An Hour Before the Dawn (Za chas do rassveta)

An Hour Before the Dawn (Za chas do rassveta) Country USSR Directed by Erazm Karamyan Nerses Hovhannisyan Release Date 1973 Language Russian Armenian Studio Armenfilm Gosteleradio Main Cast Character Actor Commissar Armen Andranikyan Armen Dzhigarkhanyan Andrey Derzhavin Aleksandr Lazarev, Sr. Olga Derzhavina Svetlana Nemolyaeva Anton Gusev Nikifor Kolofidin Lena Guseva Natalya Bespalova Taras Zhurba Sergei Kharchenko Stepan Suslov Aleksey Eybozhenko Sadyk Kurnabayev Ruslan Akhmetov

An Hour Before the Dawn (Russian title Za chas do rassveta, Armenian title Lusabatsits mek zham araj) is a Soviet Armenian 1973 made for TV adventure movie directed by Erazm Karamyan and Nerses Hovhannisyan. The story is set in 1920 during the Russian civil war. Red Army captures a White armoured train, but Whites try to get it back, using both force and treason.

The following weapons were used in the film An Hour Before the Dawn (Za chas do rassveta):

Revolvers

Nagant M1895

Nagant M1895 revolvers are widely used by Reds and Whites, notably the commissar of the armoured train Armen Avgarovich Andranikyan (Armen Dzhigarkhanyan), train engineer Taras Zhurba (Sergei Kharchenko), gunner Stepan Suslov (Aleksey Eybozhenko), and White officers Staff Capt. Friedrich Avgustovich von Nolken (Vladimir Gulyaev) and Poruchik (Lt.) Kotikov (Boris Bityukov). These revolvers appear to be of anachronistic post-1930 version.

Nagant M1895 Revolver - 7.62x38R Nagant. This example was dated 1939 manufacture and was a War time issued weapon. Note the angular front sight which was used from 1930s.

Von Nolken carries a revolver in holster.

Andranikyan fires at a traitor.

Zhurba holds a Nagant.

Kotikov fires.

Suslov fires.

Pistols

Mauser C96

Mauser C96 pistols are also popular among Reds and Whites. They are used by the commander of the armoured train Andrey Mikhailovich Derzhavin (Aleksandr Lazarev, Sr.), crewmembers Taras Zhurba (Sergei Kharchenko) (later switches to Nagant revolver), Djigit (Gurgen Tonunts), Sadyk Kurnabayev (Ruslan Akhmetov), White Army Rotmistr (Capt.) Ikaev (Yan Krasnyanskiy) and some more White officers.

Pre-War dated Mauser C96 "Broomhandle" Commercial Version - 7.63x25mm Mauser

Djigit fires at attacking Whites.

Zhurba draws his Mauser from wooden holster.

Derzhavin holds a Mauser.

Rotmistr Ikaev carries a Mauser in holster.

Kurnabayev fires a Mauser.

A White officer drops his Mauser, shot by Kurnabayev.

Red Army commander (Gennadiy Barkov) holds a Mauser.

Mauser C96 M1930

The engine driver Anton Gusev (Nikifor Kolofidin) owns an anachronistic Mauser C96 M1930 pistol. It is described as "Honorary Revolutionary Weapon", the high award in Red Army in 1920s.

Mauser C96 M1930 - 7.63x25mm Mauser. Note the stepped barrel.

Gusev puts his Mauser in holster.

Gusev fires.

A closeup of the pistol.

Rifles

Mosin Nagant M1891/30

Many soldiers of Red and White Armies are armed with Mosin Nagant M1891/30 rifles, standing for original M1891s.

Mosin Nagant M1891/30 - 7.62x54mm R

White Army warrant officer (Vsevolod Tyagushev) carries an M91/30 rifle.

White soldiers in night attack.

A White soldier on guard.

Red soldier Agafon Fedotov on guard (Valentin Bryleev).

Yakov Katzman (Lev Vajnshtejn) holds a rifle.

White soldiers with M91/30 rifles (Aleksandr Petrov at the left).

A close view of the barrel of M91/30.

Poruchik (Lt.) Kotikov (Boris Bityukov) holds a rifle with bayonet.

Machine Guns

Maxim M1910

A number of Maxim M1910 machine guns are mounted on the armoured train. They are manned by Armen Andranikyan (Armen Dzhigarkhanyan), Taras Zhurba (Sergei Kharchenko), Stepan Suslov (Aleksey Eybozhenko), Sadyk Kurnabayev (Ruslan Akhmetov) and Yakov Katzman (Lev Vajnshtejn). White troops use a Maxim M1910 on Sokolov mount.

Maxim 1910, simplified version with smooth water jacket - 7.62x54mmR

Suslov fires.

Katzman fires.

Zhurba fires.

Andranikyan fires.

White soldiers fire a Maxim M1910.

A Maxim M1910/30 on Sokolov mount (at the left) and dismounted Maxim M1910 (at the right).

Maxim M1910/30

Due to continuity errors, Maxim M1910s often switches to Maxim M1910/30s and back again.

Maxim 1910/30 machine gun - 7.62x54mmR

Kurnabayev stands at Maxim M1910/30.

Zhurba stans at Maxim M1910/30.

Kurnabayev fires.

A Maxim M1910/30 on Sokolov mount (at the left) and dismounted Maxim M1910 (at the right).

A Maxim M1910/30 of post-1940 modification is seen in one scene.

Maxim 1910/30, post 1941 manufacture with top hatch on cooling jacket allowing it to be filled more quickly or with snow - 7.62x54mmR

A post-1940 Maxim inside the armoured train.

Other Weapons

F-1 Hand Grenade

Anachronistic F-1 hand grenades are seen in several scenes. They stand for Mills Bomb or some other similar "pineapple" hand grenade of Great War era.

F-1 High-Explosive Fragmentation hand grenade

A number of F-1s is seen in the armoured train.

Fedotov (Valentin Bryleev) gives an F-1 to White Army Gen. Nikolay Arkhipovich Sedykh (Vladimir Kenigson).

Gen. Sedykh holds a grenade.

Dummy Training Grenade

Dummy training stick grenades, standing for RG-14 hand grenades, are used by Commissar Armen Andranikyan (Armen Dzhigarkhanyan), Taras Zhurba (Sergei Kharchenko) and Agafon Fedotov (Valentin Bryleev).

Training stick grenade. Such cast aluminum dummies were widely used in USSR for basic training.

RG-14/30 Soviet hand grenade.

Andranikyan throws grenades at attacking Whites.

Fedotov draws a grenade.

Zhurba throws a grenade.

Trivia

While many Soviet movies about Russian revolution and civil war show real armoured trains or at least full-size mockups, this film uses only a scale model for the outside view of Stepan Shaumian (Knyaz Mstislav Udaloy in White Army) armoured train.

Unknown artillery piecies (possibly mockups) are mounted inside the armoured train. According to the story, their breeches are removed.

An M1902 field gun is seen in one scene, used by White troops.

76.2mm M1902 Field Gun