Combat And Survival September 2014

Website: www.combatandsurvival.com Editor: Bob Morrison Designer: Ashley Lockwood Senior Correspondents: Carl Schulze & Yves Debay (R.I.P) Far East Correspondent: Gordon Arthur Firearms Tester: Greg Roberts Survival Specialist: Jason Polley Gear Tester: Mike Gormley Security Consultant: Robert Shaw Webmaster: Daryl Crowther Advertisement Sales Director: Moira Spencer Tel: 01484 435011 Email: [email protected] Distributed by Warners Group Publications PLC The Maltings, West Street, Bourne PE10 9PH Print by Acorn Colourprint Ltd: Loscoe Close, Normanton, WF6 1TW

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P15 Elite Forces SSANG YONG 2014

Gordon Arthur joins the US Marines as two of their Expeditionary Units storm ashore in Korea

P22 Special Operations WARRIOR 2014

Bob Morrison reports from Jordan as 35 international Spec Ops teams compete head to head

P29 Armour Focus TR85 M1 BIZONUL

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Carl Schulze gets up close and personal as the Romanian tank breaks cover in Germany

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IMPORTANT: All individual combat and personal survival activities involve risk of injury to oneself and others and great care must be taken carrying out any such activities. Expert guidance should be sought and equipment checked for reliability before any activities described here in are carried out. The publishers cannot accept any responsibility for any injury, death, loss or damage which may result.

Jason Polley explains how we cannot live without water and gives tips on finding and conserving

Carl Schulze photographs the new Serbian digital woodland camo in a temperate environment

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ARTICLES AND PHOTOGRAPHS will be welcomed and considered for publication. Submission of such shall be considered a warranty that they are original and do not infringe on the copyright of others. Unsuitable material can only be returned if you include a S.A.E. Loss or damage is not the responsibility of COMBAT & SURVIVAL.

P46 Kit & Camo 2 UNFICYP UNIFORMS

Bob Morrison photographs the new Serbian digital woodland camo in United Nations service

P50 Firearms SA80A2

Miles Vining examines the British assault rifle and comments on it from a US Marine’s perspective

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P58 Rations MARCHING AMMO Pt.22

DISCLAIMER: The publishers make no representations, endorsements, guarantees or warranties concerning the products and/or services advertised within this magazine. We expressly disclaim any and all liability relating to or arising from the sale, manufacture, distribution, use or misuse of such.

Bob Morrison looks at the latest UK developments in military spec fuel and stoves

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P64 Outdoor TRIED & TESTED

Mike Gormley trials trainers, a floating lighter, a lantern, a grill, a sleeping bag and waterproofing

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P68 Security FLIGHT MH17

Robert Shaw questions whether the downing of the airliner over the Ukraine was state terror or a tragic mistake P05 : Comms P56, 62 & 70 : Reviews P72 : Books

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August 14 Cover Image: © Carl Schulze © M.A.I. Publications 2014

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HMS Queen Elizabeth, the Royal Navy’s largest ever warship, is gently floated out of her dock for the first time in Rosyth [Crown Copyright]

Normally the month of July, which has just drawn to a close as I pen this final page of C&S, marks the start of the ‘silly season’ in the news as the masses start winding down for their summer holidays or annual leave and hard stories become a little bit scarce. Not this year, however, as topics such as the plight of Gaza’s civilian population in the face of almost a month of Israeli retribution against the Hamas government and its fighters, and the downing of the Malaysian passenger airliner MH17 over strifetorn eastern Ukraine plus the West’s inability to exert much influence over either the warring parties in the Middle East or Vladimir Putin’s support for the pro-Russian insurgency in the Crimea and the neighbouring Donetsk region, have been filling the headlines.

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t home senior military commanders, and even some politicians, have been warning that Britain’s defence capability has been seriously degraded over the last fifteen or so years and have been urging that more resources be devoted to reinvigorating our armed services. With more than a quarter of a century of observing military matters under our belt, C&S agrees wholeheartedly with them. On the positive side, the first of our long-awaited aircraft carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth [R08], was named by Her Majesty on 4th July and floated out of her dock just a few days later. However she will not be commissioned

until 2017 and will not achieve full operational capability to 2020, assuming her F35B Lightning II ‘jump jet’ complement is in service, so for the next six years Britain will still not have any seaborne fixed wing combat aircraft capability. With this in mind, one wonders if it was sensible for HMS Illustrious, the only Royal Navy ship with the capability to operate a complement of NATO V/ STOL aircraft, to be decommissioned in July. HMS Ocean, currently the only Royal Navy helicopter carrier in service as sister ship HMS Albion is undergoing a lengthy refit, has taken over Lusty’s role as a stopgap measure until HMS Queen Elizabeth is operational, though on cost grounds she will be mothballed in 2016 when Albion comes back onstream. In 2002 the civil service bean-counters pensioned off Britain’s Sea Harrier fleet from 2006 on the grounds that the F35B would be in service by 2012, even though that would have left a six year capability gap, but at least there was still the possibility of flying RAF Harriers from Illustrious to try to bridge this gap. Then they decommissioned the RAF jump jet fleet too, in December 2010, and a year later sold them off to the US Marines. Still at least there was the possibility of the USMC, one of our NATO partners, operating their AV8 Harriers off Illustrious on multinational operations. Worryingly, even that option no longer exists with no fixed wing carriers currently on the Royal Navy’s books. Well at least we are currently living in a stable world. Aren’t we? In the light of the Russian Bear going on

the prowl again, Uncle Sam (or at least outgoing president Barack Obama) has had second thoughts about withdrawing armoured forces from Europe and the process has been reversed with an armoured battlegroup returning to Germany. Our Senior Correspondent, Carl Schulze, has been covering this development over the last few months and in this issue we are running the first of several features. To help NATO partner nations better prepare to face up to the Bear, assuming it doesn’t settle down again into hibernation, the Americans have been running a series of multinational training exercises at various levels. In this issue Carl covers COMBINED RESOLVE II and next month we have three associated features already in the pipeline. At the end of July Britain’s new defence minister announced that the British Army will be undertaking a major armoured battlegroup exercise in Poland this October, with around 1350 troops and as many as 350 vehicles involved. We have also picked up from NATO military contacts that the UK is supposed to be participating shortly in a Multinational Forcible Entry exercise in north-east Europe, possibly as soon as late August or early September. If at all possible we will try to cover these important training serials but, despite us formally requesting dates and details from the relevant department in Whitehall a week ago (and following this up) it seems that communicating with the specialist defence media is currently not a priority for MoD Directorate of Media Communications personnel. C&S does not have the near bottomless pit of resources that the news channels have, and the MoD does not lay on free transportation and accommodation in the same way that many other nations look after their specialist defence media, but if given sufficient notice of major multinational exercises we try to provide coverage if at all feasible ... and at no expense to the taxpayer. On a value for money basis we might just be one of the best ‘on-message’ publicity assets available for Royal Marine, British Army and RAF Regiment recruitment ... if only MoD would grant us reasonable access. One can but wish. - BM

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The tank company of the Romanian battlegroup that took part in COMBINED RESOLVE II was equipped with TR-85 M1 ‘Bizonul’ main battle tanks which are armed with a 100mm gun

EXERCISE COMBINED RESOLVE II TOOK PLACE IN MAY AND JUNE WITH 4,300 TROOPS FROM 15 DIFFERENT NATIONS BEING TRAINED UNDER US LEAD TO CONDUCT DEFENSIVE AND OFFENSIVE OPERATIONS IN A JOINT COMBINED ENVIRONMENT. THE MANOEUVRES WERE HELD AT THE JOINT MULTINATIONAL READINESS CENTER (JMRC) OF THE US ARMY EUROPE (USAREUR), SITUATED AT THE HOHENFELS TRAINING AREA IN SOUTHERN GERMANY. C&S FOLLOWED THIS MAJOR EXERCISE AND HERE IS OUR REPORT.

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1st of May 2014, around noon. From his hatch the commander of a TR-85 M1 ‘Bizonul’, Romanian for Bison or Buffalo, main battle tank of the Opposing Forces (OpFor) carefully scans the other end of the one kilometre wide valley on the Hohenfels training area through a pair of binoculars, looking for any signs of the enemy. The Romanian’s MBT and two others have been given the task of overwatch on an obstacle belt that denies access to the valley and consists of barbed wire and a large number of anti-tank mines. The tankers have chosen their positions well, making best use of any possible cover that the ground offers. Camouflaged with branches the vehicles are hard to spot by the human eye. Even

Above: AH-64D Apache combat helicopters from the 2nd Battalion of the 159th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion provided combat aviation support to the NATO contingency forces Images © Carl Schulze

the AH-64D Apache combat helicopters of the NATO contingency forces, that have now operated in the area for some time, have not yet detected the tanks. It is clear that something is going on as, in addition to the combat helicopters, the roaring of engines has been heard in the distance for some time and the noise is growing louder every minute. Then all hell breaks loose, detonations caused by simulation devices echo through the valley, the bangs indicating that the artillery of the NATO contingency forces

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M2A3 Bradley armoured infantry fighting vehicles from the 2nd Battalion of the 5th Cavalry Regiment advance along a road on the Hohenfels training area

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is shelling the valley. A HMMWV fitted with a smoke generator passes in front of the positions of the Romanian tanks, within seconds the valley is covered in thick white smoke, visibility suddenly is zero. The message is clear, the enemy artillery has changed from high explosive shells to smoke shells in order to cover any movement of the attacking NATO contingency forces. Hidden from Romanian eyes by the smoke, the attack begins to strike home on the other side of the obstacle. Supported by French engineers mounted on VAB wheeled armoured personnel carriers, American M1A2 SEP (v2) Abrams main battle tanks and M2A3 Bradley armoured infantry fighting vehicles of C Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment close in on the obstacle belt. While the MBTs and AIFVs take

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1: During the exercise US troops of the European Response Force (ERF) fielded state of the art US Army equipment such as this M1A2 SEP (v2) Abrams MBT with a Track Width Mine Plough 2: Mobility for the French engineers that supported the 2nd Battalion from the 5th Cavalry Regiment of the US Army was provided by VAB Génie wheeled armoured engineer section vehicles

up overwatch positions the French engineers rush forward to a previously identified possible breaching point. Close to the obstacle belt they dismount from their VABs. It does not take the engineers long to cut their way through the wire obstacle and blow a breach through the minefield. With the obstacle breached the French platoon commander radios over the net that his soldiers have fulfilled their task. This is the signal the crews of the Abrams MBTs have been waiting for. Vehicle after vehicle, they now begin to move out of their overwatch positions and move down to the breach. Only minutes later the first platoon of tanks has passed through. On the other side the MBTs fan out and begin to advance

into the valley. Again loud bangs echo, but this time they originate from the gunfire simulation kits fitted to the US and Romanian MBTs that are now engaging each other. Obstacle breaching was only one of the tasks the troops taking part in exercise COMBINED RESOLVE II had to master in the Situational Training Exercises (STX) phase of the exercise. STXs are short, scenario-driven, mission-oriented, limited exercises conducted over a limited period of time and designed to train one collective task or a group of related tasks or battle drills through practice. During COMBINED RESOLVE II the STXs were conducted prior to the main force-on-force exercise in order to allow the troops of the different

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participating nations to get used to each other and to develop common operational procedures.

MULTINATIONAL COOPERATION Conducted between the 8th of May and the 2nd of June, COMBINED RESOLVE II saw the participation of over 4,000 troops, 60% of who were from the US with the remainder originating from NATO nations and other partner states of the USA. NonUS participants included troops from Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Georgia, Hungary, Kosovo, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia. The strength of the contingents of the different participating nations varied, the Serbian contingent for example consisting mainly of an infantry platoon numbering some 30 troops. The Albania and Bulgaria contingents mainly consisted of infantry companies numbering well over 100 troops, while the French contingent numbered some 230 troops and included the 1er Compagnie, 126e Régiment d’Infanterie, an engineer platoon and a Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) team. Lithuania deployed to Germany a mechanised infantry company, an anti-tank platoon and a Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) team from the Geležinis Vilkas Motorizuotoji Pŝstininkƌ Brigada ‘Iron Wolf’ motorised infantry brigade.

