H-hour

Join the H-Hour Patron Community at patreon.com/hkpodcasts ***** In this H-Hour Icebreaker, I welcome back Bags Simmons after roughly 18 months since his last appearance on the show. Answering questions submitted by H-Hour Patrons, Bags explains that the British didn’t deploy tanks to Afghanistan, but used heavily protected armoured vehicles like Mastiff/Cougar variants, describing restricted visibility, the need to get out and speak with locals, and the major IED risk posed by predictable routes—especially canals—plus his fear of drowning if a vehicle rolled due to welded front doors and heavy rear exits. He argues the Afghanistan campaign’s aims shifted from al-Qaeda to the Taliban, lacked coherent long-term strategy, and misunderstood Afghanistan’s tribal “donut” dynamic and the Durand Line, concluding there wasn’t a clear “win” and the withdrawal was rushed on a US timeline, leaving allies behind despite strong on-the-ground performance. He also discusses pledging allegiance to the Crown and his views on