FOOTAGE FOR PINEWOOD PRODUCTION 51

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  • Title: FOOTAGE FOR PINEWOOD PRODUCTION 51
  • Film Number: AYY 481
  • Other titles:
  • Summary: 1st Airlanding Brigade, 1st Airborne Divison, North Africa 1943
  • Description: Reel 1 (963 ft): A light infantry lieutenant gives a briefing to men of the Army Air Corp and Border Regiment. Bedford 3ton trucks with paratroopers in the back drive past camera and toward C47 aircraft. Paratroopers attach parachute containers underneath C47 (number 36 painted on the nose of the aircraft), a panning shot by the cameraman shows C47s at their dispersal points running their engines up creating a lot of dust. Planes proceed to take off in a the half light of the end of the day. Lieutenant Colonel of the South Staffordshire Regiment gives a briefing to officers of that regiment and Army Air Corps, Royal Army Medical Corps, Royal Army Chaplains Department (all the faces of the men are very clear). Paratroopers stand around their C47 preparing their equipment then smoking and relaxing in the shadow of the aircraft. They all then start to put their personal webbing and parachute packs on (note the disassembling of Sten guns and attaching into webbing). They all then line up for inspection next to rear door of C47 (three different types of airborne helmets can been seen in use), after inspection they load into aircraft. A major of the South Staffordshire regiment gives a briefing to soldiers of that regiment who are seated and standing in a semicircle. Reel 2 (658 ft): Waco gliders lined up on airfield, equipment and trolleys being loaded into Waco gliders through front of aircraft, American ground crew attaching tow rope. Outside Gambetta Park, a military parade – British or Commonwealth infantry, Churchill tanks, Humber scout cars, Sherman tanks – British US French troops march past, Arab cavalry march past reviewing base. Waco gliders being towed by Willys jeeps across airfield and then lined up in a take-off order. On board Waco glider in flight with men of the 2nd South Staffordshire. (Douglas C-47 Skytrains or Dakotas towing Waco gliders) Shots of cockpit of glider. Reel 3 (691 ft): Troops standing under wings of Waco glider. Waco lined up and equipment being packed into aircraft, interior shots of men rolling dice. Tow rope being attached to tail of C47 aircraft. Troops putting on webbing and embarking (2nd South Staffordshire Regiment men) into Waco. C47 taxiing to take off with Waco gliders in tow. Waco gliders coming into land at airfield, men disembark and take up defensive positions. Air drop containers with parachutes being attached, containers being loaded with a Vickers machine gun, mortars and rounds of ammunition and small arms including PIATs (Platoon Infantry Anti-Tank weapon). C47 running engines up creating dust and taking off (with containers attached underneath aircraft). Reel 4 (713 ft): C47s running up engines and then taxiing, creating a lot of dust then taking off from airfield. AFPU man holding Slate:- No. 2.A.F.&P.S. (P.R) SGT. R.W.DAY. No.32. DATE..16 x 6 x’43 Troops with radio equipment on a hill sitting around and then asleep – A German MG34 machine gun as part of their equipment (possibly performing manoeuvres). Waco gliders on airfield, men running towards the aircraft, Waco gliders landing at speed. Wacos gliding down after being released. Airborne gunners with 75mm pack howitzers firing their guns – live firing and reloading. 6-Pounder anti-tank gun being fired at a mobile target by Airborne antitank gunners. Reel 5 (768 ft): Troops (South Staffordshire Regiment, Border Regiment and the Army Air Corps) being briefed around a sand table, Light Infantry Lieutenant give the briefing. Paratroopers debussing from a Bedford 3Tand gearing up Border regiment (note knee pads and shorts being worn), preparing parachutes and strapping into them. Prepping aircraft for jump by taping over exposed metal work (to stop parachute entangling) door hinges, tow hook at rear of aircraft. C47 running up engines and taxing (with containers under aircraft). USAF air crew arriving by Willys jeep, entering aircraft and prepping aircraft. Paratroopers watch on and then embus aircraft. Senior ranks (captains and majors) of South Staffordshire Regiment, Army Air Corps Royal Army Medical Corps being briefed. Men prepping equipment and weapons (Sten gun being pushed into webbing) as air crew rotate props of C47. Men embus the aircraft with their weapons Sten guns & Thompson sub-machine guns. Pilot (USAAF) and British officer check containers under aircraft. Reel 6 (797 ft): C47s taking off. Paratroopers (one wearing the P-Type helmet) embarking C47, South Staffordshire Regiment Major giving briefing to men of that regiment. 