SCENES AT ARROMANCHES AND AT KING BEACH [Allocated Title]

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  • Title: SCENES AT ARROMANCHES AND AT KING BEACH [Allocated Title]
  • Film Number: ADM 1234
  • Other titles: OPERATION NEPTUNE [Allocated Series Title]
  • Summary: Scenes at Arromanches the day after the invasion - the harbour is surveyed and the first blockship put in position. At King Beach the cameraman surveys some of the wreckage from the previous day.
  • Description: I. Reel One. HMS Fernie (L.11) closes to pass a line to the cameraship HMS Aristocrat. LS of two LSIs - the nearest is an Empire Class vessel. HMS Cottesmore (L.78) passes right to left. LS of Empire Class LSI(H). LS of HMS Danae. MS off starboard bow of anchored HMS Argonaut. II. Onshore at Arromanches. RN shore party talks with black-clad local women - pan left to the anchorage where blockship Alynbank and a Halcyon Class minesweeper are evident. LS up the street to La Tourelle and pan over the fronts of the houses. Two marines, one holding a .380 revolver, guard some German prisoners. General shots of the sea wall. LS as Alynbank, the first of the blockships, is sunk - not a complete success as she develops a marked list and the current swings her round out of position. Survey craft HDML 1001 passes left to right - she flies a SURVEY pennant and has a badge enclosing a theodolite on the side of the bridge. An empty Rhino ferry passes - in the background Alynbank has now settled on an even keel. LS from the anchorage to Arromanches - a LCVP and DUKW in the foreground. XLS to distant convoy of LSTs. III. Force G at Weymouth. Cameraship Aristocrat lies near the LSE HMS Adventure. As the ship leaves for France she is played away by Sub-Lieutenant Mitchell on the bagpipes (see ADM 1979). Commander White breaks out the White Ensign. Ship's launch skims over the waves as she escorts Aristocrat on her way. IV. Arromanches. Formations of Marauders fly overhead. CU as LCP[SY] 177 passes. A DUKW runs ashore. RE party disembark from DUKW and begin to set up a theodolite on the beach below La Tourelle (see ADM 1981). V. Debris on Gold beach. MS of a drowned M3 half-track partially buried in the sand after the tide has receded - in the foreground a Union Jack flutters from the top of a surveying pole stuck in the sand. A sunken LCVP lies full of water in a crater scoured by the tide - it too has been marked. LS of a vehicle awash in the shallows - LCT in the background. MS of wrecked half-track on the beach - it is wearing 50 Division insignia. MSs of a wrecked truck and a stranded M8 armoured tractor - men are digging out a Sherman. Along the beach is a stranded LCT - it rests on a sand bank, down at the stern with its bows in the air. VI. Convoy off France - Empire Class LSI, LSTs, Prince Charles Class LSI(M), a second Empire Class vessel (Empire Arquebus ?), etc. The cameraship, a J Class destroyer, bombards the coast. VII. Continuation of V. LS of the stranded LCT seen earlier. Men dig out a bogged down Sherman DD. MS of LCT 555 stranded on German beach obstacles - her bows are in the air and the dropped vehicle ramp is at an angle impossibly steep for vehicle use. MS pan over a group of abandoned LCAs - 383, 442, 503, etc - in the background is a damaged LCM(1). CU of a notice by a field, warning of the presence of mines. Men come ashore from LCAs. A convoy of LSTs nears the coast, the ships towing protective kite balloons, while further out lie the support forces - destroyers and a cruiser, HMS Orion. Offshore are some US LCT(6)s. US troops move inland - in the foreground right are the bows of the US LCT 659, and in the background is a notice identifying this as King Beach. Recovery equipment is scattered about - Le Tourneau cranes, one towed by a amphibious tractor, a 6x4 Scammell, and tracked mobile cranes. VIII. Offshore. LS to a flotilla of passing LCI(L)s, the French coast in the background. LCAs - possibly LCS(M)s - make heavy weather of the run in to the shore. Final LS to the coast, partially obscured by smoke, with destroyers lying in mid-ground. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ DETAILED BREAKDOWN OF CONTENTS (Based on viewing of the Beta-SP copy. Numbers in brackets refer to time codes). (10:00:00:00) (D-Day) (Build up in UK) Landing craft lined up on shore; camera pans round to show beach with supplies, tanks and vehicles lined up. Two heavy tracked tractor vehicles driving onto two landing craft. Men in black uniforms (Marines) loading crates onto Tanks. Very large tank-based crane driving onto landing craft. Large tracklaying vehicle on tank base moving across beach; lots of other vehicles and supplies around. (10:00:18:00) (D-Day) (Naval) LS large convoy of ships stretching out to sea towing kite balloons. MLS landing craft in mid distance, larger ships beyond. Landing craft moving towards coast (medium-wide shot). (10:02:33:16) (D-Day) (Naval) (Weymouth) Servicemen exercising on ships deck. Naval officers CU on ship talking and laughing. (10:03:20:00) (D-Day) (Naval) (Weymouth) Force G at Weymouth. Cameraship «HMS Aristocrat» lies near the LSE «HMS Adventure». As the ship leaves for France she is played away by Sub-Lieutenant Mitchell on the bagpipes in MCU (see ADM 1979). Pan to sailors watching, then up to army and naval officers talking on upper deck. Wide shot of piper and sailors. Shot looking back at other ships. Commander White breaks out the White Ensign. (10:03:59:00) (D-Day) (Naval) Various shots of large troop ships at sea in convoy. (10:04:48:00) (D-Day) (Naval) (Air Forces) Arromanches. Formations of Marauders fly overhead. CU of LCP. Various shots of small RN ships, troop ships and landing craft. (10:07:06:00) (D-Day) (Naval) LS as «Alynbank», the first of the blockships, is sunk - not a complete success as she develops a marked list and the current swings her round out of position. Survey craft «HDML 1001» passes left to right - she flies a SURVEY pennant and has a badge enclosing a theodolite on the side of the bridge. An empty Rhino ferry passes - in the background «Alynbank» has now settled on an even keel. LS from the anchorage to Arromanches - a LCVP and DUKW in the foreground. XLS to distant convoy of LSTs. Various pans along French coast. Small survey launch draws up next to ship; naval officers talk (MCU). (10:08:21:00) (D-Day) (Naval): Very Good. Ships guns being fired MCU. (10:09:12:00) (D-Day) (Naval) Naval Officer standing on front of DUKW in sea. A DUKW on shore. RE party disembark from DUKW and begin to set up a theodolite on the beach below La Tourelle (see ADM 1981). (10:09:46:00) (D-Day) British troops coming ashore from Landing craft. A convoy of landing craft nears the coast. (10:10:18:00) (D-Day) (Naval) II. Onshore at Arromanches. RN shore party talks with black-clad local women - pan left to the anchorage where blockship «Alynbank» and a Halcyon Class minesweeper are evident. LS up the street to La Tourelle and pan over the fronts of the houses. Two marines, one holding a .380 revolver, guard some German prisoners. (10:10:57:00) (D-Day) Pan along shore to German sign. Pan round top of sea well Civilians looking down from wall houses in background. Pan round Houses MCU looking fairly battered. Wide shot pan from shore line; pan round similar scene to above along sea wall from below showing damaged French houses and buildings. (10:11:30:00) (D-Day) (Naval): Battle ship anchored off shore from water. On board ship Red Ensign pan to show various types of shit at anchor. Several similar shots of ships at anchor. CU Small launch speeding across water. shot of ships at anchor. CU senior Naval officer getting