Main Image: French troops from the 1er Compagnie of 126e Régiment d’Infanterie clear one of the several training villages on the Hohenfels training area held by enemy forces 3: Lithuania took part with a reinforced mechanised infantry company from the Geležinis Vilkas Motorizuotoji · Pestininku› Brigada ‘Iron Wolf’ motorised infantry brigade equipped with M113 APCs

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4: During the defensive battle phase of exercise Combined Resolve II a Lithuanian soldier engages opposing forces with a wooden stock 7.62mm FN MAG machinegun

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Romanian soldiers of the Opposing Forces (OPFOR) dismount from a MLI-84M ‘Jderul’ armoured infantry fighting vehicle in order to clear a ridge held by Lithuanian troops Austria participated in the exercise with a battalion-size light infantry battlegroup centred around the elite airborne infantry unit Jägerbataillon 25, and the Austrian contingent also involved engineers and an aviation asset with Augusta Bell 212 utility helicopters. Romania took part in the exercise with an armoured battlegroup, including a mechanised infantry company, a tank company, a JTAC team and other assets, in total some 300 troops. While most of the participating nations deployed with their own vehicles, weapon and equipment, some only deployed their troops who were then issued with US weapons and vehicles. Major US units involved in the exercise were the 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment of the 1st Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division, the 1st Battalion of the 4th Infantry Regiment, the professional OPFOR of the Joint Multinational Readiness Center (JMRC) of the US Army Europe (USAREUR) and the 3rd Battalion of the 158th Aviation Regiment, with elements of the 2nd Battalion of 159th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion attached. The exercise was directed by the Joint Multinational Readiness Center (JMRC) which also assisted with training and umpire personnel and supported the exercise with its state of the art simulation technology environment.

EXERCISE PURPOSE

The overall objective of COMBINED RESOLVE II was to exercise the European Response Force (ERF) of the US Army, which is newly formed under the Regional Aligned Forces (RAF) doctrine, in a multinational environment

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5: The new standard service assault rifle of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, used by this soldier on COMBINED RESOLVE II, is the 5.56mm G36 KA4 assault rifle manufactured by the Heckler & Koch 6: 8: When soldiers were hit umpires issued kill cards containing information of wounds received - here an Austrian soldier is briefed by a US umpire on his comrade’s injuries prior to him applying first aid 7: Using an M88 A2 Heavy Equipment Recovery Combat Utility Lift and Evacuation System (HERCULES) US soldiers change the power pack of an Abrams tank prior to the force on force phase

and to train its soldiers on all echelon levels in the art of interoperability and cooperation with foreign forces. After the US Army withdrew all its remaining armoured units from Europe, and Germany in particular, in recent years the ERF has been established to provide the US Army Europe with a combined-arms, battalion-size armoured battlegroup for contingency operations. Since early 2014 the heavy equipment for the ERF has been prepositioned in southern Germany, at the Grafenwöhr Garrison, and is known as the European Activity Set (EAS). By doing this only the troops have to be moved to Germany, taking over heavy equipment and vehicles after their arrival. The first formation to provide the ERF was the 1st Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division based at Fort Hood, Texas. For exercise COMBINED RESOLVE II the 2nd Battalion of the 5th Cavalry Regiment, one of the Combined Arms Battalions (CAB) of the brigade, was deployed to Germany. As part of the exercise a Georgian and

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a Lithuanian infantry company were also evaluated and certified for the NATO Response Force by a team of evaluators provided by the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE).

DIFFERENT PHASES

Exercise COMBINED RESOLVE II was played out in the fictitious state of Atropia, situated in the Caucasus region, and was set in a high intensity conflict scenario. The background involved everything from quarrels that had ancient roots to current disputes over the control of water, oil and gas resources. Instability resulting from

The MLI-84M ‘Jderul’ armoured infantry fighting vehicles fielded by the Romanian infantry is fitted with a 25mm automatic cannon, a coaxial machinegun and a Spike anti-tank guided missile launcher 8

US troops from the 1st Battalion of the 4th Infantry Regiment have just stormed a combat outpost previously occupied by Bulgarian forces - the exercise was set in a high intensity conflict scenario 9

ethnic tension and economic difficulties and weak and non-representative governments also played their part and eventually resulted in an invasion of Atropia by a neighbouring state. In the exercises participating forces were either functioning as a US-led NATO contingency force deployed to the region, as forces of the Atropian Army or as the invading Opposing Forces. The Atropian Army was mainly formed by the Austrian and Bulgarian forces, supported by some elements of the US Army National Guard who were also taking part in the exercise. The Opposing Forces, which also included irregular forces, were jointly provided by the 1st Battalion of the 4th Infantry Regiment, and the Romanian armoured battlegroup. The remaining participating forces formed the brigade-size NATO contingency force. The exercise was conducted in several phases. After their arrival at the Hohenfels training area, up to the 16th of May, the participating units were put through a Reception, Staging, Onward-movement and Integration (RSOI) package that also involved equipping troops and vehicles with the

Multiple Integrated Laser Equipment System (MILES) tactical engagement simulation system equipment. Following this the units then deployed to assigned Tactical Assembly Areas (TAA), where low level familiarisation training was conducted. The next phase to come was the Situational Training Exercises (STX) phase that took place between the 18th and 22nd of May. During this obstacle breaching, fighting in urban areas, air assault operations, engineer training, the evacuation of civilians on the battlefield and other missions were trained for. On 23rd of May the actual forceon-force field training exercise part of COMBINED RESOLVE II started with the Defence Phase. During this phase the NATO contingency forces had to fight a defensive battle against the OPFOR, denying them the opportunity to gain much ground. With the Defensive Phase completed on the 26th of May, the next day the Attack Phase started. this saw the NATO contingency forces now on the offensive, tasked with regaining

8: A pair of OSV-Ts (OPFOR Surrogate Vehicle - Tank) which are T-80 MBT replicas used by the 1st Battalion of the 4th Infantry Regiment seen advancing along a road passing through wooded terrain. 9: A Bulgarian soldier engages an enemy position with an RPG-7 simulator - the system is only one of many available at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center used to make training more realistic

lost territory from the OPFOR. On the 30th of May the fighting finished and was followed by a day of After Action Reviews conducted at all levels. In early June 2014 exercise COMBINED RESOLVE II was followed by a large live fire exercise held at the Grafenwöhr ranges, also situated in southern Germany. Involving most of the forces that took part in the previously conducted force-on-force exercise the live fire training lasted up to the end of the month. Elements of the European Response Force (ERF), provided by the 2nd Battalion of the 5th Cavalry Regiment, in addition to taking part in exercise COMBINED RESOLVE II, also took part in Exercise ROCHAMBEAU 14, held in France in 2014, and Exercise SABRE STRIKE 14, held in Lithuania in June.

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A fleet of AAV7PA1 Amphibious Assault Vehicles loaded with US Marines swims ashore on Dogu Beach on the outskirts of Pohang

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GENERAL DOUGLAS MACARTHUR’S BOLD AMPHIBIOUS LANDING AT INCHEON, WEST OF SEOUL, ON 15TH SEPTEMBER 1950 CONSTITUTED A DECISIVE TURNING POINT IN THE KOREAN WAR (1950-53). CODENAMED OPERATION CHROMITE, THE LANDINGS INVOLVED SOME 75,000 TROOPS AND 261 NAVAL VESSELS. IT LED TO THE RECAPTURE OF SEOUL FROM NORTH KOREAN FORCES WITHIN A FORTNIGHT AND ENABLED UNITED NATIONS FORCES TO BREAK OUT OF THE PUSAN POCKET IN THE FAR SOUTH-EAST OF THE COUNTRY.

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n 2014, the US Marine Corps (USMC) returned to the Korean Peninsula with an amphibious assault conducted by thousands of Marines on 31st April. In a challenging feat of command and control, three landings combining US and Republic of Korea Marine

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Right: Marines lie on the edge of a beach after a major amphibious landing by American and South Korean allies - this US Marine has an M203 grenade launcher attached to his M16A4 1: Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) craft of the US Navy were kept busy transporting equipment to shore - this one carries an MTVR 7-ton truck at the bow

Corps (ROKMC) personnel occurred simultaneously at different beaches in the vicinity of Pohang on South Korea’s east coast. Last year, Combat & Survival featured South Korean Marines and this year it is time to focus on their American counterparts, especially with such a large-sized exercise taking place. C&S

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Members of 1/4 Marines rapidly dismount from the rear ramp of an AAVP7A1 on White Beach - note the crewman on the left providing cover

An MV-22B Osprey flies over a landing beach - this Abrams tank was crewed by reservists from Charlie Company, 4th Tank Battalion of the USMC

enjoyed exclusive opportunities to witness the landings as well as follow-on training.

Double Dragon

The aforementioned landings were an important element in Exercise SSANG YONG 2014 (the Korean name translates as Double Dragon) and it kicked off a week-long series of drills between the two allies, the aim of which was “to penetrate notional enemy beach defences, establish a beachhead and rapidly transition forces and sustainment ashore”. The landings involved AAV7A1 vehicles from the USA and South Korea, while a whole host of armoured vehicles, artillery, trucks, naval vessels, landing ships, hovercraft, helicopters and aircraft contributed to the overall exercise. On the same day as the initial amphibious landings, artillery shells splashed into South Korean waters in an act designed to express volatile North Korea’s displeasure at the combined US-ROK drills. South Korean artillery promptly returned fire.

Exercise SSANG YONG is an annual exercise conducted between the USMC and ROKMC on the Korean Peninsula. It nestles within Exercise FOAL EAGLE, a two month long bilateral exercise between the United States and its South Korean ally each year. US officials explained: “SSANG YONG 2014 is a combined, forcibleentry operations exercise designed for Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB)level amphibious operations in order to train US and ROK Navy and Marine forces”. The overall number of troops was hugely impressive – 7,500 US Marines and 2,000 US Navy (USN) sailors, plus 3,500 ROK Marines and 1,000 ROK Navy (ROKN) sailors. This amounted to some 14,000 military personnel, which represented a major commitment in the face of severe budget cutbacks, on the US side in particular. In fact, the scale of the exercise was unprecedented in the past twenty years. The sheer size was made possible by two separate USMC Marine Expeditionary Units (MEU) being available in the area at the same time.

Top image: An M1A1 Abrams tank disembarks from an LCAC near Pohang - the tank originally came from a Guambased Maritime Prepositioning Ship (MPS) 2: An MV-22B Osprey of VMM-262 ‘Flying Tigers’ approaches the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard off the coast of Pohang

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Marine Expeditionary Units

The two participating MEUs were the 31st MEU, which is forward-deployed on Japan’s southern island of Okinawa, and the 13th MEU, which is based at Camp Pendleton in California. These were joined by another infantry battalion based in Okinawa as part of the Unit Deployment Program (UDP) that features six-monthly rotational forces. On this occasion the USMC was able to establish a full-sized Regimental Landing Team (RLT) comprising the following three infantry battalions: • 1/4 Marines - the Battalion Landing Team of the 13th MEU • 2/3 Marines - home based in Hawaii • 2/5 Marines - the Battalion Landing

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Members of 2/3 Marines disembark from an Osprey tiltrotor aircraft during a company-sized vertical assault inland from Dokseok-ri Beach Left: This M1161 Light Strike Vehicle, a member of the Internally Transportable Vehicle (ITV) family, is armed with a .50-cal M2HB machinegun

Team of the 31st MEU The USS Bonhomme Richard Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) of the USN ferried the 31st MEU to and from Korea, while the USS Boxer ARG lifted the 13th MEU. Furthermore, two USMC MV-22B Osprey squadrons participated to form a brigade-sized Aviation Combat Element (ACE). Ospreys based in Okinawa have got up to speed with recent exercises, as well as providing invaluable assistance after Typhoon Haiyan struck the central Philippines last November. Once ashore on the Korean Peninsula, US Marines conducted a week of high-intensity training. Some

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3: A 40mm Mk.19 automatic grenade launcher mounted on an HMMWV provides suppressing fire during a CombinedArms Live-Fire EXercise (CALFEX) 4: A battery of M777A2 155mm lightweight howitzers from 1/12 Marines, an artillery battalion, fires highexplosive shells at Suseong Range

of their activities included vertical raids using Ospreys, amphibious landing drills, live firing of all types of weapon systems (artillery, mortars, tanks and crew-served weapons), and Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT). Something else that made the exercise significant was the deployment of twelve USMC M1A1 Abrams tanks. Such heavy equipment is not typically seen in Asian exercises, so this was a first on such a big scale. The Abrams tanks came from two Maritime Prepositioning Ships (MPS) based in Guam, and they were crewed by reservists from Charlie Company, 4th Tank Regiment of the 4th Marine Division. Half the tanks landed

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via Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) near Pohang, while the remainder were offloaded by crane at Gwangyang port in the south-west of the country. The USA has three squadrons of MPS

Marines from 2/3 climb an embankment as they continue rooting out defenders during a combined raid at an abandoned ROKMC facility

vessels as part of the Military Sealift Command’s (MSC) prepositioning programme. These squadrons with their 31 ships are located in the Mediterranean, Diego Garcia and Guam/Saipan. The ships have sufficient equipment to support a Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) for 30 days and they can unload at sea or at a pier. They are an important factor for supporting USMC contingency operations worldwide. Another special aspect of this year’s SSANG YONG exercise was the first-time participation of a combat formation from the Australian Army. Major Mark Slavin told C&S that 98 soldiers from Bravo Company, 6th Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment (6 RAR) were in South Korea for training. This unit belongs to the 7th Brigade based in Brisbane, and it usually operates with Bushmaster vehicles. It would have made more sense for Australia to despatch 2 RAR to Exercise SSANG YONG, because that unit has taken up a dedicated amphibious role within the Australian Army, but perhaps it will appear in future iterations.

