Andy McNab's Tour of Duty
Encyclopedia
Andy McNab's Tour of Duty is a British
documentary
television series about the War in Afghanistan
and the Iraq War.
First broadcast in June and July 2008 on ITV4
, the show is presented by ex-SAS
soldier Andy McNab
, and is cast as an insight into the life of the Allied soldiers in these conflicts, setting aside the already well documented politics of the conflicts and giving accounts in the soldier's own personal frames of reference.
The series combines first hand accounts and amateur film
footage shot by the soldiers on the ground, with official archive footage from the Ministry of Defence
, and reconstructions.
The series was first commissioned by ITV from Flashback Productions as a 6 part series of 1 hour episodes, to be broadcast exclusively as original programming for the digital channel ITV4 in a move to increased spending on the channel's output in a bid to increase the channel's audience share
, and target the channel toward a demographic of 25 to 44-year-old men.
. In conjunction, a second unrelated engagement is also narrated and reconstructed in parallel in a short slot. Both reconstructions are interspersed with the accounts of those involved and real footage. Also included are so-called 'McNab briefings', where McNab describes particular weapons and tactics
. Background information about the units is also given.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
television series about the War in Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
and the Iraq War.
First broadcast in June and July 2008 on ITV4
ITV4
ITV4 is a British television station which was launched on 1 November 2005. It is owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc, and is part of the ITV network. The channel has a male-oriented line-up, including sport, cop shows and US comedies and dramas, as well as classic ITV action...
, the show is presented by ex-SAS
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
soldier Andy McNab
Andy McNab
Sergeant ‘Andy McNab’ DCM MM is the pseudonym of an English novelist and former SAS operative and soldier.McNab came into public prominence in 1993, when he published his account of the failed Special Air Service patrol, Bravo Two Zero for which he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal in...
, and is cast as an insight into the life of the Allied soldiers in these conflicts, setting aside the already well documented politics of the conflicts and giving accounts in the soldier's own personal frames of reference.
The series combines first hand accounts and amateur film
Amateur film
Amateur Film is the low-budget hobbyist art of film practiced for passion and enjoyment and not for business purposes.-Organizations:The international organization for amateur film makers is UNICA ; in the United States the American Motion Picture Society , in Canada the Society of Canadian Cine...
footage shot by the soldiers on the ground, with official archive footage from the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
, and reconstructions.
The series was first commissioned by ITV from Flashback Productions as a 6 part series of 1 hour episodes, to be broadcast exclusively as original programming for the digital channel ITV4 in a move to increased spending on the channel's output in a bid to increase the channel's audience share
Audience measurement
Audience measurement measures how many people are in an audience, usually in relation to radio listenership and television viewership, but also in relation to newspaper and magazine readership and, increasingly, web traffic on websites...
, and target the channel toward a demographic of 25 to 44-year-old men.
Season 1
Each of five episodes covers a basic military topic. The majority of each 1 hour episode is made up of the narration and reconstruction of a particular engagementEngagement (military)
A military engagement is a combat between two forces, neither larger than a division and not smaller than a company, in which each has an assigned or perceived mission...
. In conjunction, a second unrelated engagement is also narrated and reconstructed in parallel in a short slot. Both reconstructions are interspersed with the accounts of those involved and real footage. Also included are so-called 'McNab briefings', where McNab describes particular weapons and tactics
Military tactics
Military tactics, the science and art of organizing an army or an air force, are the techniques for using weapons or military units in combination for engaging and defeating an enemy in battle. Changes in philosophy and technology over time have been reflected in changes to military tactics. In...
. Background information about the units is also given.
Episode 1 - Under Siege
- Major engagement - Members of The TigersPrincess of Wales's Royal Regiment"PWRR" redirects here. For the railroad with these reporting marks, see Portland and Western Railroad.The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment is the senior English line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Queen's Division...
in central Amarah, Iraq, come under sustained siege and mortar fire in their base, a former governor's residence, overlooking a bend in the Tigris. The base is defended with the help of the snipers in the unit.
- Minor engagement - A US Marine sniper gives covering fire to an ambushed patrol in Iraq, from a position atop a gasometerGasometerA gas holder is a large container where natural gas or town gas is stored near atmospheric pressure at ambient temperatures. The volume of the container follows the quantity of stored gas, with pressure coming from the weight of a movable cap...
