OT - BBC Our War Series 2

[Littlearmies]

Hi,
Some of you may have seen "Our War" last year - a remarkable series intercutting eyewitness accounts with personal video footage of combat in Afghanistan. Well the second series began this evening at 21.00 on BBC Three - also available on iPlayer:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p00wk0j9/Our_War_Series_2_Into_the_Hornets_Nest/

Again some very moving scenes from the eyewitnesses -and stirring courage under fire - and not just amongst the infantry. Tonight's episode featured a Casevac pilot flying a Chinook in a sandstorm by following an Apache (that, unlike him, could actually see where he was going) - I can only imagine how much of a buttock clencher that flight was for everyone involved.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/tv/2012/08/our-war-afghanistan-raf-pilot.shtml

Fl.Lt Singh's earlier mission (to collect Kingsman Darren Deady) is described and shown in the episode - including a close call for one soldier who almost suffered one of the more unusual combat injuries - squished by landing casevac Chinook!

Anyway I hope nobody objects to this post despite it being off topic. It was a remarkable programme featuring some remarkable young men.

Malc

[Targan]

I have no objection. I'm going to have a look at these when I get home.

[Targan]

I watched episode 1 and most of episode 2 of the first series of Our War last night, it was really good. In episode one there seemed to be a big improvement in the performance of the platoon after the first engagement (the first engagement seemed to leave many of the soldiers panic-stricken, poor bastards).

I've never been in combat so I can't claim to be an expert on human reactions under those circumstances but I was a bit surprised that when the platoon had one critically injured and one wounded but pretty much functional it completely withdrew from combat, at speed (2 of the 3 sections withdrew immediately and were shortly joined by the third). Is that standard practice?

[ArmySGT.]

I've never been in combat so I can't claim to be an expert on human reactions under those circumstances but I was a bit surprised that when the platoon had one critically injured and one wounded but pretty much functional it completely withdrew from combat, at speed (2 of the 3 sections withdrew immediately and were shortly joined by the third). Is that standard practice?

I think it may be common in any Army for death and injury to be a shock, and as harsh as it sounds the Unit will become more proficient as casualties mount.

All ranks are green. Most Nations came into Afghanistan with few middle ranks that had come into combat in even a UN Mission.

10 years has salted the ranks with Soldiers who have seen it and felt it. The Seniormost ranks have changed and those unsuited to adapt have retired or been passed over.

[James Langham]

I just want to post my best wishes to the soldiers of 2 Mercian featured on the programme.

I particularly loved the line "soldiers always complain, if they were in heaven they would say 'it's shit here isn't it.'"

Best wishes to them all from a member of the Army Cadet Force badged Mercian and previously 5WFR.