LANDINGS ON 'SWORD' BEACH, 6 JUNE 1944 (PART 2) [Allocated Title]

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  • Title: LANDINGS ON 'SWORD' BEACH, 6 JUNE 1944 (PART 2) [Allocated Title]
  • Film Number: A70 31-1
  • Other titles:
  • Summary: Scenes of commandos leaving Southampton and landing on 'Sword' Beach on D-Day.
  • Description: A convoy of LCI(S)s carrying Lord Lovat's 1st Special Service Brigade sails into the Solent on the evening of June 5 shortly after leaving Warsash at the mouth of the Hamble. Next morning, commandos from the Brigade's HQ make their way along 'Queen Red' Beach at La Breche to the beach exit. Visible at the water's edge are several knocked-out 13/18th Hussars DD Shermans and 5th Assault Regiment Royal Engineers Churchill AVREs. The commandos - identifiable by their (green) berets - file past a group of infantrymen sheltering by a 2nd East Yorkshire Regiment Universal Carrier from stray sniper bullets. Men from No 6 Commando (?) come ashore from two LCI(S)s and set off for the beach exit. A man recovers equipment from a wrecked amphibious truck. Several engineers are seen at work as the commandos form up to head inland. They file past gutted beach houses and shattered defensive positions. Visible through the haze of a smoke-screen briefly is the drum of a Churchill carpetlayer. Commandos take cover from sniper or artillery fire in the waste ground behind 'Queen Red' Beach.
  • Access Conditions: IWM Attribution: © IWM
  • Featured Period: 1939-1945
  • Production Date: 1944-06-06
  • Production Country: GB
  • Production Details: Directorate of Public Relations, War Office (Production sponsor) Army Film and Photographic Unit (Production company) Clague, N (Production individual)
  • Personalities, Units and Organisations: British Army, 1st Special Service Brigade (regiment/service) British Army, 6 Commando (?) (regiment/service) British Army, Royal Engineers (regiment/service) Royal Navy (regiment/service)
  • Keywords: ships, British naval - amphibious: LCI (S) (object name) armour, United States - funnies: M4 Sherman DD & [British] & [damaged] (object name) armour, British - funnies: Churchill AVRE & [damaged] (object name) operations, British military - movement: ship (object name) armour, British - carrier: Universal (object name) combat, British - artillery bombardment [I] (object name) destruction, French military - area: artillery bombardment (object name) 12/5(261.22).7 [ Operation Neptune] (event) Queen Red Beach, La Breche, Calvados, France (geography) Sword beach, Calvados, France (geography) GB, England & Hants <Solent> (geography)
  • Physical Characteristics: Colour format: B&W Sound format: Silent Soundtrack language: None Title language: None Subtitle language: None
  • Technical Details: Format: 35mm Footage: 84 ft; Running time: 1 min
  • HD Media:Yes
  • Notes: Summary : all commandos seen here are wearing berets - Lord Lovat banned the wearing of helmets Remarks: excellent shots of the LCI(S) convoy, underway in the Solent and of the landings on 'Queen Red' Beach which, in spite of the poor light, convey successfully the organised chaos aspect of the initial D-Day landings Technical: A70 31 and A70 32 are held on the same reel.
  • Link to IWM Collections page:

    A70 31-1

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