.
- Briefing - British Army sniper rifleAccuracy International Arctic WarfareThe Accuracy International Arctic Warfare rifle is a family of bolt-action sniper rifles designed and manufactured by the British company Accuracy International...
, sniping, force protection
Episode 2 - Face to Face
- Major engagement - In Basra, a 9 man 2 vehicle patrol by 1RHA1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery is a regiment of the Royal Horse Artillery in the British Army. It currently serves in the armoured field artillery role, and is equipped with the AS-90 self-propelled gun...
is trapped in a house by Iraqi insurgents, and resists attack in close quarters. They are eventually extracted by Warrior tracked armoured vehicleWarrior Tracked Armoured VehicleThe Warrior tracked vehicle family is a series of British armoured vehicles, originally developed to replace the older FV430 series of armoured vehicles. The Warrior started life as the MCV-80 project that was first broached in the 1970s, GKN Sankey/Defence winning the production contract in 1980....
s of the The TigersPrincess of Wales's Royal Regiment"PWRR" redirects here. For the railroad with these reporting marks, see Portland and Western Railroad.The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment is the senior English line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Queen's Division...
with no casualties, although one of the extraction force is killed.
- Minor engagement - US Army Staff SergeantStaff SergeantStaff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in several countries.The origin of the name is that they were part of the staff of a British army regiment and paid at that level rather than as a member of a battalion or company.-Australia:...
David BellaviaDavid BellaviaDavid Bellavia is an American Iraq War veteran who was awarded the Silver Star for his actions during the Second Battle of Fallujah. Bellavia has also received the Bronze Star, three Army Commendation Medals, two Army Achievement Medals and the New York State Conspicuous Service Cross...
of the 2nd Infantry Regiment2nd Infantry Regiment (United States)The 2nd Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment in the United States Army. It has served the United States for more than two hundred years. It is the third oldest regiment in the US Army with a Lineage date of 1808 and a history extending back to 1791...
fights hand to hand with an insurgent in a building in Falluja
- Briefing - SA80 assault rifle, urban fighting, snap shooting
Episode 3 - Ambush
- Major engagement - A foot patrol of 3 PARA, in the first few weeks of their deployment in Operation HerrickOperation HerrickOperation Herrick is the codename under which all British operations in the war in Afghanistan have been conducted since 2002. It consists of the British contribution to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force and support to the US-led Operation Enduring Freedom...
in Afghanistan, are ambushed upon leaving the village of Zumbelay after a routine hearts and mindsHearts and MindsHearts and Minds may refer to:* A biblical quotation; see the Wikisource link-Film:* Hearts and Minds , a 1974 documentary film about the Vietnam War-Television:...
visit. They are accompanied on the patrol by two embedded journalists from The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, and a 4 vehicle fire supportFire supportFire support is long-range firepower provided to a front-line military unit. Typically, fire support is provided by artillery or close air support , and is used to shape the battlefield or, more optimistically, define the battle...
group.
- Minor engagement - A US Marine diverts fire from wounded colleagues after an ambush by engaging a house with an RPG in Iraq
- Briefing - Heavy calibre machine gun. Ambush tactics.
Episode 4 - Man Down
- Major engagement - A platoon from 2nd Battalion, Mercian RegimentMercian RegimentThe Mercian Regiment is an infantry regiment of the British Army, formed by the amalgamation of three existing regiments on 1 September 2007.The regiment has three regular army battalion's and one Territorial Army or reserve battalion...
(Worcesters and Foresters) on patrol come under fire in a Taliban ambush. Two casualties occur, one of whom is a member of the rescue party
- Minor engagement - A US Marine attempts to save a wounded Marine, while being wounded himself.
- Briefing - M240 GPMG
Episode 5 - Hidden Enemy
- Major engagement -
- Minor engagement - A EOD US Marine confronts a exploding IED
- Briefing - Javelin anti-tank missile system.Improvised Explosive Device.
Episode 6 - Courage Under Fire
- Major engagement -
- Minor engagement -
- Briefing - 40mm Grenade Machinegun