Ladies and Gentlemen,
The programme is based very closely on the tour of 1st Battalion, The 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment in Bosnia in 1992-93.
The events shown are an amalgam of those which happened to various sub-units of the Cheshires, and all placed on one platoon with its four Warrior Infantry Fighting Vehicles. The series was filmed in the Czech Republic, with the full asistance of both the Czech Ministry of Defence and the British, including the lone of a company of Mech Inf. There was an article in Soldier Magazine.
The stressors placed on the soldiers is that which was actually recorded at the time, whilst the resultant problems with war neurosis and PTSD is also based on actual cases.
The CO wrote a very good book. Lt COl Bob Stewart. Broken Lives : A personal view of the Bosnian Conflict. Harper Collins, London, 1993. In this he made no attempt to conceal the fact that he had a unsuccessful marriage, in 1995 he married a Swiss aid worker Claire Podbielski who had worked with his Battalion, this generated a ‘flurry‘ of letters to the British press denigrating him! He received the Last Distinguished Service Order for gallantry, before the regulations for the award were changed (his hair also went pure white during this time). Promoted Col after relinquishing command of his Battalion. He took early retirement
being very disatisfied with the events in the FOrmer Yugoslavia.
Yours,
Jock in Sydney
Fred 
