In Burma 17th Indian Division advances south along the Rangoon road from Meiktila, tanks and infantry clear the defended village of Pyinbongyi near Milestone 68.

A raised road runs along the side of a wide open area with a number of stationary Sherman medium tanks (probably 9th Royal Deccan Horse) and jeeps along with a number of men. There are occasional black bursts of smoke in the air from artillery fire. Tanks and infantry advance across the open ground. Tanks enter the treeline. Tanks and infantry enter the village of Pyinbongyi. Smoke rises over trees. A Sherman fires its coaxial machine gun into bushes. A dead Japanese soldier in a foxhole. Indian troops accompany a Sherman which stops halfway out of frame before firing its main gun; the impact of the shell can be seen on a crest a few hundred yards distant. Tanks and infantry advance across open ground. Three Indian soldiers in a gully or dry riverbed with a wireless set. A stationary Sherman tank with its turret traversed to the rear firing its coaxial gun.

Notes

These operations form part of IV Corps' southward drive along the road to Rangoon from Meiktila.

The troops seen in this film were of 63rd Brigade, 17th Indian Division. The infantry seen are probably 6th Battalion, 7th Rajput Regiment, the other battalion engaged being 1st Battalion, 3rd Gurkha Rifles. The Japanese opposition during this action was scraped together from the remnants of the Rangoon garrison and comprised a marine transport battalion, an NCO school, railwaymen, anti-aircraft gunners and 138th Independent Battalion.

Remarks: an authentic piece of combat film with the cameraman clearly close to the action, particularly in the shot of the Sherman firing at the cresting ground. Taken with JFU 221, which shows the same engagement as shot by a British Army cameraman, this provides a useful record of a relatively minor but representative action of this latter stage of the Battle of the Rangoon Road.

The dopesheet for this film is entitled 'Priest Guns in Action'. However, the only footage of Priests (105mm self-propelled guns) appears in a short piece of footage misplaced in JIN 47. This misplaced footage means the footage length below is approximate.