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Movietone’s War Time News - Reported by Leslie Mitchell: Cutting the Peninsular

Series

Series Name
British Movietone News

Issue

Issue No.
785A
Date Released
22 Jun 1944
Date submitted
Jun 1944
Date submitted
20 Jun 1944
Stories in this Issue:
  1. 1Movietone’s War Time News - Reported by Leslie Mitchell: 'Ocean Swell’ Swamps the Derby
  2. 2Movietone’s War Time News - Reported by Leslie Mitchell: Cutting the Peninsular

Story

Story No. within this Issue
2 / 2
Section Title
Movietone’s War Time News - Reported by Leslie Mitchell
Summary
MOVIETONE CARD TITLE: Cutting the Peninsula. DESCRIPTION: In France the Allies are consolidating their positions and driving inland to secure the Cherbourg peninsular. Airborne divisions, using gliders, have landed behind enemy lines. The RAF have blasted Le Havre. The Free French leader, General de Gaulle has returned to France and received a tremendous welcome from the people of Bayeaux. Ten days after the landings the King went to France where he toured positions with General Montgomery. SHOTLIST: Cut story - KS. (AFU - Signpost L’Orne with British troops walking into camera single file along road. Signpost Caen/Bayeaux. Transport along road, also Shermans, artillery & jeeps. Camouflaged priests fire gun from field. LS of steeple crashing. More Priests fire.) AFU - Troops quick firing mortars. GS of town, fires & smouldering debris, tank demolished by our troops. AFU - Gliders crash on field. Aerial shots of parachute falling to earth with supplies. LS Spitfire formation, various. Dusk shot of Lancasters in formation, night shots over target Le Havre, flake up at them, explosions on ground, several large explosions. General de Gaulle boards ship, piped aboard, pan up to Tricolour flying at mast, this was a French warship. General de Gaulle on Dukw, Duck on beach. AFU de Gaulle jumps off Dukw, de Gaulle in Jeep drives through cheering crowds. AFU walking through cheering crowds, shakes hands with many. Various shots of de Gaulle in Bayeaux. Various shots of ruined and smoking Isigny, Yanks over rubble, German prisoners sit about ruins. Frenchmen man pump in street, fireman with hose, water pouring from it rushes up ladder, as he directs water on fire same stops flowing from hose-pipe. Red Cross jeep through town. Aerial shots of flooding in Montebourg area. Yanks, British & transport through streets of Montebourg. King George VI board cruiser "Arethusa". King shakes hand with Cunningham. Various shots of King George. Cunningham, Sir Charles Portal and Ramsay aboard ship, also close-ups. Pan of beach shows many beached craft. Dukw with King aboard, approaches Monty who walks up to same saluting King. King alights shakes hands with Monty. AFU Nr. Monty HQ. King holds investiture, several decorated including Major General Keller CBE. Back on the beach King shakes hands with Monty afterwards saluting. AFU King climbs aboard Dukw to finish. AFU - A.700/44/1-3 - 25 pounders firing. Shermans into camera. German dead lie about roadway. Wrecked cars & tanks. A.700/45/1-9 - French civvies register. Aerial shot of Bayeaux. LS shells burst on top of chimney stack outside Caen. Mortars fired & CU. A.700/49/1 - Various shots of King in France. King inspects troops. A.700/46/1-11 - Bulldozers plough rail track. Shot of village of La Dilverance. Army traffic through same. Soldiers make friends with French. French read proclamation by Eisenhower, various stuck on wall. Gendarme explains to Military Police. Canadian infantry march towards Caen. CU faces. CU feet. Troops of 3rd Division carry Piat ammunition. British troops dig in. Battery of 105mm self propelled guns firing. Transport over bridge at Benouville. Various shots of Eisenhower, Tedder, Admiral Cunningham in France, met by Lt General Bucknall. Eisenhower and Tedder visit Monty’s caravan. Tedder with others in jeep, drives same away. A.700/47/2-6-7-9 - Various shots of Shermans outside Caen return to base. Royal Engineers use pneumatic drills on ground. Troops eating in fields. Troops bathe in stream, in birthday suits. Village of La Sebaudiere completely gutted and smouldering. KO Tiger tank. Royal Engineers build new bridge, traffic crosses old bridge, pan to new one. CAFU - British HQ on fire, soldiers salvage belongings. Soldier with alsatian. Pan down ruined tower to church. British troops read News Chronicle. British troops get grub and eating, in farm, ducks walk about, chicken etc. Burning jeep which has hit mine, bulldozer pushes same off road. POW led in and receive water. French town of Cruelly, with USA, British and French flags on monument in square. Troops pass shrine on road. Wrecked transport depot (British). Thompson - Arrival on board of Sir Charles Portal and Cunningham. Various shots deck of Arethusa. Various shots of bridge. King boards Dukw. Ramsden - GV Battleship. Pinnace alongside destroyer, Stark boards. Various shots of Stark on bridge and CUs. Stark with Admiral Kirk aboard submarine chaser. Admiral Stark boards "Augusta" via sea ladder, crew looks on. CU Admirals Stark, Hall & Kirk. Arrives at beach head. Various shots beach-head. RAF - Wounded inside planes, lifted off planes into ambulances, nurses assist, one stands at entrance of plane with bouquet, first to go to France. USAAF - Havocs and Marauders in flight, Yanks give food to French, German scout car along road Carentan/Cherbourge signpost, Traffic through Isigny. Thunderbolts land & TC aerial shots of planes on airstrip. APS - GV countryside near Carentan. Bridging canal, pontoon across. Various shots of Montebourg. German scout car through town. Wounded at sea. Isigny wrecked town, soldiers through smoke. Naval POW captured. Doodlebug (tank) captured, shot of it travelling across field. US Navy - Yanks through French village, shots of booby traps. GV beaches and reinforcements at sea. Goldstein - Wounded on beaches. Jeep off LCI. Wounded in LCIs hoisted aboard LST. RAF - Mosquitos on aerodrome, Mosquitos land. RAFFU - Mosquito land and taxi. LS of planes, Spitfires bank and land. Various shots of Mosquitos and Spitfires. USAAF- Marauders in line taxies along runway, various shots of them taking off. Bombs dropping and explosions. USAAF - Shots of Brereton, Spaatz and General Arnold talking (silent). Also in picture is Major General Royce. Havocs in formation. Havoc bomb, bombs dropping, explosions.
Keywords
Royalty; Politics and government; Buildings and structures; Mass media; Ships and boats; Entertainment and leisure; Vehicles; Health and medicine; Food and cooking; Environment; Weapons; Aviation; Railways; Dogs; Death; Communications; Celebrations and festivals; Ceremonies; Victory celebrations; War damage; Prisoners of war; Occupied territories; Navy; Animals; Engineering; Military; Awards and honours
Footage sources
9th USAAF
APS
Army Film Unit
Canadian Film Unit
Gaumont
Pathe
Royal Air Force Film Unit [RAFFU]
United States Navy
Card file number
44917
Credits:
Camera
Graham T. Thompson
Camera
J. L. Ramsden
Commentator
Leslie Mitchell
Length of story (in feet)
485
Story extras:

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AP Archive
Email
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Web
http://www.movietone.com
Phone
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