36th Indian Infantry Brigade land at Rangoon, capital of Burma, to complete the occupation of the city by 26th Indian Division, XV Indian Corps, as part of Operation Dracula.

Footage from the Landing Craft Infantry (Headquarters) (LCI(HQ)) of 36 Indian Infantry Brigade showing various naval craft assembling before sailing up the Rangoon river; types seen include Landing Craft Assault (LCA), Landing Craft Infantry (Large) (LCI(L)) and Fairmile B and D Class motor launches. The weather is heavily overcast. A naval officer looks out over a rail. Brigadier I C A Lauder, commanding 36th Brigade, looks out over the assembling landing craft. He looks at the camera and, grinning, gives a two-fingered salute. Three LCAs heading ashore with LCA 1692 nearest camera and LCA 1689 and LCA 1356 behind. A motor gun boat with a single gun forward (6-pounder?) on pedestal mounting and twin 20mm Oerlikon cannons and twin QF 2-pounders (Vickers 'pom-poms') aft. Landing craft underway with a LCI(L) signalling with an Aldis signal lamp in the background. Three columns of LCAs, led by the LCI(HQ) and a motor gun boat. A signaller uses an Aldis lamp. An Oerlikon gun crew at their gun aboard the LCI(HQ). A British sailor walks back and forth playing the bagpipes to a uninterested audience of soldiers. Landing craft following the headquarters ship. A Gurkha rifleman, named on the dopesheet as Jahgubahadar Tamang of 1st Battalion 8th Gurkha Rifles, playing the bagpipes. Close-up of Rifleman Tamang's fingers moving on the pipes' chanter. Officers looking towards Rangoon on the horizon. Rather poorly lit close-up of sailor playing bagpipes. Brigadier Lauder and Captain Bell, Royal Navy (Senior Officer Amphibious Group II), looking out. Landing craft following the ship. View towards Rangoon. Warehouses of Rangoon docks. A man pours dark liquid (rum?) from a kettle into a measure. He hands it to a soldier in plain dress and steel helmet who downs it. Jetties and cranes at Rangoon docks. A man with binoculars around his neck gives hand signals (probably semaphore). More cranes. A building with a (bell?) tower near the docks. The spire of Shwedagon pagoda can be seen in the distance. Warehouses on the quayside.

Notes

Dopesheet remarks that Rifleman Jahgubahadar (possibly Jagu Bahadur) Tamang's father was a pipe major in the Burma Frontier Force (BFF) of Taunggyi, Burma, which would suggest the Southern Shan States battalion. The BFF was raised from units of the Burma Military Police for frontier and internal security duties and was mostly composed of Indians and Gurkhas but also included Karens, Chins and Kachins. Many of the Burmese units of the BFF disintegrated following the Japanese invasion in 1942 but the Indian and Gurkha units retained their cohesion and retreated to India. They were later reformed as the Burma Regiment.

36 Brigade had originally been landed on the west bank of the Rangoon river opposite Wabalaukthauk at 7am on 2 May. When it became clear that Rangoon had been evacuated, however, the brigade was reembarked and sailed upriver to Rangoon docks.

At the same time as this film was shot, units of IV Indian Corps, led by 17th Indian Division, were advancing overland and had reached Pegu (Bago), 50 miles from Rangoon. They were prevented from reaching the city by a combination of blown bridges and the early onset of the monsoon.

Other British Army and RAF (ABY-series) film of these landings can be found at the references below. See related items.