Chronicles of a Dive Bomber
Chronicles of a Dive Bomber is a 1967 Soviet war film directed by Naum Birman, based on Vladimir Kunin’s novel. The story follows a frontline bomber crew during the Great Patriotic War as they undertake dangerous reconnaissance to locate an enemy airfield.
The mission centers on junior lieutenant Chervonenko and the crew led by Arkhiptsev. They fly to photograph an airfield believed to house Focke-Wulf fighters, face false leads, and endure casualties. Chervonenko is killed during a landing, and the crew is briefly punished after a tense dispute in the dining room. They are released to attempt the mission again.
On the second recon, Arkhiptsev’s crew again finds a false airfield and comes under heavy fighter attack. Sobolevsky shoots down a fighter but is killed when their plane runs out of ammunition. Surrounded by enemy planes, Arkhiptsev and the navigator decide to ram the enemy fighters on the ground to protect their own plane and complete the mission.
Starring Lev Vainshtein, Aleksandr Grave, and Oleg Dahl, the film features music by Alexander Kolker and cinematography by Aleksandr Chirov. It was produced by Lenfilm and runs 74 minutes in Russian.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 14:35 (CET).