The History Podcast – "The Fort: 4. The Break-in"

Date: September 10, 2025
Host: BBC Radio 4

Episode Overview

This episode of "The Fort" delves deep into the harrowing assault on Jugurum Fort in Afghanistan, as experienced and narrated by the commanders, soldiers, and pilots involved. The focus is a firsthand, immersive account of a grueling military operation, a sudden firefight, the dangers faced, the camaraderie among the troops, and the astonishing acts of bravery during the rescue and extraction of wounded comrades. The episode balances adrenaline-filled action with reflective, personal narratives, drawing listeners into the chaos, uncertainty, and courage of military life under fire.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Planning and Approach

[00:37–01:54]

• Orders for the attack on Jugurum Fort come at 0900.
• The fort is described as "almost impenetrable, easily defendable for any attacking force" (Shep Shepherd, 00:41).
• The plan is simply sketched by the troop commander: "He drew a line on the paper with a gap in it and calmly said, we are lead troop. Al, you are lead Viking. Darbs, you're the second Viking. We're going in..." (Al Welden, 01:13).

2. Crossing the River – The Calm Before the Storm

[02:54–03:54]

• The assault begins in mist and fog, increasing tension.
• Enemy spotted moving back to the fort; bayonets fixed in preparation.
• The silence is thick and tense: “It was really quiet, eerily quiet, if anything.” (Mike Cleary, 03:54).

3. Initial Breach and Entry

[04:09–05:15]

• The team identifies a massive breach point in the fort wall—a result of earlier bombardments.
• Civil twilight adds to the atmosphere of uncertainty.
• Grenade thrown into the breach before entry: “I took out my grenade, showed my assault partner grenade ready to go through the grenade into the, into the fort.” (Mike Cleary, 04:43–04:55).
• The entry is unopposed at first: “Nothing. We just went into the fort. Scanning round. Couldn't see anyone.” (Mike Cleary, 05:15).

4. Sudden Ambush and Chaos

[05:15–07:44]

• The operation shifts unexpectedly from eerie calm to intense danger: “It went from eerily quiet to haywire.” (Mike Cleary, 05:38).
• An “overwhelming rate of fire” engulfs the troops: “It just felt like the oxygen was getting sucked away from us due to the velocity and the sheer amount of projectiles...” (Al Welden, 05:49).
• Several soldiers are hit. Al Welden and his number two are both wounded.
• CPR and battlefield medicine are rapidly administered amongst heavy fire.

5. RPGs and Close Calls

[07:57–09:33]

• Shep Shepherd describes the sheer volume and proximity of RPGs: “The only thing I can describe it as is if you got one of them long balloons... that's what it was like. But it was RPGs.” (Shep Shepherd, 08:27).
• Soldiers are literally “jumping over RPGs.”
• A gunner narrowly avoids death as an RPG skims his helmet: “He turned around as if someone attacked him on the shoulder, completely oblivious that he was millimeters from having his head taken off...” (Shep Shepherd, 09:17).

6. Rescue and Extraction

[09:33–11:25]

• Vikings (armored vehicles) are summoned to extract casualties under fire.
• Al Welden’s Viking commander drives into the danger zone for rescue: “...drove straight at us under enemy fire to assist with the extraction, which again, is another brave act, but only seen by those that were there at the time.” (Al Welden, 09:41).
• Numerous near-misses: “He had a bullet go straight into [his chest Leatherman], and it folded in half, you know, saved his life.” (Shep Shepherd, 10:21).
• Magazines and webbing absorb bullets, saving further lives.

7. Aftermath and Recovery

[11:25–12:35]

• Welden recounts being shot multiple times, but still able to walk to the extraction vehicle: “He was in a bad way, but he was still walking back to the Vehicle.” (Shep Shepherd, 11:25).
• Post-operation, Welden undergoes multiple surgeries and rehab, determined to return: “...wanted to go back and finish the job... I was able to go back to Afghanistan and was able to continue the fight.” (Al Welden, 12:14).

8. The Missing Comrade

[12:35–13:54]

• During the chaotic headcounts, one man—codenamed “40”—is missing.
• Desperate search efforts in deadly conditions; Darbs, a respected section leader, personally searches for 40.
• The show closes with Shep Shepherd making a command decision to withdraw and save the living: “We've got to get people off this killing ground now.” (Shep Shepherd, 13:54).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Orders and Leadership

• "Al, you are lead Viking. Darbs, you're the second Viking. We're going in. Al, your section will break in and go left. Darb's, your section will go right. Any questions?"
  — Troop Commander as recalled by Al Welden [01:13]

The Point Man’s Courage

• "If you're in a patrol formation, simple as a single file, then he's the—he's literally the first man that's walking towards the enemy... Mike had that in abundance."
  — Al Welden [02:11]

• “There was no kind of, would you like to do this? Or it's like, yeah, you're the point man.”
  — Mike Cleary [02:45]

The Onset of Violence

• “It just felt like the oxygen was getting sucked away from us due to the velocity and the sheer amount of projectiles that were flying around.”
  — Al Welden [05:49]

• “[The RPGs] were so close to the enemy, they either weren't arming or they were bouncing on the ground and not detonating... if you got one of them long balloons... that's what it was like. But it was RPGs.”
  — Shep Shepherd [08:27]

Luck, Survival, and Brotherhood

• "He had a bullet go straight into that and it folded in half, you know, saved his life."
  — Shep Shepherd (on Leatherman tool) [10:21]

• "All of the casualties walked. And I don't know how they walked."
  — Shep Shepherd [11:01]

• “I was able to go back to Afghanistan and was able to continue the fight.”
  — Al Welden [12:34]

Important Timestamps and Segments

• [00:37] – Orders given, setting the scene for the attack
• [01:05–01:56] – Section commanders receive their roles and plan
• [02:54–03:54] – Approach to fort under fog, tension before breach
• [04:43–05:15] – Grenade thrown, entry into the fort
• [05:38–07:44] – Ambush erupts, casualties, field medicine under fire
• [07:57–09:33] – RPG barrage and near-miss stories
• [09:33–11:25] – Vikings extract casualties under gunfire, acts of bravery
• [11:25–12:35] – Injuries, surgeries, and determination to return
• [12:35–13:54] – Headcount, the search for missing man, decision to withdraw

Tone and Style

The speakers maintain a matter-of-fact, unembellished seriousness characteristic of military storytelling, punctuated by moments of gallows humor, camaraderie, and emotional candor—all giving listeners a raw, immersive sense of both the chaos and the humanity present in battle.

This summary covers the main events, the emotional and operational highs and lows, and gives a clear overview of the heroic acts and severe trials faced by those at Jugurum Fort.