The Fight in the Taiga (Poedinok v tayge)

The Fight in the Taiga (Poedinok v tayge) Original Theatrical Poster Country USSR Directed by Ivan Lukinsky Vladimir Zlatoustovsky Release Date 1978 Language Russian Studio Gorky Film Studio Main Cast Character Actor Nazar Zhigulin Viktor Gordeev Yulya Tatyana Tashkova Ignatiy Makarovich Vladimir Smirnov Andrey Lukich Nikolay Olyalin Vladislav Kazimirovich Aleksandr Vokach Kostya Zhiltsov Boris Smorchkov Vasya Leonid Trutnev Venya Vasiliy Kupriyanov

The Fight in the Taiga (Poedinok v tayge) is a Soviet 1978 (filmed 1977) adventure movie, directed by Ivan Lukinsky and Vladimir Zlatoustovsky. The story is set in Siberia in 1918, during the Russian Civil war. Nazar Zhigulin (Viktor Gordeev) organises local young men in Komsomol group and together with Red partisans carries out the operation to capture White Army armoured train and a train with weapons.

The following weapons were used in the film The Fight in the Taiga (Poedinok v tayge):

Revolvers

Nagant M1895

Partisans commander Andrey Lukich (Nikolay Olyalin) uses a Nagant M1895 revolver during the ambush on White unit. The Nagant is of anachronistic post-1930 version.

Nagant M1895 Revolver - 7.62x38R Nagant. Note the angular front sight which was used from 1930s.

Andrey Lukich fires.

Pistols

Mauser C96

A civilian official (Vladimir Izotov) of White mobilisation unit carries a Mauser C96 in holster.

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

A civilian official carries a Mauser C96 in holster (at the right).

Rifles

Custom Mosin Nagant

Some Mosin Nagant rifles in the movie are custom shortened Mosin Nagant M1891s. Visually they resemble M1907 Carbines. Such props are seen in other Gorky Film Studio production, like Ne stavte Leshemu kapkany....

Imperial Russian Mosin Nagant M1891 Dragoon - 7.62x54mm R

Mosin Nagant Model 1907 Carbine - 7.62x54mm R

A Red Guard at the left carries a short rifle.

A Red Guard at the left carries a short rifle.

Red Guards with short rifles.

Partisans fire at Whites. A man at the left holds a short rifle.

Partisans take rifles. A man at the foreground holds a short rifle.

Venya (Vasiliy Kupriyanov) holds what appears to be short rifle at the right.

Mosin Nagant M1891 Dragoon / M1891/30

Both Reds and Whites are armed with a mix of M1891 Dragoon and M1891/30 rifles. They aren't seen clear enough for proper indetification.

Imperial Russian Mosin Nagant M1891 Dragoon - 7.62x54mm R

Full-length, Soviet Mosin Nagant M91/30 - 7.62x54mm R

A Red Guard at the right carries a full-length rifle.

Another Red Guard with a full-length rifle.

White Army soldiers with full-length rifles.

A partisan with rifle in ambush.

Another view of the rifle.

Partisans fire at Whites.

A partisan at the left holds a full-length rifle.

A White soldier with a rifle in armoured train.

Kostya Zhiltsov (Boris Smorchkov) holds a rifle.

Zhiltsov (at the left) and a bearded partisan (at the right) hold rifles.

Mosin Nagant "Obrez"

In one scene Ivan Anisimovich (Nikolai Smirnov) gives an "obrez" sawed-off Mosin Nagant rifle to Nazar Zhigulin (Viktor Gordeev). Later this "obrez" is seen in hands of Kostya Zhiltsov (Boris Smorchkov), a member of Komsomol group. Ivan Anisimovich claims that he used a shotgun to make this "obrez" but this statement doesn't match the screen gun.

Sawn-off Mosin Nagant M1891/30 - 7.62x54mm R. In Russian such weapon is called "obrez" which means "cut".

Ivan Anisimovich shows the "obrez" to Nazar and partisans commander Andrey Lukich. The hex receiver indicates that the base rifle was original M91 or early M91/30.

Another view of the "obrez".

Kostya holds the "obrez" (at the left).

Winchester Model 1895

A Winchester Model 1895 is seen in hands of a partisan.

A Russian contract Model 1895 in 7.62x54 Russian. Note the loading bridge over the reciever

A partisan at the right carries a Winchester M1895.

Shotguns

Mosin Nagant/Frolov Shotgun

Several partisans are armed with long guns that appear to be Mosin Nagant/Frolov Shotguns.

"Frolovka" R-32 shotgun (converted Mosin Nagant rifle) - 32 gauge

Two men at the background hold what appear to be "Frolovka" shotguns.

Men at the left and in center hold "Frolovka" shotguns.

Machine Guns

Maxim M1910

Maxim M1910 machine guns are used by Whites. Partisans capture a number of Maxims in the train.

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

A Maxim is seen on railway flatcar of White Army train.

Partisans unload Maxims from captured White train.

Trivia

Holsters

White Army yesaul (Captain rank in Cossack troops) Ilya Fyodorovich (Vadim Zakharchenko), a commander of mobilisation unit of Admiral Kolchak's White Army, carries a Nagant holster. It looks flat and empty.

A civilian official (Boris Gitin) of mobilisation unit carries a Nagant holster (at the left).

Armoured Train

A White Army armoured train is widely seen in the movie. It is a full size replica, made for the movie Red Square (Krasnaya ploshchad) (1970) and later appearing in a number of Soviet movies, including Beg (1970), I na Tikhom Okeane... (1974), Fiery Childhood (Ognennoye detstvo) (1976), Dni Turbinykh (1976), Ognennyy most (1976), Poedinok v tayge (1978), Dachnaya poezdka serzhanta Tsybuli (1979), and Lyudmila (1982). It consists of a genuine locomotive and two armoured railcars, one of OB-3 pattern (WW2 era) with a gun turret and another one of "2nd Siberian" pattern (Russian Civil war era) with a gun in an open shield mount. Both main guns are 76.2mm ZiS-3 with removed muzzle brakes (to make them look more like early 20th century models), also the train is armed with several Maxim machine guns.

A general view of the train.

The armoured train tries to break through the blockage on the ways. The frontal gun is seen.

A close view of the gun turret.

A 76.2mm ZiS-3 field gun is mounted on the armoured train. It has the muzzle brake removed to look more like the guns of WW1 era.