- 2 hours ago
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:04A platoon should be like a band of brothers.
00:10You have to form that bond.
00:14Between the geezer left and right of you.
00:17When shit does hit the fan.
00:21You don't want your muckers to the dart.
00:34We've got a shunder.
00:36We've got a very noob to come from all different walks of life.
00:39Can you give them a hug?
00:41I am like a boy surrounded by men.
00:43We don't know each other's strengths.
00:45We don't know each other's weaknesses.
00:46I think the rifle might think I'm some slightly posh Southerner.
00:50Let it fire.
00:53We've not got long to learn how each other tick.
00:56Who's your daddy?
00:57I want them to be proud.
00:59Mom.
01:00Baby.
01:01We need to form a family spirit between us.
01:04And become like a proper brotherhood.
01:08Show me a war face!
01:09Go away!
01:2413 platoon are back in Bullford after a month in Germany.
01:29Go, go!
01:30Go!
01:30Top dog winner, Callum Hancock, continues to pull his weight.
01:39Dutton, let's go!
01:41Ryan Dutton's on the road to recovery after his ankle injury.
01:45It is not a rest station! Let's go!
01:50I've got a TV, a few flags.
01:53An 18-year-old Owen Morris is finally decorating his room,
01:56five months after joining up.
01:58And, obviously, I've got the bed where the dream's happening.
02:04Have a sherbet pot, please.
02:10The platoon's training is complete.
02:15They must now undertake two final tests
02:18to prove they're ready for war if the call comes.
02:24On Dartmoor, they must complete a 30-mile endurance race across bogs and hills.
02:31Can the platoon prove their bond and get every last rifleman around the course?
02:39But first, they must pass Iron Storm, a battle against an enemy force of tanks, artillery and soldiers,
02:47replicating war in Eastern Europe.
02:49It will forensically examine every aspect of their training.
02:54If we were to go to war, then this is what it would look like.
02:58Grenade!
03:03Could definitely be described as a busy week.
03:05We're deploying on Monday.
03:07I'm just pretty stressed trying to get everything done and make sure we're in a good place,
03:11because the last thing I want is for us to go out the door and be in ship state when
03:14we're kind of getting validated.
03:17This is absolutely all of our training coming into one piece.
03:21It's a straight pass fail, so we're under an immense amount of pressure.
03:26Platoon commander Drew is under more pressure,
03:29because over the summer, his platoon sergeant, Dan Mann,
03:33left the army and has been replaced by a new sergeant, Jack Hellyer.
03:39So I've come in pretty sharpish and about to go on exercise,
03:43which is really good news for me.
03:45However, it's a good way to meet the platoon, really.
03:48Get on exercise straight away, know what people are like.
03:51Right, let's go.
03:53Let's go.
03:56Iron Storm will be the ultimate test of the platoon's warfighting ability,
04:01as each soldier will be equipped with a laser tracking system.
04:05This will trace and record both their enemy kills,
04:08and more crucially, if they've been shot.
04:10There's actually a real-life consequence in how well you're shooting
04:13and how well you're concealing yourself,
04:15so if you're not doing your drills properly in your ship,
04:17you're going to get shot, and it's going to show up.
04:22With success on Iron Storm resting on the platoon's marksmanship,
04:26Drew takes him to the range for training.
04:29With a magazine of 20 rounds.
04:42One rifleman quickly emerges as the sharpest shot.
04:48Morris, spot on, point of aim.
04:50He's literally perfect shooting for that range.
04:53It's a good start.
04:55Just a bit of shooting.
04:58He's off.
05:00Six months ago, Owen Morris joined up
05:03and became the platoon's youngest rifleman.
05:05Yeah, stop being weak!
05:07He's trained hard.
05:09And shown he can keep up with the best of them.
05:11Let's go Morris, let's go!
05:13On the battlefield...
05:15And on the socials.
05:16Holy shitballs.
05:18If I haven't joined the army,
05:20I'll probably just be working in some, like, shitty job,
05:24earning not as good money as I am now.
05:29Everything I've done pretty good so far,
05:32probably gained a lot more confidence.
05:35So on Iron Storm, I want to prove what I can bring to the platoon.
05:42On his first time shooting with the platoon,
05:45Morris nails every target at 50 metres.
05:49Now I'm going to be firing at 300 metres.
05:52And at six times the distance...
05:56Morris' aim is spot on.
05:58In true sniper fashion, he's improving with the distance.
