Short film showing Royal Air Force Bristol Blenheim light bombers, possibly of RAF 34 Squadron at Baigachi near Calcutta, India.

A Bristol Blenheim with ground crew at work and two men (aircrew?) boarding. A man (a civilian?) boarding the aircraft. Static aircraft. Man doing something to a ventral gun turret. Two shots static aircraft. Aircraft taxiing. Aircraft taxiing past raise dust. Aircraft taking off. Interior aircraft; flight sergeant navigator at his map. Pilot at controls gives thumbs-up. Air-to-air views of other aircraft in formation. Bomb aimer at his sight; he wears an ‘Australia’ flash.

Notes

No dopesheet survives for this film and consequently details of all kinds are unclear. Allowing for the assumptions that the location is somewhere in the general vicinity of Calcutta, and that the date is sometime in 1943, the squadron may be RAF 34 Squadron at Baigachi. Other squadrons operating the Blenheim in 1943 included RAF 60 Squadron, RAF 113 Squadron, and RAF 11 Squadron.

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.