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Title:THE SECOND DAY OF THE SEINE CROSSING OPERATION AT VERNON [Allocated Title]
Film Number:A70 136-9
Other titles:
Summary: 129th Brigade's assault across the Seine comes under increasing German opposition during the second day of the operation.
Description: A detachment from the 8th Battalion Middlesex Regiment's 'A' company lays down harassing fire with its Vickers machine-gun on German positions on the north bank of the Seine from a building in Vernon overlooking the river. Four prisoners from the 49th Wehrmacht infantry division are brought into Vernon by their 1st Worcester Regiment captors. A soldier with a head wound is carried on a stretcher to a regimental aid post. Smoke shells from the 43rd Division's artillery burst on the limestone cliffs on the north bank of the Seine while sappers belonging to the 553 and 204 Field Companies RE attempt to complete their Class 9 Folding Boat bridge. A 1st Worcesters' infantryman aims his Bren gun at German positions across the Seine; engineers have temporarily abandoned working on the Class 9 bridge, now under machine gun and cannon fire, in the background. The Vickers machine gun team continues to fire across the river. Hit by mortar bombs, a house in Vernon is consumed by flames.
Production Details: Directorate of Public Relations, War Office (Production sponsor)
Army Film and Photographic Unit (Production company)
Ginger (Sergeant) (Production individual)
Personalities, Units and Organisations: British Army, Worcestershire Regiment, 1st Battalion (regiment/service)
British Army, Div 43 (regiment/service)
British Army, Corps 30 (regiment/service)
British Army, Middlesex Regiment, 8th Battalion (regiment/service)
British Army, Bde 214 (regiment/service)
Keywords: weapons, British - smallarm: Bren (object name)
weapons, British - smallarm: Vickers medium machine gun (object name)
engineering, military, British: Class 9 folding boat bridge (object name)
prisoners of war, German (object name)
operations, Allied military - movement: river crossing (object name)
medical, British - movement: stretcher (object name)
medical, British - emergency: regimental aid post (object name)
combat, British - artillery bombardment (object name)
buildings, French - residential: house & [wrecked] (object name)
Seine (River), France (geography)
Vernon, Eure, France (geography)
Notes: Note: See with A70 135-3, 4 and 5, 136-10, 11 and 12, 139-1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, 140-5, 141-3 and 142-6, 7 and 9 for footage taken of 30th Corps' crossing of the Seine at Vernon. The 8th Battalion the Cheshire Regiments was 43rd Division's machine- gun and heavy (4.2-inch) mortar battalion. The 1st Battalion Worcester Regiment was one of 214th Brigade's three infantry battalions.
Remarks: Good action footage. Best seen with items listed above, notably A70 136-10.
Documentation/associated material: read 'The 43rd Wessex Division at War 1944-1945' by H Essame, 'The History of the Corps of Royal Engineers : Volume IX' by Major-General Pakenham-Walsh, 'The Account of the Operations of the 2nd Army in Europe 1944- 1945 : Volume 1' by 2nd Army HQ and L F Ellis' 'The History of the 2nd World War - Victory in the West : Volume 1'.
