The Truth About Killing

Production Details

Presented by Grub Smith, this is a trip to the sharp end of combat. Our starting point a remarkable statistic – 85% of World War Two combat troops tried not to kill the enemy.

Programme One examines this fact, asks why this is, and goes on to discover what humans do in terrifying situations. It also compares human violence with aggression in the animal kingdom, and puts Grub Smith in experimental situations to ascertain if humans are poorly adapted for war.

Programme Two looks at the vast array of experiments carried out by the world’s armies to improve the efficiency of men in combat. It also reveals the psychology, brain-washing, drugs and behavioural conditioning that have turned the statistics upside down – now an amazing 95% of men will try to kill in combat.