USMC Ups Its Pacific Game There is growing concern amongst top US military officers about their country’s ability to respond to a security crisis in the Asia-Pacific region,

including on the Korean Peninsula. US defence spending is successively being trimmed back, and allies are beginning to question the USA’s ‘staying power’ and its commitment to President Barack Obama’s much-vaunted strategic rebalance. General Curtis Scaparrotti, the commander of US Forces Korea (USFK), said his 28,500-man force on the peninsula was “fully resourced” but he was concerned about the readiness of follow-on forces from the continental US (CONUS) that are critical to American war plans if conflict ever breaks out with the Kim Jong-un regime. Nevertheless, despite American cutbacks, the USMC is approaching restoration of full military capability in the Asia-Pacific region. Lieutenant General John Whissler, commanding general of the III Marine Expeditionary Force (III MEF) that is headquartered in Okinawa, told C&S, “The Marine Corps is almost complete with the rebalance to the Pacific. We now have regained all the ground combat capability [four infantry battalions] that we actually had here in the Pacific prior to 2003. We still have some aviation units that will be complete by the end of this fiscal year or early in the next fiscal year. We will be back to roughly 30,000 Marines in III MEF.” Of this total, 19,000 are positioned west of the International Dateline.

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5: Members of Brisbane-based Bravo Company, 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (6 RAR) conduct urban training at a South Korean facility

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6: This Australian is firing a 7.62mm Maximi machine gun, a recent addition to the army’s inventory - it provides heavier firepower than the standard 5.56mm F89 Minimi

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Recently the Malaysian Army’s Grup Gerak Khas (Special Service Group) undertook a waterfront Counter-Terrorism training exercise and demo in Kuala Lumpur. Gordon Arthur was on hand to capture the action for C&S and we will bring you his report just as soon as sufficient space becomes available. - Image © Gordon Arthur

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First Class Sergeant of the KSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) Royal Guard Regiment equipped with pistol, shotgun, assault rifle, armour plate carrier and helmet

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One of the two brown-clad teams from Saudi Arabia’s elite and seldom seen Special Forces Brigade 64 reach the crest - their start point was the white canopy above the bonnet

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The effort needed to flip the massive tractor tyre can be seen on the faces of China’s Blue Team as they head on the return leg towards the firing point

Ten years ago, at SOFEX 2004, the C&S team was shown plans and a scale model of a projected Special Operations training centre which the Jordanian Ministry of Defence hoped would in time become a world class facility. Five years later, in May 2009, the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training or KATOSC was formally opened and as part of the ceremonies three Spec Ops teams participated in a skills competition. From these humble beginnings the annual WARRIOR COMPETITION grew in size and stature, just like KATOSC itself. In early May we were invited to cover the sixth competition.

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agazine production schedules and prior commitments prevented us being in Jordan at the start of the event to cover the Opening

1: China’s Yellow Team push the pick-up truck loaded with ammo boxes and water jerrycans up a long slope at the end of which awaits the log carry and tyre shifting challenges 2: China’s Snow Leopards (Red Team) striding in perfect unison, with the two largest under one log and the three smallest under the other, head back towards the tractor tyre

Ceremony and display on Wednesday 30th April or the first three stages of the competition held the next day, but eager to document as much of the competition as possible we spent the following three days out under the blazing desert sun following teams around five of the following six stages plus the King’s Challenge finale which took place on the Sunday. On the

Monday we had to break away to sit in on the Middle East Special Operations Commander’s (MESOC), thereby unfortunately missing out on the Top Gun stage, before returning to KASOTC in the late afternoon to photograph the Awards Ceremony. Built inside a massive disused quarry, about half an hour’s drive from down-

Right: Jordan’s Royal Guard engage falling targets from the firing point atop a bund after the truck push, log carry and tyre shifting challenges against the clock Combat & Survival

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All targets had to be knocked down or all magazines emptied before each team was allowed to sprint to the finishing line at the end of the Commando Selection stage 3

town Amman, the KATOSC facility consists of around sixty training buildings ranging in size from domestic dwellings to shops and offices to multi-storey buildings and even includes a full-sized Airbus 300 replica to allow aircraft assaults to be undertaken. Virtually every building can be used for practising live fire scenarios and there are conventional and open terrain pistol, rifle and sniper ranges throughout the quarry complex. Buildings are rigged with cameras and digital monitoring facilities to allow students to learn from their mistakes by replaying events to them in a classroom environment after the assault.

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From our perspective, the primary advantage of being invited to cover the 6th WARRIOR COMPETITION was the opportunity to see almost three dozen or so Spec Ops teams, who would normally be very camera shy, from around twenty nations undertaking a range of gruelling tasks in a highly competitive yet relaxed and friendly environment. ‘CK’, the former US Marine Corps sergeant and head of MissionX, who organised the events on behalf of KATOSC, explained to us that competitors arrive at the centre as ‘alpha males’ eager to prove their superiority but after just a couple of days going head-to-head with the opposition and then socialising

3: The Slovakian Team poses for C&S - note the mix of vz 2007 Pust (Desert) and Lez (Woodland) digital camo patterns plus earlier Czech vz 95 pattern trousers at left Right:At the start of each stage the body armour of one team member (here KSA Royal Guard) was chosen at random and weighed to ensure it met the minimum requirement

Last checks for Palestine’s NSF (National Security Force) Team 101 at the start line of the Urban Assault stage - sniper team position was the roof of the building on the mound

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4: The elite Iraqi Special Operations Forces team receives their final briefing before the Urban Assault - note the door breaching kit carried by the operator second from right 5: Bahrain’s Royal Special Forces Regiment team sprints off - sniper and spotter break left for the roof as the assault team trio heads towards the target building in the village complex 6: Canadian Special Operations Regiment (CSOR) sniper team races up the hill towards the rooftop from where they will suppress hostiles for the assault team

with them in the evenings they soon start forming bonds with guys who are actually not very different from themselves in their skills and dedication. As most of the competitors are currently serving military or law enforcement Special Forces or Special Operators, and as many of them could well be undertaking live operations against deadly enemies in conflict zones when or just after this magazine hits the newsstands, there was a degree of concern about their images being used in a magazine that is widely available in so many countries around the globe. Early on we promised several team managers, most notably from NATO nation teams but also some from the Middle East, that we would obscure facial details where the operators were clean-shaven and/or wearing

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clear EyePro. This is actually pretty much SOP when C&S covers SF or SpecOps personnel, so we would have done it anyway, and just to be on the safe side we are pixellating everybody; with the exception of the Chinese teams, who told us we were okay to publish full faces. This month we are focussing on two of the stages held on Day 2, namely Combat & Survival

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the Commando Selection and the Urban Assault. We also briefly covered the 3-Gun Gauntlet stage, but more on that another day. Like all of the competitive stages, these events included a live-fire element as well as a degree of physical exertion, run against the clock with time and points penalties being awarded for mistakes of failures. In most closeup photos on safety grounds the weapons have no magazine fitted, but as soon as the operators ran into

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the designated firing range area they loaded their weapons. Also on safety grounds, some of my shots had to be taken from a distance using a rather long zoom lens (the Jordanian Army camera team I worked alongside nicknamed this Mr Bob’s RPG!). In brief, the Commando Selection stage involved each 5-man team filling the loadbed of a pick-up truck with ammo boxes and full jerrycans then pushing it more than 500 metres

up a slope, after which they raced out and back over a 200-metre course carrying two telegraph poles, before flipping (not rolling) a very heavy tyre at least 50 metres around a traffic cone and repositioning it exactly inside a marked circle, then they engaged a bank of dropping targets at 100 metres and finally sprinted another 100 metres to the finishing line ... against the clock. To be continued ...

7: A three-man assault team - this one is Jordanian - makes its way speedily to the Forming Up Point as its snipers provide overwatch from high above our camera position 8: The assault trio from Palestine’s NSF 101, protected by snipers overhead, sprint from the Forming Up Point towards the target building to locate and take down a high value target Left: The rooftop snipers overhead had to engage several hostiles in and around this urban complex - two of the targets in the open which were visible from our camera position are ringed in red Images © Bob Morrison : Military Scene

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TR-85 M1 ‘Bizonul’ tanks of the Batalionului 284 Tancuri on the move - their 8VSA2T2M 8-cylinder turbocharged direct injection diesel engines give a top speed of 60km/hr

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he TR-85 M1 ‘Bizonul’, or ‘Bison’, is the most modern variant of the Tanc Românesc Model 1985 cu Motor de 800cp, also called TR-85-800 or in short just the TR-85. The TR-85 was developed between 1978 and 1986, based on the Tanc Românesc Model 1977 cu Motor de 580cp, or TR-77-580. The TR-77-580 in turn is a Romania-built variant of the Soviet T-55 that features a modified and stretched hull, a chassis with six road wheels on each side and armoured side skirts. In comparison to the TR-77-580 the more modern TR-85 features a new turret, a new and more powerful fire control system, a new suspension and a more powerful engine. Some 400 of the TR-77-580 were manufactured between 1977 and 1981. The TR-85 went into series production in 1986 and up to 1990 around 100 vehicles were produced annually. Production of the TR-85 took place at the Fabrica

1&2: Between 1997 and 2009 the Romanian Armed Forces received a total of 54 of the TR-85 M1 - Batalionului 284 Tancuri is the only unit in the Romanian Army equipped with this main battle tank

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De Maüini Grele Speciale in Bucharest; today the tank plant runs under the ¸ designation Uzina Mecanica Bucuresti (UMB) and belongs to the 100% stateowned Romarm S.A. which is the largest supplier for arms and ammunition to the Romanian Armed Forces. )

According to the United Nations the Romanian Army has a total of 857 main battle tanks in its vehicle inventory, namely; 530 T-55, 42 TR-77580, 231 TR-85 and 54 TR-85 M1 ‘Bizonul’. Based at Galati in eastern Romania, the Batalionului 284 Tancuri of the Brigada 282 Mecanizata ‘Unirea Principatelor’ is the only tank battalion in the Romanian Army to field the TR-85 M1 ‘Bizonul’ MBT. In May 2014 one company of TR-85 M1 tanks was deployed to southern Germany for exercise COMBINED RESOLVE II (see page 09). C&S used the occasion, which also marked the first deployment of Romanian tanks abroad since World War II, to research and photograph the ‘Bizonul’ MBT.

Modernisation To NATO Standard With the end of the Cold War, the Combat & Survival

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The suspension of the TR-85 M1 ‘Bizonul’ consists of torsion bars and hydro-gas shock absorbers - these tanks are fitted with a double pin track with exchangeable rubber pads

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¸ downfall of the Ceausescu Regime, the collapse of the Soviet Union and the disbandment of the Warsaw Pact, Romanian politicians began to look for new allies in the West as early as in 1991/1992. In 1994 Romania joined the Partnership for Peace (PfP) programme, newly established by NATO, and in March 2004 the country finally became a member of NATO. The drive to NATO membership required the Romanian Armed Forces to transform themselves to meet NATO standards; a difficult enterprise, made even more difficult by the insufficient funds available. It was the financial issue that drove the Romanian Armed Forces to adopt the policy of modernising in-service equipment whenever possible to meet NATO standards instead of buying new equipment. In 1994 under this policy the Romanian Armed Forces launched the Progamuli de Modernizare a Tancului Mijlociu Romanesc TR-85 M1 ‘Bizonul’ programme for the modernisation of the TR-85 to NATO standard.

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The nickname ‘Bizonul’ was assigned to the new vehicle right from the beginning, it standing for Bison. Under the programme it was planned to upgrade the vehicle in the areas of firepower, protection and mobility as well as to fit it with modern communication equipment. Development of the TR-85 M1 was conducted by the Romanian Armed Forces in close cooperation with western companies such as Aerospatiale-Matra, Sagem, Kollmorgen-Artus and Racal, as well as Romanian companies such as Romarm S.A., METRA - Military Equipment and Technologies Research Agency, Electromagnetica S.A., Faur Bucuresti, Elprof S.A., IOR and Aeroteh S.A. In 1997, after completion of the development work and successful trials with prototype vehicles, the TR-85 M1 ‘Bizonul’ went into series production. Between 1997 and 2009 a total of 54 TR-85 were upgraded to the ‘Bizonul’ version. During the upgrade process the vehicles were, for example, fitted with a modified turret with extended turret bustle, a new electronic fire control system, new optics and night vision equipment, a new, more powerful engine, a new transmission, a new braking system, a fire suppression system and a laser warning system.

