brgnorway 0 Posted February 23, 2004 Brittish soldiers on training in Norway experience our lovely weather and harsh reality about skiing skills: Quote[/b] ]MoD hit with more kit complaints 3 Commando Brigade on an earlier Arctic training mission  Eighty Royal Marines have been flown home from training in Norway with frostbite, amid claims they had inadequate sleeping bags. The Ministry of Defence confirmed the number brought home - plus a further 46 injured in activities like skiing - is higher than in the past. But they say that due to deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq, it is four years since the last winter warfare exercise. The claims follow a series of rows over the supply of military kit. A lot of their equipment should be better to survive in the conditions Colonel Lars Sundnes Norwegian army chief  "Around 80 marines have been flown home with cold weather injuries," an MoD spokesman told BBC News Online. The evacuation, out of a total of some 2,300 personnel, comes three weeks into a month-long exercise. The MoD confirmed some marines had bought their own sleeping bags to help cope with the freezing temperatures. The spokesman said though it was usually an annual exercise, it had not happened for four years. "Skills in winter warfare have been reduced somewhat, for many of the troops this will be their first time in these conditions. "We are confident that the kit we provide our troops is among the best in the world, but we will look and see if there is any room for improvement." But Norwegian army chief Colonel Lars Sundnes told the Mail on Sunday the marines' sleeping bags were not good enough. Well, coming to Norway with inadequate equipment is serious. Our climate is some of the toughest arctic climates in the world and threy could do better than this. A fun side of the annual winter training for brittish soldiers is when they used to visit Voss - aprx. one hour from where I live. I remember once when I was skiing there and had the joy of watching the poor soldiers skiing. Hilariously funny. Great show  Winter training Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bonko the sane 2 Posted February 23, 2004 It seems they forgot to bring back those infamous snowplows they sent to Iraq Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sneaky 0 Posted February 23, 2004 Quote[/b] ]It seems they forgot to bring back those infamous snowplows they sent to Iraq that was the danes, wasnt it? But I cant help but laugh at the whole thing (what happened, not the injuries!) The british supersoldiers come to little norway, and returns home defeated But do anyone know what kind of sleeping bags they used? It wouldnt happen to be the standard nato sleepingbag? If it is, Im not surprised it all happened.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Munk 0 Posted February 23, 2004 Judging by the MOD's current idea of top of the range equipment it was probably a potato sack between 10 men Brgnorway, if you see a big built short ass with no hair fall on his ass, I wouldnt laugh  Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brgnorway 0 Posted February 23, 2004 Brgnorway, if you see a big built short ass with no hair fall on his ass, I wouldnt laugh  lol , Nothing to worry about as long as they'r on duty. However, during the nightlife in Voss you are well advised to be carefull - not that it nessecarily helps though because the soldiers are encouraged to pick fights out on town. And they always do. There have over the years been numerous incidents of serious injury and the locals are fed up with it hehe. When I watched these poor sods they even laughed with us - I think they understood quite well how silly their efforts were. They were as skilled, effective and elegant as an elephant on a Tour de France bicycle - and that's an understatement  Quote[/b] ]But I cant help but laugh at the whole thing (what happened, not the injuries!) The british supersoldiers come to little norway, and returns home defeated Ah yes, well they all (SAS, SEAL etc. ) get spanked during training and exercises here in Norway (winter time that is) - even by ordinary conscripts. Not because our soldiers are so incredibly good, but rather that our training is splendid and well adapted to our climate and environment. It's not enough to know formations, advancing, disipline, tactics and strategy to be a good soldier over here. You need to survive too - and that often affects your fighting ability. Thus if you have grown up in this hostile climate and also receive good training in survival as well as the required military skills you will outdo most other military units - except the finnish, swedish and the russians of course  Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Balschoiw 0 Posted February 23, 2004 Tell me something new about english people skiing the alps. I won´t go into detail but they are always good for laugh. Sorry couldn´t hold it.  Does anyone remember "Willi the eagle" or whatever his name was. The english one that did ski jump ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brgnorway 0 Posted February 23, 2004 Tell me something new about english people skiing the alps. I won´t go into detail but they are always good for laugh. Sorry couldn´t hold it.  