Canadian Cold War re-enactment information

[rob love]

Originally Posted by maple_leaf_eh

My impressions -

Socks grey not green.
Warmth layer - very misleading.
Underwear - waffle cotton tops and bottoms were just fine until the Army issued polypro.
Helmet covers - no one had worn out combat shirts to rip up. QM wanted them back.
Boots - again leaning too far forward to allow Goretex versus old-school.
CF Goretex jacket - ditto. Combat Jackets were all there was for the longest time.
Stealth suits - ever heard of them?
Shelter Half - correct but there were plenty of acceptable alternatives.
Pocket knives - there is no man on the planet who opened a brand new C5 without breaking his fingernails.
Canteens - insulated canteens were definately a Bosnia innovation.
CF Flashlight - very misleading insistence on US made green lights.
Pad, pen and pencil - no mention of FMPs

If anyone wants, I can message 4 pages of observations. Scott's experiences no doubt differ, but no two units or organizations were every identical.

Perhaps thye stealth suit = ghilli suit? They were for the most part ad-hoc, but certainly not for everyone. The Brisith Dennison smock was on issue to snipers under a Cdn NSN, but again, not something just any one could order (or wear).

Goretex in the cold war? There were those goofy oversize goretex socks, but I never saw any other goretex during the cold war time period aside from a set of goretex work boots issued around 1991. The airforce had goretex mind you, lots of it, but all of it in blue.

I would have to look up the NSN of the shelter half to see if it was cold war era. All I remember was the bog standard ground sheet. You could so great things with it, but it was no shelter half.

When it came to flashlights, they are right. There was only the straight or right angle US flashlights, with the multitude of filters. I did manage to order in some Brinkman flashlights out of the depot around 1980, but they were not an army light. It wasn't until a engineer in Bosnia compalined on W5 that they had to buy their own maglights in order to clear mines that they suddenly became availble. The sysytem seems to be saturated with flashlights these days, but most of them bumped over to local purchase to control usage.

I noted the absence of the field message pad as well. They are commercially availble. Add the little canvas cover with all the pens and the whole thing will easily set you back $20 or so.

[Scott Bentley]

Originally Posted by rob love

Perhaps thye stealth suit = ghilli suit? They were for the most part ad-hoc, but certainly not for everyone. The Brisith Dennison smock was on issue to snipers under a Cdn NSN, but again, not something just any one could order (or wear).

Goretex in the cold war? There were those goofy oversize goretex socks, but I never saw any other goretex during the cold war time period aside from a set of goretex work boots issued around 1991.

When it came to flashlights, they are right. There was only the straight or right angle US flashlights, with the multitude of filters. I did manage to order in some Brinkman flashlights out of the depot around 1980, but they were not an army light. It wasn't until a engineer in Bosnia compalined on W5 that they had to buy their own maglights in order to clear mines that they suddenly became availble.

To add to Rob's comments.

The "Stealth Suit" they are referring to is the Gortex Jacket Liner made by Peerless. They were a common 2 CMBG kit shop item, but were from the Yugoslavia era. They were popular as they flew under the radar better than US rain jackets. The one I had was labelled 1996.

The first pair of wide scale issue of Goretex boots were the "Prospectors" issued for IFOR Bosnia, in late 1995 early 1996. This was the same time we got the first run Goretex Combat Jacket, and the fall apart when wet, leather palmed Combat Gloves.

Rob, you're dead on regarding the Mini Maglight. We received those while I was at 2 CER in 1996, as you stated, after the Passionate Eye segment on Mark Isfeld. IIRC, the program was called "The Price of Duty". As Sappers, we also got Super Leatherman's at the same time. To me, the is was the lowest part of the Decade of Darkness, where it took big negative press like that to get a better flashlight and pliers, never mind the big items like the LSVW.

[maple_leaf_eh]

Straight and angle head 2-D cell flashlights are what I remember. Slider ON OFF and a third setting for a Morse Code button. They came in green, black and yellow. The bulb fitted into a clever wire holder and was almost indestructible that way. The butt cap unscrewed for a selection of red, white, blue and clear filters. Used judiciously, the batteries lasted many days.

The Op East Wind site states, only one particular US manufacturer is acceptable. Hmm? No. I recall reading Mine Safety Associates on some of mine. Same company that makes respirator filters.

[maple_leaf_eh]

There is a late 80's Germany biography by an RCR soldier, James Davis, called, "The Sharp End". He was in recce platoon. One ex the colonel had the companies attacking the wrong hill. Cpl (or MCpl) Shinglefoot comes up on net and in clear tells Niner he's doing things wrong. A colleague of mine was also in recce platoon and listening to the net too, and he tells the same story.

After his retirement, Shinglefoot goes on to write a book about his time in Germany. One piece of kit he mentions is the stealth suit which he likened to a personal weather forcefield - nothing except heavy weather could stop the guys. The writer went a little off-plumb when he mused about why pay expensive Canadians when Ghurkas or other mercenaries could do just as good a job.

[rob love]

Originally Posted by maple_leaf_eh

Straight and angle head 2-D cell flashlights are what I remember. Slider ON OFF and a third setting for a Morse Code button. They came in green, black and yellow. The bulb fitted into a clever wire holder and was almost indestructible that way. The butt cap unscrewed for a selection of red, white, blue and clear filters. Used judiciously, the batteries lasted many days.

The Op East Wind site states, only one particular US manufacturer is acceptable. Hmm? No. I recall reading Mine Safety Associates on some of mine. Same company that makes respirator filters.

The straight or angle head 2 D cell flashlights in green, black or yellow were the US pattern flashlights. And in the area under those spare filters rested a spare PR2 light bulb in case the main one burned out. Many guys never knew the spare was there. I recall them having some kind of certification seal that they were safe for use in mines...never paid much attention to it. But I believe they are considered the US pattern of flashlight. Earlier models did not have the plastic guards around the switch, that was a later change up.