Film opens with exploding shells and bombs at a steel bridge and along a waterfront, during World War II. g. Soviet troops march in the street of a city. An open truck filled with soldiers passes the camera. Smoke rises from chimneys over an industrial complex. A formation of Soviet Polikarpov I-16 aircraft in flight overhead. A formation of Soviet Ilyushin Il-4 bombers in flight overhead. Closeup of a Soviet BT-7 Tank. A formation of BT-7 tanks moving across a field. Soviet soldiers with captured Nazi Swastika flags. A Soviet BT-5 tank plowing through snow. Cossack cavalry charging across a frozen lake. A Russian artillery piece Extreme closeup of a Soviet Petlyakov Pe-2 bomber in flight. A tank climbing out of a deep hole. A Soviet Lavochkin La-5 fighter plane coming in to land, with flaps extended. Closeup of a Soviet BT-7 tank. Battery of Soviet 85 mm M1939 (52-K) anti-aircraft guns. Soviet tank commander standing atop his tank, looking through binoculars. A Russian battlecruiser firing her guns. Formation of Russian warships cruising at high speed. Triple gun turret on a Russian warship. Large formation of Soviet soldiers marching while holding rifles with fixed bayonets in front of them. Closeup of Soviet troops marching with shouldered arms. British union jack flag superimposed over British soldiers marching. American flag superimposed over U.S. troops marching. A giant formation of warplanes in flight overhead. A Soviet soldier (sentry) standing next to the Red flag, with formation of airplanes aloft in background.
Army reserves gather for mobilization. Views of soldiers showing their identification cards and are assigned duties accordingly. Young Estonian workers at Railway shops at Tallinn City walk out of their work place as a group, to sign up as volunteers in the Red army. They are seen sitting at a table and listening to a recruiter, each signs a document.
Film entitled: "Replace the Men," begins showing women at drafting desks working on technical machine drawings, during World War 2. They all rise from their seats, don their coats and leave. Next, a woman is seen in a machine shop, being shown by a machinist,how to use calipers to gauge the diameter of a steel part turning in a lathe. She goes to her lathe in a shop where other women are also working at lathes. Patriotic posters are on the wall in the background. Closeups of women at work on metal forming machines.
A man pulls on a rope to ring a bell alerting a rural Soviet village of impending air attack during World War 2. Villagers begin running to shelters. Two biplanes, with fixed gear and inline engines, fly at tree top altitude over the area. A villager pulling on a rope at another bell alerting the populace. More views of villagers running to shelters. Several aircraft seen overhead. At least one appears to be equipped with skis. Another man sounding a bell alarm. Some men mount horses and ride them out of the village. Farmers in a field round up livestock and drive them away from pastures into nearby woods. Parachutists are seen descending from overhead. Village men on horseback are issued rifles as they pass by a wagon where a man is handing them out. They ride into woods nearby and then take up defensive positions with their weapons. As the parachutists land and spill their chutes, the armed villagers move closer to them. Next, men on horseback ride victoriously into their village and another group of men and women also parade into the village.
Two Soviet army officer's exchange salutes with two enlisted men manning a well camouflaged antiaircraft gun outdoors, during World War 2. The officers then proceed through thick underbrush to another camouflaged antiaircraft gun site. One officer looks through binoculars at a German Junkers 88 (Ju 88) bomber maneuvering high overhead. Four more German aircraft appear overhead (unidentifiable). The gun crew prepare to fire at the aircraft. Closeup of gunner manipulating control wheel of the gun. View from the side, of the gun. A lone German Ju 88 aircraft is seen overhead. Closeup of gun crew placing shells into tun breech and firing. Several gun barrels are seen indicating this is an antiaircraft battery. The aircraft appears hit and begins to descend rapidly. It crashes, raising black smoke. Scene changes to closeup of burning wreckage of German aircraft. (The tail fin from a twin tail Dornier 17 (Do 17) is seen at left side of picture.)
Film shows Soviet soldiers accompanying a deserting German soldier through woods, during World War 2. They bring him to a non-commissioned officer who examines his papers including one that had been distributed (probably air dropped) by Soviet forces to German forces on the ground. Written in German it translates to "Comrades, with this card, All German soldiers , who are on the side of the Red Army, are guaranteed a life of good treatment and return home after the war." A Russian translation of the safe conduct pass is then shown translated into Russian. Closeups of the German soldier defector being further interrogated as he stands and responds. He is then led off in a friendly way by the soviet soldiers.