If you read back a few posts of mine I accept that half the infantryman's weight is in his personal weapon, his body armour and his water.Originally Posted by BushrangerCZ
The other half would be his 1st line ammo plus a bunch of other stuff, 45 pounds worth.
Agree with you that the chances of the body armour being dumped are slim. But that weight is not the major weight problem (although it has a massive negative effect on mobility). So where to cut?
There are actually two weight problems;
1) on the march, which limits march mobility and exhausts
2) in combat, which limits tactical options
1) can be solved by dependence on carriers (vehicles, animals, humans)
2) is more tricky
If you need to carry weight then (from my experience) you carry the combat essentials in your chest and hip webbing and all the other stuff mainly food and water and additional ammo etc in your Bergen. On contact hit the quick release belt-buckle and drop the Bergen and get on with the fight. First few minutes with the weight off you and the adrenalin it feels like you are walking on air. Kind of addictive. Go back and get your other kit later.
The stuff on your chest and belt only can't be too much more than 10kgs unless you are a machine gunner.
The change that is necessary for these longer ops is that the kidney pouches are removed from the back of the belt so the Bergen can ride on the hips.
German tradition is to separate Rucksack and a small combat pouch (rear, on the belt). The Rucksack is almost never worn, though (exception: mountain troops). It's hard to impossible to find exercise or wartime photos where infantrymen carry Rucksacks. Platoon trailers and later squad vehicles carried the stuff.
Very early 1870-1914), soldiers were often portrayed or photographed with moderate march packs on their back, but that weighed less than a Rucksack.
Yes that is very much like the Brit system I grew up with. The "big pack" had spare clothing etc and was always in a vehicle in B Echelon for access when out of "the line". Then we had a '44 Pattern pack which was small on the back and was good for bedding and a few days rations and water but never taken into battle under conventional circumstances. Then there was the basic (hip) webbing which was all that was worn for combat.
Unconventional war/counter insurgency changed all that. If you were to search a river-line (for example) for sign of the enemy and it would take 8 days then you had to carry food for 8 days and spare this and spare that but water was obtained locally. The patrol was essentially a fighting patrol so when you bumped into them you needed to be able to fight immediately and could do so only if you dumped your pack/Bergen. Very seldom if ever established a patrol base camp and patrolled out from there.
The perils of armour in days gone by.
link
Nothing that results in human progress is achieved with unanimous consent. (Christopher Columbus)
All great truth passes through three stages: first it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.
(Arthur Schopenhauer)
ONWARD
Some additional data from Tom Ricks' blog:
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/files/f...flePlatoon.pdf
Rifle Platoon Basic Load OEF XII
1st PLT, Alpha Co., 2/504 PIR
Some bullet points:
Average Paratrooper bodyweight - 184.7 lbs
Average Paratrooper 72hr kit - 103.69 lbs
Paratroopers are carrying 55% of bodyweight
Nothing new, of course, but thought some might like the most up-to-date info.
The PDF breaks down the loadouts by billet in the platoon as well.
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