WAR PICTORIAL NEWS NO 151 [Main Title]

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

I. 'ITALY.' An item outlining events leading to the Allied amphibious landings at Anzio (Nettuno) on January 22 1944. United States (US) Fifth Army infantry (possibly 3rd Division) march along a mountain road as US soft-skins drive in convoy past them. US 3rd Division infantry armed with M1 Garand .30-in automatic rifles and M1 (short rifle) .30-in carbines walk up twin embarkation ramps of United States Navy (USN) landing craft (LCT ? Pennant number 43). British 2.5-ton 6x6 DUKW amphibians are driven up loading ramps into waiting tank landing craft. Allied naval vessels fire a barrage to shore to soften up defences prior to the landing. A Royal Navy (RN) Captain on the bridge of an unidentified RN vessel, scans the horizon with binoculars. Allied landing craft disembark soft-skinned vehicles and DUKW amphibians. A British Eighth Army M4 Sherman tank with "Flea" painted on its hull is driven off the ramp of an LCT. Brief footage shows US Fifth Army Commander General Mark W Clark standing on an Anzio landing beach, with a United States Army Air Force (USAAF) Piper L-4H Grasshopper light observation aircraft equipped with floats evident in the background. A British soft-skin pulling an Ordnance QF Bofors L/60 40mm anti-aircraft gun drives through surf and up a beach. Brief footage shows British General Harold R L G Alexander talking to an unidentified RN officer as a British infantryman uses a mine detector in the background. British Eighth Army infantry move through a shell damaged hamlet armed with M1 Thompson .45-in sub-machine guns and Lee-Enfield .303 No.IV rifles. The commentary stresses that the Germans have thrown in all reserves in an attempt to stem the Allied advance. British airborne troops (or Canadian ?) wearing Denison jackets fire a 75mm pack howitzer at high elevation in snow covered terrain. USAAF Douglas Boston bombers are shown in flight, the commentary stating that Allied aircraft are bombing German communications with Rome. Aerial footage shows USAAF Boston 13-337 "Leona" (69-tail code) in flight. US infantry remove German anti-tank mines (Tellermine 35 TMi 35 ?) from a beach. British infantry carrying Lee-Enfield No.IV rifles and Bren .303-in light machine guns march past a road sign directing the way to Rome.

II. 'PRELUDE TO INVASION-THE NIGHT OFFENSIVE-THE ATTACK ON MANNHEIM LUDWIGSHAFEN.' The item covers the fifty-eighth attack by Bomber Command on the twin German towns of Mannheim-Ludwigshafen which are described as the second largest inland port of Europe. Royal Air Force (RAF) Short Stirling bomber aircraft (no codes visible) stand parked and chocked at an unidentified airfield. Stirlings take off on a mission at dusk (silhouetted). A map of Germany orientates the viewer as to target location, a close up of the twin towns identifies commercial and industrial targets and their location when seen from the air. Night footage of the raid follows with fires spreading from dropped RAF incendiaries. A map of the twin towns is superimposed over the actual mission footage to give some semblance of bombing accuracy on the targets previously outlined. Elsewhere precision daylight bombing missions are still being flown by RAF Bomber Command on important targets in Northern France. ('THE DAY OFFENSIVE.') A Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) de Havilland Mosquito FB VI aircraft of 487 Squadron runs up its engines on the flightline at Hunsdon airfield in Hertfordshire. Mosquitos FB VI of RNZAF 486 Squadron and Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) 463 Squadron take off from Hunsdon on a mission. A pair of 487 Squadron Mosquitos fly at low level over the sea as the commentary states that targets for the day include power stations, railheads and airfields. RAF Douglas Boston Mk III bombers of 88 (Hong Kong) Squadron taxi past working RAF groundcrews and line up to await their turn to take off. Aerial footage shows RAF North American Mitchell bombers of 320 (Dutch) Squadron flying in formation and later dropping their bombs on unseen targets. The commentary states that despite working outside the limelight these RAF Squadrons inflict irreparable harm on the Nazi war machine.

35mm