They Fought for Their Motherland

In July 1942, in the Second World War, the rearguard of the Russian army protects the bridgehead of the Don River against the German army while the retreating Russian troops cross the bridge. While they move back to the Russian territory through the countryside, the soldiers show their companionship, sentiments, fears and heroism to defend their motherland.

Cast

Vasiliy Shukshin

Piotr Lopakhin

Vyacheslav Tikhonov

pvt. Nikolay Strel'tsov

Sergey Bondarchuk

pvt. Ivan Zvyagintsev

Yuriy Nikulin

pvt. Nekrasov

Georgi Burkov

pvt. Alexander Kopytovsky

Ivan Lapikov

sergeant Poprischenko

Nikolai Gubenko

lieutenant Goloschyokov

Nikolay Volkov

pvt. Nikiforov

Nonna Mordyukova

Natalya Stepanovna

Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy

surgeon