Episode 2 Remembrance Week

in Afghanistan. It is a privilege to be standing among then today. We

remember people who were killed in the two world wars and a complex

that followed. -- the conflicts. Coming up on today's programme: A

World War Two pilot remembers sinking the largest German warship

of its time. I saw a huge ship with guns blazing. We follow a Falkland

veteran as he retraces the steps he made 30 years ago. It is special

for me to come back to this location where comrades lost their

lives. And we hear how one battlefield rescue mission did not

go as planned. We had to keep going and get them out of there as soon

as possible. We could not hang around. We all know that Camp

Bastion is the hub of operations here in Afghanistan but thousands

of our servicemen and women are making a difference miles away from

here. So I'm heading south to Nad- e-Ali, where it is a true family

I am heading to a Forward Operating Base called Shawqat on the edge of

the green zone and a brisk 20 minute helicopter ride away. But

not long into the flight, a potential threat on the aircraft

from the Taliban causes the pilot That was quite an unnerving

experience because, during the flight, we let out some flares,

which means we were under threat from the Taliban. Maybe we were

being shot at or missiles aimed at the aircraft. Everything is OK. It

was a scary moment but I suppose you get a few of those in

Afghanistan. Welcome to Shawqat. Forward Operating Base Shawqat is

an old British fortress, situated in the heart of Nad-e-Ali. It has

all the mod cons, like a gym and even a radio station. For the past

six months, it has been controlled and run by 1 Royal Anglians, which

is a true family regiment. And met two very close knit soldiers. What

is it like being father and son in Afghanistan? It is very different.

On a couple of occasions I have bumped into him. That must be great.

What happens? Is it professional? We are not scared to show up a bit

of emotion. We have a laugh and a joke. Lots of mums and dads will be

watching the show, particularly leading up to Remembrance Sunday,

thinking about sons and daughters. I try not to think about it too

much with the things he is doing on the battlefield. It can be nerve-

racking. He will have seen your father. You are looking forward to

seeing your mum! Also coming to the end of his tour is Captain Duncan

Fraser, who knows just how dangerous this area used to be. It

saw some of the most fierce fighting with the Taliban. He has

kindly agreed to accompany me on a patrol to the local market to show

how things have changed. We are going to the Nad-e-Ali local

bizarre, the difference that's happened over the last six months.

But we have got to have a briefing first. Always a briefing. I will

show the route we are about to take. We are about to go out of the

southern gate. Back up to the main bazaar. Make sure we spread out. Do

not be scared to talk to the locals and interact with them. We are

going to talk about a minor casualty on the ground. It depends

on the severity. We will patch them up. The first person get straight

This is the first time I had been an eight foot patrols so far away

from the security of the base and it is unnerving. -- a foot patrol.

A completely different environment. You immediately feel exposed. The

locals are quite used to British patrols. It is clear a little

effort from our guys goes a long way. They all know had to say hello

and goodbye. -- how to say. If you take some time to learn their

We are coming into one of the Is the dream one day maybe to walk

down here are not only about the patrol? How important is it to have

the guys around you? We still have soldiers here. The threat is small

but it is still there. You can see the amount of people. You cannot

keep tabs on everyone. We are taking the necessary precautions.

You can see the shops are full. Varied produce. People are feeling

free to trade produce. That is what is improved - getting this produce

such a long way. Before it would have been almost impossible for the

locals to take their produce from one place to another. Of exactly

that. Some of these tomatoes may have come from as far away as Iran.

I suppose a tomato is a sign of On the whole, it is a very friendly

atmosphere. You can tell by the way the other soldiers are walking

around the town. You only have another couple of days in

Afghanistan. You'll miss this, went to? I will be in Edinburgh but I

will miss the report I have with these kids. Hopefully they will

carry on the good work we have done and we are on away to 2014. That

was incredible. It is hard to believe that six months ago this

was such a dangerous area. Let's hope the locals can live without

any further threat from the Taliban. At the height of the Second World

War, the Germans ruled the oceans with the largest battleship in the

world, but Bismarck. It was not invincible, as our next better-run

discovered. 93-year-old job Moffatt is turning back the clock over

seven decades to remember his greatest achievement during World

War II. I have never been on a warship. I had no idea what to

expect. I had to feel my way. I did not know everything. You soon pick

it up. You make mistakes and you do not make them again. By 1941, 21-

year-old jock had mastered the art of flying but had never landed a

plane on board a ship, much to the dismay of his captain. He could not

believe it. He said, we will have to rectify that. As soon as we went

to see, he took me up in the swordfish aircraft and I was in the

pack. I was looking over his shoulder. He made a couple of

circuits and a couple of landings and then got out and said, well,

your turn! His last words were, do not forget, this aircraft belongs

to me and do not bend it! Stationed aboard the aircraft carrier, HMS

Ark Royal, job with pilot a swordfish aeroplane in battle.

