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00:00:04A platoon should be like a band of brothers.
00:00:10You have to form that bond between the geezer left and right of you.
00:00:17When shit does hit the fan, you don't want your muckers to die.
00:00:31Hurry up, let's go!
00:00:33Let's go.
00:00:34We've got a chunder.
00:00:36We've got a very new platoon coming from all different walks of life.
00:00:40I am like a boy surrounded by men.
00:00:43We don't know each other's strengths, don't know each other's weaknesses.
00:00:47I think the rifle might think I'm some slightly posh Souther there.
00:00:53We've not got long to learn how each other tick.
00:00:57I want them to be proud.
00:01:00Help!
00:01:01We need to form a family spirit between us.
00:01:04And become like a proper brotherhood.
00:01:08Show me a war face!
00:01:18Let's go! Hurry up! Hurry up!
00:01:20Three, seven, six, five!
00:01:23Four, three, three, one!
00:01:25Your turn!
00:01:26How's he brought his leg to that?
00:01:2913 Platoon is back in camp after a week in Wales.
00:01:33And they've returned to their normal routines.
00:01:37Top rifleman Callum Hancock is still on the pro team.
00:01:40I could eat smokes.
00:01:42New rifleman, 18-year-old Owen Morris, continues to bulk up.
00:01:46Good work, yeah? Just keep going.
00:01:48And Sgt. Mann remains focused on improving the platoon's standards.
00:01:53Ooh!
00:01:57But eight weeks into their six-month training, everything changes.
00:02:03American officials confirm they've stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine.
00:02:08American President Donald Trump announces a freeze of American military aid and intelligence sharing to Ukraine.
00:02:14The Prime Minister told the Commons that Britain would play a leading role, and if necessary, this could involve boots
00:02:20on the ground.
00:02:21As the British Army's largest infantry regiment, the rifles could be deployed to the region within weeks.
00:02:28As armed infantry, 13 Platoon can't be one of the first to go.
00:02:32It's more of a case of when, not if.
00:02:36No aspect of my role weighs more heavily than the deployment of British troops in the service of defence and
00:02:43security in Europe.
00:02:47That's an exciting time.
00:02:49Front rank!
00:02:51I think if anyone joined the infantry not to go to a conflict and fight for the country, I think
00:02:57you chose the wrong job.
00:02:59I think it'd be good for a lot of the lads, and they would get excited about it if it
00:03:02was to happen.
00:03:03Because there's almost an end goal and an end product of what we're doing daily.
00:03:07I didn't join the army just to sit around and do nothing.
00:03:09If I get sent somewhere, I get sent somewhere. It's my job.
00:03:11And I'll do what I need to do.
00:03:17But for some riflemen, deployment to the front line is complicated.
00:03:2322-year-old Ryan Dutton lives half a mile from the barracks in military housing.
00:03:28Is it all crumbly?
00:03:30Can you go down there?
00:03:31His wife Amelia recently gave birth to their second child.
00:03:35Should I put your socks on?
00:03:37I don't know if it'd be a six-month deployment or if it'd be there till it's over.
00:03:45It's just one of the risks of the job, innit? Like anything.
00:03:50Is it worth the risk, though?
00:03:52Well, yeah.
00:03:54Because there'd be no point joining up if it wasn't worth the risk.
00:03:57Putting your life in danger isn't worth any sort of money.
00:04:01You don't join the armies and then, especially the infantry, go,
00:04:04oh, I don't want to go to war.
00:04:05Even if it wasn't Ukraine, it'd always be something else, if you know what I mean.
00:04:11Who's dad, Baba? You got a nice painting?
00:04:15He's a really good dad. I couldn't ask for a better dad to my babies.
00:04:20If I heard about him going to Ukraine, I couldn't even tell you what I'd do.
00:04:27It'd be complete panic.
00:04:29I'd tell myself, that's not going to happen.
00:04:32I think that's just how I get through it.
00:04:37Imagine it'd be every wife, girlfriend's fear.
00:04:41You don't want to end up in a body bag and put that grief onto them.
00:04:47So, if I knew I was deploying to Ukraine, it would focus my mind to pick my game up
00:04:52and to become a better soldier than I already am.
00:04:54Because I'd want to be the best, so I did come on to them.
00:04:58The baby.
00:04:59The baby?
00:05:02No, the baby.
00:05:05The news has also affected the platoon's commander, 22-year-old Tom Drew.
00:05:09If they did deploy, he would lead the platoon into war.
00:05:14In the eyes of the army, I'm good to go to command soldiers,
00:05:18potentially in a war zone or be exercised up to operational theatres.
00:05:23Do I feel ready for that yet?
00:05:24And the honest answer is probably no, because I haven't had the exposure.
00:05:30Tom is six weeks into his army career, having graduated as an officer
00:05:34from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.
00:05:37I'm now in charge of 30 people where the decisions that I make
00:05:40might have an effect on someone else's life.
00:05:45If we were to be deployed, it's going to be pretty dangerous.
00:05:49So, soldier for soldier, we need to be better than them.
00:05:57That week, it's announced the 13 platoons' training will be moving to a NATO training complex in Germany
00:06:03for a month of Ukrainian battlefield training.
00:06:06This is where I need to see you at your best and your most professional, OK?
00:06:09And this is where we are going to become the dogs of war.
00:06:11And so this is showtime.
00:06:15In Germany, the platoon will be tested in firing live ammunition
00:06:19from armoured vehicles.
00:06:22And in foot soldiering on terrain similar to Eastern Europe.
00:06:26We are trying to make things as realistic and similar as possible
00:06:30to what the rifle might be encountering if we were to be deployed.
00:06:41Before they deploy to Germany, they need to familiarise themselves
00:06:44with their most powerful weapon.
00:06:48Good.
00:06:51A warrior is an armoured fighting vehicle.
00:06:53So, it looks a bit like a tank, but it's not a tank
00:06:57because it carries infantry soldiers in the back of it
00:06:59who can get out the back of the warrior and fight dismounted.
00:07:06In Ukraine, the platoon would eat, sleep and fight from a warrior.
00:07:10But today is the first time most soldiers will be training in one.
00:07:14Those that haven't done this before, six or seven geezers in the back of there.
00:07:18OK, trust me, after an hour, days, weeks, a month, it gets very uncomfortable.
00:07:27It's like a big green time machine.
00:07:29Get in at one location.
00:07:31We're closing the back door.
00:07:33Get out and you're in a completely different situation.
00:07:38A warrior can travel at 50 miles per hour and carry up to seven troops known as dismounts.
00:07:44Sitting in the back of a warrior, it's chaotic.
00:07:50The best way I can describe it is if you get two dice and put them in a cup and
00:07:55shake it about.
00:07:56All right, sir.
00:07:59And you just get from left, right, centre, and then they'll break.
00:08:04You'll be going forwards, back, forward, back, and then you'll go left.
00:08:08Some people will be absolutely shitting themselves, but then it's just laughing at each other.
00:08:20Warriors become vulnerable when they stop to let troops out.
00:08:24These wagons, what are they?
00:08:26What are they to the enemy?
00:08:28Starts with T, ends in target.
00:08:29Target, yeah, they're a big fucking target, yeah?
00:08:32OK, that is a target, OK, to an anti-armour team popping out the ground with an end lure.
00:08:37The less time we can take on that static position, the better.
00:08:45Today's training involves a warrior full of soldiers attacking a target at full speed.
00:08:52Once you're there, they know you're there.
00:08:53There's no hiding a warrior.
00:08:55But as soon as the door opens, you've got to get out, lay down the fire, close in, and absolutely
00:09:02obliterate them.
00:09:17Something's gone wrong.
00:09:19The last man-outs fail to push a safety switch, signalling all troops are clear of the vehicle, leaving the
00:09:26warrior without power.
00:09:28Knock the power off, which means the door can't close, so they can't drive.
00:09:34The vehicle is now a sitting duck.
00:09:37That vehicle is a big target.
00:09:39One pop up with the anti-armour weapon into the side of that vehicle, and that's it, taken out.
00:09:46In battle, Russian forces would destroy the warrior, leaving the riflemen stranded.
00:09:52A nightmare scenario for platoon commander Drew.
