[VO] In previous tours of duty,
[VO] I often heard the phrase,
'Artillery is the God of War.'
[VO] Soldiers repeat it and it’s often seen on military chevrons.
The words stuck in my head.
[VO] What do they mean, really?
[VO] I was wondering what these soldiersare like,
what work they do,
and how they handle their powerful weapons.
[Soldier] Where should I go?
[Soldier] To that side, Vanya's side [Soldier 2] Roger!
[Soldier] Vanya, help him!
[Soldier] Prepared to fire
[Soldier] Fire!
GODS OF WAR
[VO] 5 am. I’m rushing with the guys to the firing position for a combat task.
[VO] We’re going at around 40 km per hour,
and there's practically nothing to hold on to here.
[VO] As we drove, my attention was attracted by
a soldier with an unusual callsign on his baseball cap -
'Tangerine.'
[VO] In civilian life he was a chef.
[Callsign: 'Tangerine' 2S4 'Tulpan' Artillery Crew Member]
['Tangerine'] My callsign is 'Tangerine', I was called up for mobilisation
['Tangerine'] As expected, I spent 3 weeks in the unit
['Tangerine'] I was trained and sent here, to this sector, to this gun
Ilyich, fire it up!
[Soldier] You can film wherever convenient
[Soldier] Just don't stand between the gunner and the pole
[Soldier] He needs to set up a sight
[Reporter] I'll set up a tripod here, OK?
[VO] 2S4 'Tyulpan'
[VO] Self-propelled heavy mortar
[VO] Caliber – 240 mm
[VO] Maximum Range – 20 km
['Tangerine'] I'm a loader - one of the most important roles in the crew
['Tangerine'] We service a shell, ram it, and load it
['Tangerine'] A gunner then aims under close supervision of the gun commander
['Tangerine'] Our scouts launch a drone and track the enemy
TEMPORARY DEPLOYMENT POINT, ARTILLERY RECONNAISSANCE GROUP
['Kyzyl'] 'Kyzyl', 'Kyzyl' to 'Saint'
['Saint'] East-15, that's it
[Soldier] East-15, copy that
[Soldier 1] 7-88 [Soldier 2] 7-88
[Soldier] Check
FIRING POSITION, 2S4 'TULPAN' HEAVY MORTAR
[Soldier] Firing now!
[Soldier] Let's go! Fire!
[Soldier] Write this down: 08-702
[Soldier] No, it's next to it
[Soldier] They need a bit of an adjustment
[Soldier] We see a break
[Soldier] South-35, South-35, East-20, East-20
[Soldier] South-35, East-20
[Soldier] Yes
[Man] Hey guys! F*ck those a**holes for my son-in-law, Kolya Tsvetkov!
[Man] He died near Artyomovsk
['Kyzyl'] 3 'Smelchak' shells left?
['Kyzyl'] OK, got it
['Kyzyl'] 'Ural', this is 'Kyzyl'. 3 to go
[Soldier] Fire!
[Soldier 1] Go with them [Soldier 2] Get in
[Soldier] Going in the armoured vehicle? [Reporter] Yeah
[Soldier 1] Need help? [Soldier 2] Fire it up!
[Soldier] Mind your head! Mind your head!
[VO] Yes, the guys are bawling at me...
[VO] I almost had my head crushed
by the barrel of the world's largest and most powerful mortar
[Reporter] Our stop?
[Soldier] Yeah, yeah, it is
[Reporter] I can take off the GoPro then, eh? [Soldier] Sure
[Soldier] I wish you wouldn't step on the rifle
[Reporter] Forgive me, please [Soldier] No worries
[VO] We move out with scouts closer to the front,
to locate targets and transmit the data to the gunners.
[VO] The guys didn't want to take me
because it's a really dangerous mission.
[VO] You have to keep your eyes on your feet all the time:
the enemy has mined everything here with petal mines,
and I’d like to keep both of my legs.
['Puma'] We'll fly, seek, and kill
[Callsign: 'Puma', Scout, Artillery Reconnaissance Group]
['Puma'] I hope that's our air force
[Soldier] He's shot off flares, so it's ours ['Puma'] Ours
['Puma'] The task is finding manpower...
counterbattery fire...
and monitor approaching enemies
[Reporter] Why the trenches? ['Puma'] I hope you won't have to find out
['Puma'] So... For safety
['Puma'] Bunker down!
['Puma'] Check coordinates! Who's where?
[Callsign: 'Saint', Artillery Reconnaissance Group Leader]
['Saint'] I love this job. A dream job! You're useful
['Saint'] If you spot...
a target in time...
and destroy it,
lives depend on it
['Saint'] The sooner we find artillery, tanks... armoured vehicles
and suppress or destroy them with our artillery, the fewer will die
['Saint'] Take a gun fight: everything's decided by 1 soldier,
squad, or detachment... doesn't matter!
