0:00:02 > 0:00:08This programme contains very strong language.
0:00:08 > 0:00:13This programme contains scenes which some viewers may find upsetting.
0:00:15 > 0:00:16The men of C Company,
0:00:16 > 0:00:202nd Battalion, The Mercian Regiment,
0:00:20 > 0:00:24are some of the most recent soldiers to have returned from Afghanistan.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29While they were there, they filmed every moment
0:00:29 > 0:00:30of their six-month tour.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35Everything I've seen, I think about every day,
0:00:35 > 0:00:37but it's just a quick, two-second image.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40GUNFIRE
0:00:45 > 0:00:48I still can't believe I've been to Afghanistan
0:00:48 > 0:00:51and fought against the Taliban. That just seems crazy to me, even now.
0:00:52 > 0:00:54Get down!
0:00:54 > 0:00:57Let's go.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04British combat operations are due to end in 2014,
0:01:04 > 0:01:08but two young officers and best friends led their platoons
0:01:08 > 0:01:13to Helmand Province to find a war that is far from over.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15GUNSHOTS
0:01:15 > 0:01:18Come here, buddy.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20After days back in the UK,
0:01:20 > 0:01:22this is the first time they've spoken
0:01:22 > 0:01:24about what happened to them.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43What socks are you wearing?
0:01:43 > 0:01:46- Issued socks.- What?
0:01:46 > 0:01:48Well that's...that's the dress code, Jimmy.
0:01:48 > 0:01:53Two platoons make up C Company. Seven Platoon's Luke Beetlestone
0:01:53 > 0:01:57and Jimmy Clark of the Assault Pioneers
0:01:57 > 0:01:59are the platoon commanders in charge.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04They're like teenage girls, those two.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06They loved each other, they did.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08They got on real well.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11It was good to see that with superiors there, as well.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13They kind of like...
0:02:13 > 0:02:17I imagine they spend a lot of time out of work together,
0:02:17 > 0:02:19like me and Tom do.
0:02:19 > 0:02:23We have talked about, in the mess, trying to get a double room
0:02:23 > 0:02:24and then having two beds in it,
0:02:24 > 0:02:27because we do spend so much time together that it would make it
0:02:27 > 0:02:29so much easier, kit-wise, and organisation...
0:02:29 > 0:02:33We're always sharing kits. Yeah.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36Yeah, but that's been vetoed. That would be weird, apparently.
0:02:36 > 0:02:37Yeah.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47- You'll get used to that. - Hurry up! Come on!
0:02:47 > 0:02:50Before they left the UK, Luke, Jimmy and their men
0:02:50 > 0:02:53made final preparations for their six-month tour.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56Right. What do we do now?
0:02:56 > 0:02:59Get photos for when we get slotted.
0:02:59 > 0:03:00Have our pictures in the paper.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02- And how many shirts have you got? - One.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05Come on, it don't take 30 seconds to put a shirt on.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11If you try to get any other job to do, they have to take your photo
0:03:11 > 0:03:13just in case you die in the next six months.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17It probably wouldn't go down as well as it would go with us lot.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21- He's probably the most likely to get slotted.- Yeah.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25That was still a few weeks before we got any serious news
0:03:25 > 0:03:26of where we were going.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28The holiday spirit was there then.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30Passport!
0:03:30 > 0:03:34The two platoons were leaving their barracks together,
0:03:34 > 0:03:37heading for Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39ID disks!
0:03:39 > 0:03:40It is a massive adventure.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42All of us,
0:03:42 > 0:03:45in different ways, were very excited by the prospect
0:03:45 > 0:03:47of going out, and showed it.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50- How do you feel, Jeff?- I feel fucking great and I can't wait
0:03:50 > 0:03:52to start dropping Taliban.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56Mum, if I don't see you again, it's been a good 18 years.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58Off we go!
0:03:58 > 0:04:03- Our departure.- Fucking hell, man. This is it now.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06- This is it.- This is real now.
0:04:06 > 0:04:11You know then, right? We're going to war.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14- How are you feeling?- Good.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17"Good, I'm feeling good."
0:04:17 > 0:04:19Sounds like he's about to cry.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22"I'm feeling good."
0:04:22 > 0:04:24I certainly made it clear to my soldiers,
0:04:24 > 0:04:25"Don't have anything outstanding."
0:04:25 > 0:04:27I'm going to be snatched out of that life
0:04:27 > 0:04:31for seven months and I might not get thrown back into it.
0:04:31 > 0:04:32Do everything you want to do.
0:04:38 > 0:04:42The main thing I did, I went to the Ritz Hotel in London.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44I just thought I'd go somewhere
0:04:44 > 0:04:45which was going to be really nice
0:04:45 > 0:04:49and something I'd remember and enjoy remembering whilst I was out there,
0:04:49 > 0:04:50to have good memories with.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52Crowder took his girlfriend to the Ritz, didn't he?
0:04:52 > 0:04:55And Maguire proposed.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57We'd been together for four years
0:04:57 > 0:05:00and something like this really puts it into perspective.
0:05:00 > 0:05:01You think that you may never come back.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03So you think, "Right, this is the woman I love.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05"This is the woman I want to be with.
0:05:05 > 0:05:06"Will you marry me?"
0:05:12 > 0:05:17Finally, we move to Helmand. Come on, let's get some!
0:05:20 > 0:05:22For Jimmy, Luke and most of their men,
0:05:22 > 0:05:26this would be their first and possibly only tour of Afghanistan.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31British combat troops won't be sent to fight there after 2014.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34The mission now is to prepare the country for handover
0:05:34 > 0:05:36to Afghan forces.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40I was looking forward to that kind of stabilisation roll.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42We're going to go and do what we should be doing,
0:05:42 > 0:05:45having been in Afghanistan now for ten years -
0:05:45 > 0:05:46we're going to be...
0:05:46 > 0:05:49we're going to be getting the place ready for transition.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52Yeah, cos that's what it's kind of like switched towards now.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55Afghan's not all about killing everyone in sight,
0:05:55 > 0:05:58it's about actually trying to bring the country on.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01The Afghans should assume lead security responsibility
0:06:01 > 0:06:04across the country as a whole by the end of 2014.
0:06:04 > 0:06:08By 2014, this process of transition will be complete.
0:06:08 > 0:06:13The handover of security to Afghan forces has already begun.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17But when Luke, Jimmy and their men got told where they'd be based,
0:06:17 > 0:06:21it was in an area where transition still seemed a long way off.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27Death Valley kind of gave it away a bit. It was, "Oh, Christ...
0:06:27 > 0:06:29"Here we go."
0:06:31 > 0:06:33The men were heading to an area British troops had handed over
0:06:33 > 0:06:35to Americans in 2010.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39Nicknamed Death Valley,
0:06:39 > 0:06:41the Upper Gereshk Valley has seen some of the fiercest fighting
0:06:41 > 0:06:42of the war.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48- This is going to be cheeky, this is. - I'm going! Get me there!
