The Cine Technician (1943 - 1945)

50 THE CINE-TECHNICIAN May — June, 1943 Italian Capt. : "A little, yes." A.F.U. 3: " Well, the town has been taken by the British. Order your men to stop demolition." Italian Capt. : "Yes, yes, I understand." (shouts orders in Italian F/O) A.F.U. 2: "I wish they'd come. I'm beginning to get nervous." A.F.U. 3: " What we need is a drink." A.F.U. 2: "That's an idea, let's get back toold Antonio." F/I Clink of Glasses : Slight Chatter : Italian 3: "Another glass of Chianti, gentlemen." A.F.U. 3: "Thank you. (mutters) How much longer can we keep this up." Italian 3: "You were saying .... A.F.U. 3: "Oh-e-r, er . . ." A.F.U. 2 : " Excellent wine you manage to get here, I don't know how you do it." Italian 3 : "Ah, yes, we pride ourselves on that." F/U Lorries and Armoured Cars Coming in Fast : A.F.U.: (aside) "Do you hear what I hear? Thank God it won't be very long now. (up) Your very good health, Colonel!" Lorries Peak and Out : Narrator: With the increasing importance of propaganda, the whole British Army was combed for men with photographic experience. They were drawn from a varied assortment of regiments, corps and units: the R.E.s, the Bine Regiments, the Boyal Artillery, the Pioneers, the Scottish regiments, and so on. They were then sent to the first film unit training depot .... O.C. Instruction : " While you are here you will learn how to load and handle cameras under the most impossible conditions. You will be taught to develop a journalist's sense of what is a good camera story, and you will be encouraged and expected to go any lengths for the purpose of obtaining that story. Because 'for a great deal of your time you will be working singly or in pairs you will learn to take your own decisions ; and yet your discipline must be that of guardsmen. Reading a compass or a map has got to be as simple to all of you as reading the morning news. You can't live without either in the desert. If you're fit now you're going to be doubly fit by the time you finish this course. And you must never forget that your camera is your gun. It is your weapon, and what you do with it will be used to counteract German propaganda all over the world." Narrator: By the middle ofOctober, 1042. the men who had been in training were in the Middle East, seeing desert warfare with theEighth Army. As each unit arrived it reported to the Inti-lligence Officer at Divisional H.Q. . . . A.F.U. 4: "Section Officer, Army Film Unit reporting, sir. I've got eight cameramen here." Int. Off. : Good. Here's a list of the Units your men will be working with — tanks, infantry and guns." A.F.U. 4: "Thank you, sir." Int. Off.: "By the way, what happens if any of your fellows get knocked off ? " A.F.U. 4 : "There'll be a mobile reserve at H.Q. sir, ready to go anywhere they're wanted." Narrator : As the moon rose on October the 23rd, complete silence lay over the desert. On either side of the deep fortified belt of the Alamein line, two great armies were still. In the British lines, in slit trenches, at gun positions and observation posts they waited, watching the seconds tick by. And in front of the line, in No Man's Land, thej waited too. A.F.U. 5: "Your camera all set, Harry?" A.F.U. 6: "Yes. I suppose the damn thing'.ll jam directly the show starts." A.F.U. 5 : " Much longer to go ? " A.F.U. 6: "Almost on it. It'll be a few minutes before the Scotties come forward, though." (short pause) A . F. U . 6 : " Just six more seconds to go. " (short pause) A.F.U. 5: "I'm going to start turning." F/U Whirr of Camera Turning and Hold for 4 Sees. : Barrage Opening : Hold to Pipes and F/O : » Narrator : From the opening of that tremendous artillery barrage at 9.30 p.m. on October the 23rd, for eleven days, the Eighth Army battered Bom : mel's lines. And with them were the army camera _ men, filming bursting shells and blazing tanks and smashed enemy guns — engineers clearing minefields, infantry charges and Germans alive and dead. And as night fell on each day's fighting, : dispatch riders rushed photos and film back to Cairo for distribution to newspapers and cinemas throughout the world. On the twelfth day — November 3rd — came the break-through. General Montgomery passed his main armour through the gap to destroy Bommel's panzers. F/U Tanks Advancing: Tank Near Slowing Down: A.F.U. 7 : (shout) " Can you give me a lift forward, sir." Tank Officer: " Who the heck are you?" A.F.U. 7: "Army Film Unit, sir." Tank Officer: "All right — jump on the back — you won't find it very comfortable I'm afraid." Tank Speeds Up : Tank Noise Down For : Tank Officer : " Gun traverse right ! " A.F.U. 7 :" If it comes round much further it'll knock me off." Tank Officer : " If we have to fire it'll blow you off." Effects Up and F/O : Narrator : Black smoke from wrecked and burning tanks swirled over the desert darkening a scene of terrible devastation ; making a picture for the cameramen that resembled one of the