['Saint'] It's more like a 1-on-1 combat
['Saint'] But when artillery is firing, everyone bunkers deep down...
so it doesn't find you!
['Puma'] What was that sound from there? ['Saint'] A tank is firing
['Saint'] When we were mobilised...
the 1st month was hard
['Saint'] We got used to it ['Puma'] Yes
['Saint'] Now, when you go on leave, you don't...
feel comfortable at home
['Puma'] Something's missing
['Saint'] You miss all this. Maybe, it's wrong thinking
['Saint'] It's already…
part of our lives
['Saint'] 'Saint' - comms check ['Sine'] This is 'Sine'. Copy
['Sine'] North-100. West-80. Execute command!
['Sine'] Copy! 'Taint', this is 'Sine'. Aimed, ready to fire
[Soldier] Fire!
['Puma'] Silence. Creepy!
['Saint'] This is reconnaissance!
['Puma'] On the face of it ['Saint'] It is for now
['Saint'] It's a grown-ups' game, right? ['Puma'] Yes!
['Puma'] In war it's about who's the smartest
['Saint'] The quickest to outplay and deceive the enemy wins
['Saint'] A bit further... Further, further!
['Saint'] That's it!
['Saint'] We're changing position
['Saint'] Moving back to the main route
to change and charge the batteries
['Saint'] We'll work from there a bit. That's how we go,
like nomads from place to place... position to position
['Saint'] It helps keep the enemy in the dark
['Saint'] We can't work at 1 spot all the time
['Saint'] OK, let's move out [Soldier] Let's go
['Saint'] Careful!
['Saint'] Follow the footprints, just in case
FIRING POSITION MSTA-B ARTILLERY CREW KALMIUS BRIGADE
['Steve'] Kids write from the Hero City of Bryansk. Here...
you received mail
['Steve'] Here you are
['Steve'] So...
['Steve'] A small thing, but nice!
['Steve'] Someone was a miner, another a locksmith, another in sales
['Steve'] The Motherland called and all took up arms
[Callsign: 'Steve', Political Officer, 1st Donetsk Army Corps, Russian Ground Forces]
['Steve'] I'm a pensioner from Donetsk's 'Berkut' special forces
['Steve'] When the Orange revolutionaries took over,
I didn't see eye to eye with them, so I retired
['Steve'] When it started and the 1st missiles dropped on Donetsk Airport,
I packed my stuff...
and joined up
[VO] 'Msta-B'.
[VO] The 'B' stands for Russian word which means 'towed.'
[VO] This type of howitzer has been in service since the mid-80s
and is still actively used.
[VO] We saw the soldiers preparing the gun for battle.
[VO] They were cleaning, checking, and adjusting things.
[Reporter] What's that? [Soldier] A striking pin
[Reporter] What's it for? [Soldier] For firing
[Reporter] The main part… [Soldier] It hits a capsule, and a shot's fired
[Soldier] It's located in the breech mechanism
[Soldier] You install it, put in a shell, cock the breech and fire
'MSTA-B'
TOWED HOWITZER
CALIBER – 152 MM
MAXIMUM RANGE – 28 KM
[Reporter] What does the most damage?
[Soldier] The most damage to the enemy, in this war is done by artillery
[Soldier] Take medical statistics. What causes 80% of casualties?
[Soldier] Shrapnel wounds
[Soldier] Infantry is great - the queen of the battlefield
[Soldier] But we're the gods! As Stalin said:
'Artillery is the god of modern warfare'
[Soldier] Action!
[Soldier] Battle stations!
[Soldier] Please, carry on!
[Soldier 1] Ready! [Soldier 2] Fire at will!
[Soldier] Fire!
[Soldier] Almost any issue can be eliminated in the field by the crew,
almost any malfunction
[Soldier] I know, for example, the M777 (Towed 155-mm Howitzer, NTO-standard)
is very interesting, state-of-the-art hardware,
but if something breaks down, you can't repair it in the field
[Soldier] The simpler the kit, the better! It's how we do it
[Soldier] Pass a wrench!
[Soldier] Fire!
[Soldier] Tracking target!
[Soldier] One shell!
TEMPORARY DEPLOYMENT POINT, ARTILLERY RECONNAISSANCE GROUP
[Reporter] What kind of weapon do you work with?
['Saint'] Howitzer 'Msta-B'. Calculations must be precise
[Soldier] Shell flight time?
['Saint'] 23! [Soldier] 23!