0:06:48 > 0:06:52You're really asking yourself some internal questions of "Wow,
0:06:52 > 0:06:54"what's it going to be like?"
0:06:58 > 0:07:00The two platoons arrived at Camp Bastion,
0:07:00 > 0:07:02the main troop base in Helmand,
0:07:02 > 0:07:05to get ready to be sent to their different bases.
0:07:07 > 0:07:11First day of actual Ops, and we're getting the wagons ready,
0:07:11 > 0:07:12ready to fuel up.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16- B-17 plane.- Banging soundtrack. Yep, that's it.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23- We got separated at Bastion.- Yep.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27I drove in Mastiffs, Luke ended up flying.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31That was probably the last time I got to see you, and it was for...
0:07:31 > 0:07:33I don't remember saying goodbye to you in Bastion.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38Jimmy, Luke and their men left the safety of Camp Bastion,
0:07:38 > 0:07:40heading for the Upper Gereshk Valley.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47Their checkpoints will be based along the notorious Route 611.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53Major roads like this are a massive target for Taliban fighters,
0:07:53 > 0:07:56desperate to derail the process of transition.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00Luke and 7 Platoon were based at Checkpoint Salaat.
0:08:13 > 0:08:19Jimmy and the Assault Pioneers were 12km away at Checkpoint Pan Kalay.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31The men were taking over from a force of US Marines
0:08:31 > 0:08:32three times bigger.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34When are you off?
0:08:34 > 0:08:37We're leaving on Sunday. Hopefully, get out of this country
0:08:37 > 0:08:38within the next two weeks.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41Bringing ass to the fight, I like it.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45When we ripped in, they were tired and...
0:08:47 > 0:08:49..they'd clearly had quite a rough time.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52Have you got one piece of advice for C Company?
0:08:52 > 0:08:55You need to be flexible and very, very patient.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59On their first day,
0:08:59 > 0:09:02Jimmy and the platoon were taken out in vehicles by the Marines
0:09:02 > 0:09:03on a brief handover patrol.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07As you can see, we're completely static.
0:09:07 > 0:09:11We had a two minute convoy briefing from the Americans.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14To give you an example of how there was a hole in the handover,
0:09:14 > 0:09:18on the first patrol we did with them, Corporal Katia was shot.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25Corporal Dave Katia was one of the most senior men in Jimmy's platoon.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29He was shot in the leg as he crossed from one vehicle to another.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31I heard a gunshot.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33I was like, "Dave, you all right, mate?"
0:09:33 > 0:09:35He was like, "Yeah. There's some sweets in my day sack.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38"Would you grab them for the lads?" I was like, "Dave,
0:09:38 > 0:09:41"you've just been shot by the Taliban, are you all right?"
0:09:44 > 0:09:46I've seen him injected with morphine,
0:09:46 > 0:09:48so he was all over the place, high as a kite.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52I think everyone thought, you know, "Unlucky."
0:09:52 > 0:09:54It's the first time we've gone out on patrol, on joint patrol,
0:09:54 > 0:09:56and he's caught a round in the leg.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06Because it was gunshot wounds, now, because of the IEDs,
0:10:06 > 0:10:08we kind of see that as a lesser thing.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10We'd almost want to be shot.
0:10:10 > 0:10:12Like, "Oh, he's been shot. Yeah, he was alive when left him.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15"He's going to make a full recovery. Happy."
0:10:17 > 0:10:21Corporal Katia was flown out safely
0:10:21 > 0:10:24but the Taliban had wasted no time welcoming the newcomers.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28After it all calmed down and we got cut out of there,
0:10:28 > 0:10:31I was like, "Shit the bed, this is going to be a ruthless tour."
0:10:44 > 0:10:47Over the next few days, all but a few Marines
0:10:47 > 0:10:50withdrew from the area, leaving Jimmy and Luke
0:10:50 > 0:10:52to run things their way.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00They decided to take a very different approach
0:11:00 > 0:11:02in securing the road -
0:11:02 > 0:11:07instead of going out in vehicles, they would patrol on foot.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10Jimmy would be patrolling from his base where the Route 611
0:11:10 > 0:11:14meets the canal, which was the enemy's front line.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17Everything to the west of the canal was Taliban territory.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29A few days after arriving in their base,
0:11:29 > 0:11:32Jimmy received a tip-off from a local village,
0:11:32 > 0:11:35telling him an IED had been laid right on the bank of the canal.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38He decided to go and find it.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43I took a risk and said, "Fine, let's go and check it."
0:11:43 > 0:11:46Let's show them that we're here, we're dominating the ground,
0:11:46 > 0:11:49this is our patch, we'll move where we want.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52No, we'll go from the front of the patrol.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54It was the first time most of the platoon had left
0:11:54 > 0:11:58the security of the base, including John Ward,
0:11:58 > 0:12:00whose job it was to look for the IED.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04Obviously, it's a war zone.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06Before I went to Afghanistan,
0:12:06 > 0:12:09it was a thing you played on games, you know.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11But, you know, it is for real now.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15While John searched the ground for explosive devices,
0:12:15 > 0:12:19Jordan Crowder was the cover man, acting as his eyes and ears.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27We thought it was bit weird, but we've got to go and do it
0:12:27 > 0:12:29for the locals, to say,
0:12:29 > 0:12:32"We're not scared, we will check things out."
0:12:33 > 0:12:36The search took them to the edge of the canal,
0:12:36 > 0:12:40but there was no IED to be found.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48Something's not normal, not right. Where is everyone?
0:12:48 > 0:12:52Why are locals telling us there's an IED there?
0:12:52 > 0:12:55Yeah, it was weird.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01Across the canal, they spotted movement.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10Be ready.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13From one atmosphere to another, it can change so quickly.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18So, we were lured out.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20You always have a bad feeling when you are marching around
0:13:20 > 0:13:24in the open in front of various enemy firing points.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26Wardy, you lead off.
0:13:29 > 0:13:30Everyone was getting agitated
0:13:30 > 0:13:33and just really wanted to get out of the area as soon as.
0:13:33 > 0:13:38- How much are you going back? - Keep going, keep going.
0:13:38 > 0:13:42As they approached the safety of their base, in an alleyway,
0:13:42 > 0:13:45they found themselves channelled and vulnerable.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47GUNSHOTS
0:13:47 > 0:13:49Get down!
0:13:51 > 0:13:53That was an ambush. I heard the gunshot,
0:13:53 > 0:13:55I turned round and saw him on the floor.
0:13:55 > 0:14:00I wasn't sure at that time whether he was dead, hurt or what happened.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02Man down!
