Mikhail Kostylev

1939年、ノモンハンで起きた日本との紛争事件を契機に、砲火に耐えうる強力な戦車の必要性を痛感したソ連は、新たな戦車の開発に着手。開発チームは、翌年、ウクライナのハリコフにある工場で、最新式の戦車T－34の試作に成功。スターリンの立ち会いのもとで閲兵式が近日行なわれることを知った主任設計技師のコーシュキンは、戦車の性能と威力を実地試験すべく、自ら試作機に乗り、はるかモスクワを目指す遠征の旅に出る。

1941年、ナチスドイツはソ連への大規模な奇襲侵攻作戦“バルバロッサ作戦”を開始した。首都モスクワが大軍に包囲されようとする中、郊外の町ヴォロコラムスクを守備していたパンフィロフ将軍指揮下の第4中隊は敵の猛攻にさらされる。機動力、攻撃力に勝る独軍戦車部隊の前に歩兵中心の守備隊はなすすべもなく、生き残りはわずか28人。だが、彼らはモスクワを守る最後のとりでとして、絶望的に不利な戦いに赴いていく。

Lydia Litvyak - Soviet fighter pilot. Ace. Hero. In the world ranking of female combat pilots - the first line. Her name has been there since August 1943. And probably forever. For almost eighty years past, none of the female aces have come close to such a combat account. Unless, of course, excluding Katerina Budanova, a fellow soldier and Lily’s best friend. Katya is the second line. Their regiment flew on Yak-1 fighters. He covered attack aircraft, transporters and ground troops. They fought over Stalingrad, Rostov and Mius Front. They converged in battles with German fighters, bombers and scouts. They returned from combat sorties with empty tanks and holes, fell on enemy territory, burned and sat on their belly, saved friends, suffered losses, were injured and returned to duty ... They won and became legends. On the first of August 1943, Lilya Litvyak was incomplete for 22 years. That day, her plane took off for the last time and remained in the sky forever...