As Eighth Army continues its advance northwards through Italy, medium artillery lays down a night barrage while self-propelled guns, tanks, and armoured cars move up in the vicinity of Santa Lucia.

First 75 feet is almost totally black, save a few frames showing the muzzle flashes of artillery pieces firing at night; one notable shot shows three 5.5-inch medium guns firing simultaneously. Daylight; British self-propelled (SP) 105mm guns firing. Self-propelled gun moving position and firing; it has an insignia of a horse in a circle (9th Armoured Brigade?) on its forward hull. Gunners running across open ground to their vehicles. An SP gun starting up and driving off. Indian troops run across open ground and take cover in a tree line. Indian soldiers in cover. Indian officer looking out from a ditch. Scattered German personal equipment (helmet, ammo pouches, mess tins) An Indian stretcherbearer walking past German corpses. German dead. A number of White Scout Cars passing. Indian Bren carriers (Universal carrier) passing. A Bren carrier passes at speed; behind a small house which has taken a direct hit. Carriers and jeeps driving into the distance; they raise dust. Armoured cars pass. A Bren gunner and soldier with Thompson submachine gun covering from a window. Bren gunner fires a few rounds. Alternative angles. A Sherman tank drives towards camera. Another Sherman approaching with a large house behind. Jeep passing (carrying a commanding officer?) followed by Humber armoured cars. More armoured cars passing. Bren carriers pass. Sign ‘S. Lucia’. British rifleman in cover behind a small flight of steps. Profile rifleman. A German grave marked with a cross surmounted by a German helmet; the inscription is not legible. Four German prisoners of war are interrogated. Troops on the march seen from street level and from a high window. Wide landscape shot with shellfire raising smoke or dust on a hillside. Further landscape shots.

Notes

Santa Lucia is a small town on the road between Umbertide (and, further south, Perugia) and Citt di Castello in the Tiber Valley

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.