0:14:11 > 0:14:13I ran out to grab him.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15The boss joined us, Mr Clark joined us,
0:14:15 > 0:14:20and we ripped his body armour off, trying to find the entry wound.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27Fucking hell, man.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30Near the back of the patrol, Tom Maguire had been shot
0:14:30 > 0:14:32by a sniper from across the canal.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34- Who is it?- Maguire!
0:14:38 > 0:14:42I looked at him, and he was going whiter and whiter in the face.
0:14:42 > 0:14:47At that point, I was very concerned that he might not make this.
0:14:47 > 0:14:52- Just put me down! - You all right, man? You all right?
0:14:52 > 0:14:56- He's all right!- He's all right. - Was that Maguire?- Yeah.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01It's just sort of being hit by Mike Tyson with a hammer.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03The bullet shattered on impact
0:15:03 > 0:15:05and shrapnel ricocheted around Tom's body,
0:15:05 > 0:15:08causing massive internal damage.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11So, there was shrapnel in me that stayed there.
0:15:11 > 0:15:16I'd broken three ribs, three vertebrae, lost part of my lung.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18Cracked my shoulder blade, as well.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21They put me to sleep in the end, through my operation.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23I woke up five days later.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28Tom was flown back to the UK. His tour was over.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38I think someone said, "At this rate, we'll have no-one left by the end."
0:15:38 > 0:15:41Which is what it would have been.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44I think we only had 28 blokes to start with in the CP
0:15:44 > 0:15:47and within a week, we had already lost two people,
0:15:47 > 0:15:49and we had to be there for seven months.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53Despite the attacks on Jimmy's men,
0:15:53 > 0:15:56he and Luke were determined to push out on foot.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02They needed to find out the extent of the Taliban threat
0:16:02 > 0:16:05and started patrolling the local villages.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09We needed to know who lived here, and try and distinguish between
0:16:09 > 0:16:11who were the locals, the people we were trying to protect,
0:16:11 > 0:16:13and who were the insurgents.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25But the reception wasn't a warm one.
0:16:35 > 0:16:39Mostly, they're too scared to want to speak to us.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43Just too scared for themselves cos they'd been under that control.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52Shep, don't overextend!
0:16:52 > 0:16:55It was becoming clear why the locals were so nervous.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58The Taliban were watching.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09While the men were trying to build a picture of their enemy,
0:17:09 > 0:17:12the Taliban were doing exactly the same.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17We started going out of the checkpoints, out to the villages,
0:17:17 > 0:17:18out on the ground,
0:17:18 > 0:17:21so then the insurgents' tactics sort of changed
0:17:21 > 0:17:25to try and aim for, you know, our foot soldiers on the ground.
0:17:25 > 0:17:30So, once that started happening, the threat level in the area rose.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34Fucking O!
0:17:34 > 0:17:36Around Luke's checkpoint at Salaat,
0:17:36 > 0:17:38IEDs were starting to appear.
0:17:42 > 0:17:4619-year-old Chris Scott had volunteered to try find them
0:17:46 > 0:17:49whenever 7 Platoon went out on patrol.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52Your mind needs to be 100% focused.
0:17:52 > 0:17:56You can't start thinking about what could happen.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59You've got to think about what you are doing at that precise moment.
0:17:59 > 0:18:03For a young lad to constantly volunteer to go at the front
0:18:03 > 0:18:07of the patrol and put his life at risk and be happy to get
0:18:07 > 0:18:11that close and find an IED
0:18:11 > 0:18:14to prevent anyone else in the callsign stepping on it,
0:18:14 > 0:18:15that's a big deal.
0:18:19 > 0:18:23On an early patrol, Luke wanted to investigate a compound on the bank
0:18:23 > 0:18:27of the canal that the Taliban were known to use as a firing base.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35He'll point to a specific place, a compound,
0:18:35 > 0:18:38and head towards that direction and he'll let me pick the route.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41The Americans that were there before us, obviously,
0:18:41 > 0:18:46had a lot of problems with the areas around the checkpoint.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49So, we were there, we thought we'd take it over,
0:18:49 > 0:18:51show them what the English can do.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56There's a bridge. We're not going over the bridge.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03Chris led the platoon to the compound on the edge
0:19:03 > 0:19:05of the canal.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08I'd spotted from a distance
0:19:08 > 0:19:11that out of the corner of the compound,
0:19:11 > 0:19:13there was an irregular feature.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17We was really close to the firing points. I mean, we could see them.
0:19:17 > 0:19:22- Boss, watch all that hay and shit. - Huh?- Watch all that hay and shit.
0:19:27 > 0:19:31And then, obviously, everything went bad after that.
0:19:50 > 0:19:55You hear those words and your heart just sinks, you start getting angry.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57Fuck!
0:19:57 > 0:19:59On the other side of the compound,
0:19:59 > 0:20:03a US Marine who'd been attached to Luke's platoon had stepped
0:20:03 > 0:20:04on an IED.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06To see the dust cloud and see it disappear,
0:20:06 > 0:20:09at first it didn't seem real. For the first second or so,
0:20:09 > 0:20:13I was like, "What?" Then, obviously, I knew it was real.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15Got a casualty.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18Erm... Double amputee.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25The casualty was in danger of bleeding to death.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28Luke told Chris to clear a safe path to get him out.
0:20:35 > 0:20:40But the quickest way out was across the bridge he'd avoided earlier.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44The Taliban were known to booby-trap the most obvious routes
0:20:44 > 0:20:46for carrying casualties.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07DETECTOR BEEPS RAPIDLY
0:21:14 > 0:21:16Fuck it!
0:21:19 > 0:21:24I'm still not sure how much he cleared that route or how much he...
0:21:24 > 0:21:26He just went for it and walked.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28Bridge is clear.
0:21:31 > 0:21:36Get the stretcher up! Get the stretcher up! Go.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38Get him on the back of that wagon.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41Obviously, I'd walked past that area,
0:21:41 > 0:21:46I was thinking a lot about where it was, what was around at the time.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53I just happened to be at that spot, really unlucky.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56THEY SHOUT
0:22:01 > 0:22:03That's my guy. I've got to go.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09The US Marine was in a helicopter on his way to hospital
0:22:09 > 0:22:12just 12 minutes after the explosion.
0:22:13 > 0:22:18He'd lost one of his legs. And suffered severe injury to the other.
0:22:57 > 0:23:01Everyone didn't really say anything to each other for about five or ten minutes.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05Then we just started easing into it.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07Talking about it.
0:23:16 > 0:23:21I just think to myself, I wish things could happen differently.
0:23:28 > 0:23:33I'm sure that wasn't the only IED in the ground there.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37And it went off.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40That day, it was a success for the Taliban.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47At their base 12km away, Jimmy and his men
0:23:47 > 0:23:51had listened to the whole thing unfolding on the radio.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54The dread... I didn't know if it was Luke,
0:23:54 > 0:23:57just thinking there's nothing I can do.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01And that anger is still with me.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05That feeling of helplessness and anger at a situation
0:24:05 > 0:24:08and the fact that you are helpless. Wow!