was an old fashioned by plane with double wings. 750 horsepower. It

was not a little plain. It was an amazing size. -- aeroplane. The Ark

Royal was carrying vital supplies to Gibraltar, making it a massive

target for German bombers. With everybody on deck, it was not long

before the Germans found their target. All hell let loose. There

were dive bombers. They bombed and kept bombing. You do not feel

anything. You just hope to God it did not fawning you. The only thing

Jock and the crew could do was buy it back. -- fork near you. The guns

may your ship were banging away all the time. -- near your ship. It was

all day. It was horrific, it really was. On 24th May, 1941, shocking

news reached the Ark Royal. The flagship of the British Navy, HMS

Hood, had been sunk by the Bismarck. Spanning more than 240 metres, she

was the largest German warship of her time. The captain told us a

signal had been sent from Churchill, saying, Sink the Bismarck. It had

been sighted in the North Atlantic so the Ark Royal set to cause for

battle. The weather was taking its toll on the ship. It was pitching.

60 feet. The sea was still coming over the front of the aircraft

carrier. The wind was never less than about 70 miles an hour. It was

phenomenal. Following orders from Churchill, today's later, on 26th

May at 7:10pm, 15 swordfish planes miraculously took off. It was a

treacherous blight. As Jock and his fellow pilots clear the clouds, it

was Operation Kilo. I had to look to my right. -- it was go. I saw a

big ship. All of a sudden all hell let loose. There were shells

bursting around us. We thought, the Bismarck knows we are here! All I

saw was this huge ship with guns blazing. Every gun seemed to be

working from one end to the other. I turned towards it and looked but

I could find nobody. I was on my own. I really was very scared. I

could not think how they could possibly miss me. All I could do is

what I had in my mind and that was to keep that aircraft as close to

the sea as possible. The only way Jock could avoid the German anti-

aircraft bombardment was to fly 50 ft above the sea. Seeing his

opportunity, he prepared to launch My observer said, not yet, Jock,

not yet... And I suddenly realised, when I looked to my right, that he

was leaning out of the aeroplane, and now all I could see was his

backside up in the air! His head was down somewhere. And I realised

then, or in seconds, don't forget, if you drop a torpedo and it hits

the top of a wave, it will not go in the direction that he wanted to

go. So I realised, obviously, what he was doing was to see that I was

picking a trough, as they call it, in the water. All of a sudden, he

said, let her go! And I let her go, and the next thing I heard was,

Jock, we have got a run-up. And that is when I did a runner, I got

the hell out of it as fast as I could. I do not know whether they

all managed to fire their torpedoes are not, I have no idea. But I am

glad to say I got rid of mine! 15 Swordfish aeroplane has landed

safely back on the Ark Royal and reports started to come through

that the British attack on the Bismarck had been successful. But

they were ordered to return the following day to make sure the

German warship had sunk. And when we got to the Bismarck, it was

absolutely belching black smoke. Just when we were about to drop our

torpedoes, the Bismarck turned on its side, and it was not a nice

thing to seek. Hundreds and hundreds of sailors in the City

with no chance of survival. -- in this sea. That is what bothered me.