off launch onto ship. Runs up steps talks to junior Naval officer. (10:12:15:00) (D-Day) (Naval) Pan round ships at anchor French coast in background, includes Mulberry section and track or pipe laying ship. Shots taken from launch passing loads of ships at anchor with Landing Craft along side. (10:13:00:00) (D-Day) (Beaches) Shot showing French town from sea pans round to reveal 4 large cargo ships beached on shore line and landing craft / DUKWs around them. (10:13:19:00) (D-Day): Shot of field and trees, possible camouflaged vehicle or gun emplacement in middle background. (10:13:45:00) (D-Day) (Naval) (Beaches): Various ships at anchor. DUKW from ship moving between ships toward shore. Pan from sky to ships more ships at anchor. (10:14:43:00) (D-Day) (Naval) (Beaches): Men on boat; one seems to be offering shoes and white shirts. Two shots of signs warning of mine fields. (10:15:19:00) (D-Day) (Beaches wreckage): Beach scene with Union Jack in foreground, wrecked Allied half track behind. Sea, beach defences and ships in background. Submerged Landing Craft in crater flying Union Jack. Large Landing Craft in shallows sunken vehicle (tank?) in foreground. Wrecked Allied vehicle in foreground, troops and vehicles moving on road in background. Wrecked Jeep in sand. Tracked vehicle in sand. Beached big ship. US Landing Craft in foreground US troops marching up beach large crane moving in same direction. Pan round to show large sign saying "King" (King Beach) in background. US Troops marching away. Crane following along beach. (10:17:18:00) End.
  • Alternative Title: OPERATION NEPTUNE [Allocated Series Title]
  • Colour: B&W
  • Digitised: Yes
  • Object_Number: ADM 1234
  • Sound: Silent
  • Access Conditions: IWM Attribution: © IWM
  • Featured Period: 1939-1945
  • Production Date: 1944-06-07
  • Production Country: GB
  • Production Details: Admiralty (Production sponsor) RN Film Combat Unit No 2 (Production company) Beeson, Paul1921-11-162001-07-19Born Hammersmith, London as Paul Antonio Charles Beeson. Died Gerrards Cross. Obituary at http://www.cinematographers.nl/PaginasDoPh/beeson.htm Accessed 11 January 2011 (Production individual)
  • Personalities, Units and Organisations: Royal Navy, FERNIE (HMS), escort destroyer (regiment/service) Royal Navy, COTTESMORE (HMS), destroyer (regiment/service) Royal Navy, DANAE (HMS), frigate (regiment/service) Royal Navy, ARGONAUT (HMS), light cruiser (regiment/service) Royal Navy, HDML 1001 (regiment/service) Royal Navy, ARISTOCRAT (HMS) (regiment/service) Royal Navy, LCPSY 177 (regiment/service) Royal Navy, ADVENTURE (HMS), minelayer (regiment/service) Royal Navy, LCT 555 (regiment/service)
  • Keywords: ships, British naval - cruiser: Danae (object name) ships, British naval - cruiser: Argonaut (object name) ships, British naval - destroyer: Fernie (L.11) (object name) ships, British naval - destroyer: Cottesmore (L.78) (object name) ships, British naval - light forces: HDML 1001 (object name) ships, British naval - amphibious: LCP[SY] 177 (object name) ships, British naval - amphibious: LSE Adventure (object name) ships, British naval - amphibious: LCT[4] 555 & [wrecked] (object name) Second World War & Operation Neptune & 7/6/1944 (event) Arromanches-les-Bains, Calvados, France (geography)
  • Physical Characteristics: Colour format: B&W Sound format: Silent Soundtrack language: None Title language: None Subtitle language: None
  • Technical Details: Format: 35mm Number of items/reels/tapes: 2 Footage: 1607ft; Running time: 18 mins
  • HD Media:Yes
  • Link to IWM Collections page:

    ADM 1234

  • Related IWM Collections Objects:

    ADM 1234A (SCENES AT ARROMANCHES AND AT KING BEACH [Allocated Title]) ADM 1234B (SCENES AT ARROMANCHES AND AT KING BEACH [Allocated Title])
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