Fighting the War (2003– ) User Reviews

Annoying at the time but would love to see again

[marshalloftheraf-153-254092 · 9/10 · 28 July 2021]

At the time of filming, as the intellgence officer at Ali Al Salem airbase, the embedded BBC crew were seen as an intrusion but now, nearly 20 years later, I'd love to see this again.

The RAF element of the programme featured OC 9 Sqn mostly but we had amalgamated into a Combat Air Wing, under the Command of OC 31 Sqn, so we felt it misrepresented the leadership at the time. This film captured the planning and preparation for a sortie in which one of the crew lost their lives due to friendly fire. This was incredibly hard at the time but I would give anything to see this footage again and it is my available anywhere.

Good historic documentary

[gerard-ball · 8/10 · 11 June 2024]

I served with 1 Sqn RAF Regt based at Ali Al Salem and would love to see this series again. While the war was hugely unpopular in the UK and many of those left at home such as wives and kids received a hard time from so-called friends and at the school gate - those that served had little choice in the matter. This war also saw the biggest mobilisation of the UK reserve forces since their inception, including over 900 members of the RAuxAF. This was largely due to the depletion in numbers as part of the Strategic Defence review.

I don't think there was a better record of the war and one that reflected the public mood at the time.