Jock served with the Royal Navy for seven years, and his experiences

aboard the famous HMS Ark Royal will stay with him forever. When I

joined Ark Royal, I was just a young lad out of school. But after

six months, I was a lot older. And I hope David wiser, too! -- I hope

it a bit wiser, too! This year marks the 30th

anniversary of the Falklands conflict, and for one veteran it is

the perfect opportunity to step back in time and remember his first

Located 8,000 miles away from mainland Britain, the Falkland

Islands are today a haven of tranquillity with rolling hills and

thriving wildlife. But this scene is a world away from the war which

started here on Friday the 2nd April 1982, when Argentine forces

invaded and occupied East South Atlantic islands, which were under

British rule. -- these. Four Royal Marine George Wiseman, it is the

first opportunity to retrace the steps he made when he landed here

I mean, my feelings, as I was in the landing craft as I came round

that corner, were mixed. There was a feeling of anxiety, we did not

know where the enemy were, so has the ramp went down on the landing

craft, an Argentinian aircraft skimmed across the ridge above us,

which put a bit of panic amongst the marines in my own company,

because we were completely caught out in the open. Very quickly we

have to get off the beach, heavily burdened with equipment, and get

into the hills, into defensive positions. I remember thinking at

the time, we are now in a fight, and that not all of us are going to

be coming back. One of the clearest memories for George, who was just

17 years old at the time, was hearing about the bombing of the

British military field hospital. must have been awful at night to

try and deal with this situation. The roof collapsing around you,

there were unexploded bombs still lodged in the roof. You know what?

Our surgeons carried on. They decided they would take the risk,

it was worth keeping the casualties in this building. Just amazing. But

that is what happens in war, you know? This is the first time George

has been able to pay his respects to lost friends. It is just special

for me to come back to this location. The number of our

comrades lost their lives here as a result of that bombing, and a

number were also very seriously wounded. And this is where my buddy

Paul lost his life. After leaving the beach, George and his unit

moved at the hill to take cover. is incredible to say, but I am

almost sure that this was my defensive position for the first

five days after we landed. We stayed in shelters very similar to

this. We would find old bits of wood or corrugated iron. Once it

had been completed, it was actually quite cosy. It was out of the wind,

that was the main thing. You can appreciate it was well, Plaid from

above. It has been 30 years, but you genuinely shared this with a

birdie or two guys. One thing you did not feel in this location was

lonely, because you were with your mates. Nothing has changed, really,

for me. When I close my eyes, the sounds of helicopters buzzing

around, landing craft coming in, people giving orders. 30 years

seems like nothing, it really does. As war raged around them, George

had an extraordinary vantage point overlooking the ensuing carnage.

During those six days, we were really spectators to an immense

pair-sea battle that was a caring right in front of us in these

waters of the bay. Argentinian jets were screaming along the ridges,

attacking the shipping, watching bombs dropped, watching pilots

eject as they were shot down. It was just the most incredible

experience as a 17-year-old. days later, whilst laying in his

strange, George witnessed a tragic sight, the bombing of HMS Antelope.

I saw the explosion happened, because I was sentry the night

before. I have got it noted down in the diary that I was keeping at the

time, it was just an awful feeling, an image I will never forget. A few

hours later, we started to see our first Mirage jets, and indeed one

flew right across the position that we are sad that now to be greeted

by a couple of hundred marines or firing their rivals at it. It

probably did no damage to the aircraft, but it made us feel good.

