Longest Recon

[Nomad]

Thank you for the pictures and the fascinating insight into your lives. It is amazing how I can read through 9 pages of a thread and not realize that I am 45 minutes late to a meeting.

[stever]

awesome thread

i am humbled by the stories and some of the experiences some of you guys have had.

my 0.2 cents

one of the roles my unit in germany had was [recce] or recon as you chaps call it...

the opposing force was at the time the berlin brigade

it was a brigade level excercise which was pretty big

anyway , we got dropped off to recon the forward elements of the berlin brigade to carry out a recon patrol to gauge the recon screen which at that time was scimitar tracked veh's



we set up a observation post verrry close to the forward elements

next thing about 50 chieftan tanks started engines and moved

if you have heard 1 chieftan tank its scary when 50 get goin its verrry scary....

we realised then that the brigade was on the move

and we were now conducting a

behind the lines recon !!!

we had planned a pick up by stripped down landrover for about 4am

we know couldnt make the rv as there was a lot of armour and soldiers

very near us.....


what followed in the next 4 days what a lesson on how to escape and evade..

in order to move quickly we where wearing only belt kit

no luxuries of sleeping bags or shelters

just "brew" kits and some solid fuel blocks for cooking

when asked for extract

we were advised to "head west"

we did for 4 days

after 3 days we were extremely hungry

our 3 man patrol

ended up getting food by asking a local

this chap let us in his house and gave us coffe and black bread

it turns out he was captured by the russians and was not released till 1948

we thought we had it hard

we had nothing to complain about when we heard his story


we made an rv with the landrover flight

eventually

3 very hungry and tired rockapes !!


this was my longest recon patrol

and hungriest

i hope i have made this patrol story readable

just my 0.2 cents

[Kilted Heathen]

Do you write childrens' books in your spare time?

[stever]

i can if you wish do you a special one Ranger heathen

with pictures and words with four or less letters so you wont get confused

get farked lol

[Kilted Heathen]

It's a good story it's just that I kept nodding through the lines like I was reading a colorin' book

[Parabellum]

i can if you wish do you a special one Ranger heathen

with pictures and words with four or less letters so you wont get confused

get farked lol

[stever]

you can read i am amazed !!!!!

you will be telling your Ranger brethern you can write as well

[stever]

heres a pic of the lads arriving with landrovers


looks good but pretty chilly in the winter in germany

heres what happens when you drive at night, no lights, no png's



heres a better view



my thanks to rog best for nearly killing me :D and 2 of my fellow rocks
never trust a brummie driver

first i knew of the crash was the radio whacking me in the face
i was busy at the time on the radios

lads had to pull us out

interesting as the sparks where flying and petrol was leakin when we
where upside down

i ve not used large words for Ranger "Quilted heathen"

ive also kept paragraphs brief for him to understand

[lrsrangerw8]

The longest mission I have done, not a training mission, was roughly 104 hours. The 104 hours was just the surveillance part of the mission and doesnt count planning, insertion, infil, exfil and extraction.

[The Bombardier]

Operationally 4 days

On Exercise 19 days

Both were on foot, and the latter with very large (and heavy) bergans

[Joshua]

Most interesting.

1 liter of water is equal to 1 kg (2.2 lb).( I will never understand the imperial measuring system ) So 8 liters of water equals 8 kg (17.6 lb)

The war we were involved in was much different (Angola).It was fought over very long distances with very little or no infrastructure like roads or airfields. Just bush. We regularly did 2 to 3 week LRRP , carrying average 100 to 130 kg kit (For the Americans that is 220 to 280 lb). If you run out of food /water you normally lived of the bush. The kit mostly consisted of ammo, water ,food, battery's, first aid , radios etc. No spare clothing (except socks), sleeping bag, poncho.

I have the impressing that the American Soldier required to carry to much personal equipment. In my opinion not all are required. You can survive with almost nothing as long as you can survive in nature.

We were not always extracted by helicopter. Many times we walked-in or out, the furthest about 250 km (150miles). The helicopters we had was not able to go further than 500 km so for a return trip could only do 250 km.

The SADF SF (Especially 32 Battalion) was very good in Pseudo teams were you could stay in the bush for weeks on end.

The focus was to melt into the bush, becoming one with it, survive from it and especially in Pseudo teams becomes indistinguishable from the enemy and therefore extremely effective.

Much more can be said but lest stop here.

[Jim]

Can't believe I just spent 45 minutes reviewing a 2 - 3 year old thread. I have got to get a life.

[F50LRRP]

Can't believe I just spent 45 minutes reviewing a 2 - 3 year old thread. I have got to get a life.

Jim,

I'm glad that you did, otherwise, I'd have miised this thread altogether.

F Company Lurps worked in 6 man teams and usually conducted missions for up to 7 days.

The first mission that I went on with B-36 (SF) was with one other American and four Cambodes. we reconned to the West of Song Be for six days. Both Americans carried PRC-25s with an extra battery each. The Cambodes each carried an extra battery for the Prick 25s and an extra canteen for one of the Americans. Both Americans also carried URC-10 radios.

RLTW

Mike