['Saint'] 'Hazelnut', this is 'Saint'. Shell loaded... Fire!
['Hazelnut'] Fire!
[VO] After every operation, the cannon must be camouflaged quickly
so that the enemy can't detect with a drone.
[VO] The MLRS 'GRAD' The great-granddaughter of the legendary Katyusha.
[VO] I've seen them many times on frontline roads
lying in ambush like hunting predators
[Reporter] You have a cool tattoo, very artillery! [Soldier] Yeah, you could say that
[Reporter] Have you any stories? Funny or scary ones about your work?
ROCKET PLATOON BASE, 'KALMIUS' BRIGADE
['Bacon'] About backgammon? [Reporter] No, I get backgammon!
[Soldier] Every time I get asked...
to tell a story,
my mind immediately goes blank
[Callsign: 'Bacon', MLRS 'GRAD' Surveryor]
['Bacon'] Hello! My name's Artyom...
callsign 'Bacon'
['Bacon'] I'm a topographer
ARTILLERY DIRECTOR: USE IN ARTILLERY TO ORIENT GUNS AND DEVICES IN A GIVEN DIRECTION
['Bacon'] A topographer's main task is to calculate target references
and to aim the weapon
['Bacon'] The same work, mostly, but with different goals
['Bacon'] Today, we're covering our infantry, so it can withdraw successfully
['Bacon'] Tomorrow, we'll hit enemy field camps that...
our recon units found
['Bacon'] So, it could be anything. I always worry about our guys at the front:
infantry and assault battalions
['Bacon'] My father himself was involved in all this
['Bacon'] I can say, I'm very familiar with what the consequences for them may be
['Bacon'] How important their work...
and our work together is!
['Bacon'] And how important our support is
MLRS BM-21 'GRAD'
MULTIPLE LAUNCH ROCKET SYSTEM
CALIBER – 122 MM
BARRELS – 40
MAXIMUM RANGE – 42 KM
[VO] The guys have to hang around a lot,
and I have to wait with them,
but nothing can be done about that.
[VO] We're waiting for our scouts to pinpoint the target
and give us a signal to go.
[Soldier] This'll do, I think it's not that far, this will be enough
TEMPORARY DEPLOYMENT POINT, ARTILLERY RECONNAISSANCE GROUP
['Sine'] You ready? Keeping watch? [Soldier] Yes
[Reporter] So, what are we doing?
['Sine'] We've just done a radio check of their readiness to fire
['Sine'] We're looking for targets
['Sine'] We'll immediately detect any move or movement
['Sine'] On locating a target,
the operator reports, and we pass its coordinates to command...
and they work
[Reporter] Moving out? - Yes, to the target
[Soldier] There's a saying: 'A gunner's sweat saves the blood of the infantry'
[Soldier] It's true: the sooner we get out and do our job successfully,
the more infantry blood we'll save...
our infantry's
[Soldier] We're rushing to the firing position
[Soldier] We'll be there in a minute
[Soldier] We'll set up and do our job
[Soldier] Aim 404
[Soldier] 52-50-10
[Soldier] OK, 52-50 now
[Soldier 1] Got it [Soldier 2] 57-49
[Soldier 1] Is that it? [Soldier 2] Yes
[Soldier] 57-49
[Soldier] 57-49, yes
[Soldier] Prepared to fire
[Soldier] Fire on command
[Soldier] Ready, set...
[Soldier] Fire!
FIRING POSITION, ROCKET PLATOON, 'KALMIUS' BRIGADE
[Reporter] What do we do now?
[Soldier] We leave position and circle around
to confuse the enemy in case they're tracking us
[Soldier] We go in fast, fire, and leave, no reason to stick around
TEMPORARY DEPLOYMENT POINT, 2S7M MALKA SELF-PROPELLED CANNON
[VO] I stayed for several days with the guys from the 2C7 'Malka' crew,
waiting for combat work.
[VO] While we waited, we did all sorts of household chores:
stocked up on water, cooked food, and checked equipment.
[VO] It's important to note that soldiers don't live next to the gun.
[VO] It's not safe.
[VO] They get to the firing position in military vehicles.
[VO] I was interested in a soldier with the callsign 'Trump Card.'
[VO] Callsigns like that aren't given to just anyone.
[VO] He's the squad leader.
