Footage shot by N.C. Begg during the spring offensive in northern Italy, 1945.
Sherman Tank festooned with camouflage driving through Italian countryside. Bomber flying high overhead. Also a Mosquito fighter-bomber and a Spitfire. A squad of soldiers walking along road.
Intertitle: “While bombers thunder overhead, the DMS and ADMS discuss evacuation of casualties.” Two personnel, divisional medical staff, in discussion on roadside. Jeep driving on road.
“And Bill and Noffy stand around looking intelligent.” Soldier pulls water bucket up from well. Two soldiers point to the sky.
“Dive-bombers find a target and something goes up in a nice smoke ring.” Smoke ring in sky.
“The infantry stormed the Senio [river]. The sappers put up a high level Bailey.” Infantry crossing the bailey bridge.
“And tanks move up.” Tank on road.
“Bulldozers make the approaches and supply vehicles pour across.” Bulldozers fashioning the approaches to the bridge.
“But there is a price to pay.” A close-up of a burning tank. “Stretcher jeeps and humbers shuttle the wounded in to our ADS.” (Advanced Dressing Station). A New Zealand flag flies alongside a Red Cross flag. Man on stretcher moved into hospital. Ambulance.
“But our gains mount up. The German armour is destroyed - a dead Tiger.” [Panzer MkVI] Allied soldiers clamber over the abandoned tiger tank at the side of the road. “His guns are being captured.” An artillery piece in a thicket. “And best of all we are killing and capturing thousands of his best troops.” German POWs marching on road.
“Thus 5 and 6 brigades in a series of brilliant attacks forced such formidable obstacles as the Santerno, the Sillaro, the Idice, the [unfinished sentence].” A tank loaded with troops.
“The ADS sometimes moved up several times a day over those dusty roads.” Trucks driving along various roads. “And all the time long columns of tanks roll north in pursuit of the retreating enemy.” Tanks shrouded in dust driving up country roads.
“He was trying to slow us by blowing all the bridges.” Several blown bridges. “And hoped to be able to stand on the north side of the bridge over the river Po. This is how the engineers got us all across. First the supports weapons.” “Then the tanks.” Tanks drive onto a bridge section supported by pontoons and then floated across the Po.Construction of the entire bridge. “And now the wheeled vehicles cross.” Trucks, scout cars, armoured cars
“Now north again, over the Adige, smashing on through Padua towards the historical Piave River. Now the 9th Brigade in the van riding in trucks.” A “Kangaroo” APC driving through dust.
“We visit ‘Thodey Force’ which had just liberated Venice and make contact [sic] with the well-organised partisans.”
Venice. Gondolas. Officer in gondola. Partisans take aim at potential menace from the cover of a bridge. Infantry maybe but more probably partisan unit march into a building.
“Some of the infantry had marched, and fought over a hundred miles - so we had a few days rest.” Officers relaxing outside their tent.
“On the road again racing north.” Driving along road passing civilian and military vehicles [either partisans in captured German vehicles or surrendered Germans?] .
“Liberating villages.” Driving past villages. Flag reads: ‘Jon are welcome en here.’ Young woman walking along road with flags. Children holding the hands of soldiers in the main street.
“The martial Noffy discusses some of the finer points of partisan warfare.” Soldier sharing a cigarette with a partisan soldier armed with captured German rifle and grenades..
“Bill just likes to sit around and feel like he’s aiding humanity.” Bill sits with several attractive young women.
“We reached the much disputed Isonzo River. And now the red star of liberation appeared in the flags.” Driving along road passing carts full of people carrying signs and waving Yugo-Slav flags.
“9 Brigade took Treste, and while the Yugo-Slavs had demonstrations and processions -” Elevated shot of Trieste main street full of people. NZ tanks in parked square. “We had some bathing and some boating.” On a large river? Trieste harbour?
“We celebrated the end of the war at Monfalcone.” Soldiers lazing about in the sun topless with beer in hands.
“At Miramare The Duke of Aostas Palace, General Mark Clark, Army Group, and General McCreery, 8 Army, Arrne.” Arrival of the brass. Sitting in the court yard of the Duke’s Palace. General Mark Clark addressing officers of the NZ Division [Identified: Freyberg, Awatere]
“The enemy was defeated south of the the River Po largely by the repeated wallops he got in the face, day and night -”
“- from the New Zealand Division. Mark Clark.” Soldiers marching. Brief shot of 28 (Maori) Battalion on parade.