06:02Michael Morris...
06:04He's knocked out of the park.
06:08Go to Daddy. Daddy put you in.
06:11Oh, lunches. Got the lunches. Bottles.
06:14One rifleman who won't be going on Iron Storm...
06:17..is Ryan Dutton.
06:18Oh.
06:21The father of two who's been battling an ankle injury for six months.
06:26Come on, guys! Come on!
06:27In Germany, his promotion dreams were all but ended
06:30when the old injury flared up.
06:32One to ten, the pain on my ankle was ten.
06:38Coming back from Germany, I wasn't in the best of mind states.
06:42I was a bit, like, pissed off with myself
06:44because my ankle creamed in again.
06:47I didn't know what the next steps were at that point in time.
06:51So in my head, I looked like I just tumbled all the way back
06:54to the bottom again.
06:57Having considered quitting, the platoon's new sergeant, Jack Hellier,
07:01wants to rebuild Dutton's fitness and confidence.
07:05You're going to do the four and then the 2K
07:08and you need to look deep inside your body.
07:11You're the master of your own fucking fate here.
07:14So my first impressions of Roslyn Dutton is he's got the cognitive ability,
07:19it's just his fitness that lets him down.
07:22He wants to promote, but I think he's probably legacy been told
07:27he's just not that standard.
07:28So a lot of self-motivation's been taken away from him.
07:32He's kind of got comfortable with just accepting that.
07:34I think it's changing his mindset to be like,
07:38you are not that bloke.
07:43Sergeant Hellier has given Dutton the target of completing
07:46the Dartmoor march to be reconsidered for promotion.
07:50We don't have a lot of time.
07:52However, we've written him like a zero-tier fizz plan,
07:55which I can then track.
07:57I'm just going to find him now
07:59to see if he's done his fizz today like he was meant to.
08:05This fizz program, he catered it to me basically.
08:08He wanted me to tell him what I was eating
08:11and at the end of every week I've got to tell him how much I weigh.
08:14Like he actually wants me to promote, he actually wants me to improve.
08:18So he's a really good sergeant.
08:2213, 25.
08:24Well done Duts.
08:37It's the morning of Iron Storm.
08:42Today, everything the platoon have learned.
08:45Every drill, every attack.
08:47Every shot fired.
08:51Months and months of training
08:53is about to be put to the test.
08:59If you can't shoot straight on Iron Storm, you'll get wiped out.
09:03We've been training for this for the past six months.
09:06You don't want to just get shot in the first five minutes, otherwise.
09:09That's just all of that for nothing.
09:20After nearly six months of training,
09:22the first of the platoon's final tests has arrived.
09:27On one side of Salisbury Plain,
09:30an enemy force of tanks and artillery is preparing to launch an attack.
09:37On the other, charged with stopping them,
09:40is an opposing force.
09:43Including the soldiers of 13 platoon.
09:46English county.
09:48Is Balford one?
09:50No.
09:54My noodle wrap.
09:57That wrap's good to go.
10:04All soldiers and vehicles are being kitted out
10:07with the laser tracking system.
10:10Every hit and miss will now be recorded.
10:16It's probably the closest thing we've got to represent casualties
10:19and it will tell you through the actual test where you've been shot
10:22or potentially kill you off.
10:24We're here to learn.
10:26If your skills, drills, whatever you're doing
10:28is actually going to save your life.
10:30On me. One man on me. Go!
10:31Jack Sherborne, known as Sherbs,
10:34has quickly promoted to corporal.
10:36I love being in the rifles and I love the regiment.
10:39Over the last six months,
10:40he has pushed his soldiers to fight at the highest possible standard.
10:44Best fucking move!
10:46Taking rifleman Morris under his wing in the process.
10:49I've got two kids. Now I've got a third.
10:51I've been third in 13 platoon 1 section.
10:54I win Morris.
10:56Iron Storm is Sherbs' chance to see
10:58if all his hard work has paid off.
11:01The riflemen at this point really need to be on their A-game.
11:05They've been trained, they've got the skills and drills
11:07to enable them to have a scrap.
11:09So I fully trust them to be able to do what's necessary.
11:16This exercise is a good opportunity to show everyone everything I learnt
11:20and just pull it into play.
11:22Yeah, I think for a lot of the platoon there was stuff to prove.
11:26What we were trying to get across is how good 13 can be.
11:29You don't want to be the dickhead that gets killed first.
