The Tunnel (Tunelul)

Original Soviet Poster

Country	Romania USSR
Directed by	Francisc Munteanu
Release Date	1966
Language	Romanian Russian German
Studio	Mosfilm Studioul Cinematografic Bucuresti

Main Cast
Character	Actor
Lt. Aleksei Denisov	Aleksei Loktev
Radio Operator Sgt. Natasha	Valentina Malyavina
Sublocotenent (2nd Lt.) Mihai Petrescu	Ion Dichiseanu
Iulia	Margareta Pislaru
Grigoriy	Lev Prygunov
Sgt. Dutu	Florin Piersic
Sergei	Viktor Filippov
Molchanov	Leonid Zverintsev
Hauptmann (Capt.) Otto von Keller	Emmerich Schäffer

The Tunnel (Romanian title Tunelul, Russian title Tunnel) is a Romanian-Soviet 1966 B&W war movie, directed by Francisc Munteanu. In Autumn 1944, soon after Romania turned against Nazi Germany, a joint Soviet-Romanian commando group is sent across enemy lines with a mission to prevent the destroying of strategic mountain tunnel by German troops.

The following weapons were used in the film The Tunnel (Tunelul):

Pistols

Tokarev TT-33

TT-33 pistols are used by the commander of the group Lt. Aleksei Denisov (Aleksei Loktev) and deminer experts Sergei (Viktor Filippov) and Grigoriy (Lev Prygunov). In the climactic scene Petrescu's (Ion Dichiseanu) Walther P38 switches to a TT.

Tokarev TT-33 - 7.62x25mm Tokarev. Pre-1947 version.

Denisov, with a TT in hand, examines the abandoned building in which the group settled down for the night.

Denisov interrogates the contact whom he suspects to be a traitor. The pistol is of correct pre-1947 version.

Denisov fires his TT during the failed night operation.

Sergei holds a TT when he is trapped in the tunnel.

Grigoriy holds his TT (at the right).

Denisov fires his TT in the climactic scene.

Petrescu fires his TT in the climactic scene.

Luger P08

A Luger P08 is Hauptmann (Capt.) Otto von Keller's (Emmerich Schäffer) service sidearm. Lt. Aleksei Denisov (Aleksei Loktev) holds a Luger in one scene instead of his TT-33.

Luger P08 - 9x19mm

Denisov holds a Luger in the scene in safe house.

Iulia (Margareta Pislaru) grabs von Keller's pistol.

But the gun appears to be unloaded, and von Keller takes it back with ease.

Walther P38

A Walther P38 is a personal sidearm of Romanian Sublocotenent (2nd Lt.) Mihai Petrescu (Ion Dichiseanu). In the climactic scene the Walther switches to TT-33.

Walther P38 WWII dated with black grips - 9x19mm

Petrescu cleans his disassembled P38 in the scene in safe house.

Petrescu holds his pistol during the night raid.

Petrescu holds the Walther in the climactic scene.

Petrescu fires.

M1911A1

While crossing the frontline and in the first scene in safe house Sublocotenent Mihai Petrescu (Ion Dichiseanu) carries a different pistol that seems to be an M1911A1 or some similar looking gun.

World War II Colt M1911A1 - .45 ACP. This was an issued U.S. Army pistol with parkerized finish, thus the official designation of M1911A1

Petrescu holds his pistol at night.

Petrescu holds his pistol when sneaking to German ambulance car.

Petrescu holds his pistol in safe house.

Unidentified pistol

Radio Operator Sgt. Natasha (Valentina Malyavina) carries an unidentified pistol. It appears to be smaller than a TT. The shape and size are similar to Korovin TK but it's unproved guess.

For comparison: Korovin TK - .25 ACP

Natasha holds her pistol (at the left).

Submachine Guns

PPSh-41

PPSh-41 SMGs are widely used by Soviet soldiers, notably by members of commando group Grigoriy (Lev Prygunov), who has a PPSh with stick magazine, and Sergei (Viktor Filippov).

