Fighting on the Frontline
Troops reveal the inside story of what it’s really like fighting on a tour of duty in Afghanistan today. Filmed on and off the battlefield, each episode follows the story of a group of Servicemen and women fighting the war from three unique perspectives: on foot, in the air and from behind the wheel of armoured vehicles.
1) Choppers
The documentary crew follow the Apache attack helicopter pilots in a war zone. For the first time they speak in detail about a job that until now has been shrouded in secrecy. Fighting on the Frontline strips away formality with shockingly candid interviews, deploying the no-holds-barred humour of the troops. In episode one, Apache attack helicopter crews are filmed as they take the fight to the enemy in Helmand Province.
2) War Wagons
Cameras follow the soldiers in Afghanistan who take the fight to the enemy on board the British Army’s latest armoured vehicle: the Warthog. This heavy, tracked armoured vehicle can fight in places where other military vehicles cannot. The crews call it ‘combat caravanning’, spending weeks at a time out on patrol in the deserts and main river valley of Helmand.
3) Squaddies
This episode follows infantry soldiers, or ‘bullet-catchers’ as they call themselves. These troops are never more than 500 metres from the enemy, living in a world where injury and death are an occupational hazard. In just a few months, three of the 16 soldiers based on a small compound on the frontline of Helmand Province are seriously injured: one by an IED, one by gunshot wound to the neck and one by a grenade. It’s a stark reminder of the risks they face each time they set outside the wire on foot patrol.