00:10:00There should be a level where we trust them. If they're asked to do something, they're going to do it
00:10:03to the sand that we expect.
00:10:04Yeah.
00:10:05But you just don't get that without a lot of blood, sweat and tears beforehand, really.
00:10:09Yeah.
00:10:10Two feet pulled, one of you, someone has to jump up.
00:10:13We're really starting from scratch in terms of our warrior training.
00:10:17But there's now a real-time possibility that we're fighting an enemy that have fast vehicles with a lot more
00:10:22firepower and are much more organised.
00:10:25We really need to start taking this seriously, or you could be looking at potentially having this entire platoon wiped
00:10:30out.
00:10:32I'm out of a fucking car.
00:10:34Who's designed this for?
00:10:45What time is it?
00:10:46Four, three minutes.
00:10:48Bucks.
00:10:49In a few days, 13 platoon will leave for Germany, and Sergeant Mann is already ramping standards up.
00:10:55This morning, he's called a muster parade.
00:10:58What they're looking for, you get that perfect crease going down the arm there.
00:11:02You've got to make sure the Union Jack, the line straight down the middle there.
00:11:06I'll still get picked up for something.
00:11:09But new rifleman Owen Morris has a problem.
00:11:13I've got a pair of trousers and they've got ink on it.
00:11:16My first muster parade.
00:11:18And I'm already fucking...
00:11:21in the doghouse.
00:11:23Don't want to turn up to that and be in shit state.
00:11:26Otherwise you'll just get gripped for it.
00:11:29Any rifleman failing the parade will be punished with extra chores.
00:11:34Maurice. Yo.
00:11:35How you going, mate?
00:11:36What, you got a pair?
00:11:37They're not great.
00:11:38There's obviously that on the arse, but it's better than what you got.
00:11:42Fuck it.
00:11:43I'll risk it for a biscuit.
00:11:46Okay, let's get fell in.
00:11:50Our platoon has got a reputation across the regiment.
00:11:53And I want to maintain that.
00:11:55So your trousers are ties.
00:11:57Mine are nice and tight.
00:11:58Okay, yours are nice and loose.
00:12:00Sergeant Mann lifestyle and that stuff.
00:12:02Let's move your buckle slightly so this is in line.
00:12:06He's always looking to see if he can pick people up.
00:12:09Do you think that's an acceptable moustache?
00:12:12Maybe not. No.
00:12:13No, I don't think it is, is it?
00:12:15Let's get it gone.
00:12:18You don't want to be that person with all the eyes on you.
00:12:22I've been Morris.
00:12:23Fresh out of training.
00:12:23You should be fucking all looking sharp and smart, shouldn't you?
00:12:26Sergeant.
00:12:31You can just tuck this bit of your shirt in a way.
00:12:34Bring it all round nice and tight.
00:12:35A bit more.
00:12:36See how loose it is?
00:12:37That's it.
00:12:44Thank Fab for that.
00:12:49Germany will be Morris' first deployment.
00:12:52Looking forward in Germany.
00:12:54Be a different environment.
00:12:56Working with the lads a lot more.
00:12:59And I'm sure Germany will help me get more involved
00:13:03and do more things with him.
00:13:06For Dutton, Germany could be an opportunity.
00:13:09Sergeant.
00:13:10To start moving up the ranks.
00:13:14So it's me that's looking into your career,
00:13:16looking at your aspirations,
00:13:17looking at your strengths and weaknesses.
00:13:19A short term is promoting to Lance Corporal,
00:13:22but I definitely want to get to Sergeant.
00:13:24Eventually, if it's in the cards, become Sergeant Major.
00:13:28Marksmanship.
00:13:29I think he performed pretty well.
00:13:31Navigation, military knowledge and urban.
00:13:33Really great.
00:13:34You've got a lot of potential.
00:13:36It's just mainly, it's probably the physical fitness piece
00:13:38that we need to work on.
00:13:40Six months ago, Dutton suffered an ankle injury
00:13:43that affected both his fitness and his weight.
00:13:46I just put my foot in the wrong place at the wrong time
00:13:49and I went one way and my foot went the other.
00:13:52Queries, questions?
00:13:53I think I agree with everything.
00:13:55I can basically just do every exercise possible
00:13:57so I can get fit, lose my weight
00:13:59so I can potentially go on the next NC Ocado.
00:14:03Reifman Dutton, he's very empathetic.
00:14:05He's very good at communicating and speaking to the junior Reifman.
00:14:08He's only let down by his fitness.
00:14:10I want to see him do well.
00:14:14If I promote, everyone's doing better.
00:14:16I've got a family that is actively growing.
00:14:19I'll have more money so I can support my family a lot better.
00:14:25Dutton has an early opportunity to prove his credentials.
00:14:31For in the days before deploying, the senior staff want to bring the reality of a war with Russia home
00:14:36to the platoon.
00:14:38It takes place nearby at Cope Hill Down, the only UK training area to replicate a Ukrainian conflict zone.
00:14:46A war with Russia would be soldiers versus soldiers.
00:14:49They've got the same kind of equipment that we have, you know, similar training with different methods.
00:14:54And inevitably that fight would end up potentially in places that look a little bit like this.
00:15:00Fighting in Ukraine is often close combat, urban warfare.
00:15:05There's probably no greater challenge than the urban environment because it's supremely confusing.
00:15:09Communications don't work too well.
00:15:11The enemy isn't directly in front of you.
00:15:13The enemy could be above you, to the left of you, it could be below you in sewer systems, etc.
00:15:16We're looking for a rifleman to demonstrate that will to fight, to go into a building in the dark where
00:15:22you know there's people who aren't your friends and kill them at really close range.
00:15:27On the exercise, the rifleman must defeat an enemy force hidden inside three buildings.
00:15:33It's in your face, it's close and personal. For the young soldiers, it would be very intense.
00:15:44To prepare for Cope Hill Down, platoon commander Drew is drawing up battle tactics, helped by Sergeant Mann's knowledge of
00:15:52the rifleman's strengths.
00:15:53I've got about 20 people in the platoon.
00:15:55We're attacking three buildings of which we're not entirely sure what we're coming up against, so those numbers can go
00:16:00down really quickly if we're not being careful and savvy.
00:16:02We've got obviously one section, two section, three section.
00:16:05A platoon is made up of three teams known as sections. The first section leads the attack.
00:16:11Reifman Dutton was one of mine in training, so I brought him through Catrick. He's a good lad.
00:16:18Dutton, being watched for promotion, is assigned to the first section. Now Drew needs a highly capable corporal to lead
00:16:25it.
00:16:26Paul Sherborne, recently joined the platoon. Really good, capable, young section commander.
00:16:32He's a smart individual, loves the job, loves the army, and I think perfect candidate to be the lead section.
00:16:40Me, beardless, with not a great look.
00:16:42I'm definitely a better look at being bearded, 100%. I've got to have something going for me, so the beard's
00:16:47doing it at the minute.
00:16:50Jack Sherborne, known as Sherbs, signed up to the rifles aged 24 after a series of dead-end jobs.
00:16:58I used to work on the checkout and test skaters back in Brompton, and I used to see guys, and
00:17:02it was sort of like guys that had recently come back from Afghanistan, and they were all like, they were
00:17:06all big geezers, and I was this little skinny surfer kid who wanted to be like these guys.
00:17:10They probably used to get sick to death of me, because I'd start like, yeah, it's like chewing their ear
00:17:13off as I'm just scanning their fucking cheese or something.
00:17:15Fast forward another few years, and I'm into five rifles.
00:17:19The rifle symbol.
00:17:20In just three years, he's been promoted twice, and is now a new corporal.
00:17:25As chatted as it is, I love being in the rifles, and I love the regiment, so this is part
00:17:29of my identity, my personality.
00:17:30You feel like you belong, and you're part of something bigger, or you're part of this organization where you do,
00:17:35you matter.
00:17:38In leading tomorrow's attack, Sherbs' section will be first in the firing line.
00:17:43My section on that breaking force are probably the first line of blokes who are going to potentially catch a
00:17:49stray bullet.
00:17:50In a real-life scenario, the first man through the door, it's probably like a 90% chance they will
00:17:56get killed.
00:18:00Oh, thank you.
