountaineers.
Hey guys, what are you talking about?
My pants are falling down.
-The grub isn't bad. -Lay off Babai! -Alright...
The reception of food is over, collect the plates, line up!
Whoever didn't have time, didn't eat.
The grub isn't bad.
Next!
Ration!
-Do it! -What ? -how come everyone else can, but you can't?!
-Because l can't, Zhora! -l'm not ''Zhora,'' l'm Georgiy Nikolaevich! -You've equated your ass to yourfinger.
Look at them, used to climbing walls to get into windows
Georgiy Nikolaevich! l am a thief.
Specialty? Don't fuck with me. You were in for murder.
-lt's just along with Cot. -Let's go!
-Come on, come on, what now!? -Hold on!
What are you laughing at? Who asked you to come over here?
lsn't this yours!?
-What?! How the hell?! -Looks like yours,...
Georgiy Nikolaevich... Don't blame anymore.
Now you know who is are thif?
Let's go, now! What are you standing around for?
-Get to the bag! Climb! -Yeah, yes.
Run!
Time's up.
Good.
Good job Cot.
You again!
Put your hands down.
Babai, what are you doing?
Stand!
Left-face,
follow me, march.
Hey, guitarists, let's go to the smoking yard!
-Let's go. -l don't smoke.
Skull, where are you going? Give me a cigarette.
Six machine guns,
nine sub-machine guns,
five carbines.
We gave you shitheads the kind of inventory even the best of the Soviet Union could only dream of..
..Shithead yourself
And you sons of bitches have torn the 4th pairto splinters in two weeks!
And what kind of skis!? Glued, rust resistant ..
..with the latest bindings
if l had my way, you'd all be against the wall forthose skis!!!
-Don't get too excited now. -What did you say?
You heard me, must have not put enough people against the wall in '37.
Really, and where'd you dig up the thirty seventh!?
-What'd you think, l fell from a cloud or crawled out of someone's ass? -Scum, did you just say that to me?!
Don't touch the gun or else they'll find you only afterthe snow melts. Do you understand me?
Understand!?
Here, take it and don't lose it or you'll end up against the wall yourself.
Just in case,..
so you don't get any ideas into your head. et's train, Vitya?
Come on Vitya, relax. Just tell us what we do wrong.
Don't get upset, Victor lvanovich. We don't break them on purpose.
-That's right! -l just can't get into the turn.
Well, ok, let's try to get into the curve again,
aggressively.
Follow me, everyone.
-After me!!! -Stop! Where are you going?! Fuck!
How many times do l have to say it? Same thing, over and over.
What the hell is going on here?
-What are you hanging there for, like pregnant cockroaches? -Shut up, boys do it perfectly!
Where are you looking, idiots?
Matanya, what are you doing? Want to kill yourself?
-l'll do it like it's supposed to be done! -There you go, kid.
And take it slow! Don't hurry it, l'm telling you, take it slow!
Quit it, Matanya. Climb up here and l'll fix you, you son of a bitch!
l climbed drainpipes up five floors without any sort of protection.
-Did it with stolen goods too. -Quit showing off, Matanya! -Let's race...
..who'll get to the top faster. You're an expert thief after all, can't bear a loss.
l'm not here to make bets with idiots, understand?
Scared?
-Buckle up at once!! -Son of a bitch, God help us!.
Skull..
-..where are you going? -Don't talk Cot.
l'm going to try and escape.
Skull..
..put on a sweater. lt's cold.
Last summer l checked all the pot plots around here. l'll make it.
Skull, you're insane. lt can't be done.
There's nothing here for me. l'll die like Matanya.
l'll either make it, or else,..
..and what's the difference between kicking in here or out there?
Maybe you guys will come with me..
All right, be well.
Let's go back to sleep.
The hand, upon completion of the throwing phase is directed at the center of the target, the center.
Don't swing from the side, you'll miss. Tiapa!
He's not on the camp territory. The upper guards didn't see him. He must have taken the shepherds' paths.
Where the hell can he go?
Solovei! Solovei! Aleksanich! Motherfucker,
-Sanich!.. -What's up? -..look where l am!
Tiapa, you are best!
And then from the Christmas tree sprang a yellow angel.
And said, poor Maestro, you're tired, you're sick.
-Cot, Cot, look where l am! No hands! -Quit showing off!