Does anyone remember "Willi the eagle" or whatever his name was. The english one that did ski jump ?  Hehehe.....yes I certainly remember him. Eddie the eagle was his name! Too bad they eventualy denied him entry to jump. The eagle has definately landed. I remember his extremely short jumps - always landing on the "bump" as we say in Norway, and he even looked like a computer nerd from the 80's hehe. Here's something for those of you too young to remember: Quote[/b] ]He soared like a brick into the hearts of Olympic fans across the world. Eddie Edwards, a comically inept British "ski jumper" didn't come close to winning any medals. In fact, he finished dead last in both the 70- and 90-meter jumps. He did, however, win a large amount of fame and a small fortune thanks to his complete lack of skill and loveably goofy look. Sarcastically nicknamed "the Eagle," he dropped into the public consciousness and was easily the most popular athlete to compete at the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary. The doughy, bespectacled former plasterer with the silly grin parlayed his 15 minutes of fame into a $65,000 deal to tell his life story to a tabloid and—no joke—a number-two song ("Mun Niemi En Eetu" or "My Name is Eddie") in Finland in 1991. http://www.infoplease.com/spot/02oleddie.html Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Balschoiw 0 Posted February 23, 2004 Eddie it was !  He looked like the computer nerd in TV series "trio with 4 fists" My respect to him though. I would sh*** my pants if I had to go down such a ramp. You hav to visit one when you have oppurtinity. It´s damn scary up there Edit: Just read that Quote[/b] ]("Mun Niemi En Eetu" or "My Name is Eddie") in Finland in 1991. Haha the fins. Funny people. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brgnorway 0 Posted February 23, 2004 Quote[/b] ]("Mun Niemi En Eetu" or "My Name is Eddie") in Finland in 1991. Haha the fins. Funny people. lol, yes they are. Do you remember the jumpsports "enfant terrible" Mätti Nykanen? When he quit jumping he became a pop singer and some sort of national sex symbol. lol they certainly are weird in Finland - but I've always had a soft spot for them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Munk 0 Posted February 23, 2004 That reminds m of Erik 'the eel' from the last olympics Quote[/b] ]Elsewhere, swimmer Eric 'The Eel' Moussambani became a worldwide superstar. The 22-year-old from Equatorial Guinea, who had only been swimming for just over six months, huffed and puffed his way to winning his 100m freestyle heat and the hearts of all those around him. His triumph was made possible due when the two other swimmers in his heat were eliminated for false starts. Moussambani set a landmark all his own - by actually managing to complete the distance. On-Topic... I think I'd be ok training in those conditions, im one of those people who 'are never cold'. I could be incased in ice and I wouldnt be cold Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brgnorway 0 Posted February 24, 2004 That reminds m of Erik 'the eel' from the last olympics Quote[/b] ]Elsewhere, swimmer Eric 'The Eel' Moussambani became a worldwide superstar. The 22-year-old from Equatorial Guinea, who had only been swimming for just over six months, huffed and puffed his way to winning his 100m freestyle heat and the hearts of all those around him. His triumph was made possible due when the two other swimmers in his heat were eliminated for false starts. Moussambani set a landmark all his own - by actually managing to complete the distance. ......I can imagine what it looked like Quote[/b] ]On-Topic...I think I'd be ok training in those conditions, im one of those people who 'are never cold'. I could be incased in ice and I wouldnt be cold Be my guest........ Seriously, the worst conditions are not the extreme cold (well you would get bad cold crustations and you would be looking at gangrene followed by possible amputations after a short while - that is if you'r not allready dead. What is absolutely worst is if the temperature stays around the freezing point and there is a lot of wind and rain/snowfall. When you become wet you don't have a chance. By the way, to be "incased" in ice is a basic principle for survival in arctic climates. If you are surprised by bad weather you then dig yourself a cave in the snow and build a "cold pit" by the entrance. The temperature will rise slightly inside because of your breathing and body temperature (it will always be - degrees though) and you will be protected against the worst temperature and winds. Same principle as an iglo - only better! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MI_Fred 0 Posted February 24, 2004 Quote[/b] ]("Mun Niemi En Eetu" or "My Name is Eddie") in Finland in 1991. Haha the fins. Funny people. lol, yes they are. Do you remember the jumpsports "enfant terrible" Mätti Nykanen? When he quit jumping he became a pop singer and some sort of national sex symbol. To be exact: A stripper. And a singer. Ughh... Things didn't go well, ended up living in a barn. Which went up in flames. Girl left....... I could go on but I can't type whe.n laughli.,m..h.  