As fierce fighting continues at Kangaw, on the Arakan coast of Burma, the casualties are evacuated to a hospital ship by landing craft of the Royal Indian Navy.

At a forward dressing station, apparently 150 yards behind the frontline at Hill 170 at Kangaw, Indian stretcherbearers carry a stretcher case to an adapted jeep ambulance. The stretcher is secured. Tilt up from recently dug graves at the foot of Hill 170 to show the jeep setting off. Jeep ambulance carrying three wounded on rough track. View from a jeep following an ambulance. High shot show jeeps arriving at the beachhead. A Landing Craft Assault, LCA 2026, drops its ramp and men (British commandos and Indian troops) come ashore. Stretcher cases are carried onto LCA 2026. As one case is carried, a bearer loses his footing and the stretcher is jostled. Close-up shirtless Royal Indian Navy beachmaster gesturing. Closing the ramp of the LCA and reversing away. LCA 2026 moving off. Onboard an LCA moving along a chaung (river or watercourse); a Landing Craft Mechanised (LCM) passes in the opposite direction. A sailor points a Sten gun out to port, and another a Lewis gun to starboard. In a wider area of the chaung the sailors level their guns again (presumably for the camera); camera continues to tilt down to show the wounded, some have pulled their blankets over their heads against the bright sunshine. Sailor with his machine gun. Sailor with levelled Sten gun. Close-up commanding officer. Close-up sailor with machine gun. Coming alongside a hospital ship, apparently a converted coastal or river steamer. Close-up wounded man with arm in sling. Close-up Indian sailor; ‘HMIS’ can clearly be read on his hat. Looking aft at wounded as the landing craft comes about. Approaching the hospital ship; as the landing craft closes the camera tilts to the large red cross on the ship’s side. Walking wounded and stretcher cases are transferred to the ship. Onboard a female nurse officer of the Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service adjusts a blanket for an Indian soldier on a stretcher. Stretcher carried away. Another nurse shakes a thermometer and takes a patient’s temperature. Wheelhouse of the hospital ship with tilt up to show red cross flag flying. Water breaking at the bow. Deck of the ship with line of bunks. Patients listen to a gramophone. Close-up of one of the listening patients, an Indian man with bandage round his head, chatting with a British man in pyjamas. Large red cross on roof of the steamer.

Notes

Landings at Kangaw were led by 3 Commando Brigade on 22 January 1945. The cameraman gives the location at the start of the reel as the foot of Hill 170, the scene of 36 hours of desperate and ferocious fighting between 31 January and 2 February, a posthumous Victoria Cross being won by Lieutenant George Knowland of 1 Commando.

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.