Infantry of 1st Battalion, 3rd Gurkha Rifles (99th Brigade, 17th Indian Division) supported by tanks, attack a Japanese position at Okpo, 8 miles south east of Meiktila, Burma.

A Sherman medium tank of 255th Indian Tank Brigade named 'Hapur' (a town in Uttar Pradesh, India) seen firing its .30-calibre machine gun. More Shermans. A Sherman, seen from a foxhole with a soldier's helmet in the bottom of the frame, reversing as a cloud of smoke (from artillery fire?) appears nearby. Infantry move up along a wooded track. Infantry in open ground. A British officer (probably Major Harry Hornsby, the company commander) speaking on a wireless set and using binoculars. Rear-quarter close-up of Major Hornsby. A signaller wearing a radio headset to call down artillery fire. Close-up of his map, mostly illegible, but one place possibly 'Thazi', a nearby village. Smoke drifting through a treeline in the distance. A Bren gun at the top of a ditch. Another man talking on a radio. Infantry advancing across open scrubland. A Sherman joins two others; the tank is named but the name is partially obscured (Rohtak?). Close-up of a Sherman named Gurgaon (a town then in Punjab province) showing its tracks and running gear, with an Indian Bren gunner following behind. Tanks in open ground. A tank climbs out of a ditch; its name is obscured by foliage but is numbered '10' on its rear. Extreme close-up on the tracks of a tank named 'Bohar'. Close-up of a tank track churning up dust. Four Gurkhas carrying a casualty on a stretcher. Various distant shots of tanks and infantry with drifting smoke. A dead Japanese soldier in a shallow trench; apparently a movement officer. Another dead Japanese soldier, a gunner, with a close-up of his damaged gun; a British 25-pound shell has gouged a chunk out of the barrel. A wooden basha or hut on fire. Other buildings on fire. Troops moving into the village with burning buildings in the background.

Notes

Dopesheet gives the unit as B Company, 1st Battalion 3rd Gurkhas, and the name of its commanding officer as Major H R Hornsby, formerly a master of The King's School, Peterborough. Major Hornsby MC survived the war and returned to The King's School as Headmaster from 1945 - 1951. Hornsby wrote about his experiences serving with the Gurkhas in his autobiography, referenced below, with thanks to Trevor Elliott of The King's School. He is also mentioned several times in the regimental history of 3rd Gurkha Rifles, a copy of which is held by the Museum's Department of Printed Books.

The armoured unit is not identified, but is possibly 5th King Edward's Own Lancers (generally known as Probyn's Horse).

The engagement seen in this film forms part of a series of relatively small fights in the aftermath of the Battle of Meiktila. Meiktila was a large action that sought to destroy a strong Japanese garrison and capture a number of key airfields. Once Meiktila was secure, a series of small actions were fought in order to allow IV Corps to begin its drive on Rangoon, 338 miles away, down the Rangoon road. A similar action can be seen in the film referenced below.