British Mk 2 NBC Suits - AFV Crew

I think I’d have rather been nerve gassed

Two things still surprise me about the figure business: not enough modern troops (of whatever nation) in rain gear and not enough in NBC/MOPP gear. I served (US Army MI) in the 80’s and even though we never went to the field, we still spent one shift every year wearing MOPP4 to work. Of course, we unMOPPed when we were actually working (which was against the rules but we also needed to see and hear well enough to do the job, so off they came) but I know a lot of folks wore the stuff a lot more often than I did.

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I wouldn’t mind a modern UK generic soldier set in full NBC with Resi’s on. Waterproofs wouldn’t really be for me as we always used to wear our gortex under the normal combat jacket anyway.
The thing with people wearing NBC kit is the limited time you’re in it. On exercise the scenarios are (were) limited so you wouldn’t spend an awful long time in them anyway. Also the agents used would nonpersistent or persistent and if non - you are out of it pretty quick as soon as the area is tested and if it’s persistent you’d either be bugging out or doing a lot of suit changes as each suit has a limited life span after exposure, so known danger areas were cordoned off or moved round …
We wore NBC suits
more to keep warm than anything else and when on tanks, we hardly ever went to fully suited up with Resi’s on… We just closed all the hatches and waited for the all clear lol…
And that would probably of been our downfall as you always hoped your tank NBC system and pack worked … However to achieve over pressure and the system to function at 100%, every single seal had to be good, all main sights, Comds cupola sights and vision blocks, all hatch seals, gun seals… Basically every hole had to be sealed…could I safely say all my wagon seals were good … Not a chance lol…

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When I was Mech Infantry in the mid 80’s if we were in the field, we were usually in MOPP 2 from the time we left the motor pool until ENDEX and the wash rack. We spent a lot of time in the field. Sometimes it felt like at least half of a year overall And of course what exercise is not complete without some sort of got to MOPP 4 then eventually go thru detection and unmasking procedures. Funny thing is that we never practiced decon procedures beyond decontaminate self and personal equipment using the little kit in the pro mask carrier- never the vehicle stuff. Nor did we train on the exchange of gear after being gassed.
But MOPP 2 thru 4 during summer in the Deep South or Mojave Desert training areas was always fun…

And yes, we need more 1/35 figures in NBC gear, Warsaw Pact and NATO, AFV crews and ground pounders.

Amen to that Stik!! Remember doing physical training in full MOPP 4 - besides your usual combat training?? Hated that stuff but it did keep you warm in the winter in Germany lol.

Again you are so right Stik

Yes I do… including one time somebody decided that each company in the battalion would run the obstacle course in MOPP 4 and LBE/Steel pots for a timed competition. Yeah that was fun. :face_with_symbols_over_mouth:

And I thought the Brits, were the only ones stupid enough to do that.

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Hmmm; brought back a few memories of my own as a young soldier! When I was posted to the vast HQ complex at Rheindhalen in Germany (think Monchengladbach) and worked in an Army Group HQ, every summer, the British Clerks and other HQ REMFs had to undergo a week’s military training; quite right too although way back then we resented it and moaned like there was no tomorrow. The mindset should have been “Great, a chance to get out into the fresh air and put some rounds down!” - albeit at targets only. Anyway, this all took place at a camp amidst a training area smack up against the Dutch border, near Arsbeck; interestingly enough, at the other side of the road was a Bundeswehr Pershing missile site.

The programme was designed to blow the cobwebs away with early morning runs, in boots naturally; back then the British Army’s annual running test was in boots. Weapon training on pistol, SMG and rifle, and the LMG (7.62mm version of the Bren), range work with all 4 weapons, first aid, and inevitably NBC (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical) training as it was then called. Apart from finding out if your respirator worked in the gas chamber amidst a dense application of CS, we went over the assault course twice just to warm us up in full NBC suit, respirator, steel helmet, webbing (ie personal equipment) and weapon. Now this all took place in summer so by the time we entered the chamber we were pretty much soaked in sweat. We had to walk around in the fog for a fair few minutes in order to ensure everything fitted as it should; God help the poor soul who’s respirator didn’t fit or had forgotten he’d removed the canister contents (see the threads above)! Additionally, we had to pair up and change canisters on one another’s respirators; this was no time to be making enemies as one could arrange not to locate the replacement canister properly on your opposite number’s respirator, if you were so inclined; as it happened, in a sweaty panic and the gloom it was easy enough to cross-thread the things even if you didn’t mean too, with the obvious results. This sometimes meant scores being settled once outside the chamber - whether the exercise had been fouled up intentionally or not - and I recall a few fistfights (broken up by the instructors). Naturally, the instructors all made us remove the respirator prior to leaving and we had to call out our number, rank and name. Not many managed this – which was the whole purpose – and we exited gagging and spluttering with streaming eyes which of course, in our distress we rubbed, with our contaminated gloved hands. Also, CS has a habit of attaching itself to wherever there is moisture and as we were such sweaty heaps it played havoc with our exposed necks and faces.

Of course, there is nothing new in all this to British military/ex-military readers but I thought some might be interested in how it all went down back in the day. If nothing else, we had confidence in our respirators.

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BootsDMS, You forgot the bunker training, in the celler under it, war gaming and train movements. I was a brat their in 76-78,

The United States Army, 200 years of tradition (add your own math for years plus since 1775), un hampered by progress. :wink:

I know that you Red Coats have a few centuries on us. :slightly_smiling_face:

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Frank, we didn’t undergo any bunker training I’m afraid. Did you mean the cellars in the HQ itself?

I like that: “unhampered by progress”!

Yes, old man, was RAOC, as a staffy , working there, he had the 3 full colonels and brigadier as brew boys, they only had to work when something major happened, or didn’t .

Well stap me; I feel in a way I should have known him, although being single at the time and working in NORTHAG I may not have done - and it was a massive HQ. Was he actually RAOC Staff Clerk or a proper Loggie as it were, and I’m assuming he then worked in HQ BAOR - possibly Ord Branch or some other Staff Branch? Of course, I appreciate that as a nipper you may not have known the details way back then.

Brian

Yes RAOC, started as driver then clerk, had been doing store sections as well, Two stints at ICP viersen, when at HQ assert management movement, he talked about stores being distributed and destroyed by train movements on Exersise in celler.

Got it Frank; been racking my brains but I don’t think I knew him. The time scale was right but as singlies living in, and the somewhat insular nature of working in the NATO HQ (as opposed to the British national one) I suppose the likelihood of our paths crossing was just that - unlikely. - and the RAOC was a huge Corps. I was there from 77 to around 82 (Full Screw in NORTHAG then Sgt in HQ BAOR).

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If you have access to the journal he’s in a few for football, .22 shooting,

Roger that.

When I was stationed at Fort Benning Georgia for the the second two years of my initial 4 year enlistment , I was assigned to the 197th Infantry Brigade , where aside from our normal unit training our mission was to support the Infantry School which usually meant being OpFor fit the Infantry Officers Basic Course. But sometimes we got to test new stuff.
I think it was summer of ‘88 when my company was tasked with testing new chemical suits. Of the 4 platoons in our company two would test the Army’s new chem suits in BDU camo and the other two would test the British ones in DPM camo. My platoon just wore our underwear under our suits and carried our mask, gloves and boots. Can’t remember every activity we did but one involved a very short road march with weapon and LBE. The other platoon testing the British suits were in full gear including the mask. The other platoons wore the US chem suits. My platoon really lucked out. The US suits were very bulky and heavy compared to the British ones and those other two platoons were hating life lol because it was very hot and humid. The British suits were definitely lighter and less bulky overall.