Summary: Film travelogue featuring two Ferret scout cars of 20th Armoured Brigade Group : a Ferret Mk 1 of 1st Battalion Royal Northumberland Fusiliers and a Ferret Mk 2 of 3rd Carabiniers, Prince of Wales Dragoon Guards.
Description: Function, performance and weight characteristics of the Ferret. Numbers sold abroad "...just about the world's most successful scout car ever." Rigorous testing. A new oil seal is tested in two vehicles on a 5000 mile exercise starting from Brigade HQ at Detmold, and visiting Paris, Saumur, Le Luc, Venice, Berchtesgaden and Berlin. The film follows the journey emphasising the rivalry between the two teams. Lieutenant Disley is the more cavalier of the two characters, more liable to use initiative and/or sharp practice to gain the lead, but it is the infantry officer, Lieutenant Jackson, who narrowly wins the race. The film publicises the Ferret and functions as a travelogue and a guide to NATO. Each checkpoint en route is a NATO base - SHAEF HQ, a French cavalry school and Army air station, and bases for Italian amphibious and German mountain units. In Berlin, "an island of freedom", the forces of East and West are seen in direct confrontation across the "inhuman" Wall.
Production Details: Central Office of Information (Production sponsor)
Rank Organisation Special Features (Production company)
Green, George Grafton (Production individual)
Fleischmann, George (Production individual)
Herbert, Ivor (Production individual)
Coast, Reg (Production individual)
Cannon, Peter (Production individual)
Candy, Edward A1920-01-022007 (Production individual)
Witcomb, Alfred (Production individual)
Drake, Edward Joseph 'Ted'British sportsman. (Production individual)
Irwin, Arthur (Production individual)
Morris, John (Production individual)
Urry, Albert (Production individual)
Barrier, Antony (Production individual)
Lenny, Bill (Production individual)
Drew, Roy (Production individual)
Disley, John (Production cast)
Jackson, Charles (Production cast)
Mason (Lance-Corporal) (Production cast)
Jeavons (Lance-Corporal) (Production cast)
Turner, Tim (Production cast)
Personalities, Units and Organisations: British Army, Northumberland Fusiliers, 1st Battalion (regiment/service)
British Army, Carabiniers, 3 (regiment/service)
NT.A (regiment/service)
Keywords: armour, British - armoured car: Ferret (object name)
operations, British military - routine (object name)
Paris, Département de Ville de Paris, France (geography)
Saumur, Maine-et-Loire, France (geography)
Le Luc, Var, France (geography)
Italy & Venice, Veneto (geography)
Germany & Detmold, North Rhine-Westphalia (geography)
Germany & Berchtesgaden, Bavaria (geography)
Germany & Berlin, Berlin (geography)
Propaganda (concept)
Physical Characteristics: Colour format: Colour
Sound format: Sound
Soundtrack language: English
Title language: English
Subtitle language: None
Technical Details: Format: 35mm
Number of items/reels/tapes: 3
Footage: 2390 ft; Running time: 27 mins