Short Description

The TR-85 M1 ‘Bizonul’ MBT features a conventional layout. The driver is seated in the front, the turret is mounted centrally on the hull over the

3: A crew refuels their TR-85 M1 - in addition to internal tanks the vehicle is fitted with a number of fuel tanks on top of the track guards

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4: The ‘Bizonul’ has a gross weight of 50 tonnes and a ground clearance of 420mm 5: Main armament is the 100mm A308 rifled tank gun - its BM-421 Sg APFSDS-T ammo can defeat up to 328mm of rolled homogeneous armour at a distance of 4,000m

fighting compartment and the engine compartment is situated in the rear of the hull. Inside the turret of the vehicle the commander and gunner are seated on the left while the loader is seated on the right. The MBT has a gross vehicle weight of 50,000kg, is 9,920mm long, 3,430mm wide, 2,380mm high and has a ground

The tank is of conventional layout - the driver is seated in the front, the fighting compartment is situated in the centre, the turret is above this, and the engine compartment at the rear

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Mobility clearance of 420mm. The vehicle can reach a top speed of 60km/h, has a road-range of 400km, can cross trenches up to 2,800mm wide and climb over obstacles up to 900mm high.

Protection

The front armour of the hull has a maximum thickness of 200mm, that of the turret 320mm. A composite add-on armour package fitted to the front of the turret offers additional protection. The elements of the composite armour can be easily exchanged once they have received battle damage. Armoured side skirts increase the protection of the side of the hull from attacks with shaped charge warheads.

The TR-85 M1 ‘Bizonul’ is powered by a Model 8VS-A2T2M liquid cooled, 8-cylinder, turbo-charged, direct injection diesel engine developing 860hp at 2300 rpm. The engine is connected to a THM-5800 hydro-mechanical gear shift, steering and braking transmission with four forward and two reverse gears. The brakes are of the dry multidisc type. On each side the running gear of the vehicle consists of a drive sprocket at the rear, six rubber tyre dual road wheels, a front mounted idler wheel and four return rollers. The suspension consists of torsion bars and hydrogas shock absorbers. The tanks are fitted with a double pin track with exchangeable rubber pads.

Armament

As main weapon the TR-85 M1 ‘Bizonul’

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Above: Insignia worn by the tankers of Batalionului 284 Tancuri of Brigada 282 Mecanizata ‘Unirea Principatelor’ )

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The driver is seated in a belt-harness seat mounted under the roof of the hull. The MBT is fitted with the SAILR (Sistem de Avertizare la Iluminarea Laser ¸si Radar) laser and radar illumination warning system that detects laser or radar painting of the vehicle and warns the crew so that they can initiate counter-measures; for example firing flares or smoke grenades from the vehicle’s smoke grenade discharger system that features a total of twenty 81mm launch tubes. The system can also be programmed to set off the smoke grenade discharger system automatically.

6: The12.7mm DShK heavy machinegun can be used in the anti-aircraft role or to engage ground targets 7: The driver, here sitting head out, is seated in the front left of the hull 8: Batalionului 284 tank commander - he sports the black beret worn by members of armoured units of the Romanian Army

utilizes a 100mm A308 rifled tank gun. The barrel of this is fitted with a fume extractor and a thermal protection sleeve. A skilled loader can fire up to seven rounds from the gun in one minute. Ammunition available for the gun includes: the BK-412R and BK-5M HEAT rounds, the OF-412 HE round, the BR-412B and BR-412D AP-T rounds and target practice rounds. The BM-421 Sg APFSDS-T round was developed as part of the upgrade programme that led to the TR-85 M1 ‘Bizonul’. With the BM-421 Sg APFSDS-T, rolled homogeneous armour up to 328mm thick can be penetrated at a distance of up to 4,000m.

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To increase first round hit capability, especially when the MBT is moving, the gun is fitted with an electrical stabilization system, the turret drive is also completely electric. Among other components the fire control equipment of the tank includes: the SCF CICLOP -M ballistic fire control computer, the MATIS STD multi-purpose thermal imager operating at wavelengths between 3 and 5 —m in the spectral band, a laser rangefinder and the commander’s EC2-55R 55R panoramic sight with integrated second generation thermal imaging sight. Coaxially to the main gun, the tank is fitted with a 7.62mm PK general purpose machinegun. Next to the commander’s hatch a 12.7mm DShK heavy machinegun is installed that can be used for antiaircraft work or to engage soft targets on the ground. The ‘Bizonul’ also features an NBC protection system. A fire suppression system that uses halon is fitted to the fighting compartment and engine compartment of the vehicle. The driver is equipped with an AONP-I passive night sight.

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The above two images taken in late June this year are of Romanian 284 Battalion TR-85 tanks undertaking a live fire exercise at Grafenwöhr - note how side skirts are fitted and one tank is fitted with auxiliary fuel tanks at the rear [US Army: Specialist Markus Rauchenberger] Images © Carl Schulze unless noted

Manufacturer

Romarm

Crew

4 (driver, commander, gunner and loader)

Gross Vehicle Weight

50,000kg

Length

9,920mm

Width

3,430mm

Height

2,380mm

Ground clearance

420mm

Maximum road range

400 km

Maximum speed

60km/h

Power to weight ratio

17.2 hp/ton

Main armament

1x 100mm A308 rifled tank gun

Main armament rate of fire

4 to 7 rounds a minute

Secondary armament

1x coaxial 7.62mm PK general purpose machine gun 1x 12.7mm DShK heavy machine gun 20x smoke grenade discharger tubes

On board ammunition

41 rounds 100mm ammunition for main gun 4.500 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition 750 rounds of 12.7mm ammunition 24 smoke grenades 6 flares

Engine

Model 8VS-A2T2M liquid cooled, 8-cylinder, turbo charged, direct injection diesel engine, developing 860hp at 2300 rpm

Transmission

THM-5800 hydro-mechanical gear shift, steering and braking transmission with 4 forward and 2 reverse gears

Suspension

Torsion bars and hydrogas shock absorbers

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1: Glacis plate and front skirt - frontal armour is 200mm thick 2: Drivers hatch and vision block - a passive sight can be fitted at night 3: Glacis plate from above - note the infrared and night driving light 4: Armoured air intake filter box with exhaust outlet grille behind 5: Idler wheel at front 6: Road and return wheels Images © Carl Schulze 7: Pinion wheel at rear 34

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8: Engine cooling grilles 9: Laser and radar sensor 10: DShK ammo pouches 11: DShK heavy machine gun 12: Turret composite armour 13: Commander and Loader hatches 14: Thermal imager 15: Commander’s periscopes 16: Smoke dischargers above exhaust

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“You are off into somewhere unknown. You are carrying enough water for the expected duration of the task. But if things change, do you know the effects and early warning symptoms of dehydration? Do you know how to conserve the water already inside you, and thereby reduce your needs? If supplies run out, do you know the best sources of water in the wild?” Jason Polley

Dehydration is often associated in our mind’s eye with the baking sun and endless desert sands but in reality we humans cannot survive very long without water in even temperate climatic conditions Model: Gin Image © Bob Morrison Combat & Survival

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Stay cool by wearing a wetted scarf - this will reduce your need for water

Dehydration Bear in mind you need several litres of water a day to survive and considerably more if in a hot climate, physically exerting yourself. Unless you are drinking plenty and eating kilos of juicy fruits, you will inevitably drift into a dehydrated state. The key signs of dehydration to look for are:• Darker urine than usual • Ringing in your ears • Feeling irritable • Fatigue • Headaches Thirst is an unreliable indicator of your fluid needs, especially in colder climates. It is therefore important to schedule water breaks regardless of how you feel and to keep an eye on your mates. As dehydration worsens, delirium sets in, as does slurred speech, dizziness and ultimately death. However, what more commonly happens is that your judgement and good sense

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become impaired and you make dangerous decisions. It is irritability and impatience that leads to carelessness that exposes you to avoidable life-threatening situations.

WATER CONSERVATION

If water supplies are running low, take action by reducing your water needs. Change your behaviour and conserve what you have by taking on board the following:• Rest in the shade during the hottest parts of the day, using the night and dawn/dusk for physical activity. • Keep cool by wetting clothes with undrinkable fluids such as urine and seawater. • Stop talking and instead breathe only through your nose - every time you open your mouth, you lose water as vapour ... so shut it! • Water is needed to digest food so eat less, especially fatty foods, until adequate water is available. • Stay covered up with loose-fitting cotton clothing and thereby reduce

Above: Carry what water you can, but find out where you can get refills before you run out 1: Sucking a pebble or button will keep your mouth moist and make you more comfortable

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fluid loss through evaporation. You should automatically follow the above whenever in hot climates and conserve what water you have. Ease the discomfort of a dry mouth and throat by sucking a smooth pebble or button. Remember, you can last several weeks on very little food, but only a few days without water.

FINDING WATER IN THE WILD

Two factors must be stressed: One, if your own supplies look to be inadequate, start looking for further water before you become too physically weak or mentally incapacitated. Two, use several water gathering methods simultaneously to maximise your chances of finding enough water.

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There are three main sources to exploit.

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• From the ground: pools, streams, lakes, rain, etc. If collecting water from a river, draw it from the middle where it flows fastest and cleanest. Be very cautious of drinking still water from small pools as it may be contaminated. If you do not see birds and animals drinking from these sources, or do not see their prints on the bank, it is probably best if you avoid it as well. Bees, flies and ants are never that far from a water source, so see where they go. Follow grain-eating birds and herbivorous animals and see where their tracks lead. Carnivorous animals obtain much of their liquids from blood, so are an unreliable indicator

2: One of the early signs of dehydration is the onset of headaches and irritability 3: Dig a hole in boggy ground and allow cleaner water to drain into it 4: Always carry some water purification tablets on you 5: Boiling water for several minutes will kill most nasties Images © or via Jason Polley

of a nearby water source. Notice the lay of the land and see where water would naturally gather, such as the outside of rivers and the bottom of valleys. Dig an Indian Well in boggy ground: dig a hole half a metre deep and half a metre wide. At first it will fill with dirty water; scoop this out and let it refill. It will eventually fill with cleaner water which after boiling (just to make sure) is drinkable. Gather dew and rainwater from wet grass with absorbent clothing and wring it out into a container. Collect rainwater as best you can, but make sure the container is clean and not contaminated with something that will induce sickness or diarrhoea. • From plants: succulent fruit and vegetables are obvious choices but be careful of eating too much Combat & Survival

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Draw water from the middle of a river where it is fastest and cleanest and about 30cm (1ft) deep. Put in something damp such as vegetation, and place a water container in the middle. Cover the hole with a translucent plastic sheet and seal the edges with earth. Drop a stone onto the plastic directly above the water container. Water, in small amounts, should condense on the underside of the plastic sheet and drip into your container. • From animals: blood is full of nutrients as well as a source of hydrating liquid. Eye balls contain a drinkable liquid as well. Yum yum! (particularly if unripe) as it may induce diarrhoea. Generally, avoid drinking milky sap, but coconut milk and the liquid from barrel cacti are drinkable.

Above: Avoid still pools if possible as they may be contaminated

Cover part of a leafy plant with a plastic bag, seal it and catch the ensuing water that will collect through condensation.

6: Small water purifiers like this can save your life and keep you functioning.

Try making a solar still: dig a hole about a metre (3ft) across

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METHODS OF PURIFICATION Water gathered from plants, animals, by condensation or by melting snow or ice does not need to be purified. Water gathered from the ground, river, lakes, etc. does. Unless you have a proper filter, improvise and pass the water through a mesh of fine cloth and/or a tube (perhaps a sock) containing sand and charcoal, but not ash. Do this a few times then drop in some water

purification tablets into your container, or boil it for at least five minutes. Dirty water must be filtered as best you can before trying to purify it with tablets. These methods may not kill every beastie, but they will help.

REHYDRATION

Rehydration from a dehydrated state must be done slowly. Gulping down a quick litre will probably induce vomiting. Instead, sip it and allow your body to re-adjust slowly. Ideally add a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of sugar to each cup you drink, as this will make you feel better quicker. See you next time when we will discuss the importance of fire.

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Today the European nation of Serbia, though not a member of NATO, is an active participant in NATO’s Partnership for Peace (PfP) programme and, as we will see in a follow-on article in this month’s issue, it also participates in United Nations peace-keeping missions. However, following the collapse of the Iron Curtain at the start of the 1990s, what was originally one of the major constituent subrepublics, both in terms of size and population, of the post-WWII Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia became embroiled in civil war with its neighbouring republics and then with the internal semi-autonomous republic of Kosovo.