-Tiapa, come down! -No.
Nice going today with the trainer.
Just forget about it.
Tiapa, Tiapa...
..can't throw a heavy knife.
Well, he has nowhere to hide.
There's nowhere to run here.
True..
well, that means he'll get to the first guard post and come back.
And if he doesn't?
lf he doesn't return, he'll be brought back.
Looks like they brought him back.
Call Pasha.
Put the cigarette away.
Your boy?.
-Why have you brought him? -Need identification..
ldentified.
-What was his name? -Stepka.
Belomlinskiy, Stepan..
Scull..
Certify it.
l know.
Yeah, Skull croaked. What was his real name?
Stepa...
Tiapa,..
...don't you have any other songs?
Why, for you mister commander?
Of course, we'll do it!
Maestro, music!
...and then from the Christmas tree sprang a yellow angel
and said; poor Maestro, you are tired, you are ill..
They say at night you sing the tango at the haunts!
Even in our bright sky everyone was amazed..
Where did you get that from?
From one very compassionate bitch.
She'd bring a guy home, put him away,
put the record on..and off she goes!
And what were you in that house?
lt was in the manner of a dog.
Bring this, bring that. Mail the cards, bring mother some wine,
don't you see she's tired?
So that was your mother?
Who else?
And afterwards?
Nothing.
Cops took her, kicked him out.
And yourfather;?
Afather? What's a father, mister commander?
Anton Viacheslavich, not mister commander.
Yessir, Anton Viacheslavich! Mister commander.
Tiapa, good song ;.
Cot, hey Cot.
Cot, maybe l should tell the truth about my father being at the front,
maybe they'll let me go
Are you stupid?
They won't let you go,
they'll shoot you.
-You are a murderer and you signed their papers. -They'll shoot me anyway.
Why do you think so?
What?
We're not stupid, like Skull,..
..we'll do the smart thing.
We'll figure it out.
Let's sleep on it for now..
-Hurry up, it's about to rain. -Pasha? -Yeah?
Why are you giving extra food to two boys?
l'd like to know who's the squealer around here?
Every other one.
So, who are the boys?
-Well, the rare kind of scum. -So, who?
Tiapa and Cot.
Yeah, the rarest.
One is a hardened thief, the other, a young killer.
Anton, and what are we?
True...
You shouldn't have taken me out, it would have been better if l served my time.
And what is this, a camping trip?
You're serving yourtime here too!
We never sent children to die!
War is that kind of time!
Don't aim forthe head fuckers, don't risk it. Shoot the chest, the stomach, doesn't matter where as long as he goes down. You might even live
Where'd you get that?
From a camel.
The camel's name doesn't happen to be Pasha, does it?
Guys!..
-..has anyone climbed to the castle? -Go ahead and try, there's two Guards up there.
Ah, Vova-Studerwith his brown nosers.
Give me a smoke.
Listen, Studebaker, give those back.
Who do you think you're talking to? You weren't even born when l was in prison.
Been on the front five times.
-Four. -What?
Last night you said ''four''.
You bitch, have you decided to count all my terms?
Turns out, whatever you try your hand at they grab your sorry ass and throw you in a slammer.
A real made
You a Jew or an Armenian?
-A bit of both.
-Cut it out, Studer! -Shut up, filthy dogs. What, are you tired of living?
-And you, dirty Jew, answer me, are you circumcised or not? -Why don't you come take a look?
Take it out, take it out you uncut Jew.
l'll return you to the real Hasidic tradition.
wait a minute...
Tough son of a bitch.
What are you standing around for, get him out of here!
Thank you..
Why are you standing around? Take him to the infirmary,
say that Vova Studer slipped...
on a rock, hit his head.
Take the rope off, idiots!
Still smoking?
Can't even breathe at this altitude, swine..
Are you really a Jew?
l call myself a Moldavian for safety.
Here, hold on to it.
Give me you hand.
Climb up!. Come on, Cot, come on.
Go! Go! Go!
-You are ok? -l can't hear anything!
-His ears are bleeding! -That's ok, it happens. They'll bleed for a bit and then they'll stop.
-Prince, how about you? -What? -Ok?
Yeah, seems like it. Only... l dropped the crank, what happens now?
...what happens now?
-We'll shoot you. -Absolutely.
-How are you, though? -l think l'm whole.
