Celebrity Traitors star James Blunt has spoken about his time in the British Army, when he refused an order to attack Russian troops in Kosovo, a decision he believes helped prevent World War Three.
Before finding fame as a singer-songwriter with his hit You're Beautiful, Blunt served in the British Army. He was sponsored through university by a British Army bursary and was required to serve a minimum of four years. He rose to the rank of captain and was deployed with NATO to Kosovo during the Kosovo War.
Refusing an Order
The 52-year-old said he was willing to risk a court martial by rejecting an order from a US general. He told the BBC: "I was given the direct command to overpower the 200 or so Russians who were there. I was the lead officer with my troop of men behind us."
"The soldiers directly behind me were from the Parachute Regiment, so they're obviously game for the fight. The direct command (that) came in from Gen Wesley Clark was to overpower them. Various words were used that seemed unusual to us. Words such as 'destroy' came down the radio."
Blunt was at the head of 30,000 NATO troops with his unit near Kosovo's capital Pristina. He called the showdown a "mad situation".
Backed by General Jackson
Fortunately, he was backed by British General Sir Mike Jackson, who said: "I'm not going to have my soldiers be responsible for starting World War III."
Blunt told the BBC: "Absolutely. And that's why we were querying our instruction from an American general. Fortunately, up on the radio came Gen Mike Jackson, whose exact words at the time were, 'I'm not going to have my soldiers be responsible for starting World War III', and told us why don't we sugar off down the road, you know, encircle the airfield instead."
"And after a couple of days the Russians there said: 'Hang on we have no food and no water. Can we share the airfield with you?'"
Blunt said he would have declined to follow the order if General Jackson had not stepped in, even at the risk of a court martial, using his "moral judgement".
From Army to Music
He left the Army in 2002 to pursue a career in the music industry. His second single, You're Beautiful, became one of the biggest songs of the decade and catapulted Blunt to superstardom.
Catch Celebrity Traitors tonight from 8pm to 9.05pm on BBC One.