00:18:12Hey, look, troops, okay, quickly, body armour and helmet, blank rounds, and we're good to go.
00:18:18Seven miles from camp at Cope Hill Down, the enemy are readying.
00:18:24Blank ammunition will be used.
00:18:26Casualties called out by observers.
00:18:29Enemy embedded inside each of the three houses.
00:18:32Others target the likely approach.
00:18:35In the urban environment, they know you're coming, so they're going to be heavily defended.
00:18:39Could be going through a corridor and a grenade lands at your feet, and you've got, like, split seconds.
00:18:52Calm before the storm, really. Once we hit HR and things start getting a bit noisy, that's when the pressure
00:18:58goes up.
00:18:59But at this point, it's all about staying calm and staying quiet.
00:19:03This is the first time Drew has led his platoon on exercise.
00:19:07There's always something in the back of your head as a particular one saying, don't fuck this up.
00:19:11There's 101 things that can't go wrong, and I'm sure some of them will.
00:19:15I'm just hoping that I react with a sort of cool head.
00:19:22As they approach the village, they come under fire.
00:19:28I don't listen in today now.
00:19:30I've got my eyes up on the aperture.
00:19:31Drew now needs to be decisive, Sherb's aggressive, and Dutton just needs to stay alive.
00:19:39You launch now.
00:19:40Drew stays back to coordinate the whole platoon via radio and orders Sherb's team into the village.
00:19:46I'll get two smoke-ready to fucking go. I'll pop them and then just fucking open up.
00:19:52I'm pretty junior in terms of being a section commander, but it's also a first shake-out with me and
00:19:57the boys
00:19:57and them learning how I work and how I react to stuff and what sort of commands I'll be giving
00:20:01them.
00:20:01Yeah, let's fucking go.
00:20:06Everyone's got a different leadership style.
00:20:08For me, it's not like, oh, please, mate, can you just do that for me?
00:20:12Fucking acknowledge what I'm saying.
00:20:14Let's fucking move.
00:20:16I think me mum and me grandparents might be a bit shocked.
00:20:18Some people might go, oh, that's not great. I wouldn't want to be spoke to like that.
00:20:24But you're also not getting shot at.
00:20:27Yeah, let's go. Just move. Over.
00:20:29Speed is key.
00:20:31Keep eyes on. Keep eyes on. Go, Dutton.
00:20:33It's about the aggression, violence of action.
00:20:37On me. For the man on me. Let's go.
00:20:39We need to get in that building.
00:20:44Hold there, friend. Starting on me.
00:20:45Hold there. Hold there. Hold there.
00:20:50Come on, that man's off.
00:20:51Sherb's and Dutton make it to the first building unscathed.
00:20:54Come on, that man's off.
00:20:54Keep that fucking... Keep that threat on there.
00:20:59We get contacted from the top left.
00:21:02Top of the threat.
00:21:03Now you know there is enemy up there,
00:21:05but now you need to worry about getting into that room fast
00:21:08without being shot at from upstairs.
00:21:10Keep your fucking weapon up there.
00:21:13One-zero alpha. One-zero Charlie.
00:21:15Having identified the enemy, Sherb's calls in for more ammunition.
00:21:20One-zero Bravo, building seven-zero.
00:21:23Sergeant Mann is in charge of resupplies
00:21:25and uses the most junior rifleman as his courier.
00:21:29Rifleman, warrior!
00:21:31I was a platoon sergeant's runner.
00:21:33That fucking in the far section.
00:21:34So if the people run out of magazines,
00:21:37you run up to them,
00:21:38give them extra mags to give back,
00:21:40ammo states.
00:21:41Morriss, if they need mags,
00:21:43one for one with the ones in the sector.
00:21:45It would be a lot different if it was live rounds
00:21:48going past your head.
00:21:50Man, you'll be feeling it, to be fair.
00:22:01You've just got to try to push through to be fair and do your job,
00:22:05but yeah, I'd shit myself big time.
00:22:11Dutton, you're going to push straight as that.
00:22:12Hold that corridor.
00:22:14Knowing there's enemy above,
00:22:16Sherb's and Dutton first sweep the ground floor.
00:22:18Let's do it.
00:22:20Round.
00:22:22Someone could pop out from anywhere.
00:22:23You've got wardrobes,
00:22:24you've got under beds,
00:22:25you've got behind doors,
00:22:26the mouse holes on top of that.
00:22:28Let's fucking make it happen, boys.
00:22:29Let's go.
00:22:30Keep that fucking pull.
00:22:31You're on that.
00:22:37Room's clear!
00:22:38Happy.
00:22:39Like, we're going for much room.
00:22:40There's no enemy on the bottom floor.
00:22:42Right.
00:22:43What have we got to the fucking stairwell there?
00:22:451-0 Charlie.
00:22:46That's two rooms secure,
00:22:48permission to carry on.
00:22:50No, no, no, no, no, no.
00:22:52I'm trying to get nothing in.
00:22:54Sherb's asks Drew for the okay to proceed,
00:22:56but nothing is received.
00:22:59Fifty minutes into the attack,
00:23:00my radio drops out.
00:23:01This is really bad for me
00:23:03because I'm then losing my situational awareness.
00:23:05I don't know what's going on
00:23:06and I can't react to anything.
00:23:07I've got no comes in one section.
00:23:09I need to punch up.
00:23:10Go now.
00:23:12So, you've got to pretty quickly resort back
00:23:14to the passing messages onto a rifleman
00:23:16to run to the front.
00:23:19French, keep your fucking eyes up there.
00:23:20Don't take your fucking head off that weapon.
00:23:22With no radio response
00:23:23and an enemy above,
00:23:25Sherb's must act.
00:23:27Dutton,
00:23:28you're going to fucking
00:23:28come out of that doorway,
00:23:29punch through.
00:23:30Fucking Paul's got your cover from this angle.
00:23:32I send Dutton to the right-hand side
00:23:34because I get him to get his weapon up,
00:23:35go around.
00:23:41So, I'm going across the corridor
00:23:42to go clear your room.
00:23:47I turn my head to the right.
00:23:55In that split second,
00:23:58that's all it takes.
00:24:1113 platoon are fighting a Ukrainian warfare exercise.
00:24:15Corporal Sherbourne is a man down
00:24:17after Dutton got shot.
00:24:19The main decision point then
00:24:21is working out
00:24:22if we are taking too much fire
00:24:23to carry on in that location
00:24:24or if actually we want to keep momentum
00:24:27and keep pushing forward.
00:24:28I need to be really decisive
00:24:29and act as quickly as possible.
00:24:31Let's go.
00:24:32Two section.
00:24:34Drew makes a decision
00:24:35sending in his second section.
00:24:37Straight over.
00:24:38Go.
00:24:38And joins the fight himself.
00:24:41Right, Sherb, where are you?
00:24:42Right, let's go, right.
00:24:43Right, support one on me.
00:24:45Two sections, stay downstairs.
00:24:46With new soldiers holding the ground floor.
00:24:49Right, Halliday on me.
00:24:49Let's go.
00:24:50Yep.
00:24:50Sherb's focuses
00:24:51on taking out the enemy above.
00:24:56Let's go.
00:24:56Halliday up.
00:24:57Let's go.
00:24:57Get a weapon up.
00:24:58Let's go.
00:24:59Make a weapon.
00:24:59Make a weapon.
00:25:01One time's enemy to head.
00:25:03Three section on me.
00:25:04We're moving up.
00:25:06With Sherb's men securing the building,
00:25:09Drew and another section move to the next.
00:25:11Right, you're punching into building 7-1 now.
00:25:13Momentum is one of the most important things.
00:25:15You're keeping the enemy on the back foot.
00:25:16It's very hard for them to think
00:25:17and react to what you're doing.
00:25:18Grenade.
00:25:19Should we move this?
00:25:20Good.
00:25:21Get over.
00:25:21Get over.
00:25:22Get over that fucking wall.
00:25:25Run.
00:25:25I didn't join the army to do paperwork
00:25:26and sit in office.
00:25:27I joined the army to do infanteering.
00:25:29Get out of the way.
00:25:29It's a massive adrenaline rush.
00:25:31But you've got to sort of remove yourself from that
00:25:33as much as possible.
00:25:34My job is to remain calm.
