WAR PICTORIAL NEWS NO 75 [Main Title]

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  • Title: WAR PICTORIAL NEWS NO 75 [Main Title]
  • Film Number: WPN 75
  • Other titles:
  • Summary: An edition of the British official newsreel "War Pictorial News", produced by the Ministry of Information, Middle East.
  • Description: I. "MIDWAY BATTLE." A brief item on the United States naval engagement at Midway Island in the Pacific (4-7 June 1942). Views of United States Navy (USN) destroyer at sea. The commentary states that America has scored a great victory at sea. USN sailors wearing M1 helmets and canvas lifejackets fire water-cooled Browning .30-in machine guns at an unseen aerial target. Tracer fire from numerous USN ship-mounted anti-aircraft weapons is evident, intersecting across the sky. The commentary points out that Japanese aircraft were shot down by the score over footage of an Imperial Japanese Navy Aichi D3A dive bomber being hit at low level by anti-aircraft fire from an unidentified USN ship. The commentary points out that the USS Yorktown, although damaged by Japanese bombing, did a great job with her aircraft in contributing to the overall victory of the United States. Photographic stills show the USS Yorktown with a bomb impacting on its flight deck and fire crews fighting a blaze on board. II. 'MEET THE LANCASTER.' The commentary introduces the Avro Lancaster and describes it as "Greatest and most powerful of the RAF's mighty fleet of bombers." An Avro Lancaster Mk I is towed from a hangar by an agricultural tractor. The commentary states that the Lancaster's success came as no surprise to the people that built her at Avro. Women office workers consult blueprints, an interior view of a tracing office shows numerous desks laid out in "open plan" style. Views of the machine shop show male and female factory operatives seated at their workstations. A male factory worker displays the workings of an automatic lathe while others use hydraulic cutters to slice aluminium sheets before the shaping process is reached. A male factory operative uses a pneumatic drop hammer to shape the engine cowlings of Merlin XX power plants. Augsburg hero, Squadron Leader J D Nettleton VC (44 Squadron RAF) and his crew visit the Avro factory to meet assembly workers. Nettleton signs a photograph of himself for an ardent female factory worker and shakes hands with her. A women factory operative seated at a desk, tests the tolerances of castellated nuts using a template. The commentary outlines the length of the Lancaster's wingspan and stresses that by pre-fabricating many components overall production times are speeded up. A male factory worker files aluminium flash from a prefabricated section of the Lancaster's semi-monocoque fuselage. A male-female riveting team work with dexterity to attach shaped aluminium sheets to the fuselage framework using flush rivets. Squadron Leader Nettleton watches a factory operative attach wiring to the interior of the fuselage, apparently impressed, Nettleton pats the worker on the back. The commentary outlines points of interest to be found in the Lancaster including the hydraulically operated Nash and Thompson defensive turrets which are displayed and rotated. Women factory workers spray Lancaster wing sections with cellulose dope and paint on RAF roundels. The interior of the bomb bay is shown, the commentary stating that when its released its eight ton load, another two or three acres of Germany will never be the same again. A male factory worker checks the retraction system of a Lancaster's main undercarriage oleo-pneumatic strut and wheel unit. The commentary outlines the specifications of the Merlin XX engines that power the Lancaster as mechanics work on the Merlins with access panels taken off. The Lancasters are flight tested prior to despatch to RAF Squadrons. Avro Lancaster (R5636) is towed from a hangar by an agricultural tractor prior to a engine start. Avro Manchester Mk I bombers are shown in flight. Internal cockpit views of a Lancaster in flight are shown. Lancaster Mk I aircraft overfly the English countryside. The commentary states "This is the weapon upon which the Allies base tremendous hopes" as a Lancaster performs a low level pass for the benefit of the camera.
  • Alternative Title:
  • Colour: B&W
  • Digitised: Yes
  • Object_Number: WPN 75
  • Sound: Sound
  • Access Conditions: IWM Attribution: © IWM
  • Featured Period: 1939-1945
  • Production Date: 1942-10-12
  • 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 individual)
  • Personalities, Units and Organisations: Nettleton, John Dering (person) United States Navy, USS YORKTOWN, aircraft carrier (1936) (regiment/service)
  • Keywords: ships, United States naval - aircraft carrier, fleet: Yorktown (object name) industry, British - aircraft: Avro Lancaster (object name) Battle of Midway 1942, Pacific War 1941-1945, Second World War (event)
  • Physical Characteristics: Colour format: B&W Sound format: Sound Soundtrack language: English Title language: English Subtitle language: French & Arabic
  • Technical Details: Format: 35mm Number of items/reels/tapes: 1 Footage: 843 ft; Running time: 9 mins
  • HD Media:Yes
  • Link to IWM Collections page:

    WPN 75

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