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Summary: Part of the aerial armada assigned to Operation 'Market' flies over a small town in northern Belgium.
Description: A 3/4th CLY Sherman tank races along a 'bund' road outside the town of Gheel. Over a hundred C-47 Dakotas carrying US airborne troops fly over the town on their way to the drop zones over the main river crossings in southern Holland. Smoke shells fired by 15th (Scottish) Division's artillery as route markers for the aircraft flying overhead burn in the fields outside Gheel. On the return flight, one C-47, damaged by flak, breaks away from the formations flying back to Britain and crash-lands nearby. Troops and civilians dash to the blazing aircraft which has landed on top of a derelict 'Jadgpanther'. (The crew survived).
Production Details: Directorate of Public Relations, War Office (Production sponsor)
Army Film and Photographic Unit (Production company)
Leatherbarrow, RichardPrior to the Second World War Leatherbarrow was a portrait photographer. During the Second World War he joined the Royal Armoured Corps, transferring to the Army Film and Photographic Unit in 1943, when he received training at Pinewood. He was one of the cameramen on Juno Beach during the D-Day Landings. (Production individual)
Personalities, Units and Organisations: British Army, Armoured Bde 4 (regiment/service)
British Army, Corps 12 (regiment/service)
British Army, London, Yeomanry, City of (regiment/service)
AP.A & Allied Airborne Corps 1 (regiment/service)
Keywords: armour, German - tank: Jagdpanther & [wrecked] (object name)
aircraft, United States - transport: Douglas C-47 Dakota & [damaged] (object name)
combat, British - artillery bombardment (object name)
operations, British air - sortie: crash landing (object name)
armour, United States - tank: M4 Sherman & [British] (object name)
Operation Market 1944, Operation Market Garden 1944, North West Europe, Second World War (event)
Geel, Antwerp, Belgium (geography)
Notes: Note: The Jagdpanther seen here was destroyed during the fighting for the Gheel bridgehead which involved the 50th (Northumbrian) and 15th (Scottish) Divisions. It probably belonged to 559th Heavy Anti-tank Battalion. See with A70 160-5, 166-2, 168-1 and 2, and 169-5 and 6 and refer to footage relating to Operation "Garden".
Remarks: Good 'action' footage. Best seen with items listed above.
Documentation/associated material: read 'A Bridge Too Far' by Cornelius Ryan and 'Arnhem : A Case Study' by Maurice Tugwell and 'British Airborne Troops' by Barry Gregory.
