Fighting on the Frontline

28 September 2011

With unprecedented access to Britain's Armed Forces, this brand new three-part documentary series allows troops to reveal the inside story of what it's really like fighting on a tour of duty in Afghanistan today. Filmed on and off the battlefield, each episode follows the story of a group of Servicemen and women fighting the war from three unique perspectives - on foot, in the air and from behind the wheel of armoured vehicles. The documentary crew are the first ever to follow the Apache attack helicopter pilots in a war zone. For the first time they speak in detail about a job that until now has been shrouded in secrecy.

Fighting on the Frontline strips away formality with shockingly candid interviews, deploying the no-holds-barred humour of the troops: whether it is the foot soldiers, or ‘bullet-catchers', for whom injury and death is an occupational hazard; Chinook helicopter crews flying to the rescue of another casualty of war; the modern-day cavalry soldiers charging through the desert in armoured vehicles, hunting for an elusive enemy; or the Apache pilots in an attack helicopter, targeting and killing the enemy.

The films show the mind set of 21st century armed forces fighting an unconventional, insurgent enemy. British troops have all the technological advantages but must adhere to strict rules of combat that can often put them at a disadvantage. This series lays bare the reality of what our troops are up against on a daily basis, hearing them speak honestly and humorously about coping with life in one of the most dangerous places on earth.

Episode 1, Choppers: Sunday 25th September, 9pm, Channel 4

In episode one, Choppers, for the first time ever, cameras have followed the Apache attack helicopter crews as they take the fight to the enemy in Helmand Province. The Apache is the deadliest, most technologically advanced attack helicopter in history and it costs £46m per aircraft. Together with the Chinook helicopter crews who fly to rescue injured soldiers, the crews talk about what it is really like to wage war from above in Afghanistan.

 

The film captures the troops' passion for battle and the black humour which they use to cope with the dark side of a war which is, for them, as dangerous, brutal and raw as war ever gets. Apache pilots describe the moment before they pull the trigger and how they try to stay emotionally detached from what they're doing - killing. They are filmed as they fly on operations into the ‘Green Zone', to hunt Taliban. And then as they analyse their strikes against the enemy, every one of which is recorded on their gun tapes.

Footage from the Chinook medical rescue missions brings home the alarming number of troops being blown up by Improvised Explosive Devices. The film makers hear from one young soldier whose life is saved on the back of the helicopter, but who must now learn to live as a double amputee. And the cameras are there as Chinooks race again and again to the rescue of yet another casualty of war.

 

Prod Co: Minnow Films

Exec prod: Simon Ford and Morgan Matthews

Series Prod: Ruth Kelly

Series Dir: Jessie Versluys

Choppers Dir: Ruth Kelly

Comm Ed: Hamish Mykura

 

Episode 2, War Wagons: Sunday 2nd October, 9pm, Channel 4

In episode two, War Wagons, for the first time, cameras follow the soldiers in Afghanistan who take the fight to the enemy on board the British Army's latest armoured vehicle - the Warthog. This heavy, tracked armoured vehicle can fight in places that other military vehicles cannot. The crews call it 'combat caravanning', spending weeks at a time out on patrol in the deserts and main river valley of Helmand. The cameras capture the detail of this extraordinary camping trip as the crews try to snatch brief periods of relaxation - surrounded by an enemy that is always watching, ready to attack, but is rarely seen.

 

The Warthog crews are from a Royal Scots Dragoon Guards regiment, which used to ride horses into battle. But they do develop affection for their modern-day mounts, naming them and constantly repairing and caring for them in order to stay on the move. The Warthogs are at the start of a six month tour on board their heavily armoured vehicles. The motley crew is led by Lewis a 25-year-old pyjama wearing, former public school boy, and the men under his command include Max, a South African veteran of four wars, as well as a collection of young Scots, some of whom have never seen battle before.

When the fighting kicks-off, camera rigs on the Warthogs uniquely capture the different angles of an intense battle with the Taliban, who are firing from less than 80 metres away. The bullets ricochet off the vehicles, past the heads of the commanders who are exposed in their turrets. As the tour progresses, the crews' vulnerability is exposed when they strike their first IED (improvised explosive device) of the tour.  Later, a rapid sequence of events unfolds, leaving the Warthogs stranded in a river, like sitting ducks surrounded by the enemy.