Why is it, Prince, you're never sure; ''l think, maybe so''?
Well, now, Anton Viachslavich, is a time when you can never be completely sure.
-Ayoung bandit philosopher, that's something new! -Ok.
we'll considerthe task of blocking the path done. We'll analyze mistakes back at camp.
lnstructors will explain the mistakes.
That's it for now, everyone relax!
Hurry up, Tiapa, Cot,
Studer, Babai, Gulmas,
Maestro,
-Perch. -So, let's ride?
We're flying, Rabbit.
-So, you scared? -Nah.
-Release! -Helmets on!
Get up, move out,
get ready! Go, go,
go, go!
Who's the packer? Who packed the parachutes?
- packed them
-Look, his line is broken. -Here it is!
Who thought of bending the pin like this!?
Check if there's anything on the boy linking him to the school
then bury him,
overthere by the far guard post,
we won't carry him back up.
-Execute!
Yes sir! Right face, march!
Who did this?
Studer, you filthy bitch You bent the pins, fucking bastard!
-You bent the pins, fucking bastard! -Calm down! Enough.
-Oh Maestro...
-he was such a great guy, you fucking killer! -You? -Yeah, me.
Why?
l lost at cards to him last month,
and you know how card debt goes to a thief.
-You little bitch... -Anton Viacheslavovich, don't do it.
Everyone get changed, get in the cars.
Left face, march.
What should be do with the one who lost?
Nothing. Bury him too.
What do you mean, bury? He's still alive
Your problem, my responsibility.
Bury him.
You have no right without a trial, l'm a minor!
Hey Tiapa, you're a real bitch. Why should l, an old sick man,
have to clean the weapons instead of a young buck like you?
Pasha, how are you an old sick man!?
-No way, Cot, did you hear him? -Shut up,
Last time your sub-machine gun was covered with soot!
And your pistol is filthy!?
And what if it jams? And what if you need it?
And this could happen at any second, you understand me?
-Sorry Pasha, l won't do it again, l swear..
-You're lying, and you know why you lie?
-Why? -Because you've got wind in yourfield and smoke up your ass.
-Pasha, why was Anton summoned down?
Don't know;
-Was it because of the problems at the airfield?
-Nah. -So how do you know that it wasn't because of that? You're lying, Pasha.
A?
-You're lying, and you know why you lie? -The less you know the longer you'll live, understand?
You think?
The base ''Geflugelhoff'' - ''Birds' Yard.''
Runs underground for several kilometers, elevation about two thousand meters.
Well protected above by ice cliffs.
All the entrances below are well guarded.
You must approach the base from the top. There are mined ventilation shafts at the top.
Your goal is to destroy the cliff overhang
Exit routes?
There's a village nine kilometers away. To the northwest, the forester is our man, no dangerthere.
And why do you assume that their plane won't be downed on their approach to the base?
We have our men there, too;
Thank you, Anton Viacheslavovich, for your great work...
service.
l serve the Soviet Union.
The first group to go ...
..should be Chernov's, l think, the best group at your school. `551
Forthe mission, you'll take your regularweapons,
think about what else you would need based on the details of this assignment.
What's on the base?
Fuel, all the fuel forthe Army Group West.
Don't spill it. Here's the base;
- this is the fuel collector, here is the command post. And why do you think that we won't be attacked on our approach to the base?
You know, when you come back, l'll introduce you to this one recon guy, then you can ask him;
-We'll never get the hell out. -When did you decide on that?
-That's a long way to walk back. -Don't worry. Put your mind to it and you'll make it. Drink yourtea.
Well, l'm off, thanks.
-How did it go? -Drink this tea, there's sugar;
Tiapa, wake up, we need to talk.
-This can't wait 'til morning? -We can't.
-We need to get out. -Now? -Now, now, Tiapa, wake up!
Our group got the first mission.
We'll need to get out at the transfer. At the airfield, got it?
-And the guys? -We'll see when we get there.
Go back to bed.
Kaluga's cut himself open!
That's Zhora's razor.
He all way was so special...
Go to hell;
Keep reading, doctor.
There's nothing else;
Go ahead and take care of this one.
-What's his nickname, Kaluga or something? -That's correct, Anton Viacheslavovich, Kaluga.
Look up his individual file, then write down..
-...his full name, details, and so on; -Ectb.
ln your report,
What are they doing?! What are they doing, those bastards?!