PPSh-41 - 7.62x25mm Tokarev

PPSh-41 with 35-round box magazine - 7.62x25mm Tokarev

Grigoriy shows his marksmanship, using a mirror for aiming.

Grigoriy holds his PPSh.

A PPSh with drum magazine is seen on the wall in Soviet headquarters.

Dutu (Florin Piersic) shows his marksmanship, firing Grigoriy's PPSh single-hand.

Natasha (Valentina Malyavina) with PPSh. She doesn't use it in action.

Sergei holds a PPSh with drum magazine on rest.

Soldier Tolya (Artur Nishchyonkin) from Capt. Dronov's unit holds a PPSh.

In the climactic scene Grigoriy breaks a burning fuze with a single well-aimed shot of his PPSh.

PPS-43

In the opening scene Molchanov (Leonid Zverintsev) has a PPS-43. During the shootout in the tunnel Grigoriy's (Lev Prygunov) PPSh-41 and Dutu's (Florin Piersic) MP40 switch to PPS-43s and then back.

PPS-43 - 7.62x25mm Tokarev

Molchanov sleeps in a jeep with his PPS-43 at hand.

A German soldier in center holds a PPS-43 instead of MP40.

Both Grigoriy and Dutu fire PPS-43s.

Dutu fires a PPS.

MP40

An MP40 is used by Romanian Sgt. Dutu (Florin Piersic). Most German soldiers are armed with MP40s.

MP40 - 9x19mm

Dutu carries an MP40, preparing for the raid.

A German guard fires his MP40 in air.

Friedrich (Dan Spataru), a sentry, holds an MP40.

German soldiers with MP40s in action in the climactic scene.

Dutu fires his MP40.

Rifles

Vz.24 Czech Mauser

Romanian and German soldiers use Vz.24 Czech Mauser rifles.

Czech vz. 24 - 7.92x57mm Mauser

A number of Mauser rifles stand near the ZiS-3 field gun of a Romanian unit.

A Romanian soldier at the left carries his rifle. The straight bolt handle can be seen.

A German soldier at the right holds a rifle.

A soldier reloads and fires his rifle.

Karabiner 98k

German soldiers also carry Karabiner 98k rifles.

Karabiner 98k - 7.92x57mm Mauser

German soldiers march with 98k rifles.

A soldier in center holds a 98k rifle with bayonet.

Machine Guns

Goryunov SGM

In the final scene a group of Soviet and Romanian soldiers, lead by Capt. Dronov (Gennadiy Yukhtin), break through the tunnel on a railbus. A machine gun on tripod is mounted in the railbus. It appears to be a post-war Goryunov SGM (the tripod mount for SGM was issued only in 1949).

Goryunov SGM on tripod - 7.62x54mm R

The machine gun on tripod (red 1) is seen inside the railbus.

ZB-30

In the same scene a light machine gun on bipod is seen on the rooftop of the railbus. It seems to have a top-mounted magazine, so a Romanian issued ZB-30 would be a good guess. It's hard to say if the magazine is straight or curved; in latter case the machine gun could be a Bulgarian issued ZB-39 (Bren is uncommon for Eastern Europian cinema).

ZB30 light machine gun (deactivated) - 7.92x57mm Mauser

For comparison: Bulgarian issued ZB-39 - 8x56 mm R

The light machine gun on bipod (red 2) is seen on top.

Degtyaryov DT

A Degtyaryov DT machine gun is mounted on T-34 tank.

DT machine gun - 7.62x54mm R

A frontal DT is seen on T-34.

Other Weapons

Hand Grenade

In the climactic scene Molchanov (Leonid Zverintsev), disguised as a Romanian railroad worker, tries to use a bundle of hand grenades to explode the rails. The grenades are of "pineapple" type but the model is uclear: they looks different from Soviet F-1, its Romanian post-war version, French F1 and other similar grenades.