The Beast of War and the Spanish draft it portrayed
The most realistic film about the war in Afghanistan helps Spanish veterans explain conscription in Spain: abuses, tanks and 30,000 reservists.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
The Beast of War: the uncomfortable mirror of the Spanish draft
No official documentary has portrayed the Spanish draft with the rawness of a film about Soviet tanks released in 1988. The Beast of War, shot that year, trinc a crew lost in Afghanistan, and critics have ranked it for decades among the most realistic war films. Those who went through the barracks use it to explain what no official report ever recorded.
The power of the tank and its great weakness
The opening argues that the intimidating force of a tank lies in the psyche, like that of mammoths or Hannibal's elephants. That is why people talk about "rolling tanks out onto the streets" rather than deploying artillery: the armored vehicle is a psychological threat before a tactical one. But the script shows the flip side: an isolated tank, without infantry to protect it, is a metal trap. Those who served in armored units in Yugoslavia say this film was screened in their units precisely to explain that mistake — being left alone and without support.
The military service of the 80s and 90s: from concentration camp to reform school
"The 80s were a concentration camp; the 90s, a reform school." The phrase sums up the memory of many veterans. Everyday discipline was imposed by corporals and sergeants, while officers appeared more as "good cops"; the saying "Sergeant, shake up my troops for me" was no joke. There were exceptions and outright abuses: a captain shook up a soldier with psychological problems, a lieutenant was beaten up on the street by recently discharged men. In tough units, such as the Tercio de Armada in 1995, conscripts went from civilians to soldiers in two months, with a method that bordered on brutality.
What is left for a real conflict
The conclusion of those who have been through the system is unsettling. The average conscript of the draft could be thrown into a three-minute mess; a current professional in a non-operational unit was given ten. Adding up active personnel and reservists with recent training, between 30,000 and 40,000 men were estimated to be fit for a war. Some propose that a film like this be shown in schools to drive cheap heroics out of people's heads. If those figures are ever put to the test, the film's warning will have fallen short.
No official documentary has portrayed the Spanish draft with the rawness of a film about Soviet tanks released in 1988. The Beast of War, shot that year, trinc a crew lost in Afghanistan, and critics have ranked it for decades among the most realistic war films. Those who went through the barracks use it to explain what no official report ever recorded.
The power of the tank and its great weakness
The opening argues that the intimidating force of a tank lies in the psyche, like that of mammoths or Hannibal's elephants. That is why people talk about "rolling tanks out onto the streets" rather than deploying artillery: the armored vehicle is a psychological threat before a tactical one. But the script shows the flip side: an isolated tank, without infantry to protect it, is a metal trap. Those who served in armored units in Yugoslavia say this film was screened in their units precisely to explain that mistake — being left alone and without support.
The military service of the 80s and 90s: from concentration camp to reform school
"The 80s were a concentration camp; the 90s, a reform school." The phrase sums up the memory of many veterans. Everyday discipline was imposed by corporals and sergeants, while officers appeared more as "good cops"; the saying "Sergeant, shake up my troops for me" was no joke. There were exceptions and outright abuses: a captain shook up a soldier with psychological problems, a lieutenant was beaten up on the street by recently discharged men. In tough units, such as the Tercio de Armada in 1995, conscripts went from civilians to soldiers in two months, with a method that bordered on brutality.
What is left for a real conflict
The conclusion of those who have been through the system is unsettling. The average conscript of the draft could be thrown into a three-minute mess; a current professional in a non-operational unit was given ten. Adding up active personnel and reservists with recent training, between 30,000 and 40,000 men were estimated to be fit for a war. Some propose that a film like this be shown in schools to drive cheap heroics out of people's heads. If those figures are ever put to the test, the film's warning will have fallen short.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (80 replies).
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