Special Forces: Untold Stories

Pinnacle Films

R4 DVD

There have been many Special Forces groups over the years. The concept of a covert military group with many special talents goes back to WWII , to David Stirling’s British Special Air Service. Unlike the Commandos they were meant to operate behind enemy lines and generally cause havoc. Gradually the Special Forces role has become more defined according to their country’s needs. Now most Special Forces in most countries are designed for insurgency, anti-terrorist work and those areas where their superb training gives them an edge over the enemy. This is often but not always as a supplement to existing ground troops.

This series covers the Special Forces of the United States (the Green Berets), Germany (the GSG-9), the Dutch Marines and the British SAS. Although the films cover much of each group in general, the stories revolve around a particular incident to show how they put their training into operation. For instance we see a re-enactment of the retaking of an aircraft at Mogadishu airport after it was hijacked in an attempt to free members of the Baader-Meinhoff gang.

There are no ra-ra heroics in the episodes. Films like John Wayne’s Green Berets and the appalling A-Team do nothing for the reputation of the real soldiers. What we see in the series is a highly trained group of men doing their difficult job as best they can. They are remarkably subdued about the conflicts in which they have taken part, possibly because such conflicts often involve the loss of their friends.

This is a worthwhile series for the reality it brings to one of the world’s nastiest jobs.

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