Commando: On the Front Line: Episode 5 - Enemy Contact

the Royal Marine recruits of 924 troop are enduring the most drooling military training in the world and it's becoming ever more realistic team go on in 3 months time they'll be deployed to a real war on the front line in Afghanistan oh no but Terry John's World fell apart when he failed The crucial speed March and had to leave 924 troop and his friends now under medical scrutiny Terry must face up to a shocking truth and second leftenant berty Carr is already on his way to Afghanistan just 3 days after finishing his own training when the rounds start coming in and you know you got to take that little Condor moment and uh and and make the right decision I'm ready for that doesn't mean it's not nerve you I'm ready [Music] what's on space [Music] out grenade go [Music] the only way in to kajaki is by helicopter this remote and baguer British Outpost in southern Afghanistan is surrounded on all sides by the Taliban and it's to hear that second tenant berti car has been posted right the um we're getting stood to because uh there's a bit of gunfire and it sounds like a couple of MOT rounds going off um don't really know what's happening but this is of you know the daily thing here virtually all civilians have fled the area only the Taliban remain hiding in and firing from a honeycomb of deserted compounds the first thing I ever did with my troat went out on a day Patrol and got shot at four times there were real bullets you know sort of going you hear the The Whiz as it passes just over your head and you know it's aimed at you and uh it was it was quite a buzz to be honest it sounds a bit sick but you get quite a a rush from it if you go out I would say yeah nine times out of 10 something would kick off which is uh great because we're out on patrol tomorrow [Applause] so shaping has anyone got any um loose ammo no should be one more BL back in Deon 924 recruit troop are halfway through training but 32 of the original 50 have dropped out through injury or failing to make the grade so what you've got now is the basics when you get to your units those that successful and pass out training you'll get retaught exactly how they want to do it and that's part of unit life when you get the ones that eventually get through will be sent to fight in the same unit as berti car on the front line in Afghanistan you'll jump out the back of the wagon and you'll know if it's left or right flanking Delta team holding fast putting down covering fire Charlie team into the assault if need [Music] be covering fire char move move enemy dead back on the work just drop your leg into my hands okay you're also getting pain sensation Terry John has been forced to leave 924 troop because of a mysterious problem with his legs when it comes to speed marching it starting to tighten up yes yeah yes okay he's still smiling though which is a good thing bit cheerfulness and adversity so he's been put into Hunter company where they try to mend broken recruits when I go speed marching and I get to that point these muscles don't give me no movement it's just my just hair lifting down there just plotting It On The Ground B BM that's all I doing then after a while up here gets tired as well like my whole leg is just not moving just see it Terry's even been referred to a civilian specialist to try and establish what the problem is but he still misses his old troop especially as his friends have just started tactical training for the front line should be there for all that action in the fields that's what that's what you get trained for all the time ain't it to be a soldier ain't it not being there with them Lads a be well fun to look at some of their faces during that attack honestly grenades going off and the Machine gun's going as if you're like in Afghanistan or somewhere already Ah that's the feeling that's the feeling I long for like action it's a tough challenge for any recruit to complete training with his original troop failing essential tests or suffering an injury and they are sent to a junior tro for retraining what fire position are you in [ __ ] mongell get down leave the position on Williams only the toughest and the luckiest remain as Trooper like James Williams who so far pass every test he's taken when you used to talk about being an original it was like yeah I'd like to be an original just to say you know I'm an original it was a cool thing to do now I'd like to be an original cuz I'd like to get this over and done with as quickly as possible because [ __ ] right when we've done this [ __ ] and knowing that Terry if he carries on and gets through it has got things like this to come whereas we could be through it and done get it done get it open done with Lads keep the RS going down your oppos are assault in that position two section we need to push up to the fence secure up to that fence line and AR to our front D hurry up the following day on a high peak called Normandy that overlooks the British HQ in kajaki Gunners and snipers stand ready to provide cover for Bertie Carr who's about to lead his men known as 11 troop deep into enemy territory the FSG is up there they've got Optics he got a sniper up there with him I'm checking out the objectives before we get there ler put it at um 6040 odds on contact so we see what happens whenever they're ready we sell let's go hello still zero this is still two Z AL this cool sign crossing the bridge now over once 11 troop cross this