OPERATION MILLET: AIRSTRIKE AGAINST NICOBAR ISLANDS BY HMS VICTORIOUS IN THE INDIAN OCEAN [Allocated Title]

Log in to create clips, download free screeners and save clips/films in Collections. Click here to find out more.


  • Title: OPERATION MILLET: AIRSTRIKE AGAINST NICOBAR ISLANDS BY HMS VICTORIOUS IN THE INDIAN OCEAN [Allocated Title]
  • Film Number: MWY 228
  • Other titles: INDIAN INTER-SERVICE PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTORATE COLLECTION - INDIAN HOME FRONT AND MILITARY OPERATIONS, AND ALLIED OPERATIONS IN ITALY AND THE PACIFIC DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR [Allocated Series Title]
  • Summary: Aboard the Royal Navy's Illustrious Class aircraft carrier HMS Victorious in the Indian Ocean, Vought Corsair fighters join Operation Millet, a carrier airstrike against the Nicobar Islands and Nancowry harbour, in company with carrier HMS Indomitable and battlecruiser HMS Renown.
  • Description: Reel 1, shot on 15 October 1944: Looking down on the deck of the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Victorious, somewhere in the Indian Ocean; deck hands move a Vought Corsair 7:Q JT43x (‘7’ marking suggests 1834 Naval Air Squadron) with wings folded. The wings unfold. Longer lens view. Armourers sitting on the wings of 7:C JT523 and working on the guns. Longer lens views of the same. Working on 7:Q. [Roll 2 - 15 October 1944] A man on the wing speaks to another in the cockpit; a chalk mark reads ‘Guns loaded’. More works on guns. Pilot (?) in cockpit. Looking up at the island. 7:Q, parked on the deck, fires its guns out to sea (cartridge cases can be seen falling from the wings). Men on deck with several parked Corsairs. Looking up at the island as one of the ship’s anti-aircraft guns fires. Deck view. A multiple 2-pounder pom-pom anti-aircraft gun firing. Men on deck covering their ears. [Roll 3 - 15 October 1944] Men on deck carrying or dragging ammunition boxes with Corsair RH parked behind. Unpacking 2-pounder ammunition from its boxes. Priming the ammunition. Oiling and loading the ammunition. [Roll 4 - 16 October 1944] Wide shot of an aircraft carrier underway. A battlecruiser, probably HMS Renown, underway. Longer lens shot. Cruiser, probably Dido Class. Looking between two aircraft towards another aircraft carrier. On deck; 8:G (‘8’ suggests 1836 Naval Air Squadron) and other Corsairs lined up. 7:J with wings folded. [Roll 5 - 16 October 1944] A small tractor tows 8:G and men push it past 8:V. 8:X being pushed past camera. Another Corsair (possibly 7:D) rises on the deck lift towards camera. More Corsairs rising from the hangar from different angles. A Corsair is pushed away. Brief shot; 7:S pushed onto the hangar lift. [Roll 6 - 16 October 1944] Twelve Corsairs on deck; 7:H is visible. RH on deck with its engine wrapped in canvas or tarpaulin. Aircraft on deck. White Ensign flying. Aircraft on deck. Aircraft with propellers spinning. The aircraft take off; camera pans with 7:X and 7:B. Aircraft taking off away from camera; 7:E and 7:S (?) pass camera. [Roll 9 - 17 October 1944] Aircraft overhead in formation. Looking towards a destroyer and an aircraft carrier beyond. Reel 2; Roll 21 - 19 October 1944 : Wide shot aircraft carrier with aircraft above. Aircraft passing in flight. A Corsair on final approach. Aircraft landing, seen from a position low and port forward. [Roll 20 - 19 October 1944] More landings. A W Class destroyer, HMS Whelp (pennant number R37) passes. Aircraft on deck with smoke from the barrels of one of the ship’s aft anti-aircraft batteries. The other aircraft carrier firing its guns. One of the ship’s turrets traversing. Men on deck. Aircraft overhead. Men on deck with pom-pom behind. A pom-pom crewman wiping ammunition with a cloth. Closer shot. Repainting (?) pom-pom barrels. A County Class heavy cruiser firing its guns; in the foreground two men sitting by two turret barbettes. Close-up of ‘Royal Navy JT 528’ on an aircraft. A fitter at work; the White Ensign flies behind. Men on deck (being addressed?). [20 October 44] View from the island, the other aircraft carrier in front. On deck; cleaning anti-aircraft gun barrels. Scrubbing the barrels. Men on deck; a turret traverses with its guns vertical and another carrier in the background. [Roll 24 - 20 October 1944] Raising flags, one dark chequered, the other dark triangular with light circle. Hauling down flag. Flag locker. Raising a number of flags. Stowing flags. Aircraft taking off. 8:M passes. 