Title:THE 11TH ARMOURED DIVISION ADVANCES TO ARGENTAN [Allocated Title]
Film Number:A70 130-1
Other titles:
Summary:
Description: Armour, self-propelled artillery and infantry belonging to the 2nd Fife and Forfar Yeomanry, the 13th Royal Horse Artillery and the 3rd Battalion Monmouth Regiment wait in the countryside between Bailleul and Argentan for the 80th US Infantry Division to occupy the latter before moving off. A column of tired prisoners from the Falaise 'gap' - including ex-Red Army Wehrmacht 'volunteers' - trudges past the assembled force. Gunners from the 13th RHA peel potatoes as the traffic roars by a few yards away. A troop of 'Sextons' and their command half-track deploys in a wheat field; on the orders of the troop commander in the half-track, a 'Sexton' gun crew opens fire on German pockets in the Fôret de Gouffen. Argentan still burns after its occupation by the Americans; 30th Corps' commander, Lieutenant-General Horrocks, drives into the town, sorely battered throughout the previous week. The 15/19th Hussars 'C' squadron accompanies American infantrymen into Argentan while British sappers clear a way through the rubble. The streets around St Germain church are in ruins. Outside Argentan, a 3rd RTR Sherman tank crew surveys the countryside for German stragglers.
Production Details: Directorate of Public Relations, War Office (Production sponsor)
Army Film and Photographic Unit (Production company)
Laws, George E J1916-02-15 (Production individual)
Personalities, Units and Organisations: Horrocks, Brian Gwynne (person)
British Army, Yeomanry, Fife and Forfar, 2 (regiment/service)
British Army, Monmouth Regiment, 3rd Battalion (regiment/service)
British Army, Hussars, 15/19 (regiment/service)
British Army, Bde, Armoured, 29 Gp (regiment/service)
British Army, Royal Artillery (regiment/service)
British Army, Royal Engineers (regiment/service)
British Army, Royal Tank Regiment, 3rd Battalion (regiment/service)
British Army, Div, Armoured, 11 (regiment/service)
British Army, Bde 159 Gp (regiment/service)
British Army, Corps 30 (regiment/service)
United States Army (regiment/service)
Keywords: prisoners of war, German - movement: march (object name)
destruction, French military - area: bomb (object name)
armour, United States - tank: M4 Sherman & [British] (object name)
armour, British - tank: Cromwell (object name)
armour, British - tank: Challenger (object name)
armour, United States - halftrack: M5 (object name)
armour, British - SPG: Sexton 25-pounder (object name)
society, British military - sustenance: peeling potatoes (object name)
armour, United States - funnies: M4 Sherman Firefly & [British] (object name)
combat, British - artillery bombardment (object name)
Argentan, Orne, France (geography)
Orne (River), France (geography)