3 Bedford 3 Ton trucks parked next to a line of 9 Waco gliders. Troops unload an Airborne hand cart from a truck at the rear of the Waco glider (no. 25 6668 and a subdued no. 814 painted on the tail) and load it into the front of the Waco glider (no. 18 painted on the front ). American and other British troops assist, Waco gliders coming into land at airfield, Waco (377101 on the tail and 13 on the front) being towed by Willys Jeep while US and British personnel look on (C47s parked in the back ground). A Waco parked with troops walking around it (no. 277099 on the tail) and tow ropes being unravelled. South Stafford men march past, a Staff Sergeant and Sergeant of the Glider pilots regiment (Army Air Corps) eat from tinned rations under the wing of a Waco glider. C47 taxing past camera man with others following it. USAAF ground crew at the rear of a Waco (no.246920) talking. Bedford 3 Ton truck parked at the rear of a C47 (no.118457 on the tail with a B on the fuselage and tow rope attached to aircraft), men of the South Staffordshire Regiment, faces blackened, march in a column of twos behind the aircraft towards a Waco glider. Close up shots of South Staffordshire Regiment men standing and talking in front of a Waco glider then a Glider pilot signs a document using the back pack of the lieutenant leading the troops as a rest. C47s take off towing gliders. Glider lands in front of cameraman and men start to debus and take up defensive formations, one solider unloading two folding bicycles. Another glider lands and comes to a stop, men debus and run towards cameraman. Reel 7 (788 ft): Bedford truck parked at rear of C47 and another Bedford drives past with troops on board. Paratroopers (of the Border Regiment) in shorts put on parachutes and are inspected. C47 with the letter K on fuselage runs engines up, a shot of men laying and standing around C47 aircraft (C47 with number 138685 on the tail) (note one wearing P-type helmet). C47s (numbers 29 and 34 on aircraft noses) running engines up, close up shots of C47s from rear of aircraft (numbers 22348 and 138701 on tails and the letter L on 138701 fuselage). Early morning or dusk, C47s taking off in pairs then another pair take off. Brigadier Ernest Down (2nd Parachute Brigade) gives a briefing to officers in a tent, maps and Drop Zone charts can be seen then they seem to experiment with skim netting as camouflage on a candidate. USAAF ground crew work on C47 no. 223524 tail section. Men of the South Staffordshire Regiment working and sitting on parachute containers amongst tents with airfield in the back ground. Army Air Corps men load radio equipment in square container while a warrant officer watches (*fusilier or guards), one container has "Bombs Rifles" written in chalk on it another says No3 Mortar on it. Paratrooper loading containers under a C47, troops debussing from Bedford and start putting webbing and parachutes on (note P-Type helmet and Army air Corps badges on two paratroopers), containers being unloaded from Bedford truck (C47 behind with number 118636 on the tail and letter K on fuselage). Paratroopers then board Bedford trucks (note different types of helmets P-type, Mk-1), trucks with men drive away. Containers being loaded into Bedford trucks and then trucks in convoy leave there camp. Reel 8 (493 ft): An early morning shot of Paratroopers (note P-type helmet on one man and a Mk1 on another) preparing for their jump at the rear of a C47. Additional shot of reel 6 at a further distance, with 3 Bedford trucks lined up at the rear of 11 Waco gliders. A close up of some unfinished nose art on a Waco glider which says “SWEET CAROLINE” and a painting of an elephant in a circle. A USAAF C47 (223524 on the tail and the letter J on the fuselage) taxis past a line of Waco gliders, one of which is called “SHOOTING STAR”. A Willys jeep towing a Waco glider (327285 on the tail and the number 22 on the nose of the aircraft) to a take-off line up, USAAF ground personnel fitting the towing link to the glider's release mechanism above the cockpit of the aircraft. C47s start to taxi down the airfield, one aircraft passes the cameraman (118438 on the tail and the letter J on the fuselage). South Staffordshire Regiment men start to load into the Waco glider carrying their personnel weapons (Sten guns, No4 Lee Enfield rifles and Bren guns). Trucks start to deliver more men to the aircraft dispersal area, one man, a corporal with parachute wings and an arm band that says FS on it, starts to fold his bicycle. C47s with engines running create a lot of dust as they start to take off and USAAF ground crew squats wear a gas mask at the rear of two C47s (closest to the camera is number 118464 letter E and behind is 118433 letter F on the fuselage both aircraft have the RAF tail flash and the USAAF star on the fuselage) as they run their engines to full power. Reel 9 (971 ft): Close ups of Paratroopers clipping their parachute on, they are wearing the “Helmet, Steel, Airborne Troops” - this variant has a thicker helmet rim than the later marks of helmet. C47 (number 118373 letter M on the fuselage) Paratroopers lined up for inspection, then they embus into the aircraft. ( AFPU cameraman is standing in the door of the C47, additional shots from the beginning of reel 7, the soldier is wearing a beret with a Border Regiment cap badge) C47 (number 223518 on the tail and the letter F on the fuselage), Paratroopers relax at the rear of the aircraft then a USAAF ground crew start to remove the engine covers and then start the engines, a number 35 is painted on the nose and behind the aircraft is another C47 (29 on the nose, number 223411 and the letter D on the fuselage). Parachute containers can be seen attached