00:25:36Right, let's start going up for what's next
00:25:37to hit the second building.
00:25:39Good.
00:25:40The second building contains a single enemy fighter.
00:25:43Just fucking move.
00:25:45Where the fuck?
00:25:46The section quickly overpower him
00:25:48without taking another casualty.
00:25:51Good.
00:25:51Good.
00:25:52Good.
00:25:53Push up for me.
00:25:54Let's start consolidating.
00:25:557-0.
00:25:55Happy?
00:25:57Moving fast, the soldiers catch the final enemy
00:25:59out of position.
00:26:02Eliminating one.
00:26:03What do you need?
00:26:05And taking another prisoner.
00:26:07This is Waza Alpha.
00:26:08It's clear.
00:26:09We are holding over.
00:26:14Captain Mike Lindgren,
00:26:16who has served for 25 years
00:26:18including tours of Iraq and Afghanistan,
00:26:20is impressed.
00:26:21For a first run out of a young platoon commander
00:26:23with his platoons the first time,
00:26:25his command and control of the platoon
00:26:27has been excellent throughout.
00:26:28The way he's enacted this plan in quite complex terrain
00:26:30has been really impressive.
00:26:3313 platoon have made an impression.
00:26:35With Corporal Sherborne singled out for praise.
00:26:38Section commanders, you've been on top today.
00:26:40Really impressed.
00:26:41The way that you moved in and broke into the buildings
00:26:43was excellent.
00:26:44Well done, troops.
00:26:45Feeling proper proud.
00:26:47I'm like, yeah, sick.
00:26:48Boys are looking good here.
00:26:49I feel like I'm getting something with my job.
00:26:52But for Ryan Dutton, it's been a setback.
00:26:55Because I want to promote, I was gutted
00:26:57because I didn't get the opportunity
00:26:58to show what I can do.
00:27:01Okay, troops, yeah.
00:27:02Okay, let's get one section commander in the centre.
00:27:05Copeland went really well,
00:27:06but it's really important not to get complacent
00:27:08at this point.
00:27:09When we get to Germany,
00:27:10things are going to get a lot more complicated,
00:27:12so they're going to have to really step up.
00:27:15Happy.
00:27:16Look war-y.
00:27:27Where have you got to go?
00:27:29After their urban warfare success,
00:27:31the platoon have earned themselves a night of R&R.
00:27:34That's unbelievable.
00:27:36You look like a fucking WWE wrestler.
00:27:41It doesn't matter what you do for a social,
00:27:44it just normally involves fancy dress.
00:27:46He's kicking off, he's kicking off big time.
00:27:49Hang on, hang on, hang on.
00:27:50It seems to be the more ridiculous,
00:27:51the better the outfit is.
00:27:55The old Robbie Williams pants.
00:27:57I'm a big Robbie Williams fan.
00:27:59Some of my mates thought it would be funny
00:28:01to buy me, like, the Rock DJ pants.
00:28:02I think I might have had a couple pairs of socks down there,
00:28:04though, at the time, as well.
00:28:06Some people, like, they'll go to Tesco,
00:28:07just buy a proper outfit.
00:28:08I did for one of the first piss-ups,
00:28:10and wear fishnets and a nice top.
00:28:13I actually like going through the aisles looking,
00:28:14oh, that would look quite nice.
00:28:15And I'm thinking, what am I fucking thinking of this?
00:28:17Now, half my wardrobe's full of women's clothes.
00:28:32Oh, it's all fucking wet.
00:28:36Green?
00:28:37Yeah.
00:28:38Garon?
00:28:38Yeah.
00:28:39Holiday?
00:28:40Yeah.
00:28:4105.27 in the fucking morning.
00:28:45It's never tired.
00:28:46It's always good to go.
00:28:46It's always good to go.
00:28:47It's always good to go.
00:28:49What do I know about Germany?
00:28:51I think the capital city is Berlin.
00:28:54Is it?
00:28:56I was going to say, if I got that wrong,
00:28:57I was not going to make the show.
00:28:59Beer and sausages.
00:29:01Brutalists.
00:29:02Architecture.
00:29:03Green Hills in the background
00:29:04and some sort of castle
00:29:05sat on the side or something.
00:29:07Booze.
00:29:08We try to drink them dry.
00:29:25Senelaga has been a training camp for the British Army
00:29:27since the end of the Second World War.
00:29:29That is where I stayed when I done my junior NCO cadre.
00:29:33It's nice to be back.
00:29:36For the first few days,
00:29:38the whole platoon will stay in two large dorms.
00:29:41We're stuck in a 12-man room
00:29:44on bunk beds together.
00:29:45You have to bond,
00:29:46otherwise you're just going to fall out
00:29:48and bicker all the time.
00:29:49Because we're in shared accommodation,
00:29:51you ain't just in your room on your own.
00:29:53You're talking to everyone
00:29:54and it'll be a good chance
00:29:56to get to know everyone a lot better.
00:29:58Yeah.
00:29:58There we go.
00:30:02New career this.
00:30:04Hancock's taking selfies again by the looks of it.
00:30:07The platoon as a whole
00:30:08actually bonds more when you're away.
00:30:10How's the fucking tunes going, son?
00:30:12Yeah, rock and roll.
00:30:13Rock and roll, bro.
00:30:15Happy.
00:30:15I think you really get to know
00:30:16people's personalities
00:30:17and what makes them tick.
00:30:18What's your favourite part
00:30:19about being here, son, at the minute?
00:30:20The food.
00:30:21Yeah?
00:30:21Yeah, it's much better than camp.
00:30:23What about Ryfman Lee shitting himself?
00:30:25I was so cool at you.
00:30:26Yeah?
00:30:27Yeah.
00:30:28Yeah.
00:30:29The geezers here do effectively become your family.
00:30:31It's just a way of sort of spending time with your family.
00:30:34Yeah, I think it's sort of like a family day out,
00:30:36but sort of on steroids.
00:30:37Yeah.
00:30:38Yeah.
00:30:39Yeah.
00:30:39Yeah.
00:30:44Senelaga's vast military complex
00:30:46is one of the jewels in the crown of British Army training.
00:30:50The platoon's been divided into two groups.
00:30:52The warrior crews will be tested on a live firing range.
00:30:57Meanwhile, the riflemen have a week to prepare for an attack on terrain akin to Eastern Europe.
00:31:04If the platoon come up short in either, they will fail their training.
00:31:10Happy?
00:31:11Dress in to me, boys.
00:31:15Corporal Sherbourne, fresh from his urban warfare success, must now teach his men to fight on very different terrain.
00:31:23Exposed open ground.
00:31:24Just stay low.
00:31:25Like, I don't want anyone fucking dying.
00:31:27It's not just, like...
00:31:28It's not just, like, oh, yeah, cool, it's blanks, like, the old average, but, like, you...
00:31:32Some of you will die if you start doing that.
00:31:35Open ground's quite difficult to work on,
00:31:37if it's where you're most vulnerable.
00:31:39If we get contacted, you can't sort of hide.
00:31:41You've got to stay low, move fast.
00:31:43That's what sort of saves you in those scenarios.
00:31:47The troops have been briefed that two enemy soldiers, equipped with blank ammunition,
00:31:52are somewhere in a five-kilometre area.
00:31:54An assessor will follow their progress.
00:31:59Going pretty smoothly.
00:32:00We're just patrolling along, nice and chilled, chilled, sexy vibes.
00:32:09And then we get opened up on.
00:32:12Your first thing you do is look for cover, because you don't want to get shot.
00:32:15But then when you realise you're in the middle of a field and there is no cover,
00:32:18and you don't have a clue where the enemy is, you've got two problems at once.
00:32:22Right, where's the enemy? I haven't got...
00:32:23Anyone seen? Anyone seen?
00:32:25I need eyes on the enemy.
00:32:27If you don't have that, everything else breaks down.
00:32:31I've got eyes on!
00:32:33Who was at the bottom of the hill from where we were?
00:32:36Yellow gorse bushes! He's in amongst the gorse bushes!
00:32:39How do they get here? Get your head down!
00:32:42Right, can you see the gorse bushes just through those trees?
00:32:46No!
00:32:46The track goes down the hill, starts to bend round to the right.