 

Exec prod: Simon Ford and Morgan Matthews

Series Prod: Ruth Kelly

Series Dir: Jessie Versluys

War Wagons Dir: Robin Barnwell

War Wagons Prod: Ruth Nicklin

Prod Co: Minnow Films

 

In a period of just a few months, three of the sixteen soldiers based on a small compound on the frontline of Helmand Province are seriously injured - one by an IED (improvised explosive device), one by gunshot wound to the neck and one by a grenade  It's a stark reminder of the risks that they face each time they set outside the wire on foot patrol. 

Yet in spite of the dangers, the soldiers open up about their passion for fighting and the adrenaline-fuelled excitement of cheating death.  One soldier describes it as, ‘better than sex' while another comments, ‘I'd take a good scrap over getting laid any day'.  But during moments of intimacy, rarely captured among soldiers, the young troops, some of who are only 18-years-old, lay bare their anxieties - James says, ‘I've never been so scared in my whole life', while Liddell tells of his horror at having to hang his kilt up before leaving home in case it was needed for his funeral.

As the tour progresses the soldiers are told they must push north, further into Taliban-held territory to an area where one of their comrades was previously blown up by an IED.  With no alternative but to follow orders, the soldiers' deepest fears become reality yet again.  Squaddies is a unique look at the lives of young frontline fighters, surprising, frank, intimate and raw - but even in the darkest moments, their shockingly black humour is never far away.

Exec prod: Simon Ford and Morgan Matthews

Series Prod: Ruth Kelly

Series Dir and filmed Squaddies: Jessie Versluys

Prod Co: Minnow Films

 

With unprecedented access to Britain's Armed Forces, this brand new three-part documentary series allows troops to reveal the inside story of what it's really like fighting on a tour of duty in Afghanistan today. Filmed on and off the battlefield, each episode follows the story of a group of Servicemen and women fighting the war from three unique perspectives - on foot, in the air and from behind the wheel of armoured vehicles. The documentary crew are the first ever to follow the Apache attack helicopter pilots in a war zone. For the first time they speak in detail about a job that until now has been shrouded in secrecy.

Fighting on the Frontline strips away formality with shockingly candid interviews, deploying the no-holds-barred humour of the troops: whether it is the foot soldiers, or ‘bullet-catchers', for whom injury and death is an occupational hazard; Chinook helicopter crews flying to the rescue of another casualty of war; the modern-day cavalry soldiers charging through the desert in armoured vehicles, hunting for an elusive enemy; or the Apache pilots in an attack helicopter, targeting and killing the enemy.

The films show the mind set of 21st century armed forces fighting an unconventional, insurgent enemy. British troops have all the technological advantages but must adhere to strict rules of combat that can often put them at a disadvantage. This series lays bare the reality of what our troops are up against on a daily basis, hearing them speak honestly and humorously about coping with life in one of the most dangerous places on earth.

Episode 1, Choppers: Sunday 25th September, 9pm, Channel 4

In episode one, Choppers, for the first time ever, cameras have followed the Apache attack helicopter crews as they take the fight to the enemy in Helmand Province. The Apache is the deadliest, most technologically advanced attack helicopter in history and it costs £46m per aircraft. Together with the Chinook helicopter crews who fly to rescue injured soldiers, the crews talk about what it is really like to wage war from above in Afghanistan.

 

The film captures the troops' passion for battle and the black humour which they use to cope with the dark side of a war which is, for them, as dangerous, brutal and raw as war ever gets. Apache pilots describe the moment before they pull the trigger and how they try to stay emotionally detached from what they're doing - killing. They are filmed as they fly on operations into the ‘Green Zone', to hunt Taliban. And then as they analyse their strikes against the enemy, every one of which is recorded on their gun tapes.

Footage from the Chinook medical rescue missions brings home the alarming number of troops being blown up by Improvised Explosive Devices. The film makers hear from one young soldier whose life is saved on the back of the helicopter, but who must now learn to live as a double amputee. And the cameras are there as Chinooks race again and again to the rescue of yet another casualty of war.

 

Prod Co: Minnow Films

Exec prod: Simon Ford and Morgan Matthews

Series Prod: Ruth Kelly

Series Dir: Jessie Versluys

Choppers Dir: Ruth Kelly

Comm Ed: Hamish Mykura

 

Episode 2, War Wagons: Sunday 2nd October, 9pm, Channel 4

In episode two, War Wagons, for the first time, cameras follow the soldiers in Afghanistan who take the fight to the enemy on board the British Army's latest armoured vehicle - the Warthog. This heavy, tracked armoured vehicle can fight in places that other military vehicles cannot. The crews call it 'combat caravanning', spending weeks at a time out on patrol in the deserts and main river valley of Helmand. The cameras capture the detail of this extraordinary camping trip as the crews try to snatch brief periods of relaxation - surrounded by an enemy that is always watching, ready to attack, but is rarely seen.

