WAR PICTORIAL NEWS NO 66 [Main Title]

An edition of the British official newsreel "War Pictorial News", produced by the Ministry of Information, Middle East.

I. 'NEWS FROM ENGLAND: AMERICAN NAVY JOINS BRITISH FLEET.' King George VI visits the British Home Fleet (Scapa Flow ?) and is piped aboard HMS Duke Of York where he reviews a Royal Marine guard of honour. On HMS Norfolk, the King receives a miniature model of a seaman's hat from as a gift an unidentified Petty officer. King George VI chats informally to ratings from the Royal Netherlands Navy who are serving aboard HMS Tyne and are acting as a guard of honour for the visit of the King. The commentary describes the Dutch sailors as "Men of a race born no less than the British to seafaring and liberty." Elsewhere, aboard an unidentified United States Navy (USN) Ship, King George VI reviews a guard of honour formed from members of the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and is received by Admiral Harold Raynsford Stark (Commander USN forces in Europe). King George VI is given a guided tour of the ship accompanied by Stark. A brief view of a smiling Lieutenant Douglas Fairbanks Jnr USN (actor) is shown. The commentary states "On sea as on land, the United Nations are marshalling an invincible force" as King George VI salutes to camera.

II. 'UNITED NATIONS DAY.' The commentary describes London as the centre of the free nations of the world on United Nations Day. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth review a parade led by the band of the National Fire Service and made up of contingents from the armed forces and civil defence. Army guardsmen line the route of the parade holding the flags of twenty two nations as the contingents from the armed services march from the direction of the Mall. The King and Queen stand on a reviewing podium situated directly between the gates of Buckingham Palace, with them stand Czechoslovak President Benes and Princess Margaret and Elizabeth. General Sikorski (Premier of Polish Government in Exile) and Ivan M Maisky (Soviet Ambassador) are evident in the crowd of dignitaries viewing the parade.

III. 'LIBERATORS SMASH BENGHAZI.' United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) Consolidated B-24 Liberator bombers are parked in a line-up at an unidentified desert airfield. A B-24 bears the legend "Ripper the 1st" on its nose as the commentary points out that the United States B-24 aircraft are stationed in the Middle East and are serviced by Australian ground crews. A Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) petrol bowser reverses between parked B-24's and a fuel line is fitted to an aircraft's wing fuel tank by a member of the ground crew wearing a vest. The commentary stresses the co-operation between the RAF and the USAAC and outlines the B-24's specifications. Groundcrew unload 1000lb bombs from the rear of a truck by dropping them off the tailgate. The aerodynamic fins are bolted on to the rear of the bombs, prior to loading inside the B-24's bomb bays. An RAF Wing Commander utilises a black board to brief aircrew prior to a raid on Benghazi harbour. the commentary reiterates the theme of inter-Allied co-operation over scenes of Australian groundcrew loading 250lb bombs into USAAC B-24 aircraft. RAF aircrew walk to their aircraft wearing Irvin jackets. USAAC aircrew congregate near the entry hatch of a B-24 carrying B3 and A2 jackets. The commentary stresses that the US crews have proved invaluable to their RAF colleagues by providing advice about the B-24 Liberator aircraft. Scenes of B-24 engine starts, aircraft taxiing and take off follow. Air to air views of RAF and USAAC B-24 aircraft are shown. In the interior of a B-24, an RAF Flight Sergeant tests the offset aiming mechanism for his fuselage waist mounted Browning .50-in heavy machine gun. An RAF bomb-aimer checks a map, calibrates his bomb-sight, and releases his bombs over the target. The commentary states that such bombing raids are a "daily dose of disorganisation for the enemy" over views of bombs dropping from the bomb bays of B-24's and impacting on Benghazi. Having avoided anti-aircraft Flak bursts the aircraft return to base.

35mm