WAR PICTORIAL NEWS NO 168 [Main Title]

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  • Title: WAR PICTORIAL NEWS NO 168 [Main Title]
  • Film Number: WPN 168
  • Other titles:
  • Summary: An edition of the British official newsreel "War Pictorial News", produced by the Ministry of Information, Middle East.
  • Description: I. 'INVASION NEWS.' Panoramic footage shows smoke rising over Cherbourg Harbour (Manche) following the destruction of the dock facilities by the town's German defenders. United States (US) infantry from VII Corps manhandle an M1 57mm anti-tank gun into position covered by their comrades firing an air-cooled Browning .30-in machine gun. US infantry fire M1 .30-in Garand self-loading rifles, M1 .30-in Carbines and a captured German 9mm Maschinenpistole 40 (MP 40) sub-machine gun. A US VII Corps infantryman fires a water-cooled Browning .30-in machine gun from the window of a house. The commentary states that the German defenders of Cherbourg quickly realised the futility of further resistance without the support of the Luftwaffe and an active naval force. German Wehrmacht prisoners wave white flags as they surrender to US troops near the harbour at Cherbourg. German prisoners are marched past Cherbourg town walls under guard by US infantry carrying M1 Garand rifles. Aerial footage shows the extent of a German construction project apparently designed to store and launch V-1 (Fieseler Fi 103 Vergeltungswaffe 1) flying bombs. Aerial footage shows bombs dropped by US 9th Air Force Martin B-26 Marauder aircraft impacting on a smaller V-1 launch site. Low-level aerial reconnaissance footage shows a well camouflaged V-1 storage and launch site. A V-1 flying bomb is shown in the air over Southern England. Two Royal Air Force (RAF) Flight Lieutenants inspect wreckage from a downed V-1 in a field. Stock shots show United States Army Air Force (USAAF) North American B-25 Mitchell and Douglas Boston Bombers in flight (all display invasion striping). II. 'TITO.' Partisans of the Yugoslav National Liberation Army stand guard outside Tito's well camouflaged mountain headquarters at Drvar. The commentary introduces Marshal Tito (Josip Broz) and outlines his successes against the Germans in Jugoslavia. Tito is show standing outside his mountain headquarters in conversation with members of his staff. A mixed-sex contingent of Tito's partisan army (National Liberation Army) march into an unidentified Yugoslav town. III. 'RUSSIA.' Russian artillery crews stack 152mm shells near a gun pit in anticipation of a forthcoming barrage, a 152mm Gaubitsa-Pushka obr 1937g heavy field gun stands close by. Russian infantry lie prone behind an earthen bank armed with 7.62mm Pistolet-Pulemyot Shpagina obr 1941g sub-machine guns, 7.62mm Karabin obr 1938g rifles and a Pulemyot Degtyarova Pekhotnii obr 1928g 7.62mm light machine gun. A Russian infantryman stands alert, cradling the butt of a PTRS-41 14.5mm anti-tank rifle while his comrade loads the drum magazine of a PPSh-41 sub-machine gun with 7.62mm bullets. Russian artillery crews load and fire a 152mm Gaubitsa-Pushka obr 1937g artillery piece. Russian infantry with slung PPSh-41 sub-machine guns (drum and box magazines) manhandle a 45mm Protivotankovaya Pushka obr 1930g anti-tank gun up a steep and muddy incline. Extensive footage shows Russian T-70 light tanks and T-34/76B and T-34/76D tanks moving at speed over grassland, supported by tank descent infantry. Stock shots show Russian Air Force Ilyushin Il-4 bombers in flight. A massed Russian rocket barrage is shown at night.
  • Alternative Title:
  • Colour: B&W
  • Digitised: Yes
  • Object_Number: WPN 168
  • Sound: Silent (part Sound)
  • Access Conditions: IWM Attribution: © IWM
  • Featured Period: 1939-1945
  • Production Date: 1944-07-24
  • Production Country: GB
  • Production Details: Ministry of Information, Middle East (Production sponsor) War Pictorial News (Production company) Martin, Charles (Production individual) Keating, Rex1910-02-142005-01British newsreel commentator, WW2 period (Production cast)
  • Personalities, Units and Organisations: Tito, Josip Broz (person) Yugoslavian partisans (regiment/service)
  • Keywords: prisoners of war, German - surrender (object name) prisoners of war, German - movement (object name) combat, United States (object name) celebrations, French - liberation (object name) weapons, German - missile: V1 (object name) combat, Russian (object name) Second World War, North West Europe & Cherbourg, Capture of & 26/6/1944 (event) Cherbourg, Manche, France (geography) Yugoslavia (geography) Russia (geography)
  • Physical Characteristics: Colour format: B&W Sound format: Silent (part Sound) Soundtrack language: Russian (item III only) Title language: English Subtitle language: Arabic
  • Technical Details: Format: 35mm Number of items/reels/tapes: 1 Footage: 877 ft; Running time: 10 mins
  • HD Media:Yes
  • Link to IWM Collections page:

    WPN 168

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