Live ammunition was used in the film - in interviews, actor Aleksey Kravchenko has described actual bullets passing some 10 centimeters above his head.
Some of the German soldiers are using Russian weapons - this is correct, as they were less likely to jam and could work at lower temperatures than many German-made guns.
Many of the uniforms seen throughout the film are originals.
The Nazi German SS Major Sturmbannfuhrer's type of pet in the film is an animal known as a Red Slender Loris, a mammal species of prosimian, i.e., a primate that is neither a monkey nor an ape.
The original name of the film was supposed to be "Kill Hitler". The name had to be changed because it was deemed inappropriate at that time.