Ballad of a Soldier (Ballada o soldate)

Ballad of a Soldier (Ballada o soldate) Film Poster Country USSR Directed by Grigoriy Chukhray Release Date 1959 Language Russian Studio Mosfilm Main Cast Character Actor Pvt. Alyosha Skvortsov Vladimir Ivashov Shura Zhanna Prokhorenko The mother Antonina Maksimova The general Nikolai Kryuchkov Vasya Yevgeni Urbansky Gavrilkin Aleksandr Kuznetsov Liza Elza Lezhdey

Ballad of a Soldier (Ballada o soldate) is a 1959 Soviet World War II drama directed by Grigori Chukhrai. A young soldier Alyosha Skvortsov (Vladimir Ivashov) made a heroic act - destroyed two enemy tanks. A command decided to reward him. Alyosha asked for a few days of vacation to visit his mother. The way home was long and difficult. As a result, the young soldier has only a few minutes to hug his mother and say: "I'll be back, Mom!"

The following weapons were used in the film Ballad of a Soldier (Ballada o soldate):

Rifles

Mosin Nagant M38 Carbine

Field telephone operators Alyosha Skvortsov (Vladimir Ivashov) and his unnamed fellow soldier (Pyotr Savin) are armed with Mosin Nagant M1938 Carbines.

Mosin Nagant M38 Carbine - 7.62x54mmR

Both soldiers' carbines are seen on the ground.

A bolt of an M38 Carbine is seen.

A good view of Alyosha Skvortsov's carbine.

Alyosha runs through the battlefield. The forward section of the barrel of his carbine seems to be longer than on M38 Carbine, so this rifle may be an M44 Carbine with removed bayonet but this is only a guess.

A close-up of the muzzle and the front sight.

Mosin Nagant M1891/30

Most Soviet soldiers (among them Valentin Bryleev, Lev Borisov, Nikolay Smorchkov and Aleksandr Kuznetsov) are armed with Mosin Nagant M1891/30 rifles, all with attached bayonets.

Full-length, Soviet Mosin Nagant M1891/30 - 7.62x54mm R

Most soldiers on the river crossing carry M91/30 rifles.

A soldier (Lev Borisov) at the left carries an M91/30 rifle.

An M91/30 rifle is seen at the left.

Gavrilkin (Aleksandr Kuznetsov), a sentry in the military train, holds an M91/30 rifle.

Mosin Nagant M1891 Infantry

Some soldiers, notably Sergey Pavlov (Gennadiy Yukhtin), are armed with Mosin Nagant M1891 Infantry rifles.

Full-length, Imperial Russian Mosin Nagant M1891 Infantry - 7.62x54mm R

Sergey Pavlov (in center) carries an M91 Infantry rifle.

Another view of Pavlov's rifle.

Pavlov (at the right) and a soldier in center carry M91 Infantry rifles.

Another view of Pavlov's rifle.

Pavlov (at the left) carries his M91 Infantry rifle.

Machine Guns

Maxim M1910 or M1910/30

Several Maxim M1910 or M1910/30 machine guns are seen in the scene of the river crossing.

Maxim M1910 with 'Sokolov' wheel mount, w/o shield - 7.62x54mm R

A soldier carries the body of Maxim machine gun (at the left).

Another Maxim is seen in the same scene.

A soldier carries the carriage of the machine gun.

Other Weapons

PTRD-41

Alyosha Skvortsov (Vladimir Ivashov) fires a PTRD-41 AT rifle at enemy tanks.

PTRD-41 anti-tank rifle 14.5x114mm

While running through the battlefield, Alyosha falls down on a PTRD in a shell crater.

Alyosha operates the PTRD rifle.

He watches at a burning German tank.

The buttstock is seen.

Alyosha fires at the second German tank

Trivia

76.2 mm divisional gun model 1902

The 76.2 mm divisional gun model 1902.

76.2mm M1902 Putilov Field Gun

A destroyed 76.2mm divisional gun M1902 can be seen on the battlefield.

T-34-85

A T-34-85 crosses the river.

T-34-85 (visually modified as Tiger tank)

The fake German Tiger tank is built on the base of the T-34-85.

The tank is seen from the front. The frontal part of the T-34 turret remains unmodified.

The tank is seen from the air.