On 17 July 1944 the greatest barrage ever laid down on a single target took place when one hundred guns of medium and field artillery fired nine thousand shells in a single hour on a small wood in the district of Manipur, India.

A battery of three large field artillery pieces are set up in a field. They are surrounded by men and vehicles. General views of the camp. A small plane takes off in the background. Men prepare shells and the guns for firing. Shells are primed and lined up. General view of the camp. Men line up for their midday meal; they hold tin plates and mugs; some read newspapers. Their meal is dished out to them. More wood is put under an improvised water heater. A soldier sits naked in an oil drum which has been cut in half lengthways. He is washed by another man. The second man pours water from a bucket over him. Close-up of the man rinsing soap from his hair. Three men sit in front of a tent; two read a paper the other writes a letter. Three men sort out radio equipment in a tent. A generator is inspected. Muzzle flashes from guns of 99 and 129 Field Regiments Royal Artillery and 67 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment Royal Artillery as they fire at night. A knocked-out Japanese Type 95 Ha-Go tank is covered in mud and debris after the shelling of Kha Khunou woods. Men climb on the tank. General views of the wood which is now reduced to mud, tree stumps and shell holes full of water. Another knocked out tank. Three dead Japanese soldiers lie in open ground (these were the only Japanese found after the barrage buried the others in their bunkers). Another knocked out Japanese tank. Close-up of a dead Japanese soldier lying in water. A column of British troops walk along a muddy road. An M3 General Grant tank passes a parked motorcycle and jeep. Hawker Hurribombers attack positions. A knocked out M3 Stuart tank (this had been captured by the Japanese and then knocked out by British guns) sits by the side of the road. Gurkhas of 1st Battalion 7th Gurkha Rifles and 2nd Battalion 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles (48th Indian Infantry Brigade, 17th Indian Division) consolidate the positions that they have taken in the woods. They dig in in the muddy conditions. Men work to clear the area and supplies are piled up. More shots of the Japanese corpses. British troops gather in front of a M3 Grant tank and show off their captured Japanese flag.

Notes

On 8 July 1944 the Japanese Army finally abandoned its attempts to capture Imphal. There followed a period of pursuit south along the road from Imphal to Tiddim (the 'Tiddim Road') 120 miles away. Progress over difficult country and through hostile weather was slow, and frustrated by stubborn Japanese resistance. This film documents the use of the Allies' massive artillery superiority to neutralise a Japanese position in the village of Ningthoukhong Kha Khunou. Shortly after this action 17th Indian Division reached its objective of Thinnunggei, at which point 5th Indian Division took over the advance along the Tiddim Road.

The dopesheet names 99th and 129th Field Regiments, 67th Heavy Anti-Aircraft and a medium regiment. The medium regiment was a battery of 8th Medium Regiment, and 4th Field Reigment also participated. Various details of this operation can be found in the reference below, a copy of which is held by the Museum's Department of Printed Books.