00:32:49He's in amongst the yellow bushes.
00:32:51And then you look down and there's like 20 yellow bushes.
00:32:55And that's not ideal, is it, from here?
00:32:57That's all we...
00:32:59Created quite a bit of confusion.
00:33:01Wait, give us a fucking range and a target indication!
00:33:05We've just got a load of geezers firing, I don't know what they're firing into.
00:33:08Fire at the fucking bushes, because they're firing at me.
00:33:12The platoon maintained fire to suppress the enemy, giving sherbs time to locate them.
00:33:18They were listening!
00:33:20Parting the trees, 300 meters, enemy base of yellow shrubbery.
00:33:26Anybody not seen?
00:33:28Fucking talk to me!
00:33:30Yeah, happy!
00:33:32Rapid!
00:33:33Fire!
00:33:41One enemy kill is awarded, and 13 platoon advance up the open ground.
00:33:47Dunn, grab my day sack!
00:33:48It's here, it's here, it's here!
00:33:51Dutton is ordered to retrieve the machine gun ammunition.
00:33:54If we run out of ammunition, we're fucked.
00:33:57His job is made harder by the sand underfoot.
00:34:00Imported by the Nazis to practice desert warfare training here.
00:34:04You're coming back from the injury.
00:34:06When you're running with all your stuff, and I've got my day sack on.
00:34:09And then, obviously, you're going across the sand, which...
00:34:11Just sink into it.
00:34:13Matt, hurry up now!
00:34:15Mank was in clip.
00:34:17He was hurting.
00:34:18Just my worst nightmare, to be fair.
00:34:21The platoon can't advance until Dutton catches up.
00:34:24Get the fuck back here now!
00:34:26You need to be fit enough to do your job.
00:34:29In a wartime scenario, if you're not moving quick enough,
00:34:31you're going to get killed or get someone else killed.
00:34:33Come on, guys! Run!
00:34:35Double!
00:34:42Me and Hancock on the left, and Maurice on the right.
00:34:45Happy with that.
00:34:46Deploying a new tactic,
00:34:48Sherbs orders Hancock to use smoke to give cover for the next move.
00:34:52If you pop smoke one way, it's to mask your movement effectively,
00:34:56and just to sort of keep the enemy guessing,
00:34:58just to fucking know where have they gone.
00:35:00Ready, Hancock? Yep.
00:35:01Right, pop smoke.
00:35:03Oh, shit!
00:35:06I'm not very good at throwing things.
00:35:09Cover! Rapid! Fire!
00:35:12The section advance with little cover.
00:35:14Can you see them?
00:35:16Their drills sort of start going out the window.
00:35:17They forget the basics.
00:35:19Piece of shit.
00:35:20Out of sausage!
00:35:21Get the fuck back here now!
00:35:24Need more link!
00:35:25With Sherbs' section exposed and in disarray...
00:35:28Out of sausage!
00:35:29The training officer calls a halt.
00:35:32Right lads, hold her there.
00:35:34We didn't give Sherbs as much time as we possibly can
00:35:37for him to come up with what could be a relatively simple plan
00:35:40if he's got the information straight away.
00:35:43If you're struggling to get across open ground,
00:35:46that's because of your fitness.
00:35:47And they're all things that are just going to end up with you
00:35:49getting slotted if we end up in Ukraine or something like that.
00:35:55It's a bit disappointing.
00:35:56It's more of a disappointed dad.
00:35:58With the lads and being young,
00:36:00you want to try and guide them on the right path.
00:36:03When I was 18, I just think,
00:36:05if I had done stuff differently back then,
00:36:07took maybe the job I was going into more seriously,
00:36:10I would have had a different, different career.
00:36:15Sherbs first tried to join the military at 18,
00:36:18but failed to finish the selection process.
00:36:22I got injured week 18 and I was in rehab
00:36:24and I was going out every weekend,
00:36:26not looking after myself, boozing,
00:36:28not taking the job seriously.
00:36:29I went back from sort of thinking I was,
00:36:34thinking I sort of belonged to something, I guess,
00:36:35or I was going to be something,
00:36:37to then what I wanted to do was get out.
00:36:39I had put in my notice to leave.
00:36:41But it took me a while to sort of admit that failure.
00:36:45I think that was the thing that sort of hung over you.
00:36:48Sherbs found work as a scaffolder
00:36:50before trying out for the army five years later.
00:36:54If I hadn't found the rifles,
00:36:55I think I'd be in a dark place.
00:36:57The sort of rut I was in, in Civvy Street,
00:37:01especially with some of the stuff I was doing,
00:37:03like, I don't want to feel like that again.
00:37:05That's why I want to steer them on sort of the right path.
00:37:09I want them to be the best they can be.
00:37:21After a difficult first day,
00:37:23the platoon bed down in self-dug holes called shell scrapes.
00:37:27It's a tough environment to sort of live out of.
00:37:30Everyone says if you can do it in there,
00:37:31in that hole when the weather's shit,
00:37:34it's raining and it's cold, then you can do it anywhere.
00:37:36You're cleaning your weapons system,
00:37:38you're powdering your feet,
00:37:39you're getting some food and scuff on, a hot brew,
00:37:41and you need to look after yourself and your mucker next to you.
00:37:45What's in the Morris, you all right?
00:37:46Happy.
00:37:47Enjoyed today?
00:37:48Yeah, it was good fun.
00:37:49Yeah?
00:37:49Enjoying being in with the section commander,
00:37:51learning lots from him.
00:37:52Hopefully.
00:37:52You better say yeah anyway,
00:37:53because I was like,
00:37:54fucking any good at my job, am I?
00:37:56Make sure you don't burn my beef burrito for them as well.
00:37:59I was cooking him all the food, to be fair.
00:38:01I was his chef.
00:38:03Morris feeds me up,
00:38:04and then I'd lead him out in the field, don't I?
00:38:05So it's a win-win for him.
00:38:08Isn't it, Moz?
00:38:09Yeah, win-win.
00:38:09Yeah, happy.
00:38:10Happy with that.
00:38:12He teaches things really well.
00:38:15Shouts a lot.
00:38:17Literally every single swear word under the sun you could think of,
00:38:19but it does the job, and it makes you work a bit better.
00:38:23Enjoyed your day, Moz, have you?
00:38:25Yeah, I'd say I had a good day.
00:38:26I've taken Morris under me wing.
00:38:29Morris is, yeah, an 18-year-old kid,
00:38:31but he's sort of like, you look up to me as maybe a faber figure.
00:38:35I'm not going to tell him he's good all the time though,
00:38:36because otherwise he'll get to his head.
00:38:38You know what I mean?
00:38:38So you can't have that.
00:38:40I was six or seven when my mum and dad split up.
00:38:44It was tough,
00:38:46because I...
00:38:48I didn't see my dad as much.
00:38:50You've got a bit of talc in your hair now.
00:38:51It's like a dry shampoo.
00:38:52I feel like your hair's clean then.
00:38:54It's just fake.
00:38:55Here you go.
00:38:56You learned a new trick from me then, didn't you?
00:38:58Sherps.
00:38:59That can happen for me to make sure
00:39:00I don't get out of line on that.
00:39:04So it is good.
00:39:05Good to have.
00:39:07I've got two kids, and I've got a third.
00:39:09Third.
00:39:10Third and 13 platoon, one section.
00:39:12Owen Morris.
00:39:30In Germany, whilst the foot soldiers are in the woodland, the platoon's warrior crews are preparing to fire live shells
00:39:38for the first time.
00:39:39Under the watchful eye of examiners.
00:39:45He walks better on his hands than he does his feet, actually, doesn't he?
00:39:51For any warrior crew to deploy to the front line, they must first be tested on Senilaga's vast tank range.
00:39:58Each vehicle has a driver, a gunner, and a commander.
00:40:04Tom Drew is a warrior commander not long out of Sandhurst with little hands-on experience.
00:40:10I've done about a week on the range before, so I would, what I'd say, is absolutely a novice, a
00:40:16novice commander.
00:40:18Drew's gunner is 19-year-old Dane French.
00:40:21Holy fuck off.
00:40:24That's what's scary about these bastards.
00:40:27Everyone goes with French, or Frenchy, or turret head.