11:35We're going to go out from here and I want you to fight like the devil.
11:38Commanding Officer Five Rifles, Lieutenant Colonel Henry Coltart,
11:42a veteran of multiple foreign tours, issues his rallying cry.
11:48Get into the mindset that you are being hunted
11:50the moment you drive out of this Liga.
11:51So let's fight for that ground as aggressively as possible.
11:55Right, let's go. Let's go, mount up.
11:57Yeah, we're good to go.
11:59Platoon Commander Drew, leading 13 platoon into battle
12:03only six months into his rifle's career,
12:06now has his reputation on the line.
12:08There's a lot of very senior people looking at this exercise.
12:11Really all of our training has been building towards this.
12:13If it goes wrong, that is absolutely on me and that is my responsibility.
12:20Drew and his soldiers are advancing further forward than any other platoon.
12:25They're heading to a wood,
12:27overlooking the route the enemy are expected to take.
12:30All right, happy.
12:31From this position, Drew is planning an ambush.
12:37Let's move, lad, to the edge of the wood block and then hold.
12:40Let's move, lad.
12:43Sherbs' priority is to get his eight-man section
12:47to watch for advancing enemy.
12:50The first mission was to create an observation point
12:54with eyes on the main routes for the enemy to advance.
12:58So we're basically first warning that they're coming.
13:03We're going to be staying here.
13:04So we're going to start by digging out a little belly.
13:10Halliday and Morris must conceal their position to avoid detection.
13:16Theirs is the most forward position, the first in the firing line.
13:22It was quite tense.
13:24I don't think we had any idea how many vehicles there was going to be.
13:30We were just sitting there waiting.
13:34They're armed with a powerful anti-tank weapon.
13:38I'm going to blow up some warriors.
13:41Blow some people up.
13:44What in the fuck is that?
13:49Morris, can you eyes on that?
13:54What is it?
13:58Warrior.
13:58Warrior. Enemy.
14:00Me.
14:01Not sure.
14:03We just see this vehicle crest the hill and then disappear again.
14:08Yeah, scan that, scan that.
14:11We had no clue where it had gone.
14:13And we're sort of scanning everywhere.
14:15And we can't positively identify who it is.
14:23And then suddenly I hear a wagon coming up the hill.
14:32It could be enemy and they've snuck up on us really quick.
14:36All the vehicles on our side had a red triangle in it to show them how they're friendly.
14:41But there was nothing indicating it on the front.
14:44Yeah, I'm on it.
14:47With both soldiers confident it's enemy, the anti-tank weapon is readied.
14:54Yeah.
14:56Got it.
14:58Get low.
15:02But with the vehicle just meters away.
15:05Morris, wait.
15:07Cancel.
15:14And I managed to call him off.
15:16Because just as it got in line with me on the track, I noticed the call signs on it were
15:22friendly.
15:25Friendly.
15:29Very, very close to shooting at our own folks.
15:34If they destroyed the Warrior, 13 Platoon would have failed this part of the exercise immediately.
15:39Lucky enough, we cancelled fire before anything happened.
15:58And...
16:00Back in Bulford, Ryan Dutton is following Sergeant Hellyer's fitness programme to the letter.
16:06I feel better.
16:08Still horrible when he's doing it.
16:10That doesn't change, but...
16:13Got to put the effort in to get what you want.
16:18He's got one month to get ready for the Dartmoor 30 miler.
16:22I realise that I can do it.
16:24It's just stepping stones to take one day at a time.
16:27He's definitely putting more effort in and stuff.
16:31And watching everything that he eats.
16:34I know he really wants it.
16:37The commercial is important for me is a selfish reason, really.
16:41The biggest pay increase in the armour is from the lowest rank, which is riflemen, to a lance corporal.
16:48I've got a car to pay for, and then clothes, food for a family of four.
16:53It's just so I can support my family a lot better.
17:02Back on Salisbury Plain, exercise iron storm continues.
17:07Four and a half, no update. We'll check my callsigns now.
17:1213 platoon are lying in wait to ambush the enemy.
17:23It's a dust cloud.
17:26Presumably bad guys.
17:28Vehicles are seen on the move, heading straight towards the hidden platoon.
17:32Sherbs, two times warrior, crossing in front of the woodblock.
17:36They've just gone down to Lima crossing.
17:38None of the vehicles are showing the friendly call sign.
