Hi all; Fascinating US Marine document on cold weather fighting:
Small Unit Leader's Guide To Cold Weather Operations
U.S. Marine Corps, February 2000
...
Donning and Doffing Procedures:
...
Components of the Sock system:
...
The helicopter is the single best tactical mobility asset available to Marines during cold weather operations.
...
All Marines must realize that helicopters settle into the snow when operating in snow covered LZs. This lowers the distance between the snow surface and the helicopter blades. Using the universal method of helicopter loading (ahkio huddle) eliminates this problem.
...
Care must be taken not to accidentally fire the weapon when inserting gloved fingers into the trigger guard area.
...
Tape the stock with white medical tape to provide camouflage and prohibit the stock from falling apart if cracked/broken.
...
The casualty radius of fragmentation grenades is reduced in snow. Attach a stick or other device for flotation, but do NOT milk the fuse for an airburst. Wear dry contact gloves (wet ones can freeze to the grenade causing it to drop short).
...
One night’s snowfall can render a minefield ineffective.
Wind can expose a minefield. Mines laid in the summer can be rendered ineffective by frozen ground in winter and reactivated by spring thaw.
...
C-4 can not be molded unless warmed.
...
Do not set a hot barrel on snow/ice as it will sink out of sight and ruin the temper of the barrel (or warp or crack it).
...
When engaging in ice fog, fire downwind to upwind, one side of traversing bar to next, FPL, from 6 o’clock to 12 o’clock on moving targets.
...
Use delay fuse for avalanche initiation.
...
The FDC computers utilized in the U.S. make many corrections automatically that many potential enemies do not make or make by hand, which results in relatively slower or more inaccurate fire. These include temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, altitude of gun line and target, winds and slope angle.
...
There is a slight initial drop on launch (until the flight motor kicks in) in cold, so do not fire from reverse slope/partial defilade positions in cold weather.
...
The human eye sees farther in falling/blowing snow than thermal. Snow and reflective insulation (like a space blanket) can be used for thermal camouflage. One foot of snow on a poncho provides overhead thermal cover for a position. Skiing or walking through snow will leave a thermal trail (duration can be minutes to hours depending on conditions and number of personnel).
...
As indicated by the chart contained within this charter, small arms fire penetration varies from four meters in newly fallen snow to 0.3 meters in icecrete (frozen water and soil.)
...
doctrine.quantico.usmc.mil
-- Carl |