['Trump Card'] I'm 22. 'Trump Card' is my callsign
['Trump Card'] I got it for destroying a battery of self-propelled US guns
['Trump Card'] It was during my 1st week here
[Driver] Where are we going? ['Trump Card'] To a position...
to check the aiming point for the night shift, in case they have any work
2S7 'MALKA'
SELF-PROPELLED CANNON
CALIBER – 203 MM
MAXIMUM RANGE – 47 KM
[Callsign:'Trump Card', Squad Leader]
['Trump Card'] Well, here it is - a 'Malka', in the flesh
['Trump Card'] Well, it's actually camouflaged now
['Trump Card'] This baby here weighs 110 kilos
['Trump Card'] It's shaped like a teardrop
['Trump Card'] It flies far and brings a lot of grief to the enemy
['Trump Card'] Here we have a basket...
DIAL SIGHT: SIGHTING AND ANGLE-MEASURING OPTICAL DEVICE FOR GROUND ARTILLERY AND MULTIPLE LAUNCH ROCKET LAUNCHERS
a basket in which we install the 'panorama'
['Trump Card'] The 'panorama' is what I call this weapon's 'eye'
['Trump Card'] Through this device, we can precisely aim at a landmark
in order to open fire on the target
['Trump Card'] So...
['Trump Card'] Well, here we have…
['Trump Card'] Holy moly…
What's up?
['Trump Card'] I was checking the night aiming point
[Reporter] Found it? ['Trump Card'] Yes
['Trump Card'] We're now on combat duty, so we're always in touch
['Trump Card'] The radio station is on all day
['Trump Card'] If a target suddenly appears, we all get up fast
and go to the firing position to nail it
['Puma'] It's almost at the corner
TEMPORARY DEPLOYMENT POINT, ARTILLERY RECONNAISSANCE GROUP
['Saint'] A bit to the north
['Saint'] If they give the go-ahead, we'll hit it
['Saint'] Write this down:
73, 89, 161
63-08-702, 73-89-161, mortar
['Saint'] Yes, request fire
[Soldier] The drone will fly 15 min more
[Soldier] We need to move fast and open fire in 5
[Driver] All's ready
[Soldier] Come on! Over here! [Driver] Leaving without me?
[Soldier] Everyone in? [Driver] Yes, go!
[Soldier] That's it, get out!
FIRING POSITION, 2S7M MALKA SELF-PROPELLED CANNON
[Soldier] We've got no time! Come on, load it!
[Soldier] Our target is the 2 'Leopards'
[Soldier] Come on, come on!
[Soldier 1] Fire! [Soldier 2] Come on!
[Soldier] Ready to fire!
[Soldier] Fire!
[Soldier] The whole front is thundering with explosions
[Soldier] Our guys are watching, they'll guide our next shot
TEMPORARY DEPLOYMENT POINT, ARTILLERY RECONNAISSANCE GROUP
[Soldier 1] I see the explosion [Soldier 2] It only needs slight adjustment
[Soldier] Aim 663
[Soldier] 663, yes
[Soldier] 663, yes!
FIRING POSITION, 2S7M MALKA SELF-PROPELLED CANNON
[Soldier] 33-45, yes
[Soldier] Men, fire!
[Soldier] We also need to watch for drones
[Soldier 1] Sky clear? [Soldier 2] Clear
[Soldier] Guys, we're firing! Fire!
[Soldier 1] No, one more [Soldier 2] Ah, one more?
[Soldier] Prepare another!
[Soldier] One's in the barrel
[Soldier 1] Ready [Soldier 2] Fire!
[Soldier] Fire!
[Soldier] Oops!
[Soldier] Easy, easy!
[Soldier] It's fine, just a rehearsal
[Soldier 1] S**t! No, hear? [Soldier 2] I hear nothing
[Soldier 1] What's wrong? Open it [Soldier 2] Is it the plugs?
[Soldier] The squib is jammed
SQUIB (PYROTECHNIC CHARGE): EXPLOSIVE DEVICE USED TO SET OFF A GUNPOWDER CHARGE
[Soldier 1] Intact? [Soldier 2] Yes
[Soldier] Guys, come on! Fire!
[Soldier] You with us? [Reporter] Yes! Wait, I'll grab the camera
[Soldier] OK, do it, while we wrap up!
[Reporter] Where should I go?
[Soldier] To that side, Vanya's side! [Reporter] Roger
[Soldier] Vanya, help him!
[Soldier] Yes, yes
[Soldier] That's it! Stand here, don't touch the barrel
[VO] 'Don't touch the barrel.'
[VO] So naturally, I had to touch it, and it was extremely hot.
[VO] At that moment, I realised that I've just managed to capture
the work of the world's largest and most powerful cannon.
[VO] Which, by the way, is famously manned by the youngest combat crew.
[VO] I've been to different positions,
and captured the lives of several artillery crews,
[VO] I saw that this isn't just random firing of individual guns at the enemy,
but the complex work of units linked together
into single well-oiled mechanism.