17:41I've got eyes on another vehicle.
17:44Yeah, I've seen.
17:45They're moving pretty sharpish.
17:48Within minutes, seven tanks and five warriors are a few hundred metres away.
17:55It's coming to the right, Halliday.
17:56Yeah.
18:01Get ready to call, fellow.
18:04OK.
18:06Come right, come right.
18:08The first tank passes in front of Drew's warrior.
18:10Let it fire.
18:12On, on, keep firing.
18:16Yeah, we got it.
18:18The tank is destroyed with a direct hit.
18:21Yeah, that's dead. That's flashing.
18:23Close the team up. Let's go.
18:25They've made their first kill.
18:26And with their presence now known, the ambush is on.
18:30Let's move, lads. Weapons up.
18:32Every foot soldier breaks cover.
18:36There's a thrill of like, I could potentially take these out.
18:40You're like, yeah, come on then. Let's hook in. Let's scrap these.
18:46Let's go on. Let's go on.
18:51At that point when you're sort of surrounding and you're trying to chase tanks down, like, the lads also have
18:55the skill set to be able to do the same.
18:58Yeah, good, Morris.
19:02Right, kill him.
19:03Fucking get in there, mate.
19:05You bugger. Have a job.
19:07OK, let's go.
19:09Launching from the woods, the platoon's warriors now take the fight to the enemy.
19:15And flush others into the crosshairs of the waiting foot soldiers.
19:19There's a huge amount of chaos and we've got to impart a lot of trust into the riflemen.
19:26And that's absolutely smashed it.
19:29After 15 minutes, every enemy tank has been eliminated.
19:35In the fighting, 13 platoon have lost three warriors.
19:39All right, let's go. Grab up. Let's go. Grab up. Let's go.
19:44Having passed the first part of the exercise, they must now move to phase two.
19:48Hold on. Hold on there.
19:51Door closing.
19:53We get a call to basically reinforce a series of three buildings.
19:59The platoon's mission is to defend the building complex from an enemy attack.
20:05Just like they may have to in Ukraine.
20:11They will have to fight till the very last man.
20:14The longer they can hold out, the higher they will score.
20:19All right. T-5's on.
20:21Keep building there.
20:22Yeah, I'll be.
20:23The platoon must defend every angle of approach.
20:28My plan to you, I want to that flat roof about Charles Hewitt.
20:31Hi.
20:31Yep.
20:32There's a nice sort of like little flat roof.
20:35So I decided to like punch trifling Morris up onto the rooftop.
20:38Pass my sharpshooter.
20:40Morris, top shooter in practice, is now the sniper, taking out enemy at long range.
20:50Morris?
20:51Yeah.
20:52How's my son doing?
20:53All good, Dad.
20:55So I chose Morris because when I've had him, he's been confident, he's been capable.
21:00Let's go, Morris. Let's go.
21:01In Germany, with Sherbs as a mentor, Morris learned fast.
21:06Nice. Weapons up. Left to right, left to right.
21:08Something he struggled with before the army.
21:11When I was in school, I wasn't like the smartest, so that I'd try to do the work.
21:17And then obviously I couldn't do it because it was too hard for me.
21:22So I just thought I'd mess around with my mates and like not do the work.
21:27Morris, you see anything, let me know.
21:30Morris passed through four secondary schools.
21:32Like a few months before GCSEs, the teachers were saying to me,
21:37you ain't gonna join the army.
21:40So what's your plan B?
21:41And I told them, I was like, there ain't no plan B.
21:47Chefs, I can hear a challenger.
21:51You could hear the challengers, the warriors just in the distance.
21:59Suddenly, the enemy force appears.
22:01Yeah, warrior, warrior.
22:04And then they all just started kicking off.
22:10I've got a warrior on me!
22:13The first warrior.
22:17Filled with enemy soldiers, heads straight towards 13 platoons building.
22:29Oi! You're dead! Both for you! Both for you, dead!
22:33Morris single-handedly stops the first wave.
22:36Morris has gotten pinned down with sharps here at the minute.
22:44But another warrior arrives on the other side, unbeknownst to the platoon inside.
22:53Company into the building! Company into the building!
22:55Where? Where? Where?
23:03In Iron Storm, 13 platoon are defending a building.
23:08The longer they can hold out, the better they will score.
23:14But enemy soldiers, with green markings on helmets, have arrived.
23:25The enemy had progressed through the compound.
