THE GUARDS ARMOURED DIVISION GOES INTO ACTION IN THE NORMANDY 'BOCAGE' [Allocated Title]

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  • Title: THE GUARDS ARMOURED DIVISION GOES INTO ACTION IN THE NORMANDY 'BOCAGE' [Allocated Title]
  • Film Number: A70 109-2
  • Other titles:
  • Summary:
  • Description: A Guards Armoured Division road convoy heads towards the Souleuvre valley past a series of German direction signs. A Taylorcraft Auster flies over the column of lorries and carriers. 1st Battalion Welsh Guardsmen trek across country in single file towards St Pierre Tarentaine. At their harbour near St Denis Maisoncelles, men of the 5th Battalion Coldstream Guards clean their weapons, write letters, brew up a pot of tea or simply lie in their sleeping bags before being called into action. A 21st Panzer Division Mark IV 'Special' is found wrecked and abandoned; nearby German equipment, etc. litters a deserted slit-trench. The 2nd Army commander, Lieutenant-General Dempsey, confers with Major the Marquis of Hartington, temporarily in command of the 5th Battalion Coldstream Guards. Riding in 3-ton lorries and carriers, the Coldstream Guards leave their harbour and drive through Le Tourneur accompanied by the 2nd Irish Guards' armour and 21st Anti-Tank Regiment RA's self-propelled guns. On the road to Estry, the 5th Battalion comes under fire; Guardsmen alternately run and crawl forward and PIATs are brought up to deal with German armour. A captured Swastika flag is displayed by jubilant Guardsmen.
  • Alternative Title:
  • Colour: B&W
  • Digitised: Yes
  • Object_Number: A70 109-2
  • Sound: Silent
  • Access Conditions: IWM Attribution: © IWM
  • Featured Period: 1939-1945
  • Production Date: 1944-08-02
  • Production Country: GB
  • Production Details: Directorate of Public Relations, War Office (Production sponsor) Army Film and Photographic Unit (Production company) Harris, L W J (Production individual)
  • Personalities, Units and Organisations: Dempsey, Miles Christopher (person) Cavendish, William John Robert (person) British Army, Army 2 (regiment/service) British Army, Corps 8 (regiment/service) British Army, Welsh Guards, 1st Battalion (regiment/service) British Army, Coldstream Guards, 5th Battalion (regiment/service) British Army, Irish Guards, Armoured 2nd Battalion (regiment/service) British Army, Royal Artillery (regiment/service) British Army, Div, Armoured, Guards, 5 (regiment/service) British Army, Guards Bde Gp 32 (regiment/service)
  • Keywords: armour, German - tank: Pzkpfw IV Ausf H (object name) aircraft, British - light military: Taylorcraft Auster spotter plane (object name) combat, British (object name) weapons, British - smallarm: .303 Lee-Enfield .303 rifle (object name) transport, British military - truck: Bedford 3-ton 4x4 QL (object name) armour, United States - SPG: M10 Achilles (object name) weapons, British - projector: PIAT (object name) signs, military and civilian (object name) arts, German - heraldry: flag, swastika (object name) operations, British military - maintenance (object name) recreation, Allied military - casual (object name) Operation Bluecoat, Mont Pinçon 1944, North West Europe, Second World War (event) Le Tourneur, Calvados, France (geography) Saint Denis-Maisoncelles, Calvados, France (geography) Saint Pierre-Tarentaine, Calvados, France (geography) Souleuvre Valley, Calvados, France (geography)
  • Physical Characteristics: Colour format: B&W Sound format: Silent Soundtrack language: None Title language: None Subtitle language: None
  • Technical Details: Format: 35mm Footage: 442 ft; Running time: 5 mins
  • HD Media:Yes
  • Link to IWM Collections page:

    A70 109-2

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