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ince peacefully parting company in 2006 with Montenegro to the east, which had been lumped in with its Serb neighbours since the end of World War One, Serbia has both become less insular and modernised its armed forces on more Western lines. Conscription was abandoned at the start of 2011, considerably downsizing the total number of troops in service, and today the Serbian Army (Kopnena Vojska) is fully professional with

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around 22,000 Regular troops; though possibly as many as eight times that number are available as trained Reservists. Around the time of the break-up of Yugoslavia a new five-colour oak leaf camouflage pattern, designed in 1989, was widely introduced across the JNA (Yugoslav National Army) and in due course Serbia inherited this as the M89 pattern. This consisted of three shades of green plus reddish brown and black. Around 2001 one of the green shades was dropped and

The detail images on this page and the overall shots on the preceding pages were taken by Carl during Exercise COMBINED RESOLVE. In most shots the lightest shade appears greenish but this is an optical illusion as very light shades take on the hue of their surroundings; this being the primary reason they are used. The lower right image of a Serbian soldier wearing the earlier M-MDU-02 pattern was taken by our sadly missed friend Yves Debay in 2008. Images © Carl Schulze unless noted

replaced with light tan. This camo, which was slightly tweaked a couple of times, was designated Model Maskiranje Dezen Uniforme - 2002 (i.e. Model 2002 Camouflage Design Uniform) and abbreviated to M-MDU-02. In 2010 a pixellated version of this five-colour woodland-type camo was introduced, with shades and area percentages being not too dissimilar, under the designation M-MDU-10. The colours of this new digital camo, which is now in widespread use, are a light stone/tan shade, bottle green, pea green, reddish brown and black. The pixels are not unduly large; unlike, for example, Slovakia’s Les and Pust patterns introduced in 2007.

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OUR RECENT ASSIGNMENT IN CYPRUS, COVERING THE MAIN CONTINGENTS SERVING WITH UNFICYP ON ITS 50TH BIRTHDAY, GAVE US AN UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO PHOTOGRAPH SEVERAL DIFFERENT CAMOUFLAGE UNIFORMS IN A SIMILAR FORMAT. IN MAY WE STARTED PRESENTING EACH ONE INDIVIDUALLY, COMMENCING WITH AN ARGENTINIAN NCO. HOPEFULLY OUR IMAGES AND NOTES WILL BE OF USE TO OUR UNIFORM / CAMO COLLECTOR READERS AND TO BADGE COLLECTORS, AND POSSIBLY TO LIVING HISTORY RE-ENACTORS TOO. EACH SOLDIER HAS BEEN PHOTOGRAPHED IN THE SAME WAY - USUALLY KNEELING, FRONT, LEFT, BACK AND RIGHT - PLUS THERE ARE CLOSE-UPS OF BOTH CAMO PATTERN AND BADGES WORN.

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n this fifth and final article in the mini-series we are concluding with the Serbian Contingent (SERBCON) who work under Slovakian Contingent (SLOVCON) command in Sector 4, at the eastern end of the UN Buffer Zone through Cyprus. The uniform they wear is the woodland or temperate digital pattern introduced in 2010 and designated Model - Maskiranje Dezen Uniforme - 2010, or M-MDU10. This is the same camo worn by the Serbian troops who participated on Exercise COMBINED RESOLVE in Germany in May and which is covered in the preceding article on pages 42-44. Although Serbia trialled a desert theatre digital camouflage pattern a few years ago, and in

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Images © Bob Morrison Military Scene

the past small contingents of personnel deployed on UN duties to arid areas have worn foreign desert pattern uniforms, such as Bulgarian 3-colour DDPM, the nation currently only fields M-MDU-10 for conventional troop deployments. SERBCON in Sector 4 is a 45-strong reinforced platoon which has responsibility for one third of the sector but also supplies personnel to both the Mobile Force Reserve in Nicosia and the sector headquarters at Famagusta. With this being such a comparatively small detachment deployed overseas it would not be financially viable to produce M-MDU combats in desert colours so the woodland pattern is issued. The Serbian peacekeepers on

This well-received Kit & Camo miniseries, which grew out of a simple kernel of an idea, would not have been possible without the assistance of all those UN personnel who volunteered to pose for C&S. We would like to express our thanks to each and every one of them plus to the UN Press Officers who helped make it happen.

these pages were photographed while undertaking vehicle or familiarisation patrols out in the Buffer Zone in early March, when Aphrodite’s Island is at its most verdant, so their uniforms blend in reasonably well. As daytime temperatures were well above 20C it was T-shirt weather and one of the Blue Berets posed for us without his jacket to allow us to photograph the standard M-MDU10 pattern issue garment worn underneath the combat jacket. Other photos on this page show the low visibility national badge, flag and rank insignia.

“The second you stop learning, is the second you start dying!” That is a phrase I recently used when talking to Afghan National Army soldiers while teaching a counter-IED class in Helmand Province. The point I was trying to get across was that in an IED environment, your most important asset is your mind and how you use it to solve or predict certain situations. I am convinced this maxim can be applied to anything involving life or death in the military, and police or, for civilian application, self-defence. This is why, when I received an opportunity to spend some time with UK Forces on Camp Bastion and shoot some of their weapons, I leapt at the chance.

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ore than a simple gun review, I’m taking this as a little bit extra. Being an Infantry Marine, forward deployed, I looked at this shoot as a way to examine in depth the differences between the ways the British do things on their shooting side of the house and the way we do on ours. How our two countries view safety, range operations, shooting qualifications, and immediate action procedures for example. Something that is seriously disquieting to me as a Marine is that sometimes our military is so sucked up into doing things ‘our’ way that we become convinced that it is the best and only way. Indeed a lot of how we operate is absolutely amazing, winning wars since 1775 and becoming deadly proficient at it; as examples, using integrated Marine Expeditionary Units (MEU SOC) that can be in any conflict zone within a matter of days, or basing our tactics upon Combined Arms and Manoeuvre Warfare. But this sometimes gives us blinkers and I see it when I talk about

Main Image: British soldiers shoot rounds at their targets during the Regional Corps Battle School’s March and Shoot Competition at Camps Bastion and Leatherneck in Helmand Province, March 27th 2014. The ‘Marines vs. British’ competition involved 21, 4-man teams running 7.2 kilometres then each team member firing 20 rounds with their rifle and 20 rounds with their pistol [US DoD: Sgt. Jessica Ostroska]

how other nations conduct their business of waging war. The response I usually get is “Oh, that is very interesting” or “How neat”, but it always ends there. Going back to my opening statement, with war or really any organisation, if it isn’t constantly changing to an international tempo, it is doomed to failure. This is not to say that the US Armed Forces are an archaic and obsolete organisation. The military is very good at adapting to the enemy it is facing, but I’m putting this insight out there as a caution to anyone potentially falling in this trap of not being open-minded.

SA80/L85 ASSAULT RIFLE

Adopted as the national service rifle in 1987, and replacing the L1A1 FN FAL, the SA80 (Small Arms of the 1980s) got off to a rocky start in terms of reliability. Looking through photos of British troops in the first Gulf War, one can see a lot of the rifles are taped up to prevent jams from the sand.

At the very end of the 1990s the SA80 and Heckler & Koch saved each other. The firearms manufacturer was going through a tough financial time and the SA80 seemed to have no reliable version in sight. H&K took up re-manufacturing and made a number of changes which culminated in the L85A2 and more recently upgrade L85A3 versions of today. These are currently in use with all of the British Army, the Royal Marines and the RAF Regiment, with several variant offshoots such as shorter carbines, single fire cadet rifles, and the heavy barrel LSW as a squad support weapon. One fact that a lot of people tend to forget about the rifle is that it gave the UK, which has an army to be reckoned with, a service rifle with magnified optical sights. Of course Austria had adopted the Steyr AUG with its optical sight in 1978 but the Austrian Army doesn’t go to war all over the world. To put this in perspective, the US Marine Corps didn’t begin fielding optical sights until Operation IRAQI FREEDOM in 2003 and even that was only to a Designated Marksman in a rifle squad. The rest of the infantry had to wait as late as 2005 to have the 4x Trijicon ACOG; RCO (Rifle Combat Optic) being the nomenclature used in the Marines. The Army was on a similar schedule. Nowadays, almost every modern army has optical sights on their service rifles, even some third world armies do as well. Then of course there’s the whole bullpup configuration debate but that is beyond the scope of this article.

ON THE RANGE

The course of fire and the range were very simple, just some basic CMP drills; shooting from the prone, kneeling, and standing, while on

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Right: Author leaning in to the weapon while conducting a Combat Marksmanship drill with the L85A2. As is evidenced by his stance, it was very easy to get tight with the weapon because of its compactness; something very necessary while shooting offhand and while on the move. Because, unlike a kneeling or prone position where a shooter will use bone support to build a foundation for the rifle to shoot from, in the offhand standing the foundation has to be a tight hold on the rifle to help steady it for a shot. Notice the gear worn in the picture is the exact same set-up that is taken out by a typical US Marine Infantryman in Afghanistan [MV] 1: Every UK Forces Glock 17 is issued with the Radar holster - the author highly rates it [BM] 2: SA80A2 fitted with Trijicon ACOG sight with Shield CQB sight atop plus a polymer Emag [BM] Images © Miles Vining collection, Greg Roberts or Bob Morrison

the move, and from different yard lines within 36 yards. We did some incapacitation double tap drills as well. I shot two full magazines through the SA80 and one magazine through the Glock. Nothing too strenuous or torture testing. This was due to the range and time constraints. In addition to me being a guest on Camp Bastion, conducting something like 500 rounds or a water test was certainly not permissible, unlike the type of full review if I had the weapons on hand in a range back in the States. But I was very grateful for this opportunity to learn about and try out a new weapon system, a rifle I had only observed or read about before. The conduct of the range was professionally administered and very well disciplined. This was done in a subtle manner unlike many Marine ranges where conduct is strictly controlled. Even though commands were simple, safety was very much paramount and at no time was an unsafe act allowed to continue.

The SA80 that I was able to shoot was by all means a modern rifle, apart from the original SUSAT sight. Most of the British Infantry that go outside the wire are equipped with the Trijicon ACOG or an Elcan SPECTER sight but the rear echelon soldiers have the old SUSAT. Apart from that, the rifle has a full spectrum Picatinny rail system as the handguard, a grip pod, and Magpul Emags are issued out en masse to the Army. The sling is a thin green type that is really only used in garrison. On patrol clips are issued and the rifle can be clipped to an Osprey (British flak jacket) in other words making it a One Point sling. The rifles on Bastion have a black finish but this is painted over with a light tan that stays on, rifles in-theatre for a good period of time are seen with this starting to wear off. Being a bullpup layout, the rifle itself is very compact, and its width is noticeably thin, compared to an M16/M4. This translated into me being able to get

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a very tight stance with the rifle. This is great for offhand shooting, not to mention urban operations. The tighter I can be with a rifle, the more control I can exert over its firing and effects down range. This was especially evident at the 36 yard (33 metres) line I was shooting at. I cannot speak for longer ranges as that was all the camp range facilitated. Using the SUSAT, the point of aim was point of impact with the scope set on the 300 metre Battle Sight Zero dial. To adjust for further ranges, the user must manipulate the dial to the correct yard line. Adjustments go up to 800 metres and there are peep-hole iron sights on top of the scope. Also to gain proper eye relief the shooter must place his eye more or less on the scope. And what of scope bite? On the SUSAT there is a rubber fitting that prevents any, with about an inch of rubber in between the shooter and the actual cast iron of the scope. The grip pod (downgrip) was useful but my personal opinion on the grip pod is quite negative, nothing to do with the SA80 but my own experience with it as a Marine. It’s too large/bulky as a grip and too fragile as a bipod. It’s absolutely great if all you are doing is gently setting the weapon on level ground while you are attending to some trivial matter. But using it as a legitimate shooting support, in the rough and unforgiving space of a live fire range or in a gunfight, it is worthless and the legs will eventually break. I have no idea what the rage is with these things in the AR market in the States. If you disagree, you’re welcome to run a live fire range with me and a support weapon, grip pod mounted. In the meantime if having a grip pod on your AR makes you all the more prepared to fend off the apocalypse then knock your socks off. Operating the SA80 is rather straightforward but a little awkward for me, being very M16/M4 controls minded. To chamber a round, the shooter must first insert the magazine. Being a bullpup, this is a

The author has some concerns about the issue downgrip / bipod but not the rifle itself [BM] 52

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different affair than an M16/M4. British doctrine dictates that the right hand must always be on the pistol grip, a very sound principle realising that we have the same one but in using an M16/M4 sometimes one must use his right hand for manipulation. Tilting the rifle to the right, the shooter inserts a magazine, then tilting it the opposite direction to the left, the shooter then charges the rifle with the left hand on the cocking knob. A good tap is then required when the knob has gone fully forward, similar to tapping the forward assist on an M16/M4. Here is where I have an issue from a tactical perspective. Most of this requires the shooter to break his hold to the target, even if he is physically looking at the target, the rifle must be tilted this way and that and is not pointed

where he is looking. Unlike our rifles where a shooter can complete most operations without even breaking a cheek wield. Of course after much training and familiarisation I’m sure I could get to a point where I could manipulate the rifle fast enough to get it back up in the case of a stoppage or empty magazine. For immediate action procedures, I do prefer the British method over the American. Since basic training many servicemen have it drummed into their heads the phrase ‘Tap, Rack, Bang’ when dealing with a misfire. In procedure terms, this means to tap the bottom of the magazine with the free hand, rack the charging handle to the rear, and then attempt to fire. This is good apart from one often omitted necessary step. A good PMI will always be sure to let you know that immediate action requires; observe for feeding and ejecting, then move to ‘Tap, Rack, Bang’. The British procedure cuts right to the chase; if encountering a stoppage, tilt the rifle to the left,

