Title:THE 11TH ARMOURED DIVISION ADVANCES TO THE OUTSKIRTS OF ARGENTAN [Allocated Title]
Film Number:A70 129-10
Other titles:
Summary:
Description: In the main square of Putanges, a 23rd Hussar's Sherman Firefly waits to cross the Orne river while traffic belonging to the 11th Armoured Division rolls by. The town bears the scars of recent fierce fighting. A 29th Armoured Brigade officer talks to several civilians. The members of a French family in their Sunday best walk up to the railway bridge which now spans the Orne in place of the old bridge blown up by the Germans. Wrecked Wehrmacht waggons and dead horses litter the verges of the N24 bis (?) highway and adjoining lanes near Écouché. German prisoners march past the pathetic remains. Several waggons have branches covering them in a vain attempt to conceal them from the air. A 2nd Fife and Forfar tank waits to enter the burning town of Argentan, whose St Germain church dominates the skyline. 80th US Infantry Division GIs enter the ruins of Argentan, in the wake of the retreating Germans, with the 15/19th Hussars' 'C' squadron. The centre of the town consists of gutted buildings, streets blocked with broken masonry and debris, and burning shop fronts. Near St Germain an abandoned Panther tank lies trapped by the rubble.
Production Details: Directorate of Public Relations, War Office (Production sponsor)
Army Film and Photographic Unit (Production company)
Carpenter, L (Production individual)
Personalities, Units and Organisations: British Army, Hussars, 23 (regiment/service)
British Army, Bde, Armoured, 29 Gp (regiment/service)
British Army, Hussars, 15/19 (regiment/service)
British Army, Yeomanry, Fife and Forfar, 2 (regiment/service)
British Army, Bde 159 Gp (regiment/service)
British Army, Div, Armoured, 11 (regiment/service)
British Army, Corps 30 (regiment/service)
British Army, Army Film and Photographic Unit (regiment/service)
United States Army & Infantry Div 80 (regiment/service)
Keywords: animals, mammals: horse & [casualties] (object name)
transport, German - animal: wagon & [wrecked] (object name)
armour, British - tank: Cromwell (object name)
armour, British - tank: Challenger (object name)
armour, German - tank: Panther Ausf A (object name)
destruction, French military - area: bomb (object name)
armour, United States - funnies: M4 Sherman Firefly & [British] (object name)
operations, Allied military - sortie (object name)
law and order, Allied - liberation (?) (object name)
prisoners of war, German - movement (object name)
destruction, French military - area: bombardment (object name)
signs, military and civilian (object name)
Saint Germain Church, Argentan, Orne, France (geography)
Écouché, Orne, France (geography)
Orne (River), France (geography)
Putanges-Pont-Ecrepin, Orne, France (geography)