00:40:30I always wanted to be the class clown in secondary school, thinking I was funny.
00:40:34So I come out of school with fuck all GCSEs.
00:40:36So a little shit is probably the best words to describe myself.
00:40:43French joined up and went through basic training 18 months ago.
00:40:48When I first joined the army, training was a massive, massive turning point for me.
00:40:53My brother turned around to me after I passed out and was like,
00:40:57I did not think you'd make it through that.
00:40:58You've put me on my arse and proven me dead wrong.
00:41:03I don't think at the time I thought Depo was that for me,
00:41:07trying to prove that I can do something.
00:41:09But I think that's what it turned out to be in the end.
00:41:15An examiner will keep track of the number of targets hit.
00:41:19That's a straight pass fail.
00:41:20There are levels above the pass, but there's a standard hit,
00:41:23and if you don't hit it, tough luck, you're doing it again.
00:41:26What makes good Warrior Crew is experience and time in training,
00:41:29and also familiarisation and getting to know each other.
00:41:32So, Lieutenant Drew's definitely got the weight on his shoulders.
00:41:36You are clear to go red on both natures.
00:41:40Chicks urge and report when set over.
00:41:42Ready?
00:41:43What are the short-mars to suck in a seat?
00:41:45All right, guys.
00:41:51Drew's job is to water the vehicle to the right position.
00:41:54For French to then fire the 30mm cannon.
00:42:02The main measures for your scoring are how quickly you can engage the target
00:42:06and how accurately you can engage them.
00:42:08Target!
00:42:10You've only got three rounds per target.
00:42:12We had stuff that was 1,400 metres away.
00:42:17You've got the wind that can add into it.
00:42:19You're under an immense amount of time pressure.
00:42:22The targets only appear for a matter of seconds.
00:42:28Focus up. Scan it out, scan it out.
00:42:30I'm on it, I'm on it.
00:42:31Hold back, it's up.
00:42:33French has hit the first target.
00:42:35They now need to find and destroy ten more.
00:42:37At the start, it was hard.
00:42:39Then you start getting into sort of a rhythm of it.
00:42:42Next target!
00:42:44Good for shooting.
00:42:46You sort of find your groove and stuff just becomes a lot smoother and less janky.
00:42:52Yeah, I'm getting it to him.
00:42:54Here we go.
00:42:55Hit, hit, hit, hit.
00:43:00That was good.
00:43:01That was really good shooting.
00:43:03What's up?
00:43:04Gunnery out.
00:43:05Sparks.
00:43:07This is zero.
00:43:08This is zero.
00:43:08That is hard.
00:43:09Destroyed.
00:43:09Target destroyed.
00:43:10Good shooting.
00:43:12I'd say it was more right from the French's work, but yeah, we'll go with it.
00:43:17In his first gunnery course a few weeks ago, French excelled.
00:43:21He was my top student on the course.
00:43:23I constantly wanted to stay behind at the end of lessons and learn more drills.
00:43:27For most of my childhoods, I didn't think I was that good as shit.
00:43:30But if I like something, I'm going to put time and effort and be good at that thing.
00:43:35And I don't think I realised that until I joined the army.
00:43:40Zero, Roger, out to you.
00:43:41Hello, three, zero.
00:43:42This is zero.
00:43:45Things are about to get a lot tougher for French.
00:43:50To replicate battlefield conditions, the crew must now operate with the warriors' steel hatches shut.
00:43:58Sealed off from the outside world, this is new ground for the crew.
00:44:02Right, French, you happy?
00:44:03Fucking hell, I've never been like this.
00:44:05I know where my switches are.
00:44:07When I bat him down for the first time, it was just horrible.
00:44:10It's sweaty and sticky and you just want to get out.
00:44:13Hang on, if you get a torch on in here, one sec.
00:44:16Apart from being in a big tin can, you've got rounds going off which are heating up even more.
00:44:20So I wouldn't be surprised if we were in the sort of mid to high 30s in that turret.
00:44:26See what a fucking range that is.
00:44:28Right, keep coming left, French.
00:44:30What sort of target is it?
00:44:32Your situational awareness is really diminished and you have to work really hard to know what's going on around you.
00:44:38Oh, the scene, scene.
00:44:39Up, up.
00:44:42Yeah, very fine, go for it.
00:44:45Can you see if I hit any of them, boss?
00:44:48If you can pop your head up the top, you can have a pretty good understanding of what's going on.
00:44:51When you're battened down, you've got a few periscopes around you which have sort of a slit of view around
00:44:56what's going on.
00:44:57It's difficult.
00:44:58It's an absolute head slammer the first few times you do it.
00:45:01I think both of them went short.
00:45:02No, don't worry, don't worry.
00:45:04I'm pissed off you're shooting the boss.
00:45:11With the firing test complete, the crew head back to discover their fate.
00:45:17Look at this fucking act over.
00:45:20Fuck me.
00:45:22Frontline ready crews must achieve a pass level of five or above.
00:45:26I've missed like two or three shots, so I don't know if we'll find out.
00:45:30I think we might have mis-targeted something, so it could have been a level four or even a fail.
00:45:35I don't know if you know or not.
00:45:40So, Lieutenant Drew, rifleman French.
00:45:42Really good shooting.
00:45:45You've achieved a pass level six, all right, which is really high, especially for a new gunner and a new
00:45:49crew that haven't worked together.
00:45:50That is a really good score.
00:45:52Six is the highest score possible.
00:45:55I was just hoping for a pass.
00:45:57So, yeah, it was mega to come out of the wagon and Mickey tell you it got six.
00:46:02Nah, good shooting though. I don't know how you hit that, to be fair. I've never seen anything like it.
00:46:06I think it was the first time, like, yeah, it felt really good at something.
00:46:14It's been refreshing to work with him.
00:46:16I think he definitely found his calling as a gunner.
00:46:30In three days' time, Sherbs and his team will lead an attack against a highly trained enemy force.
00:46:41Today, they must practice another terrain they will be fighting in, woodland, known as wood blocks.
00:46:47It's a chance to make good on yesterday's failures.
00:46:50You are moving forward in this environment. Weapons have still got to be up because there could be a threat
00:46:54that could pop out at any point.
00:46:56A single fighter has been planted in the trees.
00:46:59Their job is to find and kill the enemy without sustaining casualties.
00:47:07Trying to clear a wood block.
00:47:09It just feels like you're walking into a death trap.
00:47:12They could just be hiding behind anything.
00:47:16The riflemen operate as a formation, responsible for the area in front of them.
00:47:27The enemy opens fire.
00:47:29Getting shot up from trees, it's not impossible to know where it's coming from.
00:47:36People are struggling to keep in line and keep balance, and everyone seemed to shit themselves.
00:47:49With the line broken, the enemy easily picks off a man.
00:47:53Sherbs calls a temporary halt.
00:47:55It's so hard trying to find the enemy in here, isn't it?
00:47:57Like, everyone's just like, where the fuck is he?
00:47:59That's why we need to try and keep the balance, keep the fucking... spacing's good.
00:48:02Have two minutes, have a think, and then we'll fucking roll back through it again.
00:48:06To be at the top level is literally the basics done right,
00:48:09and you've just got to keep drilling it in rehearsals, drill, drill, drill, drill,
00:48:12until it sort of becomes muscle memory.
00:48:16Sherbs immediately sets his team to go again in formation.
00:48:20This time watched by platoon seniors Drew and Mann.
00:48:32The gun jams, leaving one soldier left behind, and the attack fails again.
00:48:42The gun, again. We need someone in fire in here. This is what's going wrong.
00:48:47Everyone's pissed off. Everyone's just...
00:48:49..sweat, you know.
00:48:51It wants it to be over, but because we're doing shit, it's not over.
00:48:53So, we go again.
00:48:57With a big attack a few days away,
00:48:59Drew is concerned by his lead section's lack of progress.
00:49:03And fire!
00:49:05We're going to keep drilling this until we get it right,
00:49:07because we're not going into Friday in this state.
00:49:10It's a bit of shit at the moment, to be honest.
00:49:14Repetition, repetition, repetition.
00:49:17What have we got?
00:49:21For the next 48 hours, the riflemen do nothing but woodblock attack drills.
00:49:26There's a ditch in front of you. Get down in that fucking bunk in there.