0:24:08 > 0:24:12The two platoons had been living separately in their bases
0:24:12 > 0:24:17for just a few weeks, but already they'd taken casualties
0:24:17 > 0:24:20and the enemy were laying IEDs at will.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23They had to hit back.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26And as we eat dinner, Apaches are flying overhead,
0:24:26 > 0:24:29ready to kill the insurgent bastards.
0:24:29 > 0:24:34You get this feeling of aggression and you kind of think, "OK,
0:24:34 > 0:24:37"if it's not going to be peaceful and it's going to be warry,
0:24:37 > 0:24:39"then we're going to get warry."
0:24:42 > 0:24:46Jimmy and his platoon received new orders to lure
0:24:46 > 0:24:48the Taliban into a trap.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51OK, most of you have been out on the ground.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54We're patrolling to the north through the fields.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58But for the plan to work, the pioneers would have to act as bait.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07You have a foot patrol, which has air support.
0:25:07 > 0:25:12You'd go, get contacted, you're being fired at from a location
0:25:12 > 0:25:15and the helicopter would come in and kill that guy.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19It was quite a shocking thing for all of us to hear that.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21It was like, yeah, right.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24Our job was to get shot at, so...
0:25:24 > 0:25:29- How are you feeling, Martin?- Awesome. - Good. Ready to get back out there? - Yeah, I suppose.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32I don't want to play any more. I wanted to go home.
0:25:32 > 0:25:37- That face says it all, doesn't it? - I'm Lance Corporal Shepherd.
0:25:37 > 0:25:42This will be the last you see of me. Going on suicide.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44I'm Private Morgan, I'll be picking up Shep's legs.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46LAUGHTER >
0:25:50 > 0:25:53The men set off on what they nicknamed Op Bait,
0:25:53 > 0:25:56knowing exactly where to meet the enemy.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04Jordan Crowder was wearing his headcam.
0:26:04 > 0:26:09Also filming just a few metres behind him was James Hughes.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12We were right next to the canal. Right on top of it.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14And we spotted a few people.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17Literally, just like a stone's throw away.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19Get down.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31Jimmy started sending information
0:26:31 > 0:26:34for the Apache helicopter that was standing by.
0:26:34 > 0:26:38We knew something was going to happen and Corporal Shepherd could see
0:26:38 > 0:26:42somebody looking through a murder hole at him.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48Even though some of the patrol could see the enemy,
0:26:48 > 0:26:53the Apache wouldn't attack until they'd been shot at.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56..When we're pushing through here, OK?
0:26:56 > 0:26:59Once we win the firefight, we can extract the casualty.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03And take the track that runs up through Haji Hassan's compound.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06Everybody understood?
0:27:06 > 0:27:10Once you've put everything in place, that's it. Then you're good to go. So you go.
0:27:14 > 0:27:18Boss gave his orders, what's happening here and everything.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22And then we decided to patrol onwards.
0:27:22 > 0:27:27I think the order went Scholey, Lance Corporal Woodward, the boss.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30Then me, then Hughes.
0:27:31 > 0:27:33Yeah.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39Right, Hughes.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41Let's go.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44EXPLOSION
0:27:44 > 0:27:46Argh!
0:28:05 > 0:28:09Two IEDs had been triggered by a command wire
0:28:09 > 0:28:12pulled from across the canal.
0:28:12 > 0:28:14My brain was over wary, it went off.
0:28:14 > 0:28:18I remember thinking falling to the floor and thinking, "Oh, God!"
0:28:20 > 0:28:21I just thought that was it.
0:28:27 > 0:28:32There was no pain or anything, so I was like, I'm fine.
0:28:32 > 0:28:36But then, like, my concern then turned to Hughes behind me.
0:28:40 > 0:28:43GUNFIRE
0:28:46 > 0:28:48Fucking hell!
0:28:50 > 0:28:53There's only little snippets of memory I've got.
0:28:53 > 0:28:57I remember Crowder trying to grab me and stuff.
0:29:01 > 0:29:03It sounds silly, check my legs, check my arms,
0:29:03 > 0:29:04see I've still got everything.
0:29:04 > 0:29:08And a bit of relief when I found out I've got everything.
0:29:14 > 0:29:17GUNFIRE
0:29:17 > 0:29:20Come here, buddy. Come on. Come on.
0:29:41 > 0:29:44Two IEDs. Fucking unreal.
0:29:56 > 0:29:57I was just very lucky, I guess.
0:29:57 > 0:29:59Got someone looking over me, as my mum reckons.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10I don't think I've ever been so thankful for rain in all my life,
0:30:10 > 0:30:13because it rained a couple of days before and then the sun was hot.
0:30:13 > 0:30:17It just compacted the ground really hard.
0:30:17 > 0:30:21I think if it hadn't been for that, we wouldn't be still here now.
0:30:27 > 0:30:29The plan to trap the Taliban had backfired.
0:30:29 > 0:30:33Jimmy was lucky to have all his men still alive.
0:30:34 > 0:30:39From my point of view, it's incredibly frustrating to be leading soldiers
0:30:39 > 0:30:44out on patrol with a purpose of getting shot at.
0:30:46 > 0:30:50There's a line between bravery and stupidity
0:30:50 > 0:30:52and so far, we're pushing the limits of bravery.
0:30:54 > 0:30:57I just wasn't entirely comfortable with the risks we were taking
0:30:57 > 0:30:58and what we were achieving.
0:30:58 > 0:31:02Erm, those foot patrols weren't securing the road.
0:31:05 > 0:31:07Give me that, give me that.
0:31:07 > 0:31:10Every time the two platoons of C Company went out on foot,
0:31:10 > 0:31:13the Taliban were one step ahead of them.
0:31:14 > 0:31:17Jimmy and Luke decided to change tactics
0:31:17 > 0:31:22and focus on their main job, protecting route 611
0:31:22 > 0:31:25which meant they'd now spend most of their time in vehicles.
0:31:30 > 0:31:33The 611 is one of the few tarmac roads in Helmand
0:31:33 > 0:31:35and connects two of its biggest towns.
0:31:35 > 0:31:40Its security is seen as vital in bringing growth to the area.
0:31:44 > 0:31:48If we keep this road secure, then people can travel from Gereshk to Sangin
0:31:48 > 0:31:51and the country can get better and everything can get better,
0:31:51 > 0:31:53then maybe the insurgencies will start lowering down.
0:31:53 > 0:31:57You've got to think about the bigger picture and the knock-on it'll have.
0:32:05 > 0:32:09I was a bit relieved that I'm a driver
0:32:09 > 0:32:12and I'll be driving up and down, which will be a bit safer.
0:32:12 > 0:32:18Those wagons are 30 tonnes of steel and specialist armour.
