UNITED NEWS [Series Title]

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  • Title: UNITED NEWS [Series Title]
  • Film Number: UNY 68
  • Other titles:
  • Summary: Edition of United News relating the Italian surrender to the Allies, showing scenes of jubilation in New York City's Italian district, Allied military, naval and air forces in action
  • Description: Part 1: United News main titles. 'Italy surrenders'; a printing press where a copy of 'The Sun' decares: 'Italy Gives Up; Signs Armistice on Allied Terms'. Scenes of civilians celebrating in Italian neighbourhood of New York City (where a local roll of honour has been erected) 'their sons helped bring honourable peace to the old country'. Shots of the invasion fleet; commentary emphasises coordination, secrecy and British-American teamwork (illustrated with shots of Eisenhower and Montgomery shaking hands). Lieutenant-General Mark Clark. Shots from January 1943 Casablanca conference; Roosevelt and Churchill together. [sound cuts out] Allied aircraft in flight. [sound returns] Bombs falling and exploding below on the island of Pantelleria. 'Allied airpower outblitzed the blitz' [sound cuts out]. Ships under aerial bombardment; one (an ammunition ship?) explodes in a colossal fireball with smoke trails from exploding ordnance flying in all directions. More shots of the huge column of smoke. [sound returns] Landing craft coming ashore 'landing great armies of battle-hardened veterans'. American troops enter Italian town (Gela?). Commentary pays tribute to civilian warwork. [sound cuts] A jeep in a street with Italian children chasing it. An American soldier, identified on the commentary as Corporal Salvatore DiMarco (an Italian-born emigrant to America) knocks on a door; it is opened by a civilian woman (his mother?) who grabs him into an embrace. A small crowd; the family with Corporal DiMarco. [sound returns] German prisoners embark aboard a troopship. View from Messina. [sound cuts] Tanks and infantry in the town. A medic tends a young boy, and a toddler. Beached, listing merchant ships. German sign on dockside 'Fahrstelle IV'. British and American personnel inspect the wrecked docks. British troops looking across a stretch of sea. Man with microphone; a medium gun fires across the water. [sound returns] Close-up Mussolini. A crowd throws fruit at a wall painting of Mussolini. Grafitti 'Viva England! Viva USA! Viva USSR!' is daubed on a wall. Map with arrows locating possible future landings on Italian coast. Naval bombardment [sound cuts]. Eisenhower with Royal Navy officers including Admiral Cunningham. Italian warships and submarines sail to internment in Allied ports.
  • Alternative Title:
  • Colour: B&W
  • Digitised:
  • Object_Number: UNY 68
  • Sound: Silent
  • Access Conditions: IWM
  • Featured Period: 1939-1945
  • Production Date: 1943-09
  • Production Country: United States of America
  • Production Details: Office of War Information (Production sponsor) United Newsreel Corporation (Production company)
  • Personalities, Units and Organisations: Eisenhower, Dwight David (person) Montgomery, Bernard Law (person) Clark, Mark Wayne (person) Cunningham, Andrew Browne (person) Roosevelt, Franklin Delano (person) Churchill, Winston Leonard Spencer (person) United States Army, 5th Army (regiment/service) British Army, Eighth Army (regiment/service) United States Army Air Forces (regiment/service) Royal Air Force (regiment/service) Italian Navy (regiment/service) Mussolini, Benito Amilcare Andrea (person)
  • Keywords: Pantelleria, Sicily, Italy (geography) Mediterranean Sea (geography) Gela, Sicily, Italy (geography) Italy 1939-1945 (theme) Mediterranean 1939-1945 (theme)
  • Physical Characteristics: Colour format: B&W Sound format: Silent
  • Technical Details: Format: 35mm Number of items/reels/tapes: 1 Footage: 786 ft; Running time: 9 mins
  • HD Media:
  • Link to IWM Collections page:

    UNY 68

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