under the aircraft. Paratroopers in silhouette embussing into aircraft. Addition shot (from reel 7) of Brigadier Ernest Down (2nd Parachute Brigade) giving a briefing to officers in a tent, maps and Drop Zone charts can be seen. Men of the Army Air Corp pack their parachute containers (additional to reel 7) with equipment with close up shots of “A/T “PLANE 12” written on four containers and they are attached to parachute packs. The men then load the container in the back of Bedford trucks (One solider has a Kings Own Scottish Borders cap badge on his beret), the Bedford trucks then depart in convoy toward C47s in the distance. The containers are then unloaded at a C47 - close up shots of the container release mechanism on the aircraft. Bedford trucks arrive at C47s carrying Paratroopers who then debus, at the aircraft and they then lift and attach the containers to the aircraft. A parachute drop close to the airfield with two C47s close to the camera. Paratroopers and USAAF flight crew wait around C47, the Paratroopers start to prepare for their jump by clipping on packs, a close up of soldier with an Army Air Corp beret and disassembled Sten gun in his webbing, they then line up for inspection. Waco gliders lined up additional shots to reel 6 and 7 Reel 10 to 11 (885 ft): Army Air Corp soldiers stand in the open nose section of a Waco glider and then load equipment into the aircraft, a C47 (number 223524 on the tail and the letter J and number 8 on the fuselage) taxis pastthe lined up Waco gliders. Men with forage caps and camouflaged faces debus from a Bedford truck, in the truck is stack of bicycles (note one of the men has a pistol grip attached to his Sten gun). South Staffordshire Regiment soldiers, faces camouflaged, load their folded bikes and themselves into Waco gliders. Close up shot of Major General George Frederick Hopkinson who then goes to informally inspect men of the South Staffordshire Regiment standing under the wings of their gliders,. C47s running their engines up then taking off towing gliders behind them. Troops debus from their gliders and take up defensive positions around aircraft then start to unload equipment. Cockpit of a C47 in flight and a shot of the rear compartments, jump light next to the door. C47 taking off from a very dusty airfield, others taxing. An HQ section with radio section personnel, camouflaged under a tree , with orders being issued to dispatch riders. A row of 5 Jeeps and trailers camouflaged into a tree lined road. Additional shots filmed from reel 4 of Airborne gunners firing there 75mm pack howitzers. 6-Pounder anti-tank gun being fired at mobile targets by Airborne antitank gunners. Reel 12 to 13 (740 ft): C47 aircraft towing Waco gliders at a distance to the camera man. Waco gliders start to land at airfield in ones and twos, close up of one aircraft as men debus and form defensive positions around the glider. They then march in two columns past the camera. A battery command post of the 1st Airlanding light battery Royal Artillery deployed in a grove of trees and an Lieutenant uses a megaphone to shout orders to his guns. Men unload jeep trailers of 75mm ammunition and prepare the shells for firing. Two 6pdr anti-tank gun of the 1st Airlanding anti-tank battery Royal Artillery shoots at a moving target. Soldiers with bayonets attached to their Sten guns watch fellow soldiers load a trailer into a Waco glider, their comrades then lift the tail of the glider (number 327261 on the tail) to assist with the loading. Gliders coming into land at airfield in ones and twos. An airborne motor cycle dispatch rider works on his motorbike with other bikes and jeeps camouflage close by, these jeeps are close by and most likely form the motor transport for the 1st airlanding light battery Royal Artillery. 75mm howitzers firing in the foreground with the other guns of the battery in the distance. The target for 6pdr anti-tank guns moving across the screen with the rounds exploding nearby.
  • Alternative Title:
  • Colour: B&W
  • Digitised: Yes
  • Object_Number: AYY 481
  • Sound: Silent
  • Access Conditions: IWM
  • Featured Period: 1939-1945
  • Production Date: 1943-06-11
  • Production Country:
  • Production Details: Army Film and Photographic Unit (Production company)
  • Personalities, Units and Organisations: British Army (regiment/service) 1st Airborne Division (regiment/service) 1st Airlanding Brigade (regiment/service) 2nd Bn South Staffordshire Regiment (regiment/service) 1st Bn The Border Regiment (regiment/service) 6th Bn Parachute Regiment (Royal Welch) (regiment/service) 4th Bn Parachute Regiment (regiment/service) 1st Airlanding AT Battery, Royal Artillery (regiment/service) 1st Airlanding Light Battery, Royal Artillery (regiment/service) Army Air Corps (regiment/service) Royal Army Medical Corps (regiment/service) Royal Army Chaplain's Department (regiment/service)
  • Keywords: Matemore, Algeria (geography) Froha, Algeria (geography) Thiersville, Algeria (geography) North Africa 1943-1944 (theme)
  • Physical Characteristics: Colour format: B&W Sound format: Silent
  • Technical Details: Format: 35mm
  • HD Media:Yes
  • Link to IWM Collections page:

    AYY 481

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