Counter-Attack

In 1942, both Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union gather forces in a sector of the Eastern Front for a major strike. The Soviets secretly build a river-crossing bridge underwater, 500 mm below the surface, to avoid detection. The plan hinges on timing the assault with this hidden crossing.

Colonel Semenov orders a small paratrooper unit to strike a divisional HQ and capture an officer for interrogation. They are guided by local partisans Kostyuk and Lisa Elenko. The mission seeks to pierce German defenses and obtain crucial intelligence.

Alexei Kulkov and his team seize seven German soldiers in the basement of the divisional HQ. He finds a monogrammed pistol and a monocle, clues that one of the captives is an officer in disguise. Elenko arrives with a message just as German artillery hits, trapping the group underground.

A portion of the building is destroyed by artillery, leaving Kulkov, the prisoners, and Elenko trapped in a spacious cellar. Kulkov hesitates to dig out, hoping to identify which captive is the officer among them.

Kulkov's dog noses toward the buried commander, triggering a comrade to tap on a metal pipe to call for reinforcement. The signal pulls a team away from the immediate danger as the group remains confined.

Kulkov interrogates the captives, ruling out an ex-miner and a former magician, but he cannot yet pinpoint the officer among them. He looks for telltale signs, such as a monocle or other insignia, to reveal the true identity.

An eighth German, thought dead, awakens and launches a frantic assault. In the ensuing darkness, Elenko is stabbed in the shoulder, but Kulkov manages to kill the intruder and regain control.

Kulkov stages a feint: the magician is moved out of sight, knocked out, and a single shot is fired to simulate a ruthless punishment. He repeats the ruse with the defiant sergeant, forcing the remaining prisoners to reveal their officer under pressure.

The third man Kulkov questions admits he is Major Erich von Sturmer, exposing the disguise of one of the captives. Stillman reacts with anger at the betrayal that allowed two of his men to be 'shot' before their identities were known.

Amid a tense exchange, Kulkov presses von Sturmer for the strategic details he seeks. Though von Sturmer initially resists, Kulkov ultimately discloses the crucial secret behind the underwater bridge plan.

With Elenko weakening, Kulkov takes on sole guard duty for the prisoners as Stillman returns with a rifle that turns out to have no bullets. Kulkov remains vigilant, refusing to abandon his mission.

The sound of digging signals German activity, but the prisoners turn out to be kept under control by the Soviets who now press the offensive. The Soviet assault reaches the building, and Kulkov prepares to act on the intelligence he has gathered.

Kulkov’s dog is the first through the opening, signaling the path to escape and the impending breakthrough. He passes the vital information obtained from von Sturmer to Colonel Semenov, ensuring the Soviet attack can proceed. Exhausted and spent, Kulkov collapses as the mission nears its conclusion.