23:28The guys started punching through the window in a few minutes.
23:32Everyone in the room.
23:34We were all dead.
23:39Everyone on the ground floor are quickly wiped out.
23:43The platoon are in danger of failing this part of the exercise.
23:54Their only hope now is Owen Morris.
24:01Go, lad.
24:03There was me on the roof.
24:05God knows how many there was I then.
24:07It was a bit of a sticky situation.
24:09Morris is still alive up there.
24:16Morris makes three more kills.
24:18You're dead!
24:21Didn't have a scooby, did they?
24:23King.
24:25He's probably the most confident I've seen him.
24:27The geezer's there.
24:28He's still suppressing someone.
24:29He's still in the fight.
24:33One final warrior arrives.
24:35Heading straight for Morris.
24:38So, I've picked up any tank weapon.
24:42He's fucking doing what you want a rifleman to do.
24:45Boom. There you go.
24:52Good, Morris. Love it.
24:55Did I kill him?
24:55Fucking get in there, mate.
24:57Get a VC for that.
25:05Sherbs!
25:07Sherbs!
25:07On me.
25:08Step down, step down, step down.
25:10Got you.
25:10Cheers.
25:11Cool.
25:11Good, good lad.
25:12Let go, it's alright, it's good.
25:13Boom.
25:16As a kid, there wasn't a lot I really cared about.
25:19So, I didn't mind failing that score,
25:21because I didn't give a shit about it.
25:22I did not enjoy it one bit.
25:24But now, I'm in a job that I do enjoy.
25:27I'm like, I do care if I fail,
25:29because I just want to be the best I can.
25:34Yeah, he gets on with the job.
25:38He wants to get up on that roof and try and shoot people and have an effect.
25:42So, he's been doing really well.
25:44Yeah, he's been doing really well.
25:45Didn't you?
25:46I'm the best.
25:47Very well done.
25:48Apart from his ears, ears might be ringing a bit now.
25:53Morris' last stand has saved the day.
25:5613 platoon have passed Iron Storm.
25:59I just want to say really well done.
26:01We destroyed an entire battle group plus in about four hours.
26:05That was because of the quality of the tactics and the quality of what you did.
26:08And we shouldn't lose sight of how far we've come.
26:10So, really well done.
26:13I think we're all in a place where we know how to work with each other now.
26:15And that's what Arm and Infantry is all about,
26:17is actually mutually supporting each other.
26:19We've finished on a real high today.
26:29Take down to one! Stand by!
26:32Nice and great! Come on, come on!
26:34Knees up, knees up, knees up!
26:37Every platoon in five rifles is training for the Dartmoor march.
26:41I want 40 burpees from everybody!
26:44A 30-mile race across brutal terrain carrying a 30-kilo rucksack.
26:49Keep it going! Keep grinding it up!
26:52Known as the patrols competition,
26:54it's a chance for 13 platoons to see just how they measure up.
26:58A patrols competition is a competition against other platoons
27:01to see who's sort of like in the best nick.
27:02And you're not assessed individually, you're assessed as a group.
27:06It's important for the riflemen to work hard for themselves,
27:08but harder for each other.
27:11With every fit soldier taking part,
27:13it represents the ultimate test of a platoon's bond.
27:18At the end of the day, if we're warfighting,
27:20it's always going to be as a platoon as a minimum.
27:22So I want everyone to be a part of that patrols comp,
27:26to then have trust in the team that everyone's going to get round it.
27:30Just hold your body up in the air!
27:33It's dead easy!
27:42Knees are going to hurt, backs are going to hurt, legs are going to hurt.
27:45Yeah, your feet are going to hurt.
27:47If we're going to ask why we only have a tab 4k to then do 35k,
27:53for some of them yes, some of them can,
27:54and some of them it's going to be project salute pain,
27:57and they're going to be in a real bad way.
28:01For Ryan Dutton, after a month of hard training,
28:05this is his chance to prove he's worthy of promotion.
28:09Yeah, no!
28:10Don't like it.
28:11I'm nervous, because it's just a big thing.
28:14You want to impress people.
28:16You also don't want to come off and get another injury.
28:20I've got a little bit more in my kit,
28:21because I'm just taking the sections kit,
28:23so, like, I've seen Morris only a small lad.
28:25Dutton's got a few injuries,
28:26so I just thought I may as well just take it.
28:28Yes, it's heavy, yes, it's uncomfortable,
28:30but I'm looking forward to it.