0:32:18 > 0:32:21The stretch of road they had to secure was 18 kilometres long
0:32:21 > 0:32:24and had nine Vulnerable Points or VPs
0:32:24 > 0:32:27where the Taliban could easily plant bombs.
0:32:27 > 0:32:30The new plan was check Vulnerable Points several times a day...
0:32:30 > 0:32:32..every day.
0:32:41 > 0:32:44Every day we did VP checks and we found nothing,
0:32:44 > 0:32:48that was a victory. I considered it as such, and I treated it as such.
0:32:52 > 0:32:55Some of the blokes, they might have said this is boring
0:32:55 > 0:32:59but when you get used to winning, maybe winning does get boring, I don't know!
0:33:05 > 0:33:07Some days we spend 15 or 16 hours in a vehicle.
0:33:07 > 0:33:10You're just sat there, it was hot,
0:33:10 > 0:33:13it was boring, there was nothing to do.
0:33:16 > 0:33:20You can't start getting claustrophobic or anything like that, you'll just go mad.
0:33:20 > 0:33:24I Spy, rock, paper, scissors, noughts and crosses.
0:33:37 > 0:33:41Soldiers will complain about anything.
0:33:41 > 0:33:44If you took them to heaven, they would say, "This is shit."
0:33:46 > 0:33:50In the weeks following the IED blast, the 611 was kept secure
0:33:50 > 0:33:52and C Company had taken no further casualties.
0:33:55 > 0:33:58At the start of November, Luke and some of 7 Platoon
0:33:58 > 0:34:01were making a routine check of VP 9.
0:34:03 > 0:34:06In the vehicle that day was a new member of the platoon,
0:34:06 > 0:34:08Matthew Hasilden.
0:34:08 > 0:34:09He was a real good lad.
0:34:09 > 0:34:13We'd take him out on patrol, in the wagons, on top cover, everything.
0:34:13 > 0:34:14He loved it.
0:34:14 > 0:34:17What was it like, his third patrol, second patrol?
0:34:21 > 0:34:25Luke kept watch on top of one of the vehicles as his men set off.
0:34:27 > 0:34:30They were just doing a loop around a VP
0:34:30 > 0:34:34to make sure there were no IEDs anywhere.
0:34:34 > 0:34:36This part of the road was vulnerable
0:34:36 > 0:34:40because of how close the Taliban could get to it without being seen.
0:34:40 > 0:34:42Leading the patrol was Joe Blakey.
0:34:44 > 0:34:45They know our drills, they watch us.
0:34:45 > 0:34:49As much as we try and change them, they know what we're doing,
0:34:49 > 0:34:52so they have enough time to plan anything and set up.
0:34:55 > 0:34:58Matthew Hasilden was in the middle of the patrol
0:34:58 > 0:35:00as they disappeared from view.
0:35:00 > 0:35:03The area we were in, there was a lot of high crops.
0:35:03 > 0:35:06We were being watched by someone
0:35:06 > 0:35:11and they decided to have a pop at us.
0:35:17 > 0:35:21On the far side of the field, Matthew was shot by a Taliban sniper
0:35:21 > 0:35:23lying in wait for them.
0:35:25 > 0:35:26It was his first contact,
0:35:26 > 0:35:29so we were like, as well, "Haz, Haz, come on, move, move."
0:35:29 > 0:35:35He was just lying on the floor, and we thought, "He's nervous, he's flapping and a bit scared."
0:35:35 > 0:35:38"Haz, come on get up, move your arse, what are you doing?"
0:35:40 > 0:35:43At this point we were about 40 metres off the road.
0:35:43 > 0:35:46I obviously tried to give him first aid and that,
0:35:46 > 0:35:48but whatever I done didn't help him, because he was dead.
0:35:48 > 0:35:5421-year-old Matthew Hasilden was C Company's first fatality of the tour
0:35:54 > 0:35:59and the 384th British soldier to be killed in Afghanistan.
0:35:59 > 0:36:04You always think this could happen and you can lose a guy,
0:36:04 > 0:36:09but you never think about how it's going to feel.
0:36:09 > 0:36:11It hit us hard.
0:36:11 > 0:36:14We didn't know him that well but he was still one of the blokes,
0:36:14 > 0:36:16still a mate.
0:36:18 > 0:36:24Very angry towards the insurgents, but also to the country.
0:36:24 > 0:36:28He died in this country. It's just not fair.
0:36:31 > 0:36:34Haz died for a road,
0:36:34 > 0:36:37it's just a road, it's not worth someone's life.
0:36:49 > 0:36:54At their base, Jimmy's platoon received the news of Matthew's death.
0:36:54 > 0:36:57They were angry and frustrated, but they couldn't hit back
0:36:57 > 0:36:59against an enemy right on their doorstep.
0:37:02 > 0:37:05This is shit!
0:37:05 > 0:37:06Fucking shit!
0:37:06 > 0:37:08The Taliban are just there.
0:37:08 > 0:37:10- The Taliban are there?- Yeah.
0:37:10 > 0:37:14- We're fucking sandbagging here. - The Taliban, 100 metres that way.
0:37:14 > 0:37:17The biggest source of frustration were the strict rules
0:37:17 > 0:37:21of engagement British soldiers in Afghanistan now operate under.
0:37:21 > 0:37:24They can only fire their weapons if their lives are in immediate danger.
0:37:24 > 0:37:26What do you think of it?
0:37:26 > 0:37:28It's fucking tunk!
0:37:28 > 0:37:32You see a person with a gun and you can't engage them.
0:37:33 > 0:37:34To me, that is wrong.
0:37:34 > 0:37:39It's hard to separate the civilians from the enemy.
0:37:39 > 0:37:42You don't know, they all wear the fucking same thing.
0:37:42 > 0:37:45You can't go around shooting everyone like everyone's an enemy
0:37:45 > 0:37:46because they're not.
0:37:46 > 0:37:49- If we get contacted by the Taliban what will you do?- PID first...
0:37:49 > 0:37:52..then fucking brass the cunts up.
0:37:52 > 0:37:55It's your inherent right to self-defence.
0:37:55 > 0:37:57If you're being shot at and you can positively identify the enemy,
0:37:57 > 0:37:59you can fire back.
0:37:59 > 0:38:00GUNFIRE
0:38:02 > 0:38:06A Taliban attack on their base gave the pioneers
0:38:06 > 0:38:07a perfect opportunity.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13The blokes would be happy about it. It was worth all the boring shit.
0:38:13 > 0:38:15Every man just smashes it.
0:38:19 > 0:38:21It's like being a little kid, you get dead giddy.
0:38:21 > 0:38:23Everyone chucks their body armour on and like, "Where?"
0:38:23 > 0:38:25Run into the room and are dead excited.
0:38:27 > 0:38:30On that day it was very real and Hadley was nearly shot in the head
0:38:30 > 0:38:32and Sergeant Keets and I were nearly decapitated.
