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Death or Glory

First transmitted in 1968, this documentary shows life in the British Army of the Rhine as seen through the eyes of one of its regiments, the 17th/21st Lancers, on a tour of duty.

First transmitted in 1968, this documentary shows life in the British Army of the Rhine as seen through the eyes of one of its regiments, the 17th/21st Lancers, as they complete a tour of duty. It reveals how they manage their routine whilst guarding the Cold War East German front and how they try to live a normal life with their families in a foreign and sometimes alien environment.

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50 minutes

Last on

Tue 10 Dec 196821:05
BBC One

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BBC Four Army Collection

BBC Four Army Collection
This programme is part of Army: A Very British Institution, a collection of classic BBC programmes about the British Armed Forces available online to watch in full.

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More about this programme

"Death or Glory" is the motto of the Queen's Royal Lancers, but in this particular case, life is mostly about boredom and maintaining discipline for the troops patrolling the Cold War border between East and West Berlin.

About BBC Four Collection programmes

Programmes are selected, in part, for their historical context and reflect the broadcast standards and attitudes of their time, which may not accord to some current BBC editorial guidelines. We aim to select programmes which can be shown in their entirety but in some cases edits are required.

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