 

The Warthog crews are from a Royal Scots Dragoon Guards regiment, which used to ride horses into battle. But they do develop affection for their modern-day mounts, naming them and constantly repairing and caring for them in order to stay on the move. The Warthogs are at the start of a six month tour on board their heavily armoured vehicles. The motley crew is led by Lewis a 25-year-old pyjama wearing, former public school boy, and the men under his command include Max, a South African veteran of four wars, as well as a collection of young Scots, some of whom have never seen battle before.

When the fighting kicks-off, camera rigs on the Warthogs uniquely capture the different angles of an intense battle with the Taliban, who are firing from less than 80 metres away. The bullets ricochet off the vehicles, past the heads of the commanders who are exposed in their turrets. As the tour progresses, the crews' vulnerability is exposed when they strike their first IED (improvised explosive device) of the tour.  Later, a rapid sequence of events unfolds, leaving the Warthogs stranded in a river, like sitting ducks surrounded by the enemy.

 

Exec prod: Simon Ford and Morgan Matthews

Series Prod: Ruth Kelly

Series Dir: Jessie Versluys

War Wagons Dir: Robin Barnwell

War Wagons Prod: Ruth Nicklin

Prod Co: Minnow Films

 

In a period of just a few months, three of the sixteen soldiers based on a small compound on the frontline of Helmand Province are seriously injured - one by an IED (improvised explosive device), one by gunshot wound to the neck and one by a grenade  It's a stark reminder of the risks that they face each time they set outside the wire on foot patrol. 

Yet in spite of the dangers, the soldiers open up about their passion for fighting and the adrenaline-fuelled excitement of cheating death.  One soldier describes it as, ‘better than sex' while another comments, ‘I'd take a good scrap over getting laid any day'.  But during moments of intimacy, rarely captured among soldiers, the young troops, some of who are only 18-years-old, lay bare their anxieties - James says, ‘I've never been so scared in my whole life', while Liddell tells of his horror at having to hang his kilt up before leaving home in case it was needed for his funeral.

As the tour progresses the soldiers are told they must push north, further into Taliban-held territory to an area where one of their comrades was previously blown up by an IED.  With no alternative but to follow orders, the soldiers' deepest fears become reality yet again.  Squaddies is a unique look at the lives of young frontline fighters, surprising, frank, intimate and raw - but even in the darkest moments, their shockingly black humour is never far away.

Exec prod: Simon Ford and Morgan Matthews

Series Prod: Ruth Kelly

Series Dir and filmed Squaddies: Jessie Versluys

Prod Co: Minnow Films

 

With unprecedented access to Britain's Armed Forces, this brand new three-part documentary series allows troops to reveal the inside story of what it's really like fighting on a tour of duty in Afghanistan today. Filmed on and off the battlefield, each episode follows the story of a group of Servicemen and women fighting the war from three unique perspectives - on foot, in the air and from behind the wheel of armoured vehicles. The documentary crew are the first ever to follow the Apache attack helicopter pilots in a war zone. For the first time they speak in detail about a job that until now has been shrouded in secrecy.

Fighting on the Frontline strips away formality with shockingly candid interviews, deploying the no-holds-barred humour of the troops: whether it is the foot soldiers, or ‘bullet-catchers', for whom injury and death is an occupational hazard; Chinook helicopter crews flying to the rescue of another casualty of war; the modern-day cavalry soldiers charging through the desert in armoured vehicles, hunting for an elusive enemy; or the Apache pilots in an attack helicopter, targeting and killing the enemy.

The films show the mind set of 21st century armed forces fighting an unconventional, insurgent enemy. British troops have all the technological advantages but must adhere to strict rules of combat that can often put them at a disadvantage. This series lays bare the reality of what our troops are up against on a daily basis, hearing them speak honestly and humorously about coping with life in one of the most dangerous places on earth.

