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Title:LANDINGS ON 'SWORD' BEACH, 6 JUNE 1944 (PART 5) [Allocated Title]
Film Number:A70 32-2
Other titles:
Summary: Reinforcements for the 3rd (British) Division come ashore at 'Sword' Beach near Ouistreham where the lack of suitable beach exits prevents troops and vehicles getting rapidly inland.
Description: Men belonging to 185th Brigade (1st Norfolk Regiment) come ashore from a LCI(L) in rising tide at 'Queen Red' Beach at La Breche. A mass of trucks, jeeps, armoured bulldozers, AVREs and self-propelled guns is compressed by the tide into a narrow strip of beach, unable to get inland until the congestion in the few beach exits is cleared. Troops endeavour to drag a recalcitrant 6-pounder across a small box girder bridge laid by one of 5th Assault Regiment Royal Engineers' AVREs over the sea wall at La Breche. A carrier with a 6-pounder gun in tow burns after being hit by either German mortar or shell fire while still on the beach. In the background a barrage balloon flies above several beached landing craft.
Production Details: Directorate of Public Relations, War Office (Production sponsor)
Army Film and Photographic Unit (Production company)
O'Neill, F D (Production individual)
Personalities, Units and Organisations: British Army, Div 3 (regiment/service)
British Army, Bde 185 (regiment/service)
British Army, Norfolk Regiment, 1st Battalion (regiment/service)
British Army, Royal Engineers, Assault Regiment 5 (regiment/service)
Keywords: ships, British naval - amphibious: LCI (L) (object name)
armour, British - funnies: Churchill AVRE (object name)
armour, British - carrier: [wrecked] (object name)
aircraft, British - balloon: barrage balloon (object name)
weapons, British - gun: 6-pounder gun & [wrecked] (object name)
combat, British - artillery bombardment [I] (object name)
12/5(261.22).7 [ Operation Neptune] (event)
Sword beach, Calvados, France (geography)
Queen Red Beach, La Breche, Calvados, France (geography)
Notes: Summary: Sergeant O'Neill was wounded while filming
Remarks: good shots of troops wading through a high tide to get ashore and of the congestion on 'Queen Red' Beach, a particular problem in 'Sword' area and instrumental in 3rd Division's failure to capture Caen - its D-Day objective - on June 6 1944
Technical: A70 31 and A70 32 are held on the same reel.