''Tank Brigade'' () is a 1955 Czechoslovak film made about the

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Eastern Front conflict between German and Czechoslovak forces. The film is set in 1944 and follows Czechoslovak tank brigade during Battle of Ostrava. The film is largely a

propaganda film A propaganda film is a film that involves some form of propaganda. Propaganda films spread and promote certain ideas that are usually religious, political, or cultural in nature. A propaganda film is made with the intent that the viewer will ad ...

, depicting actions of the 1st Czechoslovak Independent Tank Armoured Brigade, with

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

forces, who both fought their way to the Czechoslovak border, and participated in the

Battle of the Dukla Pass The Battle of the Dukla Pass, also known as the Dukla, Carpatho–Dukla, Rzeszów–Dukla, or Dukla–Prešov offensive, was the battle for control over the Dukla Pass on the border between Poland and Slovakia on the Eastern Front of World Wa ...

. The film depicts the struggle for

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

and the successful liberation of

Ostrava Ostrava (; ; ) is a city in the north-east of the Czech Republic and the capital of the Moravian-Silesian Region. It has about 283,000 inhabitants. It lies from the border with Poland, at the confluences of four rivers: Oder, Opava (river), Opa ...

in Northern

Moravia Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Republic, roughly encompassing its territory within the Danube River's drainage basin. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The medieval and early ...

. The film was shot in Ostrava; one scene depicts a battle for the Miloš Sýkora bridge in Ostrava city, featuring the actual bridge. Three thousand members of the

Czechoslovak People's Army The Czechoslovak People's Army (, , ČSLA) was the armed forces of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ) and the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic from 1954 until 1989. From 1955 it was a member force of the Warsaw Pact. On 14 March 1990 ...

participated in the film. Crew that worked on film included many significant people of Czech cinematography such as cinematographer Jan Čuřík or director

František Vláčil František Vláčil (19 February 1924 – 27 January 1999) was a Czech film director, painter, and graphic artist. From 1945 to 1950, he studied aesthetics and art history at Masaryk University in Brno. Later, he worked in various groups an ...

who helped with tank battles. The film is 93 minutes, in colour, and stars

Otomar Krejča Otomar Krejča (23 November 1921 – 6 November 2009) was a Czech theatre director, actor and dissident. He directed 84 productions, of which more than 40 abroad, and became one of the most significant theatre directors in the history of Czech the ...

Bedřich Prokoš Bedřich is a Czech masculine given name, a Czech variant of the German name Friedrich and English Frederick. It also appears as a surname (feminine: Bedřichová). Feminine counterpart of the given name is Bedřiška. Notable people with the nam ...

Martin Růžek Martin Růžek, born Erhard Martin (23 September 1918 – 18 December 1995) was a Czech actor. He starred in the film ''Poslední propadne peklu'' under director Ludvík Ráža in 1982. Personal life Růžek was born on 23 September 1918 in Če ...

Július Pántik Július Pántik (15 January 1922 – 25 August 2002) was a Slovak film actor. He appeared in over 30 films between 1947 and 1992. Selected filmography * ''Warning (1946 film), Warning'' (1946) *''White Darkness (film), White Darkness'' (194 ...

Jana Dítětová Jana Dítětová, née Kalabzová (7 October 1926 – 9 November 1991) was a Czechoslovak film actress. She appeared in 40 films between 1942 and 1988. She was married to Czech actor Josef Vinklář. Selected filmography * '' Happy Journey' ...

Ota Sklenčka Ota Sklenčka (19 December 1919 in Hradec Králové – 10 October 1993 in Prague) was a Czech actor. He starred in the film ''Poslední propadne peklu'' under director Ludvík Ráža in 1982. Selected filmography * ''Lovers in the Year One' ...

, Zdeněk Dítě,

Jiří Sovák Jiří Sovák (''né'' Schmitzer; 27 December 1920 – 6 September 2000) was a Czech actor, best known for his comedy roles. Early life Jiří Sovák was born Jiří Schmitzer to the family of an innkeeper in Prague.Jiří Sovák, Slávka Kopec ...

, Rudolf Deyl ml., Jiri Vala,

Miloslav Holub :''Miloslav Holub should not be confused with the Czech poet Miroslav Holub.'' Miloslav Holub (27 February 191512 March 1999) was a Czech actor, perhaps best known for his appearances (ranging from leads to cameo roles) in five films by Karel Z ...

, Miloš Nedbal, Antonin Sura. The screenplay was written by Jaroslav Klima, directed by Ivo Toman and produced by Československý Armádní Film. Unusual for war films, it used a variety of authentic armoured vehicles used by both sides, including Russian

T-34 The T-34 is a Soviet medium tank from World War II. When introduced, its 76.2 mm (3 in) tank gun was more powerful than many of its contemporaries, and its 60-degree sloped armour provided good protection against Anti-tank warfare, ...

and T-34/85s, as well as German

Sturmgeschütz III The ''Sturmgeschütz'' III (StuG III) was an assault gun produced by Nazi Germany during World War II. It was the most-produced German Continuous track, fully tracked armoured fighting vehicle, and second-most produced German armored combat ve ...

Panzer IV The IV (Pz.Kpfw. IV), commonly known as the Panzer IV, is a German medium tank developed in the late 1930s and used extensively during the Second World War. Its ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz. 161. The Panzer IV was the most numer ...

and a

Schwimmwagen The Volkswagen ''Schwimmwagen'' () is a light four-wheel drive amphibious car, used extensively by German ground forces during the Second World War. With over 15,000 units built, the ''Schwimmwagen'' is the most-produced amphibious car in histo ...

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0261340, Tank Brigade
The Tank Brigade on Czecho-Slovak Movie Database (Czech)
1955 films 1950s Czech-language films World War II propaganda films Czech war films Czech resistance to Nazi occupation in film Czech World War II films Czechoslovak World War II films 1955 war films