bridge they'll be in enemy territory can I have an indication of where those shots came from already the firing has started right now it's indirect and distant but there's no telling when it might become direct and deadly but is leading a reconnaissance Patrol through deserted Villages and compounds to gather intelligence on enemy positions tan they just ly in position all day all night and just wait till we pop out and they can engage us that's all right on behind ran Hill cover from keep spaced out in the open ground space it out 3,000 miles away 924 troop have just crossed the channel to start their Battlefield tour of the D-Day beaches in nor and to get their first taste of core history the early hours of the 6th of June as we know this great armad of ships left UK at 5:30 in the morning the gunships opened up and bombarded this Coastline with a mass array of Weaponry not accurate but enough to shake the enemy and hopefully hit the positions and they would have to fight the way across the 400 MERS of open beach but they pay the heavy price and we see these people that pay the price and in the cemetery this afternoon so Shear motivation determination bravery the will to succeed and that's what we look for in the core get contact from the right now over get to cover in kajaki 11 troop have come under direct fire contact grounds sing over our heads the Royal Marine Gunnery positions on The High Ground who can see the enemy from their vantage point immediately tried to suppress them with heavy machine guns and sniper fire Bertie just three weeks out of training must now decide whether to withdraw or push [Applause] on on yeah they're engaging them I'm happy to crack on cuz that's right Lads Norm going to be engaging over our heads so we're going to back on to calal Let's uh get going now out some of those cool signs spread out of that trench two two bunched up there to reach the compound they want to search 11 troop now has to cross 500 yard of open ground just keep an eye on we move from here same order of March and we're going to move across okay if you look to your front you see the compound that we're heading for yeah we're heading straight for that in single file the threat as we move across there is obviously to the left so be aware of that and as always just keep looking for your next bit of cover with covering fire from The High Ground Bertie leads his troop forward they haven't even reached their objective yet and already it's hotting up all right stay spread out stay spread back re secure yeah actually yeah yeah you secure I'm just hoping on left have got eyes on our position as well Royal Marines officer berti Carr and his troop have arrived at the enemy compounds that need to be searched now it's a matter of getting in Jacko can you kick those doors in or they come with the hinges [Applause] over a known firing position Kick It In back off oh almost immediately the Marines find evidence of enemy activity shell in there it looks quite into his own shovel beside it there's a shovel beside it I wouldn't touch it all got a possible firing position um which was definitely hidden he got ARS onto our location and our Patrol rout over as you can see we now stood in the Allied wargrave at Bayer more important ly for us there are 152 raw Marines buried in this place okay now people will make a lot of the raw Marines being Elite being Elite isn't just about the training you receive it's all about tradition as well one of the biggest traditions we have is the tradition of family you are part of something special right and we pride ourselves in looking after our own and our family now these guys that lay here today they are dead but they are most definitely not forgotten and they will never be forgotten I would like you to place your cross on The Headstone of a raw Marine Look age 19 age 19 didn't show was this on the recreating video I did that 21 jeez same name same age yeah we didn't end up like this tears do not darken nor Shadow dimly beautiful memories we have with him which makes you proud so whatever happens you know you'll never be forgotten that's important I put one on a sergeant who was my age 24 sergeant and he it was the 6th of June that he died I mean I don't know how he died but you know the sixth of June was The Landings wasn't it and to you know just come straight off and that's it I think that's pretty it's pretty bad you know the uh casualties in Afghanistan not just those them as well I mean they're fighting the war too aren't they I mean you got to give anyone respect if they fighting for their own country I do anyway I mean some people might not but I do can you get guys that Cor in kajaki Bertie car and his troop continue to investigate and map suspect enemy positions knowing they could be targeted at any time yeah SP cases in there b cases yeah what size big [ __ ] bigger than5 good Jackson uh just off to your left there's all these little uh huts and things one looks a bit suspicious got little curtain on it like a lying up position can you go and check it out any one of these dwellings could contain Taliban fighters no chances are [Applause] taken we're coming down to a town called cigal which uh we know has been used um as a as firing firing positions enemy firing positions with small arms and mortars you see the mort arms there and so we has come to uh to push down and uh and check if we can find these fine positions and just dominate the ground show that we can you know come