Above: The author getting hands-on with the L85A2. The simple green webbing sling is mostly used in garrison while combat troops use a simple clip that attaches on one end to the rear sling swivel and the other end to their Osprey. This makes a very handy one point sling attachment while on patrol. The British small arms range on Bastion at which this is taking place was very well and thoroughly constructed, with proper shooting position markers and range markers all over [MV]

Shooting the British Glock 17 was just like shooting any other Glock. In other words, flawless reliability. The lanyard is swinging towards the target because of the presentation of the pistol. The author’s grip on the pistol is more indicative of an IPSC competition but that is because of the author’s experience shooting pistol competitions in the United States. The left shoulder pocket is bulky because of the required CAT tourniquet inside it, this is done by many Marine units in theatre [MV] trigger. The trigger itself does not have a heavy pull, it is a two-stage military trigger with slack being about 2/3 of the way back. The issue for me was the reset time. A shooter has to almost release his finger the entire length of travel for the trigger to reset to the hammer in order to get off the next shot. If you release it too soon, that next shot cannot be made until the trigger is released all the way. Once again, with constant training this issue will go away, but from a shooter’s perspective, looking at the rifle in general, I find the trigger to be lacking.

retract the charging knob and observe the chamber. This immediately forces the shooter to confront the malfunction. It may just be an empty magazine or it may be a double feed, but the point is you are looking directly at the problem instead of possibly making it worse by executing ‘Tap, Rack, Bang’. Firing the SA80 is just like any bullpup, the biggest problem from my view is the

Above: The Glock 17 has an increased magazine capacity of 17x 9mm rounds compared to the 12+1 of its Browning predecessor [Courtesy Greg Roberts]

Apart from this, the rifle functioned great, no malfunctions whatsoever. When the bolt is locked to the rear after the last round, the charging knob can be visually seen locked to the rear in the corner of the shooter’s right eye. This was a comfort compared to an M16/M4 where if you’re not carefully paying attention to the vibrations of the rifle, you can miss feeling the bolt lock back after the last round. The bolt locking levers are on both sides of the weapon, very convenient compared to the M16/M4 where the release catch is only on the left side. Unless you’re

super tactically outfitted and have a Magpul BAD lever of course. The rifle is also only meant to be fired from the right shoulder, with no modifications available for left handed shooters. Lefties have to adapt or have a horrible shooting experience.

GLOCK 17 GEN 4

Now that the SA80 is aptly described, I’ll move on to the 9x19mm Glock 17 pistol. The Glock itself was simply a standard Glock 17 acquired by the MoD to replace the ageing Browning Hi Power. This, along with the Sig Sauer P226 is becoming the face of the British military’s sidearms. I’m not going to expound on the Glock because its reputation is world renowned, all the readers probably know that and I’m not

The Glock 17 Gen 4 model was introduced for frontline operational service in 2013 [BM] Combat & Survival

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wasting space beating a dead horse. What I will cover is the operating procedures and the holster. Also, the course of fire with a pistol involved a kneeling position which is different from the Marine Corps’ pistol course which is all standing positions. In regards to the holsters and operating procedures, this is what I found the most interesting. With the US Armed Forces and the M9 Beretta, the safety conditions are set upon the pistol, with magazine inserted, Safety on, and round in the chamber; all various safety measures. With a Safety-less Glock, the British have to improvise. With a magazine inserted, no round in the chamber, the pistol being in the holster is itself considered a safety feature. Once drawn, the pistol has now been raised to an elevated safety level, racking the slide brings it to the final condition before firing. Inserting the pistol back in the holster brings the condition back down. The holster in use is certainly a wise pick in my opinion. When the MoD adopted the Glock 17 it also adopted the Radar 1957 Level 3 holster set as well. This is a small company that has its product made in Italy. In comparison to the US equivalent, the Black Hawk! SERPA, I think the Radar offers some distinct advantages. Before I delve into the differences, let it be known that the UK also issues SERPA holsters but only for soldiers issued the Sig Sauer P226. Also, if readers are wondering why I am choosing to compare the Radar to Black Hawk! specifically, and not Safariland rigs or other holsters in use, it is because service-wide the SERPA

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is the most thoroughly issued out and used personally by those with Beretta’s signed out to. Both holster systems are designed to have rotating angles of draw and both are made in sets with different cradles intended for thigh, hip, and chest/ flak mounted carry. This is to facilitate wearing the pistol in a garrison setting without body armour on. But if the user dons his flak vest, he can easily transition his holster from a thigh/hip mount to a vest mounted one, as some prefer to have the handgun high up on their chest while burdened down with gear. This makes for drawing a handgun in confined spaces such as in the turret of an American MRAP or British Foxhound more accessible. The difference between these two locking systems is quite noticeable; the Radar is much more robust than the SERPA. The Radar’s locking cradle is permanently attached to the mount, and the holster locks in via a built-up circular device. The SERPA on the other hand, is held in place by two rotating pieces of plastic in its cradle. The cradle is secured to the mount via three Phillips head screws. For robustness the Radar takes the lead. In retention though, SERPA is a lot faster in drawing, it already has a good reputation and that is primarily what it

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Above: A side by side comparison of the author’s issued M4/M203 and British L85A2. This L85A2 was mostly used at Bastion and thus doesn’t have the Elcan/Trijicon scope or the Insight laser/ light aiming module that an infantryissued L85A2 would have for outside the wire. Notice the British issued Emag. US Marines are very envious of their British counterparts because the USMC recently made it against regulations to use any polymer magazine while in-theatre so we have to contend with issued steel or aluminium magazines for our rifles [MV] 3: The author highly rates the Glock 17 and C&S has yet to hear a bad word said of it [BM]

is based on and founded upon. But as the saying goes ‘Not so fast….’. This retention system is dependent on a single swivel that locks the trigger guard into place, no other lock is present. The swivel is also about the size of a quarter. The holster is also very exposed with the muzzle portion completely open. The Radar’s retention system is a twostage, the first is activated by the firing hand thumb to release the slide lock and the second is operated by the trigger or middle finger to release the pistol itself. Although slower initially, with training I’m sure the speed can be brought up to that of the SERPA. But what I like about the Radar is that it exposes the pistol less and is a two stage retention system, but most of all the pressure is more on the shooter’s middle finger. Instead with the SERPA all the pressure is on the trigger finger during the draw. From a safety perspective this is perfect; I can draw the Radar all day without worrying about an ND happening but although the SERPA is quick, the retention isn’t as good and the chances of a novice blasting chunks of ground is somewhat plausible. I believe a few YouTube videos have even been posted about negligent discharges with the SERPA. At the conclusion of the shoot, I was extremely satisfied having gained valuable experience shooting a NATO country’s weapons. I was very thankful for the opportunity. But, more importantly, I had learned about how another military operates, because the second you stop learning is the second you start dying. Footnote: Miles Vining is a US Marine who has undertaken two operational tours in Afghanistan as a Marine Infantryman over the last four years.

World Record Holder Designs New Customised IQ Level 2 Award In Personal Self Defence Protection Course HUGE DISCOUNT FOR MILITARY PERSONNEL

Course dates: September, October, November & December Multi Guinness World Record Holder Paddy Doyle has finally put his vast knowledge and experience together to design the UK’s very first customised individual self defence skills course. The course is designed to teach and equip everyone with the practical, basic to advanced knowledge and safety techniques required to stay safe in today’s society. Paddy has many years of experience competing on the martial arts mat and in the boxing ring, achieving numerous official Guinness World Record Titles and he is the only British Endurance Athlete to have had 63 entries in the sports pages of the 1990-2014 Guinness Book of World Records. Paddy has worked within the security sector dealing with threatening situations from site level to VIP Level. Students attending the course will benefit from his mental approach and self defence skills. If you want to improve your mental strength, confidence and self esteem, sign up today for the new IQ Level 2 Award in Personal Self Defence Protection Course. * Also available for ‘Master Class Seminars’.

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This one, as the sub-title states, is aimed at the ‘shelter-in-place preppers’ and owners of homebuilt survival bunkers. In case you are unaware, ‘preppers’ are those people who are preparing themselves for the possibility of nuclear holocaust, an outbreak of global pandemic disease, a meteor strike turning The plethora of natural disasters the climate upside-down, invasion by around the world in recent malevolent aliens life forces, the arrival years or, to be more precise, of Judgement Day and pretty much any the increased global media Written by the author of Emergency disaster short of an attack by fleshcoverage of types of event Air, this is actually his personal story eating zombies who have escaped from which have occurred over time of how back in the 1990s, following video games ... though no doubt someone redundancy, he and his wife left immemorial, has prompted the somewhere is prepping for the zombie the densely populated eastern side publishing world to either dust eventuality too. of the United States and moved to off any relevant titles in their warehouses or commission updated versions. On these pages we are taking a brief look at a clutch of US titles which have turned up in the C&S offices over the last few months and which I have now found the time to read through.

Arizona in an old school bus with a surplus army tent aboard on a journey to self-sufficiency. In due course they built a rustic cabin, home-schooled their boys and and lived ‘off-grid’ for seventeen years

Joking aside, and I say this as someone who qualified as a ventilation and air-conditioning technician in an earlier life phase, providing clean air for breathing is actually an essential in many survivalist situations as, just as humans can only survive for a few days without water, we can only survive for a matter of minutes without air. This handy little 120-page paperback explains this and then tells us how we can improvise to ensure our survival chamber has enough breathable air to last as long as our water and food supplies. Very interesting.

Packed with solid advice from one who has ‘walked the walk’, this 156-page paperback is a mine of useful information and I found it hard to put down once started. It might not be as easy to live off-grid in the over-populated The 200+ page, coffee table sized SelfUK as it is in parts of the US, so this book may Reliance During Natural Disasters And Civil Unrest falls squarely in the revised & not be a blueprint for anyone trying to live ‘The updated category as it was first published Good Life’ in 21st Century Britain, but it will give readers plenty to think about. Another Paladin in 2007 and then reprinted in 2011. Press title imported by Casemate, this one has Also published in the States by Paladin, this one has a Although aimed fairly and squarely at the a £16 cover price. recommended retail price of £10

First Responder in the United States, a country which is so large that even the mainland states (excluding Alaska) fall over four international time zones and where many communities need to be self-reliant as help from neighbouring communities can be a long drive away, the basics it covers are relevant just about everywhere.

Broken down into ten chapters, this title explores the civilian aspects of: Disaster Firefighting; Controlling Utilities; Salvage & Decontamination; Search & Rescue; Vehicle Rescue & Firefighting; Wildland Fires; First Aid & Transporting Injured; and Staying In Touch. The last two chapters are on issues needing special consideration and putting together everything learned. Although published in the US by Paladin Press, this title is distributed by Casemate in the UK with a cover price of £28.

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The fourth of five Paladin Press titles available in the UK through Casemate which we are looking at this month, this one is probably the most pertinent for British readers. Although written for the American market, with the exception of the Guns On A Budget chapter pretty much everything else covered is relevant to those on this side of The Pond who are preparing to survive in the event of a natural, or man-made, disaster suddenly overturning their lives. You may have read a fair bit on the subjects this title covers in past issues of C&S, but being in book format the author has been able to expand on them in a way that our feature writers cannot when only given a few brief pages. However being in book format it does rely more on words than on illustrations. With a recommended retail price of £22, possibly only the serious ‘prepper’, rather than the Shoestring Survivalist, may be interested in this one.

At first glance this one might not look as if it falls into this month’s ‘Surviving Natural Disasters’ theme, but in a way it does as insects are pretty much the one source of food you can find anywhere on the planet. Even in deserts regions, where vegetation can be sparse or non-existent, you will still find bugs of one sort or another if you know where to look. This book could help you determine if they are edible or not ... and that includes cockroaches which, according to some, might even survive a nuclear holocaust! According to the author there are 1462 recorded species of edible insects, including 235 species of butterflies and moths, 344 species of beetles, 313 species of ants, bees and wasps, and 239 of grasshoppers, crickets and cockroaches. Food for thought? Although only 60 pages thick this paperback from Paladin Press, available from Casemate in the UK, is a very interesting and informative read. Listed UK price is £12. I cannot say that I found the thought of eating most of these creatures particularly appetising, especially as where shellfish is concerned I draw the line at the occasional tandoori king prawn, but I am glad that I read this book as it is an area I have not delved too deeply into in the past.