0:38:35 > 0:38:40Now, with their lives in imminent danger, Jimmy called in an airstrike from an Apache helicopter.
0:38:41 > 0:38:44Although it's never nice to have to kill people,
0:38:44 > 0:38:46it was a good feeling for the platoon
0:38:46 > 0:38:50because we felt like we'd been under attack in a static location.
0:38:50 > 0:38:54It was a good way of showing them we could fight back. We killed two insurgents and wounded one.
0:39:04 > 0:39:05They're the enemy.
0:39:05 > 0:39:08They're trying to kill us and we're trying to kill them.
0:39:08 > 0:39:11It's not something I sit and think about.
0:39:16 > 0:39:20We've been trying to kill people. It's fucking, it's really fucked up when you think about it.
0:39:20 > 0:39:24It's just the norm, nothing really special about it.
0:39:24 > 0:39:28With that Apache, that was like,
0:39:28 > 0:39:31"Yes, that man there, I want you to kill him now."
0:39:31 > 0:39:33The Apache went, "OK."
0:39:34 > 0:39:36Like that, and that was it, he was dead.
0:39:36 > 0:39:39- Are you emotionally damaged? - Not in the slightest, no.
0:39:39 > 0:39:44Isn't that strange? Shouldn't I be? Here you are. It can't all be me.
0:39:44 > 0:39:45How do you feel?
0:39:45 > 0:39:47How do I feel?
0:39:48 > 0:39:51I've not really thought about it, to be honest.
0:39:51 > 0:39:52Is that part of that...?
0:39:52 > 0:39:56I don't think it bothers me in the slightest.
0:39:56 > 0:40:00Not being able to speak to Luke was probably one of the hardest things that happened on tour
0:40:00 > 0:40:03because I was sat there and there's no-one to talk to.
0:40:03 > 0:40:04- Keets...- Fuck off.
0:40:04 > 0:40:06- Come on.- I don't want to be interviewed.
0:40:06 > 0:40:08- I want you to be interviewed. - How's the tour going?
0:40:08 > 0:40:10How are the blokes going?
0:40:10 > 0:40:11Everything's fine.
0:40:11 > 0:40:13It's actually going quite well.
0:40:15 > 0:40:20As the tour wore on, you do get...
0:40:20 > 0:40:22..affected and you do get worn down.
0:40:26 > 0:40:29It's raining!
0:40:29 > 0:40:32Jimmy, Luke and their platoons were more than halfway through their tour
0:40:32 > 0:40:35as the Afghan winter started to bite.
0:40:43 > 0:40:46Winter was a survival against the elements
0:40:46 > 0:40:49as much as it was against the Taliban.
0:40:49 > 0:40:51Good morning, Afghanistan.
0:40:54 > 0:40:55Man! It's fucking wet.
0:40:55 > 0:40:57It's knee deep in there.
0:40:57 > 0:40:59My things are floating away.
0:41:01 > 0:41:07As the weather deteriorated, the two officers noticed the mood dropping in both their camps.
0:41:10 > 0:41:13The toughest part about leading guys on tour,
0:41:13 > 0:41:15and in barracks, is maintaining their morale.
0:41:17 > 0:41:19It's just like England here now.
0:41:25 > 0:41:28Morale was the biggest thing, in my personal view.
0:41:28 > 0:41:30If you haven't got morale, you haven't got nothing.
0:41:35 > 0:41:39Certainly my morale has dipped, definitely dipped.
0:41:39 > 0:41:41Fuck off!
0:41:41 > 0:41:44"Fuck off, I'm trying to have some personal time."
0:41:44 > 0:41:47If blokes come up and say, "You look a bit down, what's up?"
0:41:47 > 0:41:53I'll say, "I feel lonely, I feel a real weight of responsibility."
0:41:53 > 0:41:55And, "It's tough at the moment."
0:41:55 > 0:41:58And they'll say, "OK." No-one really cares how you're feeling.
0:42:05 > 0:42:07It's difficult really to "fight" an enemy
0:42:07 > 0:42:11that we're not allowed to fight under our rules of engagement.
0:42:11 > 0:42:15We can only really return fire, and sometimes it's very frustrating.
0:42:16 > 0:42:17It's just dispiriting
0:42:17 > 0:42:19and it's difficult to always be...
0:42:21 > 0:42:23..in command.
0:42:23 > 0:42:26To always be responsible for everything everybody does.
0:42:28 > 0:42:29Our monthly planner.
0:42:29 > 0:42:31What do you think of the new monthly planner?
0:42:31 > 0:42:33- It's excellent.- It's excellent.
0:42:33 > 0:42:39- Looked at it?- Er, now and then, yeah.- Now and then.
0:42:39 > 0:42:42One of the problems, especially with the IEDs on the route 611,
0:42:42 > 0:42:45is insurgents aren't trying to blow up the civilians,
0:42:45 > 0:42:46they're just trying to blow up us.
0:42:46 > 0:42:49We're actually in a position where we're protecting a route
0:42:49 > 0:42:51which only needs protecting because we use it.
0:42:57 > 0:43:00Just some stuff that's been on my mind recently.
0:43:08 > 0:43:11How's it smelling, Taffy?
0:43:11 > 0:43:13- Peng.- Peng! HE LAUGHS
0:43:13 > 0:43:16Fantastic. Merry Christmas.
0:43:16 > 0:43:17Merry Christmas.
0:43:17 > 0:43:20MUSIC: "Stop The Cavalry" by Jona Lewie
0:43:23 > 0:43:27- I planned it a week ago. - That's pretty good.
0:43:27 > 0:43:29# Oh, I say it's tough I have had enough
0:43:29 > 0:43:32# Can you stop the cavalry? #
0:43:34 > 0:43:40Have you had some more, Tim? How did it taste? Merry Christmas.
0:43:40 > 0:43:43Christmas Day provided a rare opportunity
0:43:43 > 0:43:46for Jimmy, Luke and their two platoons to spend time together.
0:43:49 > 0:43:52'It's nice to see his blokes mixing with my blokes.'
0:43:52 > 0:43:56It didn't even have to be Christmas, it was just any excuse for a party.
0:43:56 > 0:43:58Everybody went around seeing each other.
0:43:58 > 0:44:01It proper brought morale high, like.
0:44:01 > 0:44:04Look at that. Look at all those happy little faces munching away.
0:44:04 > 0:44:07- Combat Christmas. - Combat Christmas.
0:44:10 > 0:44:15I think you kind of forget you're in Afghan for, like, an hour or two.
0:44:15 > 0:44:17You're just sat round having dinner.
0:44:17 > 0:44:21Everything's just good. Merry Christmas.
0:44:23 > 0:44:26'That certainly was one of the most special Christmases
0:44:26 > 0:44:28'we've probably ever had in our lives.
