Combat Fashion in UK Forces
I thought I'd break my posting duck by pointing out some UK views of combat fashion. The aim for the soldier concerned is to be seen as "ally", that difficult to define blend of professionalism and style. It's trying hard to appear as though you've made no effort. It varies from conflict to conflict - Falklands "ally" was very different to Herrick (Afghanistan) "ally".
http://www.arrse.co.uk/cpgn2/Forums/...c/t=46346.html
http://www.arrse.co.uk/cpgn2/Forums/...c/t=53077.html
Failure results in being labelled as a "walt", as in Walter Mitty. But that's a whole new topic all by itself.
Older Weapons on the Battlefield
Hey 120mm,
While an OTT to Aberdeen, MD to introduce ground forces weapons to the Estonian military as potential FMF sales, the Estonian NCO and his Colonel were offered to try various weapons on the range and at the end of the day, both seemed to favor the M-14 over any other weapon.
Turns out, one of the NCO's distant relatives was part of an Estonia sniper unit trained by the Germans in the early 1900s. The unit then and today is know as the Kuperjanov Single Infantry Battalion. Formed as a partisan troop in 1918 by 1LT Julius Kuperjanov, their enemies often referred to them as a death squad.
Kuperjanov's battalion lacking sufficient ammo to sustain a long firefight, would simply wait hiden in a dense growth of trees for an adorn officer and use a single 7mm round.
The Kuperjanov battalion today still practice the one round-rule, but now use US-donated M14s.
Regards, Stan
A new Honourary Colonel for the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
The PPCLI announced a new Honourary Colonel last week, and the CBC story has some interesting observations about the role.
Quote:
Former GG assumes honorary role for regiment
Last Updated: Saturday, March 17, 2007 | 6:19 PM ET
CBC News
Canada's former governor general has been given an honorary regimental position usually reserved for members of the Royal Family.
Adrienne Clarkson, who was the Queen's representative in Canada, became the first Canadian to be appointed colonel-in-chief of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, in a ceremony on Saturday in Edmonton.
She succeeds Lady Patricia Brabourne, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, who has been colonel-in-chief for 32 years.
"It gives me a sense of great comfort and joy that we now have such a perfectly splendid successor, and I retire in the knowledge that the Patricias will be as well looked after as I was able to do," Lady Patricia said.
The position was first held by Lady Patricia Ramsay, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, from whom the regiment gets its name.
According to the regiment, Clarkson was chosen because she meets all of the criteria for the position, including having visited Canadian troops overseas while governor general, and has a personal connection to the regiment because her husband, John Ralston Saul, is the son of a regiment officer.
More...
Marc