WAR PICTORIAL NEWS NO 149 [Main Title]

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  • Title: WAR PICTORIAL NEWS NO 149 [Main Title]
  • Film Number: WPN 149
  • Other titles:
  • Summary: An edition of the British official newsreel "War Pictorial News", produced by the Ministry of Information, Middle East.
  • Description: I. 'INDIA.' On his first official tour, Viceroy Wavell visits a flying training school of the Chinese Air Force situated in the Punjab. Wavell inspects a guard of honour drawn from Chinese officer cadets, primary training aircraft stand chocked in the background (Boeing PT-17 Kaydet ?). Viceroy Wavell, accompanied by his wife, visits the Punjab village of Peshawar where he meets villagers and observes the workings of a cattle powered mill. The Viceroy is presented with the traditional gift of weapons (Lee-Enfield Mk III .303-inch rifle) from a village elder (Afridi). Wavell later visits an agricultural fair where he inspects cattle and enjoys a meal in the open. The commentary states that Indians everywhere have welcomed the Viceroy in his first tour since taking up office. General Sir Claude J E Auchinleck (C-in-C India) visits a hospital at Quetta in Baluchistan, where he is shown chatting to patients. Wavell watches Gurkha troops negotiate an assault course and take part in bayonet practice at an army training camp in an undisclosed location. II. 'PACIFIC FRONT.' Large United States (US) landing craft are grounded on a beach with their cargo doors open (TLC 452 and 454) Marines from the US 1st Marine Division walk along a beach following their landing at Cape Gloucester on New Britain on December 26 1943. A map shows the location of Cape Gloucester and Arawe on New Britain. Operational footage shows tracer fire from a US ship (unseen) hitting jungle foliage on the shoreline. A United States Army Air Force (USAAF) North American B-25 Mitchell bomber flies low over the jungle canopy, its port engine emitting smoke. III. 'MARINES ASSAULT CAPE GLOUCESTER.' US 1st Marine Division troops file ashore and move inland from the beachhead at Cape Gloucester. US marines carry M1 .30-inch Garand self-loading rifles and M1 .30-inch carbines as a trio of B-25 Mitchell bombers overfly their position at low-level. "Gloucester" is written in the sand of the beach. A member of the US 1st Marine Division takes time to clean his Garand self-loading rifle. USMC troops wade ashore carrying M1 Garands, Browning automatic rifles, and an M1 2.36-inch rocket launcher (Bazooka), moving through foliage near the beach. The event is photographed by an official US war photographer (G Short ?). USMC troops lay sandbags in shallow sea water at the edge of a beach to facilitate the disembarkation of soft-skins from tank landing craft. IV. 'NEW ZEALAND.' The presentation of the Victoria Cross (VC) to parents of Second-Lieutenant Moana-Nui-a-Kiwa Ngarimu of the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Corps at Rotorua in New Zealand. A Maori pageant follows with much traditional dancing and feasting.
  • Alternative Title:
  • Colour: B&W
  • Digitised: Yes
  • Object_Number: WPN 149
  • Sound: Sound
  • Access Conditions: IWM Attribution: © IWM
  • Featured Period: 1939-1945
  • Production Date: 1944-03-13
  • 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: Wavell, Archibald Percival (person) Auchinleck, Claude John Eyre (person) Narimu (Mr) (person) Narimu (Mrs) (person) British Army, Gurkhas (regiment/service) Chinese Air Force (regiment/service) United States Army (regiment/service) United States Marine Corps (regiment/service)
  • Keywords: operations, United States military - sortie (object name) operations, United States military - amphibious (object name) delegations, British Imperial - state (object name) delegations, British imperial - military (object name) society, New Zealand - ethnic (object name) Cape Gloucester 1943-1944, New Britain, Pacific War 1941-1945, Second World War (event) India & Peshawar (geography) India & Quetta (geography) New Guinea & New Britain (geography) Rotorua, North Island, New Zealand (geography)
  • Physical Characteristics: Colour format: B&W Sound format: Sound Soundtrack language: English Title language: English Subtitle language: Arabic
  • Technical Details: Format: 35mm Number of items/reels/tapes: 1 Footage: 925 ft; Running time: 10 mins
  • HD Media:Yes
  • Link to IWM Collections page:

    WPN 149

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