Click here to read a posting on the BBC Blog pages from Bjorn Rose, a former Army lieutenant and one of those who is featured in the first episode of ‘Our War’. The post describes how Bjorn coped with the death of one of his platoon, how the show was filmed and offers a few insights into Army life in Afghanistan.
Our
War – BBC Three Series
A new series entitled ‘Our War’ on BBC3 begins on Tuesday 7 June
at 9pm. Our War marks a decade of fighting in Afghanistan with a
unique insight into the war told through films shot by the soldiers
themselves.
The BBC has been given unprecedented access by the Ministry of
Defence to thousands of hours of footage shot on helmet cameras
and personal video cameras by soldiers.
With the raw honesty of first person stories of life on the front
line, the series offers a gripping and poignant insight into every
side of the young soldiers’ experience (the average age is 21) -
from fear to boredom, grief to bravery, the camaraderie of the platoon
and the return home.
Episode 1
Our War: Ambushed 1/3
BBC Three
7 June – 9pm – 10.10pm
The first episode, Ambushed, focuses on the 1 Battalion Royal Anglian’s
tour of Helmand Province in 2007 and a Taliban ambush. Led by Lieutenant
Bjorn Rose, the nervousness of the patrols around base camp in the
remote town of Now Zad is caught on camera by Iraq and Afghanistan
veteran Sergeant Simon Panter.
The 70 minute film explores the effects of the death of a soldier
on his family and friends and how it connects to the bigger story
of the British Armed Forces involvement in Afghanistan over the
last ten years.
Episode 2
Our War- The Invisible Enemy 2/3
BBC Three, June 14, 9pm
With unique soldier shot footage, the film follows the plight of
the first troops sent to Helmand Province in 2006 and shows how,
three years later, Improvised Explosive Devices had changed the
war.
A small platoon entered the town of Sangin in 2006 equipped to
stay for a few days but ended up staying months, under heavy bombardment.
As they struggle to survive, a supply drop-off lands behind enemy
lines by mistake. Later, in 2009, Captain Alex Rawlins films his
men from 1st Battalion, the Grenadier Guards under threat from the
increasing number of IEDs in Helmand Province.
Episode 3
Our War – Caught in the Crossfire (3/3)
BBC Three
21 June 9pm
Caught in the Crossfire follows the transition from bloody conflict
to the fight for “hearts and minds” as civilians and the military
are caught in the crossfire.
By 2010, the Scots Guards are fighting a very different war – a
battle for hearts and minds. They teach the Afghan National Police
(ANP) how to maintain security and fight according to strict rules,
which aim to avoid civilian casualties. “Initially I was very wary
of them,” admits Sergeant Rab Brown.
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