00:49:29They get into their DOS bags, they have a night's sleep,
00:49:32and they sort of e-purge or forget everything that we were doing the day before.
00:49:39Yeah, what are you doing? Position clear then, you bellends? Come on.
00:49:42Some of the lads just start doing some mad shit.
00:49:45They're all just running and just going...
00:49:49Just running through like a banshee.
00:49:51Too many fucking John Wick heroes.
00:49:53And you're like, here we go, two steps back again.
00:49:57Start moving!
00:49:59Three days of attack drills in the field
00:50:01are taking a toll on one soldier in particular.
00:50:05My ankle started to hurt in the wood blocks.
00:50:08On the patrol, I literally...
00:50:10I think I went over on it about six times.
00:50:13Dutton's old ankle injury is flaring up.
00:50:16Flexi taped my ankle up, didn't you?
00:50:18Does it feel better?
00:50:19It's absolutely throbbing now.
00:50:21You shouldn't really be carrying on, because obviously, if you do, you can end up in yourself, and guess what,
00:50:27you're downgraded again.
00:50:28There is a duty of care, but I don't want to get taken off the exercise.
00:50:33Father of two, Dutton, wants to be selected for the forthcoming NCO carder, a training course to promote to Lance
00:50:41Corporal.
00:50:41If I come off, my rank will be like, alright, he's not ready for an NCO card here, his ankle's
00:50:47not better.
00:50:47Then I won't get on the NCO card, and then I'd have to wait another year.
00:50:52Just fight for it.
00:50:54Make it to the end.
00:50:56One to ten, the pain on my ankle is ten.
00:50:59One to ten are the pain in my ears hearing it.
00:51:02One to ten.
00:51:18After three days of woodblock training, Sergeant Mann wants to add one final element to the attacks.
00:51:25When you launch into that woodblock, it needs fucking life-saving step.
00:51:28Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam.
00:51:30At least five, six rounds from that fucking rifle.
00:51:33Okay, what does that do to the enemy?
00:51:34It's a red dam.
00:51:35Fucking right, it's that initial shock factor, that surprise that gets put into them, and they're going to think,
00:51:40fucking hell, we've opened up on the wrong force here.
00:51:44Fighting in woodland areas is tough. You need to move with speed.
00:51:48It's hard to teach aggression.
00:51:50They need to find it themselves, dig deep and be aggressive, get through that woodblock, close in and engage the
00:51:57enemy.
00:52:00We'll find out when we get down there, alright?
00:52:02With Dutton carrying an injury, Sherp selects a new rifleman to be at the centre of the attack formation.
00:52:09Morris, you'll be left one.
00:52:12Having Morris is sort of like the new rifleman.
00:52:14He hasn't been tested, like, his mental resilience.
00:52:16When, like, there's a bit more pressure to it, that's when you might see cracks in a geezer, I guess.
00:52:23Right, let's go, let's go!
00:52:27Go!
00:52:27Sherps, he's my father, so I just do what he says, really.
00:52:34Good. And it's on you now to sweep the wood.
00:52:41Down, Morris, down!
00:52:46When the push comes to shove, you have to sort of seize the initiative again and you have to take
00:52:50it back to the enemy.
00:52:50Go, go, go!
00:52:54Probably move quite fast because I'm really small.
00:52:58I'm one of the lightest, so I can just shift around like a little snake on the floor, just wiggling
00:53:04around.
00:53:05Morris' agility allows him to move into position quicker to get eyes on the enemy.
00:53:11One-time's enemy, centre of my arcs, right in front of me.
00:53:17Having spotted the enemy, Morris is best placed to finish the job.
00:53:21Let's go, Morris, let's go!
00:53:24I'm thinking, move fast.
00:53:27Yeah, thinking, fighting right for me.
00:53:30Good!
00:53:31Close, close, close, close!
00:53:33Close, close, close, close, close, close!
00:53:38Position clear!
00:53:42That was a fucking good effort.
00:53:43Yeah, well done.
00:53:45I was actually really proud of Morris.
00:53:47Remember, like, when he first turned up, you sort of look at this little just-turned-18-year-old crow.
00:53:54He was very timid.
00:53:56Now actually doing very well with his soldier in.
00:53:59His character's slowly, certainly coming through, like, it's a good feeling.
00:54:06I'm like a flower, mate, I'm delicate right now.
00:54:09Nothing about you is delicate, Dutton.
00:54:11After four days of intensive drills in the field, the seniors grant a night of R&R.
00:54:16It's in English, but still struggling.
00:54:19So is.
00:54:24There's a bar down here.
00:54:26No, I need to find the parking spot.
00:54:28Try and order in German now, Mocha.
00:54:30All right.
00:54:31You having a currywurst?
00:54:32A what?
00:54:33Currywurst.
00:54:34It's a big old sausage that was, Mocha.
00:54:36Is it?
00:54:37I'm quite a picky eater.
00:54:39Like a 12-year-old kid.
00:54:41It's like fish and chips, bangers and mash, chicken pie.
00:54:44Zoo currywurst.
00:54:45Zoo currywurst.
00:54:46You don't need to put an accent on, mate.
00:54:48Dip it. Go on.
00:54:49Get that bit of sausage in the middle.
00:54:51I'll just end up spitting out my mouth because I just know I ain't going to like it.
00:54:55Go on, Morris.
00:54:56Mocha.
00:54:56The sausage was a bit weird.
00:54:58I'd rather eat British sausage.
00:55:01Top notch.
00:55:03Well, I don't know if it's British or not, but it's just in the frozen section.
00:55:10Germany's the best thing for Morris, I think.
00:55:12He's come out his shell.
00:55:13He's not that quiet little person who's just rocked up and he doesn't know what's going on.
00:55:18He's one of the boys now.
00:55:21I think I've fitted in quite well while I'm working.
00:55:24And then I'm also having fun with it as well.
00:55:27Holy shit balls.
00:55:28That is massive, to be fair.
00:55:30And a mojito, please.
00:55:31Oh, my God.
00:55:32Mojito.
00:55:33Just when you deploy, it's not all work.
00:55:37If you can get on with each other outside of work,
00:55:40you're more likely to work better together in the field.
00:55:44It was triangles around the corner.
00:55:46Oh, is it?
00:55:47Yeah, we're going there later.
00:55:59OK, if you've been sleeping up until this point, this is the point where you definitely want to fucking perk
00:56:03up.
00:56:05Today is the final mission.
00:56:07And Major Simon Reid gathers Sherbs' team.
00:56:10Our mission is to attack, to destroy enemy forces.
00:56:15The attack will test all of their training.
00:56:18There's no way where you're not crossing open ground to attack this objective, OK?
00:56:21You've got about a couple of hundred metres to cover.
00:56:25Their mission is to clear two wood blocks of enemy, and cross a dangerous stretch of open ground.
00:56:31The attack will start tonight, and the enemy are already laying trip flares to alert them to 13 platoon.
00:56:38A trip flare is a bit like a pretty large firework on a set of rope,
00:56:42which, when you walk into it, will emit a very bright white light.
00:56:45As soon as a trip flare goes off, anyone around where that trip flare is is going to be having
00:56:49a pretty bad time pretty quickly,
00:56:51which really stacks the cards against what we're showing.
00:56:59But even before a shot has been fired, Sherbs is already a man down.
00:57:05Dustin was saying his anchor was playing up.
00:57:07So at the minute he's gone back in to get checked over by the medic,
00:57:10I'm not really too sure what happens.
00:57:12We've got one more attack left to do, and I don't know if he'll be back out, to be honest.
00:57:20There's something on it.
00:57:22It just looks like a normal canker, you know what I mean?
00:57:26I kept going over and over and over and over on it, and that's at the point where I came
00:57:31off,
00:57:32it was, the pain was, I was in agony.
00:57:34Went back to the med centre, the MO looked at it, and she basically said,
00:57:39yeah, she doesn't want me to damage it beyond the point where it's risking my career.
00:57:48Forced to withdraw by the medic, Dutton's chances of promotion have all but vanished.
00:57:54All my hopes have come crashing down, really.
00:57:57I don't know how long it's going to take to heal again,
00:58:00because the first time around it was a pretty lengthy process.
