Korpset

What does it really take to become an elite soldier? How hard is it? Who is made of the right stuff? This is what four former elite Danish soldiers are trying to give you the answer to when they take 30 civilian, well-trained Danish men under their wing and for eight days let them try their hand at a specially designed training course, based on the elite soldiers' own experiences from both combat and exercises. Already during the first days, the hammer falls. Heavy. Because a course run by the elite forces requires more than just ironman form. That's what the 30 participants have to admit when hour-long exercises, bloody blisters and dehydration severely cut down on the field.

20 aspirants are back on the course, and they can look forward to a day that both physically and mentally pushes them to the edge. The mindset of the instructors is: "You may kick those who are lying down", because there is no room for weak aspirants, and already when the day begins, the aspirants themselves must point out those they see as the weakest. With that slap delivered, the aspirants are hailed through the day's exercises, culminating in an endurance test lasting several hours, which has only one rule: the test does not stop until an aspirant is broken and has left the course.

On the fourth day of the course, the aspirants must learn how to deal with fear. Fear is something everyone feels, but when you find yourself in a war situation, you need to know how to manage fear so it doesn't paralyze you. The instructors know about anyone. Therefore, they wake up the aspirants in the middle of the night with a simulated attack with rockets and grenades. It's the start of a brutal day where the aspirants are wet and cold most of the time and at the same time have to control their fear during an ambush and a confidence exercise that really puts their psyche to the test. And just as they think the efforts are over, director Magnus has an unpleasant surprise for them.

Alone you are nothing. This is one of the instructors' mantras to the aspirants. Because no matter how good a soldier you are, you need your platoon when you're at war. Director Magnus experienced this firsthand when he was deployed to Afghanistan. He only survived an attack by the Taliban because his patrol came to his rescue as he lay exposed in a field under heavy fire. On the fifth day of the course, the aspirants must therefore learn the importance of collaboration. The aspirants are tied together in pairs from the morning and sent on an unusually hard exercise in the gravel pit, and those who previously seemed invincible gradually begin to succumb.

Only six aspirants are left on the course. These are the six that the instructors assess have a realistic opportunity to complete the last and hardest phases of the course. The aspirants must be subjected to an exercise that all elite soldiers try their hand at before deployment: Escape! For 24 hours the aspirants must be on the run from the enemy. They will be chased by the enemy throughout the flight. It will be a day of constant paranoia, lack of sleep and only the food they find themselves. And after five days of countless grueling exercises, only the aspirants with the strongest psyche complete the escape.

There is only one big exercise left on the aspirant course. On the other hand, it is also the most demanding of all: the questioning phase. The four remaining aspirants can look forward to a day where their mental state will be put to the test like never before. Many hours in terribly uncomfortable stress positions with loud, white noise in the ears interrupted only by unpleasant interrogation sessions is what is on the menu for the aspirants. This is the last barrier. Which aspirants does it handle?