Whenever he had the chance, George wrote in his diary. I have got the

entry for my 18th birthday here. What a birthday! Marched 17

kilometres with over 100 lb on my back, really bad ground, very tired

after a very hard day. George and his unit had completed the first

day of an infamous Royal Marine yomp, a back-breaking long-distance

The enemy was everywhere, and they were extremely well hidden. This is

clearly one of the Argentine positions. There is still a lot of

equipment. Whoever lived in this century position left in a great

hurry or was killed in action. -- century. There is all his kit still

here. The mission for George and his unit was to secure or two

sisters, a mountain vantage point held by the Argentinians. -- Two

Sisters. By remember thinking at the time, our enemy was about to be

introduced to his worst enemy, 500 Royal Marine commandos with a score

to settle. Just before midnight on 11th June 1982, George started his

advance up the mountain and prepared for the biggest battle of

his life. So my role that night was as a Rifleman in the point section,

which meant that we would more than likely be the first people to have

contact with the enemy. As we were moving silently towards the enemy

positions, I noticed shadows moving in front of me. I heard voices that

certainly were not English, they were definitely Spanish. One of the

Argentine sentries must have heard something, because a flare was

thrown out in front of him, and then suddenly from the rear of our

location, somebody barked out the There was artillery fire and

bursting all around us, shrapnel whizzing past our ears, as well as

machine-guns. Remember, it was night, extremely dark, you could

hardly say anything. At any moment we could be engaged by Argentine

snipers or enemy that had in themselves within the cracks of the

rocks. All of a sudden, there would be a burst of machine-gun fire,

guys would be hitting the deck very quickly. It was an extremely tense

time, as you can imagine. After a terrifying six-hour battle, George

and his fellow commandos finally But as he had feared, some of his

friends had made the ultimate sacrifice. During the battle, we

lost two of our fellow commandos. So it is a great honour for me to

be able to come back and retrace the steps and just reflect on what

happened that night and pay proper Rest easy, guys. The island still

bears the scars from 30 years ago, a war which claimed the lives of

Every day this week, we are marking the build up to Remembrance Sunday

by listening to the personal stories of strength and courage of

those who march past the Cenotaph Now we hear the story of RAF gunner

Jay Hudson, who was deployed on his second tour of Helmand province in

2009. Afghanistan is very full on, obviously you are going out there,

your workload goes through the roof 24 hours a day and a lot of

stressful incidents happen there. Part of his job was to protect the

helicopter used by the Medical Emergency Response Team, known as

MERT. MERT is a casualty evacuation helicopter, a Chinook. It will

evacuate wounded troops from the front line back to the hospital at

Camp Bastion. The back of there has got the same amount of kit, if not

better, as an accident and emergency department in the UK. The

crew are a massive asset, they are doing the life-saving, so we have

got to have something in place to protect them. This is where Jay and

his team come in. When the Chinook lands in the heart of enemy

territory, he is first off the back to provide covering fire. When the

ramp goes down and we are off the back, I have got a hundred

different things going on, where people are, what they are doing.

From personal experience, you start to pick up where will be the dodgy

areas. You have got to think about danger all the time, where you are

going, what you are going to you, how you are going to get there.

July 2009, a call came through saying there was a battlefield

casualty in Sangin, one of the most dangerous areas of Afghanistan.

need to get out there as fast as you can to save somebody's life, so

We lifted, we got the initial casualty report in the air, and

that led us to believe there was one casualty from an IED blast. But

it is a tactic the Taliban is, a device that they put in the floor,

two weeks later one of our guys stands on it. Within minutes, Jay

and the medical team had reached their destination. When we landed,

things started to go a little bit weird. We could not see anybody,

usually there is somebody there waiting for us to the casualty

handover on the ground. There was no one there at this point. Me and

the lead paramedic got off the back, as usually happens, looking around,

waiting for what felt like an age. You feel the pressure, because the

helicopter pilot does not want to be there for any longer than he has

to be. The Chinook turns into a bullet magnet. With no-one inside,

Jay was about to give the pilot the OK to leave when he spotted an

American marine. Someone came out of the bush, as such, it was not

like a massive push, but it was a bit overgrown, and he was driving a

casualty towards the helicopter. Alarm bells started ringing, why is

he dragging a wounded marine? I ran over and put my hand on this guy's

shoulder, just basically to find out what was going on. He looked up

at me, and he was quite badly injured as well, and he was

dragging a badly injured Marine from an IED blast. He managed to

inform me that there were more casualties, several more casualties

than we thought, more than we thought, and he pointed us in the

general direction of these You cannot leave anyone behind, who

is wounded. I think I must have got about 20, 30 metres before I came

across another casualty. He was in and out of consciousness. I left

one of my team with him and said, you'll going to have to look after

him and I will look for more casualties. With time running out,

Jay ran further into unknown territory. After about 100 metres,

I came across a group of soldiers. A few of them were providing cover

of fire. Instantly, I was like, what is going on? There are only

two of us here. I tried communications with the helicopter

but I have gone too far. It started to get a bit hairy. A patrol of

American Marines had walked straight into an IED minefield -

I've had lost limbs. I have never seen injuries like this in my life.

Adrenalin just kicks in. U-turn yourself you have to keep going.

You cannot hang around. -- you tell yourself. Jay picked up the most

serious casualty. He was a double amputee. He returned to the

casualties and then guided back a marine who had been blinded.

