After the fall of the city of Shwebo in central Burma, two infantry battalions of 19th Indian Division clear the village of Nwagalegon (Nwagale Gaon?).

Indian troops advancing through open ground and low scrub.Troops hurrying across open ground. A Burmese soldier with a British officer Major Baker, speaking to local people coming from Shwebo. A British company commander goes forward towards a railway line and looks through binoculars. The company commander sends for his platoon commanders, who join him at the railway line. He points out his intentions on a map, with close-up. Shwebo and the names of several villages (Mingon, Nwagalegon) are marked, as is an airfield to the north-east of Shwebo. Briefly out of focus shot, soon corrected, of an Indian platoon commander briefing his men. Kneeling Indian troops; they go forward. A British officer supervises the set up of an observation post. Several shots of the observation post; one man is using a rangefinder. Setting up Vickers machine guns (various angles). Indian soldier uses a clinometer to check the gun's elevation. Using rangefinder. More ammunition is brought up. Wide shot of troops advancing across an open field (away from camera). Two soldiers, behind a low bank, cock their rifles. More troops come up across open ground, towards camera. Troops hasten into the cover of a hedgerow. Out of focus footage, showing troops advancing through a village in bright sunshine. A Bren gunner and a rifleman firing, close to a river. The Bren gunner changes magazines, but not smoothly. Two shots of men firing their rifles; both appear to have problems with their rifles failing to extract cartridge cases properly. Out of focus; three men (Bren gunner and two riflemen) advance into a village. They encounter a dead Japanese soldier with a sword. Indian soldier unsheaths the sword (focus soft). The Japanese corpse. Soldiers advancing cautiously through the village. The troops encounter the rear entrance of a Japanese bunker and one soldier (frame left) appears to drop a hand grenade into it. The bunker entrance with dust or smoke rising, into a shaft of sunlight. A soldier goes to clear the bunker but has trouble getting through the entrance. He stands up, having apparently retrieved some small objects of Japanese equipment.

Notes

The dopesheet does not specify which battalions are seen in this film, but refers to the Baluch Regiment and Sikh Regiment. This suggests 5th Battalion 10th Baluch Regiment (64th Indian Infantry Brigade) and the Machine Gun Battalion of 11th Sikh Regiment (both of these battalions of 19th Indian Division).

The name of the village is uncertain.

Major Baker is described as being of an Indian Field Battery, possibly one of 4th Indian Field Regiment which was part of 19th Indian Division.

Series note: The MWY series of films is believed to be part of a ‘pool’ of film received by the Government of India from various sources, including South East Asia Command, the Indian Inter-Service Public Relations Directorate, the Ministry of Information, and from Allied governments. This footage would have been considered for editing and release through the Indian Newsreel Parade; see INR series.