Soviet sources present the result of the battles at Tali-Ikhantal as a “draw” The film deals with the events of the Vyborg-Petrozavodsk operation on June 10 – August 9, 1944 (one of the 10 so-called “Stalin strikes”). Starting active hostilities against the Soviet Union on June 29, 1941, Finnish troops managed to capture large areas in the north, but on December 4, Mannerheim ordered the transition to defense. Using advantageous geographical factors - an abundance of rivers, lakes, swamps, interlake defiles and large forests, the Finns created a strong defense up to 120 km deep, so-called. "Karelian Wall", where the events of the film take place. In the Vyborg direction, the defense included 4 strips, a number of intermediate and cut-off positions, saturated with reinforced concrete and wood-earth structures. The city of Vyborg was turned into a fortified area. In connection with the defeats of German troops, the internal political situation in Finland worsened. Roosevelt personally asked Stalin not to carry out an offensive operation and not to bomb Finnish cities, because the Finns through Stockholm asked for the terms of an armistice, which was then refused.
The Vyborg Offensive Operation, which took place from 10 to 20 June, was originally conceived by the Headquarters in order to divert the attention of the Hitlerite command from preparing a decisive offensive of Soviet troops in Belarus. This operation was to be carried out by significant forces and will end before the beginning of Operation Bagration on June 23 to defeat Army Group Center. On June 9, for 10 hours, methodical artillery destruction by the troops of the Leningrad Front of reinforced concrete pillars, zots and observation posts continued. On June 10, within 5 minutes, thousands of guns and mortars made a simultaneous attack on the entire depth of the enemy’s First Band of Defense. Further artillery preparation lasted 2 hours 20 minutes, three trenches of the main defensive strip were destroyed to the ground along with its defenders. The infantry on the front line fled in panic. The breakthrough of the Second Strip began on June 14 after powerful artillery preparations in the Vyborg and Kegsgolm directions. The third line of defense was a complex of defensive structures of the old "Mannerheim line" and partially newly built, which was broken on June 18. In the course, Soviet troops captured the city of Koivisto (Primorsk) and on June 20 the city of Vyborg. As a result of the urgent transfer of almost 2/3 of the Finnish troops was on the Karelian Isthmus, after which the Svir-Petrozavodsk offensive operation on the Karelian Front began, which ended on August 9 with the destruction of the Olonets and Masel Finnish groups. Soviet troops have reached the border with Finland.
According to Finnish historiography, the Battle of Tali Ihantal was a battle northeast of Vyborg (June 25-July 9, 1944), which followed immediately after the fall of the city. In Soviet and Russian historiography there are no names. In the film and in a number of Finnish sources, the result of the battles is assessed as a “victory in the confrontation”, as a result of which Finnish troops managed to prevent the capture of Finland by the Soviet Union and its occupation. Mannerheim wrote: On June 30th, fierce battles were fought along this new line of defense, but the defenses withstood. The last part, transferred from Eastern Karelia, the 6th Division under the command of Major General Wichma, who fell a hero in these battles, managed to take up positions in time and stabilize the defense. The offensive, which involved 16-17 divisions, was repelled. We could not even hope for such an end. It was a miracle.” Soviet sources present the result of the battles as a draw. Using the advantageous terrain for conducting defensive battles and strengthening the defending troops with fresh divisions transferred from Karelia, as well as transferred units of German troops, the Finnish side managed to restrain the offensive of Soviet troops. During the two-week offensive battles, Soviet troops, exhausted in previous offensive battles, advanced less than 10 kilometers, after which they stopped the offensive and went on defense.
The film is shot from a revanchist position, steadfast Finnish soldiers, along with the Germans and Swedish volunteers, mercilessly shoot Russian soldiers walking in the forehead on machine guns and burn several tanks. Indeed, on June 19-22, Germany supplied Finland with 14,000 faustpatrons, the sudden and massive use of this new weapon for that era gave an effect of operational scale and allowed the Finnish army to buy time. In June-July, the Finns received 58 Messerschmitt fighters. Bf-109G-6 and 19 more in July. Between 20 and 23 June, the 303rd Assault Gun Brigade arrived in Finland. Since June 20, 1944, the German aviation regiment took part in the bih near Vyborg (23 dive bombers Ju-87 D Stuka and 23 FW-190 fighters).
In late August, the Finns requested a truce. Acknowledging the bias of the filmmakers, it is impossible not to recognize at the same time the steadfastness and courage of Finnish soldiers and officers. And it will be right not to show violent emotions and indignation when watching the film, knowing the true history of events.
6 out of 10