And finally, going offtopic with this last one, our old friends at Military Pocket Book Ltd. have not only reprinted their excellent and popular Sniper Pocket Book after just two years but they have also included colour illustrations this time. Changes, other than the addition of colour, are minuscule but as the original got it pretty much spot-on first time there was no need for a major rework. Externally, the only difference is [Colour Edition] at the bottom right of the cover. Written and illustrated by Frank Fletcher and Rupert Godesen, this really is a mini-bible for sharpshooters and snipers, but any military or game shooter should find it very useful, as should every infantryman even if sharpshooting is not their speciality. Complete with a useful plastic weather cover, this one is small enough to fit in your jeans or inside jacket pocket allowing you to read up on the subject even when off-duty. Also if you buy the book through the milpkbk.co.uk website the publishers will give you access to an app version too! Recommended.

Whenever possible we taste test the ration packs we cover - this is Dutch Meatballs & Spinach heated over the new Zip tablet on a Zip stove

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It has been said a million times before, and it is very doubtful that Napoleon Bonaparte was the first to say it, but an army really does march on its stomach. On the modern battlefield there is even less chance of living off the land in the way that Napoleon’s troop’s opponents were often expected to do, so the individual combat ration pack is an essential part of the kit carried by almost every frontline soldier today, be that in or on his vehicle or in his pack and webbing.

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1: An old standard issue hexamine tablet and pressed metal stove - hexi fumes are noxious so the heater cannot be used in confined spaces 2: Fire Dragon, which was invented in Wales by BCB, is now widely available in both gel form for civvy use and as solid tablets for military uses 3: The BCB Crusader Cooker and Crusader Cup - the foil topped tub to the right contains the fuel which is non-toxic and can be used as a hand cleaner too

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odern combat ration main courses, with the exception of freeze-dried components intended for Arctic use, are usually prepared in such a way that they can be eaten cold but to derive maximum nutritional and morale benefit it is recommended that they are heated before consumption. Since WWII the standard method used by many armies for heating rations has been the hexamine (hexamethylenetetramine) solid fuel tablet, usually issued with a simple pressed metal disposable stove, though over the last twenty or so years the Flameless Ration Heater has been issued in US MRE rations and adopted by some other nations. In their day hexamine fuel tablets provided a workable solution to the problem of reheating military rations in the field, but as the poisonous chemical formaldehyde is one of the ingredients the fumes given off during combustion are noxious, meaning this fuel can only

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be used outdoors or in a very well ventilated space, plus ingestion of the fuel can cause nausea and even organ damage, a search has been on for alternatives for quite some time. Over the last couple of years two British companies, BCB International of Cardiff and Standard Brands (Zip) of Leatherhead, have been keeping C&S abreast of developments in non-hexamine fuel tablets

The bubbles are visible proof that the Fire Dragon tablet is able to bring water up to boiling point quite easily 5

A Dutch ration retort pouch being heated in the Crusader Cup over a Fire Dragon tablet in the Crusader Cooker 4: Fire Dragon left little residue in the cooker - the charcoal stick is the match used to light it - and there was no soot build-up on the base of the cup after heating

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developed for both the military and outdoor markets. Since the summer of 2013 we have been testing these in various (nonlaboratory and non-scientific) conditions to get a feel for how they work. Both companies have approached the problem from a slightly different direction, with BCB (FireDragon) developing tubs of denatured ethanol with polymer solidifier and Zip (Military Cooking Fuel) developing more conventionally shaped tablets of naturally derived methyl decanoate. FireDragon tablets (the company also produces the fuel in gel form in bottles) ignite very easily once out of their foil-topped tub and liquefy as they burn, so they need to be contained in a receptacle. Zip MCF tablets, which are solid and individually wrapped, are ignited

5: The new Zip tablets look similar to hexamine - to the left of the tablet is a Boilex All-In-One emergency aircrew stove and to the right is the Boilex Hinged Stove 6: Assembled pentagonal Zip Boilex Hinged Stove with Zip MCF tablet in its wrapper 7: To successfully light the Zip MCF tablet ignite the combustible wrapper not the fuel

Images © Bob Morrison

by putting a lit match to the wrapper but as they are more like hexi tablets they can be burned on any flat fireproof surface including rock and soil. When FireDragon was officially launched at the DSEi military expo in London last autumn Dr Stephen Hughes, BCB International’s Chief Chemist, stated: “Hexamine is a potentially dangerous and outdated substance; burning it can give off cyanide. Soldiers are out there protecting our security but they need protecting themselves from preventable contact with toxic materials which can have a detrimental impact on their health and well-being.

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“That’s why we teamed up with world leading experts at Cardiff University’s Chemistry Department to formulate and develop the FireDragon fuel which will help soldiers cook their rations quickly, safeguard their health, protect the environment as Combat & Survival

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well as help militaries reduce their logistics and medical costs. As it is non-toxic, unlike hexamine the FireDragon fuel can be packed with rations. Another benefit about the fuel is that when required, it can double as a waterless hand sanitizer – helping reduce the number of soldiers suffering from dysentery which has blighted troops for generations.” In their publicity material for their Military Cooking Fuel tablets Standard Brands state: “Zip’s unique formulation is made using naturally derived, fully sustainable biofuel. It is non-toxic and poses little threat to humans or animals either when burning or if ingested accidentally. It burns cleanly and has a high calorific value when compared to conventional hydrocarbon fuels. “The fuel ignites extremely quickly and easily, far more so than hexamine. It can be used both indoors (with adequate ventilation) and outdoors, and burns cleanly, unlike hexamine which releases toxic hydrogen cyanide when burning. The fuel is covered with an ignition wrapper, which also ensures the product is odourless and waterproof. The solid cubes provide the soldier with a lightweight and convenient format to carry and store.” Both manufacturers claim that their products meet or exceed UK MoD requirements which

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8: The Zip MCF burns with an intense flame and leaves a heavy soot deposit

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9: The Crusader II Cup and Cooker are designed to nest around a standard water bottle 10: This issue MTP water bottle pouch will hold both the Crusader II Cup and Cooker too 11: The Flameless Ration Heater requires a small amount of water to activate a chemical reaction - this water cannot be drunk afterwards and needs to be safely disposed of along with the outer bag and the toxic chemical pad it contains 12: The Zip Boilex All-In-One aluminium stove with Zip MCF tablet heating water 13: This French folding hexamine tablet stove is also issued to many armies as a rations heater

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state that in given conditions one tablet should bring half a litre of water to the boil in under eight minutes. The companies have also produced portable cookers to support a boiling vessel above their fuel. BCB’s popular Crusader Cooker has been modified into a Mk.II version with a small pot in the bottom into which the fuel tablet can be popped to give optimum combustion conditions. Zip have produced the pentagon-shaped Boilex Hinged Stove which is a simple fold-flat design that can

be reversed as a stand for either a canteen cup or a larger mess tin, and they have also designed (primarily for downed pilots) a simple aluminium foil fold-out cup under which an MCF tablet can be placed to boil water. Our initial impressions on these fuels are favourable but we see disadvantages in both, though each is clearly better than a hexi tablet. If asked to choose, FireDragon tablets would probably get our vote.

Garments from the SURPLUS Raw Vintage clothing line look like they should be military but are actually fashion items, though this is not necessarily a bad thing as the German company behind them has been in the business a long time and has a reputation for sourcing good quality clothing. These 100% cotton heavyweight olive green combat-style trousers are made in China but, unlike most of the thin lightweight Chineseproduced combat trousers found on just about every High Street, tailoring quality is very good and they are very hard-wearing, but they will not make a massive hole in your wallet.

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e sourced this pair for Lottie to wear on a photo assignment to the Torcal Natural Park - think Dartmoor Tors with incessant sunshine, abundant ibex and rare imperial eagles - from the Becketts Adventure online store (ArmynNavy.com). As she is tall and slim with long legs the type of combatstyle ‘lightweights’ closest to her size available in the average outdoor chain store would hang on her like a sack at half mast but as these trousers are specifically designed for the female form, cut low at the waist with around a 34-inch inside leg measurement they are a much better fit yet still give plenty of room for outdoor climbing and clambering as well as being highly durable. Starting at the top, the lined

These trousers are the smallest in the range, being UK Size 8 with 72cm waist, but waistband sizes increase in 4cm increments (through M, L & XL) to 84cm or UK14 with the XXL or UK16 version being 88cm - there is a cargo pocket with cover flap on each thigh

waistband, which has a feminine floral pattern backing, has two sturdy pairs of button fastenings (internal and external) at the top of the brass zipped fly and the five deep belt loops are heavy duty. The front flat-sewn patch pockets have slanted rounded cover flaps with single button fastening and the two rear hip pockets also have buttoned cover flaps. On each thigh there is a reasonably capacious full bellows cargo pocket with pleated front expansion panel and similar cover flap to the other pockets. The hems are plain. all stitching, with the exception of waistband and pocket flaps, is doubled. As these trousers are tailored from a heavyweight 100% cotton canvas fabric they are naturally not as light as most of the cheaper, thin mass market combats and if soaked they will not dry out quite as quickly, but on the other hand they protect the legs much better from thistles, camel thorn and other arid region vegetation plus the close weave

Photos on this page show waistband, belt loop, pocket and front fly details - the lightweight arid theatre boots Lottie was wearing with the trousers are the new HAIX Desert Eagle Mid model first spotted at Eurosatory in June gives higher protection from wind and sun as well as being more showerproof. Changing tack. The keen-eyed might have spotted that Lottie is also wearing a new style of lightweight boot with these trousers. This is the Desert Eagle Mid (as in mid-height) from HAIX and we will come back to it in a future issue. We first spotted these boots at EuroSatory in Paris, where their military sales team also showed us a couple of innovations introduced as part of a recent major contract. My own trials pair should be with me shortly plus I have a visit to the factory pencilled in for the autumn, so watch this space for more.

Model: Lottie Images © Bob Morrison : Military Scene

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5.11 like to see these shoes as part of a ‘training kit’ which includes Shorts/Top/ Socks but I took them on a recent trip and they were just so comfortable they were more or less the only shoes I wore, so they will come with me again on my next trip. They are light and airy and oh so comfortable.

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have to say 5.11 do produce comfortable footwear. These trainers are light, robust, grippy and, especially if in warm dry conditions, are really good to wear for all sorts of uses and not just training. Recommended.

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The stormproof floating lighter clearly has its benefits. Floating is perhaps not a thing you often need a lighter to do but, turning this around, its design means it is waterproof and I could not get water into it by floating it or holding it under a tap.

Main Image: The Recons seen here ‘chillin’ in a cable car while I look out on the Jungfrau 1: The Recon trainers have a lot of features and, as they say on the side, are even ‘rope ready” - there is a good level of impact absorbency in the heels 2: I used these for bike riding and walks on fine days in the Alps and for driving they were ideal 3: The powerful flame ignites easily and is kind on the fingers, unlike some

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hen living outdoors we all need a reliable source of fire and this one has worked for me. It can be used both in its watertight container or out, which can be more handy for some uses. The lighter is sealed into the container by O-ring so is both watertight and secure. It can be refilled by the usual gas refill.

Product - UK Contact: 5.11/Tactical Telephone/Web: 0046 4046 7388/511tactical.com

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UST/Whitby & Co Biolite/Whitby & Co 01539 721 032/whitbyandco.co.uk 01539 721 032/whitbyandco.co.uk

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WE HAVE JUST TAKEN THIS ON AN EXPEDITION WHERE WE MOVED A LOT, TRAVELLED MILES AND CHANGED CAMP NIGHTLY SO OUR GEAR WAS PACKED, UNPACKED AND REPACKED AND HUMPED AND HAULED. THIS LANTERN STOOD THE PACE WELL.

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used it as a base light for our tent but it also works well as a general camp light or cooking area light and so on. It gives a good light on two levels and also flashes SOS if needs be. A single press button makes operation easy and simple to find in the dark. A good thing. It has a very long burn time, according to use, and is powered by 4 AA batteries. It is also water resistant and slip resistant, rubbed coated where it matters, and can be hung by its own folding handle or on the base by another recessed hook. Neat and handy.

4: It definitely floats! Perhaps not a convincing shot but you try taking a picture of a floating lighter in the sea or on a river 5: The Pico LED Lantern is a handy item to have for tent or more general use. 6: All new and shiny the grill packs away quite compact but is still reasonably large so not really a backpack item

Some while back I covered the Biolite Stove and I must say at first I was a bit of a sceptic on this concept. I was wrong! It works and works well and I will cover it again in depth in due course as my son is currently using it as the principal cooker on his Danube canoe expedition so a lot of firsthand experience will come back on this one. However, the Biolite Grill proved to be a bit bulky for his trip so I am covering this separately.

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t is surprising how much heat you can get from a few sticks and with the grill fitted to the Biolite you can barbecue some meat as well as boil the kettle or heat a pan, not to mention charging up your mobile phone all at once. Very fuel efficient and it’s free. A bonus. The only warning here is to beware of the type of wood you use as it will have an effect on taste of the likes of bacon. The grill certainly makes the Biolite a whole lot more versatile for that outside meal, be it at home or on a backwoods trip.