28:33Keep going, keep going, keep going.
28:36Six months ago,
28:37Callum Hancock's strength and stamina won him top dog.
28:41The competition to find the company's best all-round rifleman.
28:48You do have to look out for each other.
28:51We get deployed to dangerous areas
28:55where you potentially don't always have a great equipment,
28:57but what you can rely on is the trust and the bond
29:01that you have within your platoon to help you all stay alive.
29:09The three-hour journey to Dartmoor is a last chance for sleep.
29:13Once they start, they could be on their feet for 36 hours.
29:19Operating on zero sleep for 36 hours.
29:22This is tough.
29:24Success to me will look like when it is going to get tough,
29:27you know, you can trust each other.
29:28You're all going to get through this kind of thing.
29:30Failure would be, you know, losing people.
29:35We are here.
29:37It's not raining, which is good.
29:39Just they're quite hilly.
29:42Dartmoor.
29:43One of the toughest military training areas in Britain.
29:47Steep, wet and unforgiving.
29:48There will be little protection here for the riflemen.
29:52I've been here a few times.
29:54Didn't give a good rating last time on my trip advisor.
29:56No doubt it will be fucking lower this time.
30:00Right, time team.
30:01Just come over a second, so I'll make you want to speak to you.
30:04As soon as you push outside this gates, right, it's not easy.
30:07It's going to be testing.
30:07It's demanding.
30:08You're absolutely going to question your life choices, right,
30:11on every single stage of this route.
30:13Dig deep.
30:14Work hard.
30:15Stick together as a team.
30:19Are you smiling at that?
30:20No, it's nice weather.
30:21It's nice weather.
30:25It's nice weather.
30:26Rival platoons have been dispatched onto the course
30:29every half hour since early this morning.
30:35The 30-mile route passes through checkpoints,
30:38testing the platoon's combat skills.
30:41Right, troops, it's closing round the kit.
30:45The first test is weight carrying.
30:47Right, welcome to the first stand, yeah?
30:49This is going to be a burden run,
30:50how this is going to look to use then.
30:51You've got 14 jerry cans, 3 ammo tins and 5 power bags, yeah?
30:5612 years are going to split down, carry all that kit along the route.
30:59It's a timed event.
31:00Best time wins.
31:02This test simulates resupplying a platoon
31:05on an Eastern European battlefield.
31:07In position ready.
31:09Standby.
31:10Go!
31:16Several other platoons have already completed the test.
31:20Time to beat 5.20.
31:24Just keep going, just keep going, keep going.
31:26It's 20 kilos each arm.
31:28For a lot of those riflemen, that is half their body, mate.
31:32Mate.
31:33Stick with it, Troo.
31:35Open up on the flat.
31:41Good time so far.
31:42Just over two minutes gone.
31:45Hancock is first in.
31:47Strong mate, drop that kit off where he found it.
31:50And goes back to help his teammates.
31:53It's not comfortable, I don't care who you are, it's not comfortable with anyone.
31:57I've got a good poker face so you don't know I'm in clip.
32:00Let's go, you can see the finish.
32:03Last stretch, go on.
32:04Straight in on a knee, Troo.
32:06Straight in.
32:07Last one in.
32:10Time, 4.52.
32:12Best time so far.
32:13Right, let's go.
32:15Really strong effort from everyone.
32:16Best teamwork I've seen so far, so.
32:25With a strong start, the platoon head through the mist to the next checkpoint, 15 kilometres away.
32:35At that point, you're not that bad because you've just started.
32:39Your body's fresh.
32:41No, I was high.
32:43Go on, dance, good work.
32:47I think a rifle at this point is something we don't know what they're going into.
32:50I think they were like, alright, it might not be too bad.
32:57You're at grid 60658900.
33:00Only defenceable area which is...
33:02After six hours they reach the second test.
33:06Eliminating enemy soldiers on hostile terrain.
33:09So the ground you're operating is that low ground you can see to your back right.
33:14The main challenge is to clear a pretty large area of ground with our patrol.
33:19Our main issue to this was the ground was absolutely horrendous.
33:22It was effectively a big bog going uphill.
33:25The platoon have one hour to find and kill three soldiers hidden in the bog.
33:31Sherbs, let me know when you're happy we've got some overwatch there.
33:34I'll start punching Team 2 forward.
33:35Go, Morris, stand up.
33:36Go, Morris.