Ok, that was rude. But He even sold his medals IIRC. Not very honorable to strip, not very good at singing (at all). On topic yes... Quote[/b] ] Thus if you have grown up in this hostile climate and also receive good training in survival as well as the required military skills you will outdo most other military units - except the finnish, swedish and the russians of course  I wouldn't say that, the winters are getting incredibly mild, I think -15c was the lowest so far this year. And that is nothing. Not sure but I think -20 was tops when I did my time and slept in the fine fine Sa-Int sleeping bag, felt like a c**k in a wet p**sy  Well, you had to get your clothes off, then it would work like supposed to, made you sweat. But I'm afraid we don't have as harsch a climate as Norway, atleast no more. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Balschoiw 0 Posted February 24, 2004 I don´t mind winter outside stays with troops. We have at least a "Winterbiwak" per year, where you are paradropped on montain and have to do some skiing with weapons and full battlegear. We stay at least one week out. I enjoy it as long as it stays dry. Once there is rain or melting snow it gets bad. If you´re shoes get wet it´s a pain to get them dry again. Well at least we seem toi have appropriate equipment as we are Gebirgsjäger who have to deal with snow all the year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brgnorway 0 Posted February 24, 2004 Quote[/b] ]To be exact: A stripper. And a singer. Ughh... Things didn't go well, ended up living in a barn. Which went up in flames. Girl left....... I could go on but I can't type whe.n laughli.,m..h. HAHAHA that is so funny If you take away the "stripper-thing/thong you are looking at some first class country & western lyrics! HEHE I'm still laughing.... Quote[/b] ]Well, you had to get your clothes off, then it would work like supposed to Funny you should mention this as many ppl complain about freezing in their sleeping bags. Worst misunderstanding is to keep the clothes ON while staying in the sleeping bag. It is as you say correct to take off most - if not all the clothes to stay warm and cuddly. Also, another thing is that lots of people buy top of the shelf goretex and synthetic underwear just because it's expensive. And it works fine as long as you'r in movement but then............ I always use wool closest to the skin when I'm on long trips into the mountains as you won't get cold even when the underwear is wet from bad weather or sweating. I like to take a pause without freezing to death Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Balschoiw 0 Posted February 24, 2004 Quote[/b] ]Worst misunderstanding is to keep the clothes ON while staying in the sleeping bag. Well in military missions it´s a necessaty to keep clothes on or do you want to start dressing when enemy knocks or better steps on your tent. "Oh sorry bad soldier , give me 5 minutes to dress up. Turn around , ok ?" It´s boots off when you go to sleep, nothing else. Keep your gun warm ;) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ale2999 0 Posted February 24, 2004 Quote[/b] ]Worst misunderstanding is to keep the clothes ON while staying in the sleeping bag. Well in military missions it´s a necessaty to keep clothes on or do you want to start dressing when enemy knocks or better steps on your tent. "Oh sorry bad soldier , give me 5 minutes to dress up. Turn around , ok ?"  It´s boots off when you go to sleep, nothing else. Keep your gun warm ;) Bals, thats great, you just made my day I am in canada so I know cold. the best is to stay indoor, so just fight from home to home without going out lol Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MI_Fred 0 Posted February 24, 2004 Quote[/b] ]Worst misunderstanding is to keep the clothes ON while staying in the sleeping bag. Well in military missions it´s a necessaty to keep clothes on or do you want to start dressing when enemy knocks or better steps on your tent. "Oh sorry bad soldier , give me 5 minutes to dress up. Turn around , ok ?"  It´s boots off when you go to sleep, nothing else. Keep your gun warm ;) That's just the thing I always was wondering about while doing so, even in the mornings it took a good 5 mins to get out. Ofcourse, being the stupid soldier I was, as a team leader sneaked behind my foxhole once in the night, whose side I didn't know for some reason, I got the task of screaming the bloody alarm. Everyone seemed to get out fast and to their positions. And that was the end of my good days there... sigh. Ofcourse, we don't sleep in the immediate vicinity of the frontlines. There's little need to get out in more than 3-5 minutes. Only that there's very strict regulations in case of enemy recon. You are discouraged to even smoke when near a tent going/coming to/from an position, if you really must, with the glowing tip between your palm and body. But that doesn't quite cut it... seen how it really stands out with certain equipment. In a real combat situation you'd sleep somewhere else than in a tent. Only once in a while you'd get that luxury. That's why regular soldiers here are rarely trained to sleep under the sky in only a sleeping bag or under some hasty spruce branch/poncho shack. Then you'd really need to get those clothes off and let yourself be vulnerable. But for that you'd need atleast -10 degrees. Any less and you can keep your clothes on. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Balschoiw 0 Posted February 24, 2004 You haven´t met mortars and artillery ? They don´t give you 5 minutes man. It´s 1 minute to come out of tent or snowcave. If you are barefoot or not I dont care but what is above that makes you dead. It´s not infantry that starts an attack. It´s ranged weapons and they need no time to come close pretty soon If you need to start a dressing show we can put some sticks on your cave or the rest of it once it´s done by naughty 40mm´s. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brgnorway 0 Posted February 24, 2004 Quote[/b] ]Worst misunderstanding is to keep the clothes ON while staying in the sleeping bag. Well in military missions it´s a necessaty to keep clothes on or do you want to start dressing when enemy knocks or better steps on your tent. "Oh sorry bad soldier , give me 5 minutes to dress up. Turn around , ok ?"  It´s boots off when you go to sleep, nothing else. Keep your gun warm ;) lol, but there is a difference though. I was mainly talking about civilians.... And, when you have the time and don't expect the enemy around most people prefer to stay warm. On exercises I never took off my clothes at all - simply because you where either on guard duty or patroling. If you where lucky and the camp was relatively secure you would sleep in a squad tent and you had an oven to keep you warm. Unless you had to take your turn as "oven guard" . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brgnorway 0 Posted February 24, 2004 You haven´t met mortars and artillery ? They don´t give you 5 minutes man. It´s 1 minute to come out of tent or snowcave. If you are barefoot or not I dont care but what is above that makes you dead. It´s not infantry that starts an attack. It´s ranged weapons and they need no time to come close pretty soon  If you need to start a dressing show we can put some sticks on your cave or the rest of it once it´s done by naughty 40mm´s. Of course, the only difference is that if you'r on high alert you don't even sleep in a sleeping bag. You always wear your GRU and have nap whenever there's an opportunity which means in a bush, under a tree etc. I believe you know what I'm talking about. Even during winter time there will be many small camps scattered around which are not in the front line thus are under no direct threat (apart from airstrikes which is why you have many small instead of a few large camps) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MI_Fred 0 Posted February 24, 2004 You haven´t met mortars and artillery ? They don´t give you 5 minutes man. It´s 1 minute to come out of tent or snowcave. If you are barefoot or not I dont care but what is above that makes you dead. It´s not infantry that starts an attack. It´s ranged weapons and they need no time to come close pretty soon  If you need to start a dressing show we can put some sticks on your cave or the rest of it once it´s done by naughty 40mm´s. Heheh *MI_Fred starts dressing Your right. But naive or not, I'm having a hard time imagining that happening... even worse when it eventually does. About bad equipment. The standard reservist issue camoflage suit has to be buttoned up... I'm sure the enemy will give us grandpas our time before they do us in, just for our Readiness brigade to zip up and stab them in the back  EDIT:AAh 3:28am wth. bed-> Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brgnorway 0 Posted February 24, 2004 oh I forgot to say that every now and then you take off all your clothes  if your underwear/innerlayer is wet - or else you'll freeze to death. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Balschoiw 0 Posted February 24, 2004 Quote[/b] ]or else you'll freeze to death. or get some funny passengers in your genital regions  Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brgnorway 0 Posted February 24, 2004 Quote[/b] ]or else you'll freeze to death. or get some funny passengers in your genital regions  I'm happy to say he doesn't look familiar........ Good thing that there's strong disipline on hygiene and sanitation in the military. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bn880 5 Posted February 24, 2004 Quote[/b] ]Worst misunderstanding is to keep the clothes ON while staying in the sleeping bag. Well in military missions it´s a necessaty to keep clothes on or do you want to start dressing when enemy knocks or better steps on your tent. "Oh sorry bad soldier , give me 5 minutes to dress up. Turn around , ok ?" It´s boots off when you go to sleep, nothing else. Keep your gun warm ;) Bals, thats great, you just made my day I am in canada so I know cold. the best is to stay indoor, so just fight from home to home without going out lol Or from car to car. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