00:58:04My goal is always to promote.
00:58:06It's not just your own wants and needs, you're providing for other people.
00:58:12But life ends your f***ing lemons, you know what I mean?
00:58:16You can only moan about it so much, it's not going to change what's happened, so.
00:58:27Dutton's withdrawal is a major headache for his section leader, Sherbs.
00:58:32I'm now down to six blokes, but then it means my six guys now carry more weight.
00:58:37We've got the same ammunition, we've got the same sights, so they're less agile,
00:58:41less able to move about, and at the end of the day, if you're slow, you're going to get people
00:58:45killed.
00:58:48My 2-1 section, over here. Minus.
00:58:52I just have to f***ing roll through it, yeah.
00:58:54Bounding, boom. Get the break in.
00:58:56It sort of feels like, in that scenario, we're sort of almost set up for failure.
00:59:01The attack will begin at exactly 0400 hours.
00:59:05Sync watchers in, five, four, three...
00:59:09A man down. Sherbs knows his section will be outnumbered.
00:59:12I'm thinking, f***, we shouldn't really be here.
00:59:24The final attack begins just before first light.
00:59:29Equipped with night sights, the section creep towards the first woodblock.
00:59:34The main thing for us is not being detected.
00:59:38Surprise is probably the most important thing.
00:59:40Nobody wants to be the first person detected, because fundamentally you're putting everyone else at risk.
00:59:48The soldiers have been briefed to be aware of trip flares.
00:59:55In a dense woodblock, in darkness, it's going to be very hard to see a trip wire.
01:00:01So the lads, they should be scanning, they should be looking where the man is behind them, making, you know,
01:00:05being observant.
01:00:05You don't want to be that guy to set off the trip flare.
01:00:10Sherbs leads his team deeper into the wood.
01:00:15Moving through the darkness, you're just trying to be sneaky.
01:00:19I was following behind Sherbs, trying to keep him in my line of sight.
01:00:25He doesn't want to lose me, because he's quite junior, and he's thinking, well, if I just follow Sherbs, like,
01:00:30I'm good here.
01:00:32Probably in his position, I'd do, you'd probably sort of do the same, like, not knowing.
01:00:37But he's not scanning properly.
01:00:41Maurice, instead of checking the ground, is focused on his leader.
01:00:49I could see it in the corner of my eye, just lighting up the whole whipple.
01:00:54After setting off one trip flare, Maurice panics.
01:00:59So, I'm excited, running.
01:01:01Maurice!
01:01:02And I set off another one.
01:01:08Maurice set off four different trip flares, how does one manage that?
01:01:11One! Hard contact! GPMG!
01:01:14And then, all hell breaks loose, because they know you're there now.
01:01:19Let's fucking move!
01:01:3013 platoon are on their final training exercise in Germany.
01:01:34A daring nighttime attack.
01:01:36But their position has been given away after Rifleman Maurice accidentally set off the trip flares.
01:01:45There's a lot of strain on you as a commander at that point.
01:01:47Grenade!
01:01:48I've got my ear going off with the boss in here.
01:01:51Sheriff's report went red on Beagle.
01:01:53Trying to keep control of your rifleman.
01:01:55Maurice on me!
01:01:57Maurice, get here now!
01:01:58And deal with the enemy in front of you.
01:01:59Push left! Push low!
01:02:01You have to try and keep your head.
01:02:04And if you lose your head, you lose the blokes.
01:02:07Right, lads, we're fucking bounding through this like this.
01:02:10Lads, listen in!
01:02:11Rapid!
01:02:13Fire!
01:02:14Right, let's go, let's go!
01:02:18Sherbs gives the order to advance and kill the enemy.
01:02:21Balance out!
01:02:23And that's where just training and repetitive, like, just comes into play.
01:02:26You're not like, fucking out what I do.
01:02:27Because you already know what you're doing.
01:02:31I think there's definitely an element of not wanting to let him down as well.
01:02:39I wanted to make them proud.
01:02:42Come on, come on!
01:02:49With six enemy dead and the first woodblock clear,
01:02:52their final task is to secure a foothold in an adjacent woodblock
01:02:56before radioing for reinforcements to take over.
01:02:59Put your serve on.
01:03:00Yes.
01:03:01One and a half minutes ago.
01:03:03To get there, they must cross more open ground,
01:03:06this time without cover of darkness.
01:03:08The key for me at that point is to get across the ground as quickly as possible,
01:03:12gain that foothold.
01:03:14How many enemies in there?
01:03:16The more you stall and start thinking about stuff is where you find yourself in a lot of trouble.
01:03:20We're gonna fucking bounce straight across!
01:03:29We've got these bags of aggression and we've just got to make it happen.
01:03:32Down!
01:03:35Thirteen platoon are halfway across the ground.
01:03:37Let's give the pass to Rapid so we can then push up to that button line. Happy?
01:03:42Corporal Sherborne's such a strong section commander because he absolutely has his section's respect.
01:03:47Ready, Rapid! Fire!
01:03:49Move!
01:03:51And because of that, they're very keen to follow him.
01:03:54Go! Go! Go!
01:03:57Sherbs and his men have now covered the open ground and reached their objective, the second wood.
01:04:04He's right there, sir!
01:04:06You know, fundamentally he cares about the individuals in his section.
01:04:08And that's probably the most important thing in a section commander,
01:04:12where he cares about what they're doing at individual level,
01:04:14because that's going to keep them alive.
01:04:16There's fucking an enemy in depth. I need the whole section here to sweep this wood.
01:04:19Yeah, I'll get a pull to the platoon as soon as I can.
01:04:21Requesting two times five teams.
01:04:23Move! Move!
01:04:24With a foothold established, reinforcements arrive to take over the attack.
01:04:28Go over there, take up arch, then watch where you're looking.
01:04:3013 platoon have completed their mission.
01:04:40The top brass are impressed.
01:04:42Good one. Thank you.
01:04:44And also, if you see Court Sherborne, I thought that first break-in was mega,
01:04:46because also the enemy were properly on point.
01:04:49Yeah, they were.
01:04:50I don't know how he covered that ground so quickly.
01:04:53From the sort of setbacks I had to being what I am now, a section commander in the infantry,
01:05:00who loves his job, and has definitely found what I should have, you know,
01:05:05where I should have been years ago.
01:05:08I think if I can have sort of an impact on a few of the guys' lives, like your rifleman
01:05:14Hancock's, your Morris, your Halliday's,
01:05:16it's the best you can sort of ask for in terms of being a section commander.
01:05:26Germany was a massive success.
01:05:28Our ability both on the warriors, on the armoured rangers, and as well as our capability working on exercise, I
01:05:33think, massively increased.
01:05:36But as well as that, I think actually a lot of the riflemen got much more comfortable working with each
01:05:40other and living with each other as they have to be.
01:05:46Everyone as a collective has come close together.
01:05:49You build a bond and you build trust.
01:05:53And at the end of the day, that's what a good platoon should be, built on trust.
01:05:59Germany's been one of the best experiences of my life.
01:06:10Next time.
01:06:11Let's fight for that ground as aggressively as possible.
01:06:14Let's move, lad.
01:06:15The platoon's six months of training comes to a climax.
01:06:18If we were to go to war, then this is what it would look like.
01:06:21Let's go on! Let's go on!
01:06:25With final tests, they have to pass.
01:06:27It looks like we're fucked.
01:06:30Dutton, you've got two minutes, mate. Let's go.
01:06:32Dutton digs deep to make promotion.
01:06:34I don't like those big ears.
01:06:36In position ready!
01:06:38And the platoon heads to Dartmoor for a 40km endurance competition.
01:06:42Kills.
01:06:43You look like an old man and a granny.
01:06:45Look left and right as you know, and you will fucking finish with these people.
01:07:00In addition, you are constantly.
01:07:05I know this really is going to be a good job.
01:07:05You have to go.
01:07:10You have to go.
01:07:13Keep your head down on your back, man.
01:07:14I love you!
01:07:17Then you will feel free.
01:07:18Because you're not going to do it.
01:07:18You are the one who's listening to this.
01:07:18You have to go!
01:07:18You are the one who's listening to your mind.
01:07:19When the he's listening, you are the one who's listening to it.
01:07:19You
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