0:44:28 > 0:44:31'Just a chance to get together and forget for a second'
0:44:31 > 0:44:34that there is guys 300 or 400 metres away
0:44:34 > 0:44:37that are probably watching us thinking, "What the...?
0:44:37 > 0:44:40"What are they doing?" You know? Um...
0:44:41 > 0:44:43..that wanted to kill us.
0:44:43 > 0:44:45THEY SING
0:44:51 > 0:44:53THEY CHEER
0:45:01 > 0:45:05The two platoons continued to work separately on Route 611.
0:45:11 > 0:45:15One morning in December, Jimmy was in his vehicle
0:45:15 > 0:45:18carrying a journalist there to find out how the tour was going.
0:45:20 > 0:45:24He decided to drive past where Luke and his men were working that day.
0:45:25 > 0:45:31We were driving north and I knew that Luke was involved in an operation near a vulnerable point.
0:45:43 > 0:45:47Luke and his platoon were searching an area just off the road
0:45:47 > 0:45:49and had set up a cordon to stop traffic.
0:45:51 > 0:45:55'We were controlling traffic and telling them to turn around, go back.
0:45:55 > 0:45:58This one vehicle just ignored what we were saying -
0:45:58 > 0:46:00we were doing our best efforts -
0:46:00 > 0:46:04went round the eastern side of the road and triggered a device.
0:46:06 > 0:46:08The camera captured the moment
0:46:08 > 0:46:10the minibus that had ignored the roadblock
0:46:10 > 0:46:13drove off the road and headed straight towards
0:46:13 > 0:46:15a pressure plate IED buried in the ground.
0:46:20 > 0:46:22EXPLOSIVE BANG
0:46:22 > 0:46:25There was a very loud explosion.
0:46:25 > 0:46:29Floored it for 200 metres and then stopped dead
0:46:29 > 0:46:31to assess what was going on.
0:46:33 > 0:46:37I said to Luke on the net, "Right, do you need any assistance?"
0:46:37 > 0:46:40And he said, "No, we'll handle it. You take them away."
0:46:43 > 0:46:46'We heard it. We felt the dust.'
0:46:46 > 0:46:49I couldn't control that vehicle.
0:46:49 > 0:46:52We tried. They drove...
0:46:52 > 0:46:53They drove on the IED.
0:46:56 > 0:46:5919 people died in the explosion.
0:47:01 > 0:47:04We was there to try and stop anything like that happening.
0:47:04 > 0:47:07They were innocent civilians
0:47:07 > 0:47:13that got hit by a device that was meant for soldiers.
0:47:14 > 0:47:17What we was doing was pretty much running round with stretchers,
0:47:17 > 0:47:21picking up bits and bobs. What you could find.
0:47:21 > 0:47:26We could see the main torsos of a lot of the casualties,
0:47:26 > 0:47:28which is what we counted.
0:47:28 > 0:47:33There was limbs, there was debris around.
0:47:33 > 0:47:38A lot of it. You couldn't really tell whether some parts were part vehicle or part of a person.
0:47:39 > 0:47:42- It was hard.- It was horrible.
0:47:47 > 0:47:51Only when Jimmy got back to base did he discover the full extent
0:47:51 > 0:47:54of the scene that Luke and his men had had to deal with.
0:47:54 > 0:47:56I can't believe I left him with that.
0:47:56 > 0:48:00You know, I can't believe I didn't get out and help him
0:48:00 > 0:48:02pick up the pieces of dead people.
0:48:03 > 0:48:07The minibus had contained three generations of one family
0:48:07 > 0:48:10on their way to a wedding.
0:48:10 > 0:48:14Luke and his men managed to save the lives of five passengers,
0:48:14 > 0:48:18but five men and 14 women and children
0:48:18 > 0:48:21died in the explosion that day.
0:48:26 > 0:48:31News of the civilian deaths soon spread among the local villages.
0:48:34 > 0:48:36The civilians could have looked on it
0:48:36 > 0:48:39as we'd brought this trouble to this area...
0:48:41 > 0:48:43But it didn't.
0:48:43 > 0:48:46It completely went the opposite and the villages,
0:48:46 > 0:48:48they hated the Taliban for this.
0:48:48 > 0:48:53The locals' anger towards the Taliban meant both Luke and Jimmy
0:48:53 > 0:48:58could lead their men into villages that had previously been hostile.
0:48:58 > 0:49:00TRANSLATION:
0:49:03 > 0:49:06Are you related? Are you family?
0:49:06 > 0:49:08'We built up some really good relationships.
0:49:08 > 0:49:11It was really nice when people would greet us by name on the street
0:49:11 > 0:49:13and we could greet them back by name on the street.
0:49:13 > 0:49:16It's nice to come somewhere and be welcomed.
0:49:16 > 0:49:20- Yeah, a good reception by the kids. - 'The kids were great.'
0:49:20 > 0:49:22They were all so full of life and hope and, you know,
0:49:22 > 0:49:25you really need it. You really appreciate it out there,
0:49:25 > 0:49:28- so, you know, that's important. - Always tried to rob things off you, though.
0:49:28 > 0:49:32You walk around and you put your hand in your pocket
0:49:32 > 0:49:35to get a bag of sweets out and as you're pulling it out, you're like,
0:49:35 > 0:49:37"Oh. I've got no sweets now, have I?"
0:49:37 > 0:49:39- February.- Dad.
0:49:39 > 0:49:43'They're always coming up to you and pestering you for things.'
0:49:43 > 0:49:46- They ask for pens.- "Bean. Bean. Mr, Mr Bean."- "Mr Bean."
0:49:46 > 0:49:49"The CM over there has got pens. Go and bother him."
0:49:49 > 0:49:51No, no, no, no, no.
0:49:51 > 0:49:53CHILDREN LAUGH AND MIMIC
0:49:54 > 0:49:56Pen for chicken.
0:49:58 > 0:50:02As spring approached, the improved relationships with the locals
0:50:02 > 0:50:05was making a real difference.
0:50:05 > 0:50:09They would put on chai and food for us. We came up with agreements.
0:50:09 > 0:50:13They were going to come and tell us if the Taliban had come in.
0:50:13 > 0:50:15And it worked.
0:50:15 > 0:50:18Not only were they gathering intelligence on the Taliban,
0:50:18 > 0:50:21Jimmy's platoon had started taking fingerprints and iris scans
0:50:21 > 0:50:24of fighting-age men.
0:50:26 > 0:50:29They hoped to track down known Taliban fighters.
0:50:31 > 0:50:33Just in this place here.
0:50:34 > 0:50:38The more people they enrolled, the better the chance of finding a match.
0:50:40 > 0:50:43For two hours a day, they went out and biometrically enrolled people.
0:50:43 > 0:50:46- 'That was a victory.' - How many did you do?- Four.
0:50:46 > 0:50:49Fucking hell, you're a ninja on that, aren't you?