out and uh of walk around freely um and uh yeah so we're just checking suspicious places nothing suspicious in there a couple Bon rackets running the back one of the patrol notices some Disturbed Earth and thinks he discovered an enemy firing point I mean this is a suspected firing position of of enemy mot 81 mm M that sounds like a weapon system that's definitely a weapon system right being [ __ ] from the top of that uh feature over there but if you look at the the the uh the stone wall the closest to us directly behind it there's a small green hill top of that every so often there's somebody that pokes his head out quite clearly in Black entally to the left hand side of the peak of that hill I'll keep an eye on it yeah rer yeah see keep eyes on we're getting [ __ ] from the north uh we're just checking it out over Terry John so desperate to be part of the royal marine family has been told to report to the principal medical officer I don't know how good J Anatomy but I'm just going to show you something okay this is the lower leg all of the different muscles are encased in a special sheath or bag unfortunately what happens in some people is the muscle swells up and there's nowhere for it to go and it becomes very tight and very painful and that's what that's why you're getting pain and numbness in the legs we call it compartment syndrome it is possible that along with some physiotherapy we can make this better okay but it's it's a pretty tall order I better tell you that right from the beginning it's actually a difficult condition to treat it's not something that you can just say oh I'll put a pair of inserts into my feet and magically I'll be better it's it takes work okay crack on thank you very much John if you get compartment syndrome no matter what we do quite the large majority end up out of training unless he's very lucky it's not good it's not a good outlook I'm afraid it's a shame but there we go I'd love to you know go home get get married and all that knowing that I have the Green Berry knowing that you know my kids are going to you know come get born and find out their dad his like Royal Marine doing good [ __ ] it's a tough game play toing all right it's a ghost town isn't it suddenly the Taliban open up with a burst of fire aend directly at Le TR in cover let me move around support the can you get up [Applause] there bastards contact wait out is there any chance we can go back around to the north and just see if we can flush anyone out I'll try try bery asked permission from headquarters to launch an attack yet just get your ass back Roger out they're being uh [ __ ] ging they just want us to head back in there let's go and watch starss on tonight well we don't no we watch Stars week Indiana Theon cariban again my disc M what do have to watch that I got mine can we [Applause] uh this is what it's all about boss Star Wars Star Wars what you going to do what you going to do what you going going to go back and watch Star Wars I want to watch G Point Blank [ __ ] I never get my own [Applause] work sending a fire mission in and all I think it might the patrol heads back at first across dead ground that is ground protected from direct Fire by surrounding [Applause] Hills firing right over our head once the Le troop reach the exposed ground they have no alternative but speed march across it 600 yd under enemy fire close them up quickly across this open ground quickly over rear [Applause] half hang out for the lads at the back lad C of the Taliban you're at the end of a six mile so everyone in is it all right Brea the G let's get the [ __ ] out of here we not doing anything waiting around T action on me after a 6-hour patrol berti leads his troop over the bridge to the safety of the Marine Base mission lished and no casualties it's a greenberry isn't it it's like a attitude being built up in here of not like giving up or giving in on things easily honestly I see it while they have their greenberry proves that they have that mentality also to like keep on going keep on going proves a lot that greenberry it does separate you from all other man Normal Man and this is not normal no everything now it's a clearly a nice day today isn't it and if you look over to the West see the smoke that's the enemy position that's being suppressed at the moment fixed enemy on that position they're going to put an air strike in um I think two 500b bombs is what I've heard and then uh and uh hopefully kill them it's quite fun sort of patrolling around with it going in over your head The Lads laugh at it but I suppose it's only funny as long as you know everyone walks away okay Terry never did get his Green Berry he was eventually medically discharged and left the raw Marines I wanted to be Royal Marines Commander I wanted to be out on the battlefield you know experiencing the whole feeling adrenaline Russia being out there and you know it's your M that you miss every one of them that's the hardest part I love them like Brothers actually it's like almost of Brothers type of [Music] thing back in trying to live a normal life trying to but 10 months later Terry passed out as a sapper with the Royal [Music] engineers [Music]

Channel: Royal Marines

Views: 1,621,166

Keywords: Royal, Marine, Marines, Commando, Commandos, On, the, Front, Line, Green, Beret, Berets, Military, Royal Navy (Armed Force), Royal Marines (Armed Force), Chris, Terrill

Id: 04ZE83KsRAM

Length: 23min 15sec (1395 seconds)

Published: Tue Sep 04 2012