8:V taking off. 7:D catching an arrester wire. 7:C on wet deck. Aircraft landing as seen from the island. Men watch the landings. A signaller by signal lamp. Aircraft passing over other vessels. [Roll 25 - 20 October 1944] Other ships at sea. On the bridge. Medium close-up of the Captain looking through compass. [Roll 26 - 20 October 1944] On bridge with a number of other officers including a commander. Denny in cockpit of a Corsair. Denny with cockpit closed, the aircraft is ‘N’ and named ‘Patricia’ and marked with a stickman with a halo. Denny climbs out and jumps down onto the deck; the aircraft is JS706 and marked ‘Danger guns loaded’. Inspecting 8:N. Returning to the island. Reel 3; Roll 10 - 17 October 1944: 8:Q landing. A view of HMS Whelp. A Dido Class cruiser (firing?). Men on deck. Land in the distance (?). A pilot walks along the deck, passing 7:N and 7:D. Another angle on deck with several fighters parked with wings folded, including 8:F. [Roll 11 - 17 October 1944] The line of aircraft unfold their wings and the first aircraft has its propeller spinning. The aircraft include 7:N, 8:F, and 7:S. Deck hand run along the deck. Pilot sitting in 8:P. A Fairey Barracuda (from HMS Illustrious?) coming in to land; its hook can be seen catching the arrester wire. Cut to the aircraft having landed badly with one undercarriage leg collapsed. Deck hands run to assist. Views of the Barracuda on deck. Sailors haul on a rope to right the aircraft. Corsair 8:M lands well. [Roll 12 - 17 October 1944] Medium close-up pilot sitting in his cockpit. Another pilot, this one with flying helmet on. Third pilot. Deck officer with landing paddles. Four Corsairs overhead. Another carrier, some way off, making smoke and launching aircraft. A dramatic shot in which 7:N aborts its landing as the crash barrier rises across the deck. A Corsair (7:N?) lands cleanly. A Grumman Hellcat 5:M (probably 1839 Naval Air Squadron from HMS Indomitable) landing. Folding the aircraft’s wings. [Roll 14 - 18 October 1944] Dusk; silhouettes of Corsairs on deck. Another aircraft carrier ahead with pan to other vessels in the distance. Renown turning to starboard ahead; camera pans to show vessels, a dramatic cloudscape and the silhouette of a single man on deck. More striking evening cloudscape shots. [Roll 15 - 19 October 1944] 8:P, with ‘566’ marked on the nose, taking off. 7:L taking off. 7:K taking off. Another carrier in the distance, launching aircraft. Pilot walks on deck as 8:N is rolled back. Two men emerging onto the deck from the superstructure. Men on deck watching something in the distance. On deck; sailors wind over the engine of 8:F as two pilots walk past. Out of focus footage of 8:F taking off. Out of focus; 8:C takes off. Out of focus; 7:P takes off. Out of focus; 7:X takes off. Focus corrected; eight aircraft in flight in the distance, with one lagging behind. Rather grey, long lens footage of the aircraft in flight, and of the other carrier. [Roll 17 - 19 October 1944] Aircraft in flight. A Corsair comes in to land; 8:U is already on deck, folding its wings. Four Corsairs overhead. Men sitting on deck as others attend to 8:C, having just landed, in the background. Corsairs passing overhead. A twin anti-aircraft gun. Dido Class cruiser and carrier. Victorious’ bow wave. Anti-aircraft guns. Wide shot on deck. [Roll 18 - 19 October 1944] More Corsair landings. Smoke rising in the distance. Land in the distance. [Roll 19 - 19 October 1944] More views of the land, which appears to be a low, forested island. 7:K takes off. 8:G takes off, very close to camera. A Corsair approaches but aborts its landing, being too high. A Corsair descends out of view on the hangar lift. On deck.
  • Alternative Title: INDIAN INTER-SERVICE PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTORATE COLLECTION - INDIAN HOME FRONT AND MILITARY OPERATIONS, AND ALLIED OPERATIONS IN ITALY AND THE PACIFIC DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR [Allocated Series Title]
  • Colour: B&W
  • Digitised:
  • Object_Number: MWY 228
  • Sound: Silent
  • Access Conditions: IWM Attribution: © IWM
  • Featured Period: 1939-1945
  • Production Date: 1944-10-15
  • Production Country: United States of America
  • Production Details: SEAC Photo Unit (US) (Production company) Jones, Lloyd S (Production individual)
  • Personalities, Units and Organisations: Royal Navy, VICTORIOUS (HMS), aircraft carrier (regiment/service) Royal Navy, Fleet Air Arm, 1834 Naval Air Squadron (regiment/service) Royal Navy, Fleet Air Arm, 1836 Naval Air Squadron (regiment/service) Royal Navy, RENOWN (HMS) (regiment/service) Royal Navy, WHELP (HMS), destroyer (regiment/service) Denny, Michael Maynard (person)
  • Keywords: Indian Ocean (geography) Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India (geography)
  • Physical Characteristics: Colour format: B&W Sound format: Silent
  • Technical Details: Format: 35mm Number of items/reels/tapes: 3 Footage: 2295 ft; Running time: 26 mins
  • HD Media:
  • Link to IWM Collections page:

    MWY 228

  • Related IWM Collections Objects:

    MWY 207 (FLEET AIR ARM AIRSTRIKE FROM ROYAL NAVY AIRCRAFT CARRIER IN THE INDIAN OCEAN [Allocated Title]) MWY 204 (OPERATION BANQUET: FLEET AIR ARM OPERATIONS AGAINST SUMATRA FROM AIRCRAFT CARRIER HMS VICTORIOUS IN THE INDIAN OCEAN [Allocated Title])
Register