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7: With the fire going the heat is diverted under the grill but you can still add fuel as required 8: Using the Biolite Grill you can barbecue some meat as well as boil the kettle or heat a pan

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Product - UK Contact: Snugpak/Snugpak Grangers/Grangers International Telephone/Web: 01535 654 479/snugpak.com 01773 521 521/grangers.co.uk

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9: The TravelPak 2 complete with stuff sack and mossie net

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10: Note the attached mossie/ bug net - handy to have in those areas where insects are a problem Images © or via Mike Gormley

Sleeping Bags are what Snugpak do, and do well. They produce a very extensive range to cater from ultralite warm climates through to big and cosy bags for very cold climates.

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he TravelPak range comprises four categories with the 2-suffix being middle of this range with a recommended usage range down to -3C extreme or +2C comfort. At just over the 1 kilogramme it is not heavy and compresses to a good small size in its supplied compression sack. An add-on for this is the built-in mossie/bug net. With this, if the needs arises, you can zip it over the aperture to keep those pesky biters out while you rest inside. The Travel Pack also has anti-bacterial treatment which is a good thing for longer trips. Jean used this on our recent European trip in support of my son’s Danube canoe expedition. The weather was up and down, to say the least, albeit us being in ‘summer’ and Jean found the temp range of this to be ideal, if perhaps on the bottom line a couple of times. The mossie net was not required for real, even though we were often camped near the river, and although a good idea Jean thought it would be better to be able to remove it completely if not in use as does tend to get in the way a bit. All in all, another good bag product from Snugpak and this one will be off to do the Tour de Mont Blanc in a few days.

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Grangers is a well known and respected name in the area of cleaning and protection of kit. I must say I do like to care for my gear; I expect a lot from it and it is not cheap, and that’s for sure, so it is well worth a few £s to keep it working as it should and to help it last.

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always try to give my boots a clean and proof session before a trip, hence getting out the Footwear Proofer to give my footwear a spruce-up before heading off to the Alps. As can be seen in the photo Grangers have a product for most things and in my experience they work and in particular are easy to use. Leather boots, for example, respond really well to the leather treatment wax (not shown here) keeping them supple, well proofed and looking good as well.

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11: Granger’s 30 Degrees Down Cleaner, Fabsil Waterproofer, Clothing Performance Cleaner, 2 IN 1 Cleaner & Proofer, G-Max Universal Footwear Proofer

Footwear Proofer which has just given my beloved Alt-Berg Yan Tans a re-proof

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he area in which the airliner was brought down is in Ukraine. However the region is under control of pro-Russian separatists that are determined to become part of Russia and are defending it robustly against Ukrainian forces. The pro-Russian nationalists, from the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic or DPR, complain that they don’t want to be part of Ukraine and that their rights are violated, despite the fact that the country holds free elections and that the minority Russians who live there are freer than they are in Russia. The Ukrainian forces could, of course, take the contested area back but are being cautious as they don’t want to cause excessive collateral damage and hand Russia an excuse to invade based on

protecting its pro-Russian neighbours. To prevent the Ukrainians taking the ground back easily the Russians have been supplying the rebels with training, vehicles, small arms and ammunition. The one thing the DPR insurgents don’t have is airpower, which would mean that the Ukrainian forces have a tactical advantage. So, to negate this advantage, the Russians have first supplied MANPADS which have been used to shoot down helicopters and close air support aircraft. Since the Ukrainians can still move their forces around the area occupied by the DPR insurgents, using transport aircraft flying at a greater height, the insurgents are thought to have received the 9K37 Buk (Beech) M1/M2 missile launcher and associated tracked radar, which is a vehicle-mounted system used to provide umbrella coverage over airspace under which an armoured force operates. This, then, would make sense of the reports that as well as the Buk system there have been tanks and APCs supplied to the rebels. Giving the rebels small arms and ammunition, even MANPADS, is a whole different game to giving terrorists a theatre air defence system like Buk (which can shoot down commercial airliners) and armoured vehicles and is altogether far more serious and could seriously rebound on Russia. Even worse is the fact that it might not even have been rebel forces firing the missile itself but actually Russian military as it’s a fairly complicated system and

FLIGHT MH17 State Terror or Tragic Mistake? - By Robert Shaw

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IMAGE © BOB MORRISON : MILITARY SCENE

The news this month has been full of security issues, including the ongoing campaign by Israel against Palestinian terrorists, but the latest at time of penning this column is the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17; over an eight square mile area near Grabovo in the Eastern Ukraine with the loss of 298 people, including 80 children. The images of the burnt wreckage, bodies finally being recovered and personal effects strewn across fields and villages has angered Western governments (especially the eleven countries with citizens on board) with blame for the act being levelled at Russia’s Vladimir Putin, but there are also calls of deception and fingers pointed back at the Ukrainians and even the airline itself for not diverting the flight. So why was it shot down and who is to blame?

ROBERT SHAW OF OPTIMAL RISK MANAGEMENT LTD. (OPTIMALRISK.COM) IS A FORMER BRITISH ARMY ATO AND IEDD/ WIS OPERATOR TURNED EOD THREAT AND COUNTER-IED TRAINER AND CONSULTANT.

Security Industry unlikely to be fired by rebel forces without training. Since the system was thought to be only delivered across the border on the day of the firing, it is unlikely that the Russian crew had had time to train any insurgents on it and therefore once informed of a potential target were ordered to fire it themselves by a DPR separatist commander. The DPR initially surprised the Ukrainians by using this type of system to shoot down a transport aircraft previously, which is why having identified the threat Western airlines were warned and some of them diverted flight paths. The Ukrainian air traffic control also warned airlines to fly at higher altitude to reduce the risk, though no one would have thought that the separatists would target a civil airliner. Despite the face of ruthless efficiency that forces like to project, they are all made up of human beings who are fallible and make mistakes. Mistakes are also more common in conflict due to friction and fog of war. It would seem that the alleged Russian crew thought they had identified a Ukrainian military transport plane and destroyed it in a case of mistaken identity. This has been borne out by the intercept of communications between the Russian-speaking crew, the separatist commander and the team that investigated the crash site to find bodies of women and children rather than the soldiers and weapons they had been expecting. So what happens now? Any effort to bring the Russians to justice through legal means will of course be undermined by the very Western leaders who rely on Russian energy and live next to them. They will be very cautious about any Russian reaction, especially as Western governments have a history of leaving friendly populations to aggression by fascist or communist forces despite any treaty to help defend them. In being weak though, we risk history repeating itself as we have already seen with Georgia in 2008.

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When UK distributors Heinnie Haynes (heinnie.com) asked me if I would be interested in trying out the Re-Storm 24-hour rucksack from Greek company Pentagon S.A. and showed me sales photos I presumed that their PentaCamo pattern was a copy of MultiCam. Wrong! On closer inspection this interesting camouflage turns out to be more like a blend of MultiCam and Lizard Pattern elements skilfully crafted for the type of Mediterranean terrain in which the Greek Armed Forces are accustomed to operating. Indeed there are even reports that some elite Greek units have been testing this as an alternative to pixellated Lizard Pattern.

1: There are sleeping roll straps on the bottom of the pack and PALS tapes too - note the drainage eyelets 2: Removable stiffening board slips into a pouch on the inner face of the back - there are straps and clips for a bladder in the rear compartment Right: When I used the Re-Storm as a camera daysack on a recent trip to photograph castles in Andalucia I was surprised by how well the camo blended into various backgrounds Left: Upper front compartment has two-way zip and a zipped mesh internal pocket Images © Bob Morrison : Military Scene

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3: Not Bugs Bunny - here I have unclipped the shoulder straps to better show the padding on the back and the straps

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4: Shoulder straps are contoured and padded with D-rings, PALS tapes and quick-release buckles 5: Main compartment has large mesh sack pocket at the rear plus two zipped mesh pockets on the front flap

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took the Re-Storm with me as a camera bag and daysack on on a recent research and photography trip to Andalucia in Southern Spain, where I visited a number of Arab castles and the Torcal Natural Park, and was impressed by how it both blended into the arid scrubby terrain and did not stand out unduly when resting against stonework. Indeed I reckon Lottie, who was assisting me, must have been getting a bit fed up with me repeatedly asking “Did you see where I put down my camera bag?” as I kept losing it when shooting in Torcal. As for the bag itself, which when full but not over-packed measures roughly 480x400x200mm so fits inside even the slightly reduced volume EasyJet carry-on baggage gauge, I found it made an excellent daysack for carrying: laptop, in the rear bladder compartment; three

SLR cameras with zoom lenses (one camera was playing up so I took a back-up) plus a bridge camera, in the main compartment; chargers with spare lithium batteries and ancillaries plus sat-nav, in the lower front compartment; a book, road maps and travel documents etc., in the upper compartment; and my prescription sunglasses in the pocket set into the top. In addition to the obvious zipped compartments, there are also four useful zipped mesh internal organiser pockets plus there is a full depth open-topped mesh pocket on the back of the main compartment. The bladder can either be carried in its own rear zipped compartment or in the main compartment mesh pocket, with the drinking tube being threaded out through ports either side of the top handle. There are light stone PALS straps on the outer

6: MTP bergen cover to the left and MultiCam rucksack to the right shows how much lighter PentaCamo is than the other two camo patterns

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7: There are plenty of PALS tapes for strapping on pouches - this one is British-issue MTP and illustrates well how PentaCamo is much lighter than MTP or MultiCam 8: Lower front compartment also has two-way zip and zipped mesh internal pocket 9: There is a handy fleece-lined zipped pocket in the top face into which you can slip your EyePro - or in this case my prescription sunglasses case

face and sides, to which MOLLE-type pouches can be added, and two pairs of compression straps are fitted. A very useful daysack. Combat & Survival

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Jason, our Survival Writer, is forever telling us to wear a suitable hat when out under strong sunlight as heatstroke can be a killer

Even a full-size pistol like this CZ-75 (this is a replica) can be comfortably carried inside the Velcro-fastened concealed under-bust holster 1

If those of you who were in the UK in early July cast your minds back you will remember that spell of very warm weather caused by what the Met office forecasters described as a ‘Spanish plume’ which reached up towards us over the Continent and the Bay of Biscay. This mass of hot air was actually generated in North Africa and when Lottie and I were shooting on the Costa Tropical, south of Granada, and in the Torcal Natural Park, north of Malaga, we too experienced very hot weather in excess of 35C which the Spanish called a ‘Sahara plume’.

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hen working in high temperatures under a cloudless sky not only is it necessary to apply a very high protection factor sunscreen but it is also important to wear a hat to prevent sunstroke. This, of course, is our Survival Writer Jason Polley’s area of expertise but I have read enough of his articles on heatstroke and heat exhaustion (not to mention his excellent refer-

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ence book How To Survive Outdoors) to have taken the message on board. So when Heinnie Haynes sent us the A.D. (After Duty) Australian Bush Hat, produced by Greek company Pentagon, it seemed a sensible item of kit to take down to Andalucia. With a retail price of just £4.95 this simple 100% cotton bush hat is not going to break the bank yet it does precisely what it needs to do in both protecting the head from the sun and shading the eyes with its wide brim. Available in Olive or Beige in sizes S, M and L (XL is out of stock at time of writing) this hat has a reinforced brim which can be pinned up either or both sides with a simple press stud fastener and the crown is ventilated with two eyelets each side. Lottie took this out to Spain in plastic bag inside her suitcase and despite it getting a bit scrunched up it was still perfectly presentable for casual wear. Turning now to the Women’s Holster Shirt from 5.11, also supplied by Heinnie Haynes (available online through Heinnie. com), this is intended primarily for female law enforcement officers

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1: The Holster Shirt’s design is intended both to be close-fitting so that it looks like a T-shirt when tucked into trousers and to spread the weight of a concealed pistol etc. 2: Although primarily designed to discreetly conceal a pistol and covert radio or even handcuffs the female traveller can use this comfortable undershirt to conceal passport and money etc. 3: If required the brim at either side, or both, can be pinned up in Aussie fashion using a simple press stud the crown also has eyelets for venting Model: Lottie Images © Bob Morrison : Military Scene 3

and security personnel who need to carry a concealed firearm, but it is also a very useful garment for travellers (such as backpackers and gap year students, or even festival goers) who need concealed pockets to safely carry passport and cash under a shirt or jacket without attracting attention. Manufactured from a polyester/ spandex blend this stretchy garment is like a long vest to which two deep padded under-bust and underarm pockets are stitched. A yoke and reinforcing spreads the weight, though if carrying a heavy pistol on one side it might be advantageous to balance this with spare magazines or a radio in the opposite pocket. Simple Velcro pads hold the pocket closed but with only a little practice one can speedily retrieve the pistol in one simple move. If worn under a loose open fronted shirt or jacket, this garment really does discreetly conceal a pistol.

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