Crossword Help Forum
Forum Rules

3d Do you approach soldier backing horse into machine-gun position? (7) ?I???S?
33d Finanicial resources of British Empire unable to retain a navy (6)
??T?O?
41d I intend the state harm (3)

3d is now NI???S? looking like nighest
33d ??T?OM
41d got it

and 33d looks like bottom

NIGHEST = H + GI inside STEN all backwards.

3d is nighest (confirmed) with parsing as follows:
IG (GI reversed) + H (horse) inside nest (gun position)
definition is 'do you approach' - old second person form of the verb 'nigh'