33:54Go, Morris.
33:54Oh, mate.
33:55Get that one.
33:56Up.
33:57It's like, take one step.
33:59My foot literally disappears into the ground and I'm up to like me groin in water.
34:05I think pretty much everyone just fucking stacked it.
34:09You're not a fucking joke.
34:11Falling over, getting back up.
34:14Falling over.
34:17What a smell.
34:18Nearly lost me boot at one point.
34:19Oh, you fucker.
34:22After 20 minutes, the platoon have moved only 100 metres.
34:27Fucking hell.
34:28It was probably the worst terrain I've actually come across
34:30in terms of trying to do any sort of attack on.
34:32Oh, mate.
34:34We're going. Let's move.
34:35It's fucking hard work. Let's go.
34:37Yeah.
34:44It takes the platoon 40 long minutes to reach and kill the enemy.
34:48Protection clear!
34:52Mission complete.
34:53Right.
34:55Almost.
34:56We've actually got a geyser stuck in the bog.
34:59Can't win them all.
35:1313 platoon are on Dartmoor, and they're 10 miles into their final test.
35:21When you're soaking, walking around, it's just horrible,
35:24because you're squelching, your feet are rubbing, and you get cold.
35:29After 12 hours of walking, the sergeant calls a halt,
35:33where boots are causing blisters.
35:36Everything we do is on our feet, so we need to be all over the foot admin.
35:41Set the insoles of your boots out.
35:43Try and get some of the water out of there.
35:45Oh, yeah.
35:46The minute you start getting blisters and stuff,
35:48the minute you're going to have a bit of a bad time with it.
35:51It's all in horrible places.
35:52This is really going to work when it comes off.
35:56Maurice's feet, in particular, need attention.
36:00Painful in the nine.
36:02Right from Robson's feet, well, we're pretty bad.
36:04So we had, you know, a blister on the back of his heel,
36:07a blister on his heel, right at the bottom as well,
36:11and a blister further towards the top.
36:14Feel like an old man and a granny.
36:18Feet patched up.
36:19The platoon are back on it.
36:22Right, team one, get on the track.
36:25Team two, get on the track.
36:26Team three, where do you think you're going?
36:28The track.
36:32With ten miles to go,
36:35the route takes the platoon up to the highest point on Dartmoor.
36:42That was awful.
36:44It was like a wall of just stone.
36:51No-one would think fucking ice is great.
36:54You've just got to put that little voice in the back of your head
36:56and tell them to piss off.
37:04My calves were actually screaming at me, to be fair.
37:08In the back of my head,
37:10if I come off this, I'm not going to promote.
37:12It's not an if, but, or maybe, it's just definite.
37:15You won't promote, so I just want to push through.
37:26That was awful.
37:28That's the worst part of it, yeah?
37:33As Dutton grits his teeth, Maurice's blisters are deteriorating.
37:40Every time I put weight on it, it kills.
37:47Every step it was just getting worse, just the boots rubbing on it.
37:50And I was just thinking, I've got so much more to do.
37:55Maurice had one of the worst blisters I've seen.
37:59Take your warm kit, mate. Chuck me your fucking scoff.
38:04Sherb steps in, offloading most of Maurice's rucksack into his home.
38:09I'm just helping a mate out, cos he's got fucking bad feet.
38:11He's fucking smashing it, but we're a team, aren't we?
38:14So we will fucking work together.
38:20The only thing I can bring myself to quitting...
38:24..I just... I always, like, wanna complete everything.
38:29And, er, just not fail it.
38:32Cos no-one, no-one likes failing, do they?
38:35See, I haven't had anyone come off yet.
38:37And, yeah, that's, like, that sort of aim is to get us all around.
38:41As a full-bodied mate, to be able to actually fight at the end of it.
38:49As darkness falls, it's still two hours back to camp.
38:58The platoon really shows its character when you get to the last stages of the patrol.
39:03You've walked potentially up to 40 kilometres at this point,
39:05and you've got the last ten to go.
39:07When it gets dark, the morale drops quite quickly.
39:13Maurice offloads more kids to Sherb's as his feet deteriorate further.
39:19Cool.
39:20At that point, it's not to do with fitness.
39:24It's him and his own head fighting demons with his feet.
39:27Like, you don't really go,
39:28Oh, this is shit, I wanna get off of this, my feet hurt.
39:30Like, you don't get that from him.
39:32He just... I guess he probably suffers in silence, yeah?
