Introduction

Ben Fogle uncovers the untold story of a small garrison of Royal Marines and the battle they fought against near-impossible odds during the Falklands War. Throughout the programme, Ben hears from veterans of Naval Party 8901 who, with fewer than 70 lightly armed men, were left to face an Argentine invading force some ten times that number.

Outline

The front page of The Sun on 05 April 1982 carried the headline “Surrender!” and a photo of Royal Marines lying face down in Port Stanley, and described their “humiliating defeat” at the hands of the Argentinian invasion force.

The myth took hold that the Falkland Islands had been given up with “barely a shot fired”. Far from it. Ben Fogle sets the record straight in a powerful documentary, hearing from veterans of Naval Party 8901, the detachment of 67 Marines who mounted a defence with the scant resources they had – a few machine guns against a force of 800 Argentinians, plus thousands more waiting to come ashore.

The Marines’ commanding officer, Major Mike Norman, remembers the difficulty of briefing his men the night before the invasion: “We were all going to die, without a doubt. I was convinced of that – and so were they.”

Production & Filming Details

• Presenter(s):
  • Ben Fogle.
• Director(s):
  • Richard Pearson.
• Producer(s):
  • Craig McAlpine … producer.
  • Steve Gowans … executive producer.
  • Neil Duncanson … executive producer.
• Writer(s):
  • Richard Pearson.
• Music:
• Cinematography:
• Editor(s):
• Production:
• Distributor(s):
  • ITV.
• Release Date: 07 April 2022.
• Rating: Unknown.
• Running Time: 60 minutes.
• Country: UK.
• Language: English.

Video Link