OPERATION ZIPPER: 25TH INDIAN DIVISION LAND AT MORIB, MALAYA (9/9/1945)

This film is held by the Imperial War Museum (ID: JFU 319).

Synopsis

Troops of 25th Indian Division make an amphibious landing on the coast of Malaya at Morib as part of Operation Zipper.

Troops making their way along the dockside at Madras before boarding their troopships. Close-up of the 'ace of spades' insignia of 25th Indian Division. Views from aboard one of the troopships with men on deck and looking out over the rails. A Landing Craft Mechanised (LCM) ready to be lowered. Troops assembled on deck. Distant (and very grey) view of a Landing Ship Tank. View from an LCA, looking towards another, with a crew member signalling by semaphore. View of the distant invasion fleet. LCA 1462 at speed; camera pans right. LCA 1392 underway. 1392 appears to motor in the opposite direction and so the cameraman's landing craft is presumably between 1392 and 1462. Water churning at the stern. An officer (?) standing up and apparently giving some sort of vigorous hand signal. A Fairey Barracuda aircraft overhead. Men crowded aboard the LCA. View of LCA 1462 then very fast pan right to men aboard the cameraman's landing craft. Landing craft hitting the beach at high tide with men disembarking. Men disembarking from LCA 1392 alongside with more in the distance; LCA 1444 is visible. 1462 and 1457 beached with men stepping off one of their ramps into deep water. Two local civilians are spoken to by a British Civil Affairs officer with close-up. View along the beach showing the landing of the second wave. Sikh infantry leaving the beach. Two Indians push a large hand cart loaded with equipment. Men stepping off LCA 1712; pan to group of men by a tree, one of them using an Aldis signalling lamp. Indian troops carrying folded stretchers. Two Japanese officers standing in an open-topped car. Japanese officer speaks with an Indian officer, apparently the battalion commander of 2nd Battalion 2nd Punjab Regiment. Medium close-up of the Japanese officer; another stands behind him smoking a cigarette in a long holder.

Notes

Operation Zipper would have been an opposed amphibious landing had it not been for the unconditional Japanese surrender the previous month. In the event the landings were carried out as planned with the exception of the covering bombardment, which was cancelled. It later turned out that the Morib beaches were totally unsuitable for the landing of vehicles, many of which became bogged down.

 

Titles

  • OPERATION ZIPPER: 25TH INDIAN DIVISION LAND AT MORIB, MALAYA (9/9/1945) (Allocated)
Series Title:
BRITISH ARMY OPERATIONS IN SOUTH EAST ASIA DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR
 

Technical Data

Year:
1945
Running Time:
4 minutes
Film Gauge (Format):
35mm
Colour:
B&W
Sound:
Silent
Footage:
310 ft
 

Production Credits

Production Countries:
GB
Sponsor
War Office Directorate of Public Relations
cameraman.
Govan, H W (Sergeant)
Production company
SEAC Film Unit
 

Countries

 

Production Organisations