And don't you dare call them that anymore!
While we are sitting up here in the mountains, they
And no one will rememberthem afterwards.
And we'll be training the next kids,
how to best get killed!
We're about to land. lt's now or never.
When we land, stay sharp.
-Where are we? -Mari airfield, or Mary.
-Prepare for disembarkation. -Hey, commander,
-maybe you can open the door? We're suffocating. -That's not authorized -Hey, shithead, there's no fucking airto breathe!
-ls that how you talk to your officers!? -What kind of officer are you?
-Get out of here, go man yourwheel...! -Babai, Driver, shut up, dirty bitches.
-Sorry, commander, it is pretty hot. -We'll open it when we get off the runway.
Motherfuckers.
Be careful gay.
Mari airfield, or Mary.
Where to?
Overthere..
Nownn.
What are you staring at?!
-Comrade General, the group, forthe especially important mission is here. Commander in charge is Avdeev.
Erofeev, what are you here?
Commanding officer of a special unit, Comrade General...
Then kindly explain to me what that tatooscum was?
You're asking me?
-Dismissed! -Yes sir!
Move!
What do you think, would they have shot us if we ran?
-What? Did you see how many there were?
-Hey, pilot! -l'm not a pilot, l'm a gunner. -l don't give a shit, call the chief.
-Not the chief, the commander. -l'm telling you, l don't give a shit what you call him, the group leader is asking for him!
-What do you need? -How long is the flight? -About 8 hours.
Wake us up an hour before the target please.
Alright,
you boys should get dressed, in about five minutes it will be freezing in here.
Get dressed!
-Why aren't you sleeping? -Not sleeping because these bastards are guarding us betterthan at a camp.
Stop worrying about it. We'll land and make a run for it.
No we won't make a run for it, we'll die like dogs. l told you l should have confessed about my father being at the front,
they might have sent me below.
-What, getting scared? -And you're not afraid of dying, huh?!
They're sending us to our deaths! The Germans don't care, children or not.
Keep quiet, stop yelling. You'll wake the boys.
Commander, time to release!
Sergeich, stay on course,
l'll release them myself.
-What's this? -l was ordered to give this to you before the jump.
Boys, listen to Anton's orders; Tiapa and l jump first, you follow ten seconds later,
we'll meet at the target.
-Start, Cot! -Man, you're the boss.
You should eat something.
Nah, l don't want to.
There they are.
What'd you hang that up for?
When the boys come back, we'll put them in clean clothes.
We're not going anywhere! Those fucks will answerfor our buddies!
Did you see how they used them as a distraction so we could get in? l'll go back and kill all of them!
Poor boys, but who got us in?!
Bitches got us, put us exactly where they wanted!
Before we left, l asked Anton if our guys get behind theirfront lines then the Germans have theirs as well?
-What'd he say? -Nothing,
probably didn't want to upset me.
-Great. -lf we destroy that rock, they'll pay forthe boys.
-We won't destroy it. -Why's that?
We won't destroy it, we don't have enough dynamite.
Alright, let's climb down, then we can decide.
They were just kids;What are we doing..
-What's overthere? -Nothing.
Empty...
-Based on the map, the fuel collector is here. -Well, look at that, you memorized it!
Here.
l don't understand, why kids?
Urragh!
Yes! Yes! Yes!!!
Tiapa, mine!!!
-Needs streptocidum.. -l've already used some;
-maybe we should look below? -Look forwhat?
What?
My hand, that's what, my hand!
How'd it happen, Tiapa?
Probably a shard of the mine, l think.
Don't worry, l stopped the bleeding.
Let's rest for a couple of hours. Then we'll go down.
-We need to surrender. -Uh huh,
- l wanted to ask you, Cot, did you ever have a girl?
-No -Me too, but l have seen, once. -Lucky.
-Tiapa, now listen. Go down to the valley. -Why?
The two of us won't be able to make it down by ourselves.
understand?
Relax Cot, you just have some kind of fever right now.
Go, l'm telling you,
stop wasting time.
CA-AAA-AAT!
-Why did we come here? -He's searching for his friend.
-Here? -30 years we've been coming,
every year, May 9th.
Cot,
it's hard enough to breathe up here, and here you are, smoking!
-Cot -Tiapa
Well, we meet again,
Tiapkin
Valentin Petrovich.