The History Podcast – "The Fort: 3. Killing Ground"

Host: BBC Radio 4
Date: September 9, 2025

Episode Overview

This gripping episode dives into the harrowing assault on Jugroom Fort, Afghanistan, in 2007, focusing on the perspectives of Royal Marines and their commanders. Through their voices, the episode details the operational challenges, emotional turmoil, and extraordinary bravery of both the ground and air units – including a tense rescue mission. The narrative is shaped by first-hand accounts that capture the chaos, fear, and complexity of modern warfare.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Scene: The Assault on Jugroom Fort

• Opening Context:
  Captain Chris Fraser Perry describes the urgency and danger of the rescue mission, but notes to understand the full story, we must go back a day to just before the assault itself.
  (00:38) "We need four volunteers to sit on the side of the Apache... but to fully understand and appreciate how it came about that 4D was left behind, you'll have to go back a day..." – Captain Chris Fraser Perry

• Orders and Planning:
  Glyn Sadler reads from his diary, sharing the emotional intensity of the lead-up and the gravity of a "padre service" before combat.
  (01:10) "Worst day of my life...this is the real deal now." – Glyn Sadler

• Historical Context:
  Shep Shepherd describes Jugroom Fort as a strategic position with imposing defenses – “30 foot walls ...a proper fort," historically used to guard a river crossing.
  (02:18) "We were always told it was a British fort… looked like a British design that had been there for 150, 200 years..." – Shep Shepherd

2. The Attack: Plans, Surprises, and the River Crossing

• Initial Plan & Overwhelming Force:
  Chris Witts explains the standard of “H-hour” (zero hour) and the plan to soften the target with a massive aerial bombardment.
  (03:41) “Simultaneous drop of £51,000 of bombs...the largest explosion I’ve ever heard.... No one can survive this.” – Chris Witts

• Mission Orders & Flexibility:
  The orders called for disruption, not direct assault, but a sudden change required Zulu Company to cross the river and assault the fort itself.
  (05:42) "We got the order that the be prepared to task to cross the river was going to get initiated." – Chris Witts
  (05:49) “Just intimated...0500, that’s when things changed.” – Glyn Sadler

• Uncertainty and Danger:
  The Marines were given a “be prepared to” order that quickly became reality. Crossing the river with Viking vehicles was hazardous, with real risk of vehicles rolling or flooding.
  (06:40) "If the vehicle did transition to buoyancy...it can cause the vehicle to catch a track and effectively roll…a steel box filling with water." – Chris Witts

• Intense Personal Experiences:
  Shep Shepherd and Glyn Sadler describe the pressure inside the vehicles, the weight of equipment, and the fight to escape if something went wrong.
  (08:44) "You can't hear anything inside...weighing a lot anyway...ridiculous amount of ammunition..." – Shep Shepherd
  (09:28) "I just see the water filling up at the window at the back of the Viking. So I know that it's super deep." – Glyn Sadler

3. The Assault: Fear, Chaos & Determination

• Immediate Action:
  Exiting the vehicles, the Marines faced dawn light, breached the fort through bomb-created openings, and rushed to take positions under intense enemy fire.
  (10:34) "They put a thousand pounder... into the side of the fort...the big V shape...we were going to use as our breaching point." – Shep Shepherd

• Intensity of Battle:
  The small breaching team encountered overwhelming enemy fire.
  (10:34) “The noise and the intensity of the fire concentrated into such a small area was unbelievable.” – Shep Shepherd
  (11:44) "The confusion of battle comes upon you very quickly. You know, the firefight was..." – Chris Witts

• Fear, Focus, and Survival:
  All speakers emphasize the presence and management of fear, describing both physical sensations and the mental effort it took to keep functioning.
  (12:27) "Fear’s healthy. Fear can also grip people. You don’t want people who are not scared..." – Shep Shepherd
  (13:06) "You get like this feeling coming up through your face...your knees...stomach...chest...have to...take a couple of good, hard, deep breaths, force it down." – Shep Shepherd

• Overwhelmed Yet Committed:
  The Marines were pinned and taking casualties amid unrelenting gunfire, with nowhere to go except forward or be pressed against the river. (12:15) "We were getting shot up...from every other direction...we were receiving fire from." – Glyn Sadler
  (13:36) "There’s no room. There’s no space around the Vikings... lads squashed in between trying to find a fire position..." – Glyn Sadler

4. The Killing Ground

• Design and Effect:
  The defensive design of Jugroom Fort created a literal and psychological "killing ground" – a trap for attackers.
  (13:44) “The attack was stalling, so we’d lost momentum...It was a killing ground designed, you know, hundreds of years ago.” – Shep Shepherd

• Persistence Under Fire:
  Despite being under severe pressure, the company continued pushing and adapting, with each Marine drawing on training and camaraderie.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• (01:10) Glyn Sadler about pre-battle preparation:
  "It's really sort of poignant moment because now it's like, oh, the padre is here. This is serious now."

• (03:41) Chris Witts on the air strike:
  "The largest explosion I think I've ever heard from 8km away. It felt like the world was on fire."

• (06:40) Chris Witts describes the dangers of the Viking vehicles in the river:
  "If the vehicle...catch a track and effectively roll...a steel box filling with water and a dozen marines in it."

• (10:34) Shep Shepherd on breaching the fort:
  "I can remember seeing the wall and seeing the big V shape smashed out of it."

• (12:27) Shep Shepherd on fear in battle:
  "Fear's healthy. Fear can also grip people...you want people who are completely aware of their senses."

• (13:44) Shep Shepherd defines the "killing ground":
  "It was a killing ground designed, you know, hundreds of years ago."

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:38: Mission setup and need for helicopter rescue volunteers (Chris Fraser Perry)
• 01:10: Lance Corporal Glyn Sadler reads diary, describes build-up to battle
• 02:18: Shep Shepherd on the strategic importance and history of Jugroom Fort
• 03:41: Captain Chris Witts explains the opening airstrike of £51,000 bombs
• 05:42: Change in orders: direct assault and river crossing initiated
• 06:40: Chris Witts details the dangers of Viking amphibious crossing
• 09:28: Glyn Sadler describes water rising in vehicle during assault
• 10:34: Shep Shepherd recounts entering the breached fort under fire
• 12:27: Discussion of fear and chaotic close-quarters fighting
• 13:44: Shepherd encapsulates the challenge: "It was a killing ground..."

Episode Tone & Style

The tone is direct, honest, and gritty. The speakers balance technical description and raw emotion, mixing military professionalism with vulnerability and camaraderie. Vivid, personal storytelling and vivid memories fill the episode, making the real experiences of battle tangible to listeners.

Summary

This episode presents an unflinching, personal portrait of a pivotal Royal Marines assault in Afghanistan. The participants’ voices reveal the chaos, fear, and calculated bravery of the operation—from nerve-wracking orders and hazardous river crossings to the claustrophobia of armored vehicles and the intensity of the firefight. By putting listeners “on the ground” with Marines as they fight their way into a centuries-old fortress, the podcast not only documents history but honors the lived experience of those who made it.