On August 1941, less than two months after the start of the German invasion of the USSR Stalin ordered a bombing attack on Berlin by the Soviet naval aviation. Since Berlin was out of range from most Soviet bases the attack was launched from an airbase on the island of Saarema, Estonia. Damage to Berlin was slight, but the success of the raid against formidable air defenses (flak, fighters) was a morale booster to the Soviet people at a time when the Wehrmacht was racing towards Moscow and the Luftwaffe was subjecting the citizens of Leningrad to indiscriminate terror bombing. The purpose of the raid was much the same as the RAF bombing of Berlin on August 1940, during the Battle of Britain, and the Doolittle raid on Tokyo on April 1942 shortly after Pearl Harbor.
The movie details this first raid into Germany without emphasis on heroics; on the contrary the poor preparation of the Soviet forces (runways in disrepair, lack of fuel deposits, worn out airplane engines) is plainly shown. It has some brilliant moments (such as the exhilaration of crews at their mere survival after a nearly suicide mission). There are also some typical war movie cliches (wartime romance) but in the final balance is positive. Director Konstantin Buslov moves the tale along at t a steady pace. Acting and cinematography are excellent. Special effects are somewhat limited but generally good. A war movie that does it job.