realised there were multiple IEDs in the area. I did not trust him to

watch where he was putting his feet. I thought it was better if I just

carried him back. A lot of the time they do not understand what is

going on. You need to tell them what is going on and where they are

going. They need to know they're going to be OK. Eventually they got

all seven casualties on to the helicopter. I made sure I was the

last person back on the helicopter. I got all my guys and all the

medics. I got on the back last. In the first 30 seconds, we were

lifting. We did not know what would happen when we were lifting. Every

pair of hands was used. Everyone knows what is in the back and where

it is and how to treat certain injuries. In less than ten minutes,

they had arrived at the hospital at Camp Bastion. When you get back and

think that has just happened, it is scary. Thinking about what you have

been dimming scares you a little bit. -- doing. Jay went over and

above the call of duty and, without doubt, helped save the lives of

these eight critically injured US Marines. I was really proud of the

guys and what they did. It was the first tour for every man on the

team. To jump on the back of the helicopter and their work to these

types of injuries and deal with it straight away is awesome. -- and go

out. For this incredibly brave 26- year-old, it was a mission he will

never forget. It was really reporting. I am proud. I made a

difference out there and I would happily do it again. The celebrated

Dam Busters of the Second World War have been immortalised thanks to

the film. It was a forgotten Army of experimental scientists, who

develop the technology that unsure of the success of the operation. --

ensured. Frances McLaren was just 18 years old when she began

thinking of her career but little did she know she would end up

working on one of the greatest feats of World War Two. I loved

maths, physics and chemistry. I liked languages as well but dropped

geography and history. In 1941, Frances became a scientific

assistant at the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment, a

British military research and test organisation. I had mine and

manometer, my stopwatch and clipboard and ticks certain

readings. There were photographs and I could analyse certain things.

And there was only one thing that mattered. The basic experiments we

did was to get the safety factor. In a lift, it will say, this can

hold six persons. It probably can hold eight persons. That is the

essence of the work. You analyse it. It is practice makes perfection.

That is what it is. The more often you do it, you can do it more

perfectly. Soon Frances put her hard work into practice when she

took her first flight in a four engine sea plane. I remember that.

I was so busy reading the instruments. All of a sudden I

looked up and we were airborne. The airmen were all thrilled with me

because I was four or five years younger than them. One of them have

gone to the local bakery and have managed to get a box of cakes and

they had a tea-party on the way back after Reid did the experiments.

Other times, when we went, we did that were going out but coming back

we used to play Solo. They used to say it I was cheating. Just half

pennies we were playing for. It was fun. And, in a male-dominated world,

Frances held her own. I was strong, I was willing. I was a survivor.

There was no hanky panky either. I think the main thing was I was

Frances's next challenge was the viability of dive bombing, which

was crucial to ensure the British could attack German U-boats. It was

to break up the wolf packs of the German submarines. The penalty and

loss was extreme. Occasionally they sought a dinghy where they could

land in the water and rescued a person. So, with dummy bombs

attached to the wings of a Sunderland plane, Frances took to

the sky again. The RAF took rubber dinghies and we would fly out and

test the rockets by dive bombing them. They were all bombed with

rockets on each side. I had test pilots next to me with the pilot.

They did not know what to call me. He could not call me Frances. He

called me honey. That was a typical Canadian remark. I said, how will I

know when you fire of the rockets? He said, honey, you will note! You

know how a rifle recoils when you shoot, the Sunderland, it actually

stops in mid-air for about the second. The process is, at 2000 ft,

he starts to die. At 1600 ft, he releases a bomb. At 1200 ft, he

turns out from levelling off. Once we did not. We went right down. I

could see it going down. We did not start to climb until 80 ft above

the water. It was terrifying. It was as if someone had put a bucket

of ice and found it on top of my head. I literally froze. Having

proved she was more than capable, Frances was handpicked for an

incredibly top secret mission. working down in the office and a

senior scientist tells me to come with him. I went through the

kitchen upstairs. That was the only access. I had a key to lock the

door in and lock the door when I went out. I was given these slides.

They were top secret. Frances analysed data for what would become

known as the bouncing bomb. From the film I was able to take

readings of the cylinder. It was not a ball. It was a cylinder. A

board is too unstable. Once it drops, it is revolving all the time.

It bounces and then it goes down and bent it explodes. -- then it

explodes. The aim was to destroy German dams, which supplied vital

factories and machine works. Therefore, it was vital Frances'

calculations were 100% accurate. had to be specific from 60 ft at

230 miles an hour. It blinder perfectly. If it was not like that,

it damaged the top of the dam wall. -- it had to line up perfectly.

Known as Operation Chastise, the bombs were dropped at the end of

May 1943, and they were successful. This mission was later immortalised

in the classic British film, The Dam Busters. It was one of the most

momentous feats that have ever been performed. It was so exact. In 1957,

Frances finally retired but she has left a lasting legacy. I think I

was proud. Yes. I thought it was something wonderful. I loved my

work and I loved the people. I will Join me tomorrow when we hear from