Sky Lark/ Zhavoronok (Lenfilm. USSR. 1964)
English version of my article
Жаворонок (1964. Ленфильм)
Translation by Svetlana's (sv_iv)
Attention!
Soon You will have possibility to download this movie with English Subtitles!
For a long time I wanted to have an Internet place, where to publish results of my research about a great movie “Жаворонок/Sky Lark/ Zhavoronok” Lenfilm. USSR. 1964 and events that were on base of this great story.
I know that most of you are not familiar with Russian movies, but I will try to tell you about this one.
My story is long and I divided it in few parts.
1. Everything about the movie “ Sky Lark”
2. Following the “Sky Lark”. My own research.
3. About the tank.
4. The interview with people who made the movie.
5. Actor Veacheslav Gurenkov.
Part I: Everything about the movie “Sky Lark”
This post is dedicated to a movie by Russian producers Nikita Kurihin and Leonid Menaker at Lenfilm Production (Soviet Union) made in 1964 and presented for the Cannes Festival, where it was nominated as the best movie for 1965. Here I will present you all my materials about this movie, memoirs of participants and about events that were at base of its scenario.
About Movie
The movie “Sky Lark” opens for us a little known page of history about Russian prisoners of WW II, which in spite of their situation were still devoted to their oath of allegiance, solder’s duty and Fatherland.
In that time in Soviet Union, under Stalin’s leadership our war prisoners were considered “people’s foes”. The best what they could expect was GULAG (I hope some of you heard about it). It was Soviet system of prisons/camps where were sent “people’s foes” But more often it was instant execution or “penal battalion” which was send first in attacks. More than this, were punished their families and this was considered a shame that couldn’t be forgiven.
There past already 40 years from the day when the movie appeared in cinemas, but it is still watched and asked in Internet forums. I was lucky to find a copy with Chinese Subtitles. Agree with me, this tells a lot. People all around the world are watching this movie. What is the secret of its popularity? I think that it can be explained by its unique story, based on real facts , its dynamics, good actors work and, of course, that thing that the story goes around the legendary Russian tank T 34 the proud of our VICTORY in the WW II. I would like to watch this movie in a good DVD format without cut, with missing parts, that didn’t pass the censorship, with interviews with members of team, which made this movie and with stories about how was the process itself and what difficulties they had.
The short annotation in my own redaction, which was accepted by most sites. (The old one wasn’t correct and included few wrong affirmations)
The events are taking place in the deep back rear of the German front. For propose of improvement of battle characteristics of German anti-tank artillery, Germans were using captured trophy Russian tanks as “alive” targets. Crews were replenishing with war prisoners tankmans from the concentration camps.
The movie tells us about one such tank which’s crew escaped from captivity on tank T – 34, but in an unequal battle all heroes are killed…
Part II. Following the “Sky Lark” (My own research)
This movie is based on real events… This is how the movie starts.
Under these few words is hidden the big tragedy of war prisoners and prisoners from concentration camps.
These words stole my peace for few years and I started to do some research and to look for information about this movie and about real events behind it.
As starting point for this was an newspaper article with an interview with the Producer Leonid Menaker for the newspaper “Komsomoliskaya Pravda” for 2003.
The article’s name was “Sky Lark/Javoronok flit out from “Komsomolka” (“Komsomolka” is how Russians call their favourite newspaper “Komsomoliskaya Pravda”)
I found the digital version of this newspaper and here is what Leonid Menaker told:
One day, reading a new issue of the newspaper “Komsomolka”, I found a small article “Captain’s feat”. The core of it was, that Germans in 1942, wanting to try battle characteristics of armour of the famous Russian tank T-34, drove in tank-training area trophy tanks, put in them war prisoners crews and were shooting them using armour-piercing shells. And, one of the crew managed to start the tank. They escaped from the fire storm; around 2 hours were going circles on enemy territory until didn’t come to a bridge, on which was walking a group of children. For to escape, the crew had to run over them. Tank didn’t move from the place… The German solders arrived in time, riddled with bullets the tank and captured the commander and in the same evening hanged him. .. This is how the idea of this
I wrote an email to the journalist Igori Karasev, who interviewed the producer, asking him to help to find the initial article, about which the producer is speaking, but… still no answer. I wrote to the newspaper with the same request, but again no answer… silence as in tank…
Later on one of the Internet sites I met a fellow Iurii, which is living in Germany. He published in Internet some pictures of his town Orduff and of a tank training ground, that was mentioned in the documentary film “Impact: Tank T-34. Secrets of forgotten victories”.(2002). He promised me to visit the local museum, but… may be he didn’t find time to do this
I started to do more research about the tank itself and, in particular, of that modification, that was mentioned in the movie. And here luck smiled to me…
On one of military-historical Forum about armoured machines of WW II, I managed to find not only the destiny of tank, which was used in the movie, but also to find some memoirs of our commanders, who were witnesses of Germans using our war prisoners for their experiments.
“In front of us is Berlin!”
Popely Nicolai Kirrilovichi.
Biographical information:
Since 2.11.44 general-lieutenant of tank forces. In 1938 military commander of 11th mechanical brigade. Political and military commander of 8th mechanical corps. Took part in the battle for Dubna. Escaped from encirclement with a big group of solders. The military commissar of 3rd mechanical corps since September 1942. The member of Military Council of the 1st Tank Army since 30.01.43 till Victory.
This is what he told:
On the training grounds were found our bullet and shell pierced tanks. Inside of the tanks were found human bodies. Before this on Sandomir bridgehead I heard the story of a wounded radio-operator. This was our radio operator, who was imprisoned by Germans and who managed to escape captivity. He was brought together with to other people on Cummersdorff training ground.
He was forced to take part in experiments of tank armour’s resistance. Before experiments the German chairmen of the group was high prising our crew, because they were executing commands fast and neat. He was pleased by Russian sharpness. Promised the crew liberty if experiments will be successful and they will remain alive.
When before fire started our people came in the tank, the crew commander rubbed the tank’s armour and told the crew to do only his commands. And tank started on the 3rd gear in the direction of observer tower. Artillerists didn’t open the fire, because were afraid to kill their comrades and officers. The crew commander was brave and smart person and calculated everything right . They behaved very outrageously there.( these were his words) Some stupid SS solders came on armoured troop-carrier. They decided that it can stop the tank. But tank just drove over them, because they didn’t have any missiles. After this they took direction to the East. When fuel was finished, decided to walk through forests to the front and Russian troops. The commander and driver died in their way, only radio operator survived. But was wounded and starving till limits.
Till now my conscience is not quiet, didn’t finish the quest. I had urgent to leave that time and at the time I was back, the radio operator was dead. In the hospital they didn’t have enough time to ask him his name and surname. But now we know for sure that during these experiments with tanks armour were used crews of our war prisoners. Their remains were found not only in Russian tanks, but in German "King's Tiger" too.
We asked locals. One old man told and his wife confirmed, that in the end of 1943 from the tank training ground escaped one tank, came to the closest camp, run over an observation post, broke off the barbed wire and many prisoners managed to escape that time. The Germans were after them and they came to a bridge where played children. Locals were surprised that the crew didn’t drive over them, but sent them away from the bridge in spite of luck of time.
The German commandment was mad that time. They were talking that this was a Russian crew. They catched them and executed. In this way we had proof of that radio operator’s story.
May be it was another story. Could be that this happened few times. And details here are different and dates. It is difficult to find now after time passed. The old German was called these people Knights, but how to find now there names? Nobody knows who they were. Not a document left. I tried to find more, but without result.
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Translation by
Svetlana's (sv_iv)