0:50:49 > 0:50:52Even when we got five, that was five more than just about anyone else,
0:50:52 > 0:50:54so when we're getting 30 a day, that was a big deal.
0:50:57 > 0:51:02The assault pioneers managed to collect more data than any other platoon in Helmand.
0:51:02 > 0:51:04And they started to get results.
0:51:15 > 0:51:19I think by the end of the tour, I think we got three people
0:51:19 > 0:51:21taken back to Bastion for further questioning
0:51:21 > 0:51:23because they were on the wanted levels.
0:51:26 > 0:51:28Seven platoon were also having some success.
0:51:28 > 0:51:33They arrested two men suspected of planting an IED on the route 611.
0:51:34 > 0:51:36- Have you been searched properly? - What?
0:51:36 > 0:51:38Have you been searched properly?
0:51:44 > 0:51:50- When are we handing these over? - 22nd.- 22nd?
0:51:50 > 0:51:51These have to be done by the 22nd.
0:51:51 > 0:51:55With just a few weeks of the tour left,
0:51:55 > 0:51:57Jimmy gave his men news of when they'd be leaving.
0:51:57 > 0:52:00And now what you've really all been waiting for,
0:52:00 > 0:52:02which is when you, personally,
0:52:02 > 0:52:04are going to get the fuck out of this place.
0:52:04 > 0:52:06Go and see the padre.
0:52:06 > 0:52:10When you find out your dates, it's like, "We're all counting down to this now.
0:52:10 > 0:52:12"I can finally look forward to something,"
0:52:12 > 0:52:14so it is an amazing feeling.
0:52:14 > 0:52:20Granger, Crowder and Gale, you are going, leaving on the 21st.
0:52:20 > 0:52:23LAUGHTER
0:52:23 > 0:52:27But their recent success in finding the enemy was a warning
0:52:27 > 0:52:30that while they were going home, the Taliban were going nowhere.
0:52:32 > 0:52:34But, guys, like I said - they're not ripping out, we are,
0:52:34 > 0:52:38so they're going to keep fighting until the day we leave and beyond,
0:52:38 > 0:52:41all right? So be aware of that and don't get too lax.
0:52:41 > 0:52:46Everyone just wants to go home and it's that simple.
0:52:46 > 0:52:50- How's kit etc going?- Fine.
0:52:50 > 0:52:52Just done the last bit now, which is signals and ECM.
0:52:52 > 0:52:55I'm down one battery at the minute. However, we do know where it is.
0:52:55 > 0:52:58Just got to locate it, if that makes sense.
0:53:01 > 0:53:04- First and last?- First and last.
0:53:04 > 0:53:07Jimmy was handing over to a new platoon of soldiers from the Royal Welsh.
0:53:07 > 0:53:11- Sign there, sir. - Thank you very much.
0:53:11 > 0:53:15But as they were preparing to leave, he received news
0:53:15 > 0:53:18that showed how deadly the Taliban threat continued to be.
0:53:22 > 0:53:27We've just found out that Captain Bowers is dead.
0:53:27 > 0:53:31He got blown up in an IED about two and a half hours ago.
0:53:32 > 0:53:36Obviously I felt sick to my stomach. I felt a chill go down my spine.
0:53:36 > 0:53:42I know he's got a wife and a brand-new baby and...
0:53:42 > 0:53:44and...
0:53:44 > 0:53:46I'm fucking gutted.
0:53:47 > 0:53:51Captain Rupert Bowers was Jimmy's friend and fellow officer.
0:53:53 > 0:53:55He was three days away from flying home.
0:54:00 > 0:54:03He's one of those guys you just fucking need on your side.
0:54:03 > 0:54:04I'm fucking glad he's not on their side.
0:54:08 > 0:54:10He's dead.
0:54:14 > 0:54:17On 24th March 2012,
0:54:17 > 0:54:21C company started to pull out of Helmand province.
0:54:26 > 0:54:31All British combat troops will leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014.
0:54:31 > 0:54:33Come back! Come back!
0:54:38 > 0:54:42- Take care, mate.- By which time, the upper Gereshk Valley
0:54:42 > 0:54:46will have to be ready to be handed over to Afghan forces.
0:54:47 > 0:54:50Let's do this. Take care.
0:55:00 > 0:55:04That's it. Goodbye. Can't see shit with this. Job done.
0:55:23 > 0:55:27Back in the UK, the men have time to reflect on a tour
0:55:27 > 0:55:30far tougher than any of them expected.
0:55:32 > 0:55:34I'm like the cardboard man.
0:55:37 > 0:55:40Obviously myself was involved in quite a lot, yeah.
0:55:40 > 0:55:44But everyone had a different kind of tour.
0:55:44 > 0:55:47- The whole experience of it... - It's a life experience, isn't it?
0:55:47 > 0:55:50It's something you can say, if you do have kids in the future,
0:55:50 > 0:55:52you can say, "Yeah, I've done that. I was there."
0:55:52 > 0:55:55Move over to your right a little.
0:55:58 > 0:56:01This is my first tour, so I don't know how long it will take me
0:56:01 > 0:56:04to settle back down properly and whatnot, so...
0:56:04 > 0:56:08I've come back alive. I'm happy.
0:56:14 > 0:56:17Everyone was very proud of what we achieved out there.
0:56:19 > 0:56:22It's something that will stay with me for life.
0:56:23 > 0:56:29You, your guys, your mission, that's it.
0:56:29 > 0:56:32OK. Here we go.
0:56:32 > 0:56:34I don't even feel like I've been to Afghan.
0:56:34 > 0:56:37It's flown. I just feel like I've been here the whole time.
0:56:37 > 0:56:41The minute we're pulling out, and what have we really achieved?
0:56:42 > 0:56:45But as long as you know it's not in vain.
0:56:47 > 0:56:49Take every day as it comes.
0:56:49 > 0:56:52Sit up, please, and that's three, two...
0:56:52 > 0:56:55I just can't wait for the next one, to be honest.
0:57:04 > 0:57:06Come on!
0:57:06 > 0:57:09During one of the most violent periods of the war,
0:57:09 > 0:57:13a young officer led his platoon to a remote and dangerous part of Helmand.
0:57:13 > 0:57:16He recorded the experience in a diary.
0:57:16 > 0:57:20'We are walking a tightrope and deaths could occur,
0:57:20 > 0:57:23- 'which could have been stopped.' - Medic!
0:57:23 > 0:57:26I heard Corporal Evans screaming, "The boss is down, the boss is down!"
0:57:26 > 0:57:28Man down. That's when it's time for you to man up.
0:57:28 > 0:57:33With their leader injured in a Taliban ambush and communications severed,
0:57:33 > 0:57:36the platoon had no choice but to fight their way out alone.
0:57:36 > 0:57:39I've never felt as lonely as I did in that ditch.
0:57:50 > 0:57:54Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd