A concert pianist (Emil Gilels) in civilian clothes sits at a grand piano set up on a stage outdoors on the flight line of a Soviet Air Base during World War 2. Soviet airmen dressed in flight gear, listen attentively to the concert, as several sit in their cockpits or on the wings of their Mikoyan-Gurevich (MIG 3) fighter aircraft. Many others are assembled around the stage.(Several lend-lease C-47 aircraft are seen in the background.) A Mig-3 flies low over the the assembly.Lieutenant Aleksandr Ivanovich Pokryshkin,a renowned Soviet fighter pilot, is seen in cockpit of the plane, after landing, as he shuts the engine down. He climbs down, wearing a seat-pack parachute, and walks across the ramp toward two decorated Soviet airmen. They exchange salutes. Pokryshkin then joins them,leaning against the wing of a MIG-3. The camera focuses upon Pokryshkin. The concert pianist finishes playing and the airmen applaud. Scene shifts to airmen loading boxes of supplies aboard a C-47 transport airplane. A C-47 in flight overhead.
A line of Soviet artillery guns shell targets on a range. View of Soviet jet aircraft racing overhead including possibly MiG-19 or MiG-21 aircraft. Three soldiers in a trench observe rockets being fired from inclined ramps on the back of parked trucks. Abundant smoke.
Five MIG-19 fighters in V formation and AN-8 assault transport flying by during Russian Tushino air show in 1956. A TU-104 passenger airplane and a YAK-26 fighter flying. Views of Ye-2 and Ye-4 test jets from the MiG Design Bureau flying singly. Eight Mi-1 helicopters flying by. U.S. Air Force General Nathan F.Twining in conversation with other USAF (United States Air Force) officials. Views of Soviet flags.
A TU-95 in flight during Tushino Air Show in Russia. Three M-4 / 3M "Bison" four jet bombers flying then six TU-16 Badger bombers followed by six TU-14 bombers. MIG-19 and MiG-17 aircraft in different formations. Views of YAK-25 fighter and AN-4 flying by.
Opening scene shows Soviet infantry moving across a field, near a parked, heavily camouflaged Soviet T-28 medium tank. during World War 2. Closeup of T-28 tank covered in straw, and another in the open in the field in the background. Several views of Soviet heavy artillery firing from camouflaged positions in woods. heavily camouflaged Soviet army trucks moving along a road. Closeup of a wide track Soviet assault tank with offset gun, passing on the road. Soviet soldiers unloading boxes of ammunition. Four Soviet aviators conversing. Airmen loading bombs aboard a Soviet aircraft. Soviet pilots confer before start of mission. They then proceed to their aircraft. One climbs into open cockpit of a Polikarpov I-16 fighter aircraft. A Tupolev SB-2 Katyushka bomber taking off on a grassy field. Closeup of soviet pilot in open cockpit of a MiG-1 fighter plane. Various views of two MiG-1 aircraft with engine running, as they taxis out and take off. View from ground of the two aircraft in flight overhead. A Soviet soldier with binoculars spotting aircraft overhead. Views from aircraft dropping bombs. View from ground of bombs bursting , raising huge clouds. Glimpse, again, of spotter with binoculars. smoke rising from crashed aircraft. Closeup of remains of destroyed German airplane. Aerial view of a Petlyakov Pe-8 bomber dropping bombs on an enemy held airfield. Closeup of gloved hand of pilot in cockpit, releasing bombs. Glimpse from inside the aircraft as bombs fall. Explosions ans smoke from exploding bombs. Fighter planes inflight overhead. Black smoke rising from crashed burning German airplane. Several crashed German planes. Camera pans over wreckage. Body of a German aviator lies on ground next to one wreck. Soviet soldiers examine wreckage and remove parts from some planes. Two stubby Polikarpov I-153 biwing aircraft taxiing across a field. Pilots climbing out of their cockpits. Pilot sliding down the wing of a Tupolev SB-2 Katyushka aircraft. Another SB-2 shuts engines down and a bemedaled Hero of the Soviet Union pilot climbs down from the cockpit and embraces a wounded aviator standing nearby. Scene shifts to German prisoners of war being escorted by armed Soviet soldiers. German prisoners being processed at a camp. A truckload of German prisoners, some ambulatory wounded, are brought to a processing camp. Closeups of several in prison camp.
UN air and ground forces advance in Korea. Black smoke from explosion on hills. UN planes in flight over Korean hills. Planes drop combs over enemy North Korean installations. Machine gun fire from an aircraft. An enemy MiG fighter aircraft is hit and downed by a UN plane. The hit plane goes out of control and descends to the ground.