.Shot in battle, by the video soldiers
Video: Battlefield by night
Video: Battlefield by day
Under a clear blue Afghan sky an enemy position comes into focus. Ulster accents are heard as one soldier asks another the whereabouts of the RAF. Suddenly, there is a roar of aircraft engines, the briefest glimpse of a bomb, and the scene explodes.
It is just one sequence in a burgeoning library of footage shot by the Forces.
For where once an enemy weapon or lump of shrapnel would suffice as a battlefield souvenir, now growing numbers are using helmet-mounted cameras to bring back personal video from the front line.
Rapid advances in technology and a reduction in the size of the necessary equipment means that, even as they do battle with insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan, today's troops are increasingly becoming the stars of their own gritty war movies.
The results, often uncensored, are entering the public domain in ever greater quantities, often via so-called "self-broadcast" websites such as YouTube.
While use of the helmet- mounted cameras has given the public unprecedented access to the dangerous, but exciting world of warfare, senior officers are understood to be growing increasingly concerned about the trend.
Some believe that it is only a matter of time before a British soldier is killed while trying to take so called "happy snaps" or that footage of a British soldier being killed in action appears on the internet.
The Sunday Telegraph, which last week published fascinating still pictures taken by the soldiers, has acquired more than 50 videos from the war in Afghanistan. They show operations including 1,000lb satellite-guided bombs being dropped by RAF Harrier jets close to British positions and Taliban fighters being shot and killed by US snipers.
In one extraordinary clip, a major from 3rd Bn The Parachute Regiment, filming his men prior to an attack, can be seen rushing to a vantage point so that he can capture footage of a Harrier which is about to bomb a Taliban target. The officer can be heard saying: "I've got to get this on the helmet cam." As he peers around a corner, the crack and ricochet of a bullet can be heard close to the officer's head. He swears, turns to his colleagues and, referring to the Taliban sniper, says, "He's got a bead [fix] on me."
Other clips, some of which can be seen on the Telegraph website today, reveal the intensity of fighting, the chaos and frustration of war, and soldiers' joy when the RAF bring a battle to an end.
Video footage taken by soldiers with hand-held or helmet cameras first emerged during the current conflict in Iraq but since the start of Operation Herrick in Afghanistan in May, the quantity of material being produced has increased rapidly.
The video cameras, the use of which was perfected by the skateboarder Tony Hawk, are powered by two triple-A batteries and are attached to the soldier's helmet by a rubber strap.
The cameras record digitally for as long as an hour on to a memory card, which means that no film is required and the quality is generally excellent.
When the soldier has access to a computer, the material can be downloaded, attached to an email or "burned" on to a CD. Some soldiers are adding soundtracks to their footage. One video of scenes in the Afghan town of Sangin is accompanied by the Jam's Town Called Malice.
Patrick Mercer, the shadow homeland security minister and a former infantry commanding officer, said he was concerned about the operational security aspects of putting footage captured by troops on the internet. "Although it is exciting to see soldiers fighting, it must be remembered that the Taliban can learn from these videos as well," he said.
"If they are used to train British soldiers then they will be of value to the Taliban who also have access to the internet. There must be some sort of censorship to guard against this."
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said "There is a long standing requirement for all images or footage to be cleared by the chain of command, to safeguard operational security. Soldiers must act responsibly at all times and not be distracted."
Telegraph
How come the Brits have a helmet cam and our guys don't? I'll tell you why, it's because the fags that run our war are a bunch of politically correct bitches, that's why.
Video: Battlefield by day
Under a clear blue Afghan sky an enemy position comes into focus. Ulster accents are heard as one soldier asks another the whereabouts of the RAF. Suddenly, there is a roar of aircraft engines, the briefest glimpse of a bomb, and the scene explodes.
It is just one sequence in a burgeoning library of footage shot by the Forces.
For where once an enemy weapon or lump of shrapnel would suffice as a battlefield souvenir, now growing numbers are using helmet-mounted cameras to bring back personal video from the front line.
Rapid advances in technology and a reduction in the size of the necessary equipment means that, even as they do battle with insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan, today's troops are increasingly becoming the stars of their own gritty war movies.
The results, often uncensored, are entering the public domain in ever greater quantities, often via so-called "self-broadcast" websites such as YouTube.
While use of the helmet- mounted cameras has given the public unprecedented access to the dangerous, but exciting world of warfare, senior officers are understood to be growing increasingly concerned about the trend.
Some believe that it is only a matter of time before a British soldier is killed while trying to take so called "happy snaps" or that footage of a British soldier being killed in action appears on the internet.
The Sunday Telegraph, which last week published fascinating still pictures taken by the soldiers, has acquired more than 50 videos from the war in Afghanistan. They show operations including 1,000lb satellite-guided bombs being dropped by RAF Harrier jets close to British positions and Taliban fighters being shot and killed by US snipers.
In one extraordinary clip, a major from 3rd Bn The Parachute Regiment, filming his men prior to an attack, can be seen rushing to a vantage point so that he can capture footage of a Harrier which is about to bomb a Taliban target. The officer can be heard saying: "I've got to get this on the helmet cam." As he peers around a corner, the crack and ricochet of a bullet can be heard close to the officer's head. He swears, turns to his colleagues and, referring to the Taliban sniper, says, "He's got a bead [fix] on me."
Other clips, some of which can be seen on the Telegraph website today, reveal the intensity of fighting, the chaos and frustration of war, and soldiers' joy when the RAF bring a battle to an end.
Video footage taken by soldiers with hand-held or helmet cameras first emerged during the current conflict in Iraq but since the start of Operation Herrick in Afghanistan in May, the quantity of material being produced has increased rapidly.
The video cameras, the use of which was perfected by the skateboarder Tony Hawk, are powered by two triple-A batteries and are attached to the soldier's helmet by a rubber strap.
The cameras record digitally for as long as an hour on to a memory card, which means that no film is required and the quality is generally excellent.
When the soldier has access to a computer, the material can be downloaded, attached to an email or "burned" on to a CD. Some soldiers are adding soundtracks to their footage. One video of scenes in the Afghan town of Sangin is accompanied by the Jam's Town Called Malice.
Patrick Mercer, the shadow homeland security minister and a former infantry commanding officer, said he was concerned about the operational security aspects of putting footage captured by troops on the internet. "Although it is exciting to see soldiers fighting, it must be remembered that the Taliban can learn from these videos as well," he said.
"If they are used to train British soldiers then they will be of value to the Taliban who also have access to the internet. There must be some sort of censorship to guard against this."
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said "There is a long standing requirement for all images or footage to be cleared by the chain of command, to safeguard operational security. Soldiers must act responsibly at all times and not be distracted."
Telegraph
How come the Brits have a helmet cam and our guys don't? I'll tell you why, it's because the fags that run our war are a bunch of politically correct bitches, that's why.
posted by madtom at 11:42 PM
1 Comments:
Well either the Telegraphs servers are down, or he man is blocking me from the video. I'll keep trying.
Post a Comment
<< Home