Correction: this video previously listed Chosen Company as part of Ukraine’s International Legion, which is incorrect. Many foreign volunteers have contracted with the Ukrainian Army and serve in regular brigades. Chosen Company is part of the 59th Brigade.

FPV footage of a trench assault by volunteers with Chosen Company. Thanks to the absence of music we can hear the fire as soldiers from Chosen Co. roll up on the objective while in contact with the enemy. The opening few seconds is reminiscent of a psychotic redneck drive-by as the team rolls up on the objective in an open HMMWV, bouncing over uneven ground and shell craters. The HMMWV bounces to a stop just short of the enemy trench and the team bails out and begins gaining fire superiority. At one point the camera operator is firing while “encouraging” a teammate to dismount the HMMWV and get into the action. The team launches frags and then enters the trench system, clearing with small arms fire, grenades, and maximum violence.

This is a prime example of aggressive close action. I would have liked to see mortars suppressing the target and then shifting behind the position as they rolled up, and perhaps suppressing fires were used but not recorded, or perhaps they suppressed a different section of trench and it was not captured on camera. Or, perhaps, it wasn’t available and they did the best they could with what they had, substituting aggressiveness for mortar fire. Audie Murphy, who served in World War II and became one of the most decorated soldiers in the history of American arms, stated that “audacity is a tactical weapon. Nine times out of ten it will throw the enemy off balance and confuse him.”

About the Author

Cam

Cam served as an infantry officer in the Marine Corps, deploying to the Horn of Africa and participating in combat operations in Iraq. He currently works in the maritime industry and in the defense sector as an instructor of combined arms planning and operations. An avid sailor, Cam founded and directs a nonprofit that supports veterans and first responders through sailing.