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Summary: British rough material of the Battle of Amiens and the Advance to the Hindenburg Line, Western Front, August 1918.
Description: A column of RFA limbers reloads from a dump of 18-pounder shells beside a track before moving forward (possibly near Harlincourt ?). A group of soldiers, possibly Royal Scots Fusiliers, walks in loose order towards the camera through the dust of a track. Transport and RFA limbers move past Achiet-le-Grand station, which has two captured German 150mm howitzers outside it. Near Sapignies an officer directs the fire of two 6-inch Mark VII guns, and the map is re-set for indirect fire. The two guns are each hooked up to their two-wheel trail limbers and towed to a new position by Holt tractors. British troops dig in the remains of a wood, clearing the trees, not far from Bailleul. The main square at Bailleul consists only of an open space surrounded by rubble. Meteren, just south of Ypres, is in a similar condition. Near Merville, a girder bridge has been blown up and has collapsed into the cutting below it.
Production Details: Ministry of Information (Production sponsor)
Topical Film Company (Production company)
Bassill, F A (Production individual)
Personalities, Units and Organisations: British Army, Royal Artillery, Royal Field Artillery (regiment/service)
British Army, Scots Fusiliers, Royal (regiment/service)
British Army, Royal Artillery, Royal Garrison Artillery (regiment/service)
Keywords: supplies, British, storage [RA] - munitions (object name)
supplies, British, movement [RA] - munitions (object name)
transport, British military - animal (object name)
weapons, German - gun: 150mm howitzer & [captured] (object name)
weapons, British - gun: 6-inch Mark VII (object name)
equipment, British military - fire control: artillery targetting map (object name)
transport, British military - prime mover: Holt tractor (object name)
destruction, French military - area: artillery bombardment (object name)
buildings, French - commercial: railway station (object name)
01/3(4-15).92 [1918 Amiens] (event)
01/3(4-15).94 (event)
Achiet-le-Grand, Pas-de-Calais, France (geography)
Sapignies, Pas-de-Calais, France (geography)
Bailleul, Somme, France (geography)
Meteren, West Flanders, Belgium (geography)
Merville, Nord, France (geography)
Technical Details: Format: 35mm
Number of items/reels/tapes: 1
Footage: 692 ft; Running time: 12 mins
HD Media:Yes
Notes: Title: no record has been found of AUGUST OFFENSIVE episodes 5 and 6. The title has been taken from the shotsheet
Summary: see also IWM 290
Technical: this film was copied transposed left to right, and is therefore now held wound celluloid out, against normal practice
Remarks: Bailleul was captured on 9th July and the other locations are similarly 'safe' areas. Either the cameraman could not get forward or he used the opportunity to cover regions which it had not been possible to film while they were being fought over
