Wanted: CT/MT Stats for Mac SMG

[Todg]

Originally posted by Andrew Boulton:
It's very dangerous to assume that you'll always have a vehicle available. Maybe your helicopters have be grounded by bad weather, or the terrain is too difficult for your APCs to cross, or the enemy have inconsiderately sunk the ship carrying all your vehicles.

You'll just find out that much of that equipment you think is essential, isn't really. US troops in particular carry a lot of gear that other armies see as 'unnecessary'. I can function in the field without my sleeping bag if necessary, although I may not like it. And a lot of gear that gets added by mech troops is stuff even less essential - stuff that can be left on the track or whatever if necessary.

Of course, on can go too far. Consider the the Ranger's in Somalia. However, in the modern context of a superpower waging war on a smaller country, such issues aren't likely to be much of a factor. The same is probably true of Imperial forces fighting agaist local. Ever notice that in every illustration of Imperial Marines in Battle Dress, not one is show wearing a pack? Where does the guy keep his extra underwear and socks?

 

[kaladorn]

Of course, we've never seen camp scenes with people half in and half out of BD and armourers working on the suits either....

Yes, if you have a vehicle, it tends to acquire a lot of 'optional accessories'

Dry socks... are not an optional accessory.

There are numerous examples of units being overburdened, but one recent one that is of particular interest is Bravo Two Zero (which, if you read the book, is mostly bunk, debunked by I think the History Channel in "The Real Bravo Two Zero"). The point being that they went in with waaaay too much weight, and on foot, and poorly prepared (comms that didn't work due to them not knowing what they were doing when getting ready for the mission). It's easy to do, if you are used to driving around a lot, or if you buy into the myth of your own ubercapability.

 

[Rupert Boleyn]

Originally posted by kaladorn:

Dry socks... are not an optional accessory.

Actually, they are. I once managed to leave my spare socks sitting on my bunk when going out on a two week field exercise. The exercise was in bush with rain every day at 1300 hours (it was literally that precise) and every night from about 2000 hours to 0000 hours. Nothing, but nothing stayed dry past about day three, and I had only the one pair of socks. Despite that I did fine - better than a number of other people who were careless about keeping their sleeping bags as dry (or rather, less wet) as possible.