Brit boots

[arcticpenguin]

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,6200777%255E1702,00.html

BRITISH soldiers have been scavenging the debris of war for Iraqi army boots because the British army variety are disintegrating in the hot desert sun.

[Baggle]

A member of the "Desert Rats" combat team does not have gear designed for hot, desert conditions? His original was issued to him second hand? Err...I would think that if the Brits were in this much trouble, the US gov't would bail them out real fast, given that they have to fight alongside them, and their ability to fight effectively is very important, to put it lightly. Call me a skeptic, but I'll wait 48 hours before believing this report;)

-Baggle

[subgenius]

I thought Doc Martens were indestructable. Mine are.

[iain]

This isn't a huge surprise. There have been concerns about the British army boots for some time (years, I think) but I guess nothing was done about it. It has cropped up on the news from time to time along with concerns about radios and guns not working properly.

[Hypocolius]

Originally posted by iain
This isn't a huge surprise. There have been concerns about the British army boots for some time (years, I think) but I guess nothing was done about it. It has cropped up on the news from time to time along with concerns about radios and guns not working properly.

Yeah, in the Falklands the Brits were nicking the boots from dead Argentinians because they were at least waterproof.

[Jon_in_london]

Originally posted by subgenius
I thought Doc Martens were indestructable. Mine are.

They arent Doc Martens but they are very waterproof (they have changes since the falklands). The boots do very well in European/temperate or even rather colder climates but they just arent designed for desert use.

Ou radios are still crap but the new version of the 'sa-80' is apprently very reliable (I havent ever used one) and is being issued to all infanteers in the gulf.

[PygmyPlaidGiraffe]

Originally posted by arcticpenguin
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,6200777%255E1702,00.html



I am not sure why you posted this story-link and I can not presume to know how you felt about it Arcticpenguin.

I can't speak to the accuaracy of this story, but in Canada's chronically underfunded military our men had to actively modify their battle wear when they went to Afghanistan. They went there in their standard green camoflauge fatigues and were known to dye there wear using anything they could find. Some of the solutions sounded a bit far fetched (like putting brown or tan paint on their clothing, then rolling in sand).

I do not get outraged that soldiers have to be practical and adapt to the conditions of a region they are deployed in. It seems to me this practice would be the normal practice of infantry and mechanized units.

I have doubts about the story considering the Brits have had experiece in similiar conditions before... WW2 , Northern Africa Campaign theatre comes to mind. Commanding officers of today's infantry units know that you can not skimp on footwear for infantry. Comfortable and practicle footwear would be a priority of any modern conventional army.

PPG

When people get scared, crap happens, and it happens a lot. -PPG