39:41You're good to go?
39:42You just wanna get in bed and curl up and die.
39:46Let's go, let's go, Dutton, let's go.
39:50Let's fucking send the last bit, send the last bit.
39:54Fucking botchy after that, just get fucking in.
39:5930 miles after they set off, the platoon returned to camp,
40:05with no man left behind.
40:07Get yourselves in here, lad.
40:09Well done, Dutton. Come on, last little bit, then.
40:12Then you cross the line, you feel a whole relief.
40:15The relief of, I've done it now, as in the sense of,
40:18I'm literally going back at home.
40:22But there's a sting in the tail.
40:25OK, 30 platoon, first of all, well done, yeah,
40:29for making it this far.
40:30You've got one more final push, OK, to go.
40:35What you're gonna need for this, then,
40:37is your webbing, day sack and weapon.
40:41The platoon must complete a mile run,
40:44carrying 20 kilograms of battle kit.
40:47It's the exercise Dutton fears the most.
40:50Starting the fucking patrol with everyone,
40:52I'm finishing it with fucking everyone.
40:54Look left and right at you now,
40:56and you're all fucking finished with these people.
41:01In position ready!
41:04Exercise, begin!
41:09The platoon put Dutton at the front.
41:15Obviously, Ratham and Dutton were probably in a lot of pain
41:16at this point, but we're absolutely there to support him.
41:18Come on, the platoon!
41:20Outstanding work!
41:2130, soon!
41:23No-one wants to see him fail.
41:26I'm going to step out slightly, alright?
41:28She's just downhill.
41:33The army's 100% changed me, like, from civil life to squaddy life.
41:40Because it gives you a mentality.
41:42Yes, you're in the shit, but you've got to do it.
41:45On the hood, straight now!
41:47Come on, Dutton!
41:49Come on, Dutton!
41:53Come on, Dutton!
41:53Come on, Dutton!
41:55Come on, Dutton!
41:55Come on, Dutton!
41:55There's literally everyone calling his name,
41:58getting him to the front,
41:58just giving him that final bit of motivation to keep going.
42:01Good 13, keep it up!
42:02Come on, Dutton!
42:04Come on now, I'll see you in the minute.
42:06I'll see you in the minute.
42:08I'll see you in the minute.
42:09Let's get this sprint up.
42:12Come on, Doc.
42:14You're going to take us next, guys.
42:16Turn it in and that is you.
42:18Come on, Doc.
42:19Come on, Doc.
42:22Finish the last one.
42:24Keep going, keep going.
42:26Keep going.
42:29Good work.
42:3513 platoon finishing 31 hours and 13 minutes.
42:40Of 15 teams, they've come second.
42:44Only one other finished with all their riflemen.
42:47That's what I wanted, just to finish with the full platoon.
42:52That's incredible, isn't it? You finish it as a team.
42:55Yeah, good to do.
42:57But to see them boys, like, dig deep,
43:01fight some demons in the early hours
43:02and then come out the other end and finishing it strongly together.
43:05I was actually really proud of the platoon as a whole.
43:12Six months ago, few of these soldiers knew each other.
43:15If anyone's given you any shit,
43:16I'll slap one on the chin for you.
43:18Since then, they've been to hell and back.
43:21Look them in the fucking face
43:23when you thrust that sword into their chest.
43:27Putting their bodies on the line.
43:30Doing whatever it takes.
43:31Do not quit! Do not quit!
43:34To prepare for war when the call comes.
43:38Yeah, let's fucking go!
43:39Through it all, they've become a band of brothers.
43:42They've become a platoon.
43:44The army, the infantry, and the rifles is particularly good at
43:48throwing lots of very different individuals
43:50into a melting pot together.
43:52You know, it doesn't really matter what your background is
43:53or what you've done before.
43:55It does boil down to, can you do your job
43:57and look out for the person next to you?
43:59And it means you get incredibly strong bonds with each other.
44:02It creates sort of like a family
44:04and everyone within it really has been through the same stuff.
44:08Then creates this sort of jail where you're like,
44:11yeah cool, these guys are alright.
44:37What's it like for Royal Navy sailors on board a warship?
44:41Discover Life at Sea, available to stream now on 5.
44:45And revealing how dangerous events really unfolded,
44:48check out SAS Most Daring Missions over on 5 Action Wednesday at 10.
44:53Next here, Traffic Ops.
Comments