Episode 1, Choppers: Sunday 25th September, 9pm, Channel 4

In episode one, Choppers, for the first time ever, cameras have followed the Apache attack helicopter crews as they take the fight to the enemy in Helmand Province. The Apache is the deadliest, most technologically advanced attack helicopter in history and it costs £46m per aircraft. Together with the Chinook helicopter crews who fly to rescue injured soldiers, the crews talk about what it is really like to wage war from above in Afghanistan.

 

The film captures the troops' passion for battle and the black humour which they use to cope with the dark side of a war which is, for them, as dangerous, brutal and raw as war ever gets. Apache pilots describe the moment before they pull the trigger and how they try to stay emotionally detached from what they're doing - killing. They are filmed as they fly on operations into the ‘Green Zone', to hunt Taliban. And then as they analyse their strikes against the enemy, every one of which is recorded on their gun tapes.

Footage from the Chinook medical rescue missions brings home the alarming number of troops being blown up by Improvised Explosive Devices. The film makers hear from one young soldier whose life is saved on the back of the helicopter, but who must now learn to live as a double amputee. And the cameras are there as Chinooks race again and again to the rescue of yet another casualty of war.

 

Prod Co: Minnow Films

Exec prod: Simon Ford and Morgan Matthews

Series Prod: Ruth Kelly

Series Dir: Jessie Versluys

Choppers Dir: Ruth Kelly

Comm Ed: Hamish Mykura

 

Episode 2, War Wagons: Sunday 2nd October, 9pm, Channel 4

In episode two, War Wagons, for the first time, cameras follow the soldiers in Afghanistan who take the fight to the enemy on board the British Army's latest armoured vehicle - the Warthog. This heavy, tracked armoured vehicle can fight in places that other military vehicles cannot. The crews call it 'combat caravanning', spending weeks at a time out on patrol in the deserts and main river valley of Helmand. The cameras capture the detail of this extraordinary camping trip as the crews try to snatch brief periods of relaxation - surrounded by an enemy that is always watching, ready to attack, but is rarely seen.

 

The Warthog crews are from a Royal Scots Dragoon Guards regiment, which used to ride horses into battle. But they do develop affection for their modern-day mounts, naming them and constantly repairing and caring for them in order to stay on the move. The Warthogs are at the start of a six month tour on board their heavily armoured vehicles. The motley crew is led by Lewis a 25-year-old pyjama wearing, former public school boy, and the men under his command include Max, a South African veteran of four wars, as well as a collection of young Scots, some of whom have never seen battle before.

When the fighting kicks-off, camera rigs on the Warthogs uniquely capture the different angles of an intense battle with the Taliban, who are firing from less than 80 metres away. The bullets ricochet off the vehicles, past the heads of the commanders who are exposed in their turrets. As the tour progresses, the crews' vulnerability is exposed when they strike their first IED (improvised explosive device) of the tour.  Later, a rapid sequence of events unfolds, leaving the Warthogs stranded in a river, like sitting ducks surrounded by the enemy.

 

Exec prod: Simon Ford and Morgan Matthews

Series Prod: Ruth Kelly

Series Dir: Jessie Versluys

War Wagons Dir: Robin Barnwell

War Wagons Prod: Ruth Nicklin

Prod Co: Minnow Films

 

In a period of just a few months, three of the sixteen soldiers based on a small compound on the frontline of Helmand Province are seriously injured - one by an IED (improvised explosive device), one by gunshot wound to the neck and one by a grenade  It's a stark reminder of the risks that they face each time they set outside the wire on foot patrol. 

Yet in spite of the dangers, the soldiers open up about their passion for fighting and the adrenaline-fuelled excitement of cheating death.  One soldier describes it as, ‘better than sex' while another comments, ‘I'd take a good scrap over getting laid any day'.  But during moments of intimacy, rarely captured among soldiers, the young troops, some of who are only 18-years-old, lay bare their anxieties - James says, ‘I've never been so scared in my whole life', while Liddell tells of his horror at having to hang his kilt up before leaving home in case it was needed for his funeral.

As the tour progresses the soldiers are told they must push north, further into Taliban-held territory to an area where one of their comrades was previously blown up by an IED.  With no alternative but to follow orders, the soldiers' deepest fears become reality yet again.  Squaddies is a unique look at the lives of young frontline fighters, surprising, frank, intimate and raw - but even in the darkest moments, their shockingly black humour is never far away.

Exec prod: Simon Ford and Morgan Matthews

Series Prod: Ruth Kelly

Series Dir and filmed Squaddies: Jessie Versluys

Prod Co: Minnow Films