The Mammoth Book of Secrets of the SAS & Elite Forces

by Jon E. Lewis

  An optional fire-retardant leather waistcoat can be worn over the suit and armour protection and is used to carry special equipment such as an assault axe, stun grenades or rescue knife, all in specially-fitted pockets or leather loops.

  Respirator

  These days some form of respirator is worn operationally by most special forces, so the IPPS uses a specially developed respirator known as the SF10, a variant of the Avon S10 used by the British Army. The SF10 has an internal microphone, but its most prominent features are the outset darkened eyepieces. These have been incorporated to cut down the flash produced by stun grenades or other bright lights. The SF10 can also be fitted with its own air supply from an air bottle carried in the leather waistcoat or an extra filter canister can be worn.

  Communications

  The respirator microphone connects into an assault team communications harness known as the CT100 which has a chest or respirator microphone and press-to-talk switches located on the wrist or anywhere handy. The communications system uses electronic earphones that are designed to cut out sound produced by grenades or gunfire (ie high air pressure) but which allow all other sounds to be heard normally. The earphones are connected into the communication harness to allow the wearer to listen in to a team command net.

  The main feature of the IPPS is that all the components are designed to work together. For instance the IPPS helmet does not interfere with the respirator seal, and the ear defenders fit under helmet ear lobes that have been designed for just that purpose. The darkened eyepieces permit almost any weapon to be aimed and fired without difficulty, and even though the protective waistcoat can stop most fragments or bullets it still allows complete freedom of movement.

  Belt kit

  A belt carrying combat or other gear can be worn, and an abseiling harness has been developed for use with the IPPS which provides an indication of the degree of movement available.

  PERSONAL CAMOUFLAGE AND CONCEALMENT

  Good camouflage and fieldcraft are almost as important as good marksmanship – in fact, a well camouflaged man who is a poor shot will probably survive longer than the badly concealed sniper. In an escape and evasion operation, camouflage and concealment are paramount. The hunted man will conceal himself and sleep by day, and move by night – and here even the cover of darkness will not negate the importance of camouflage.

  Personal camouflage (PC) has certain simple rules that will defeat the most obvious sensor on the battlefield – the human eye.

  Shape

  Your helmet, web equipment, rifle and other kit such as manpack radios have a clear, often square shape – and – there are no squares in nature. Break up straight lines by the addition of scrim – neutral-coloured strips of cloth in browns and greens. Camouflaged elasticated pack covers exist, and these can be stretched over packs and radios.

  Rifles and LMG/GPMGs have a clear shape, and are often black. Though scrim can be used to break up their line, it is not advisable to fix it to the stock – it may slip when you are firing and by shifting your grip cause you to shoot inaccurately. It is better to cover the weapon with camouflaged tape, or even green masking tape (tape is a useful aid to PC – see “Sound”).

  A discarded vehicle camouflage net is a very useful source of camouflage for PC. It will have nylon “scrim” that has been treated to give an infra-red reflection similar to vegetation. Fixed to the back of packs and webbing, or in the netting on a helmet, it breaks up shape very well and enhances the chlorophyll-based infra-red camouflage treatment (see also “Silhouette”).

  Shine

  In the old days of brass buckles, soldiers were told these should be allowed to grow dull, or be covered with masking tape. However, most web equipment has plastic or alloy fittings that do not reflect – but there are still shiny surfaces even on a modern battlefield.

  Binoculars and compass surfaces, even spectacles, can catch the light. There is little that can be done about spectacles, but when using binoculars or a compass make sure that you are well concealed: like radios, they are “signature equipment” and attract attention. Stow binoculars inside your smock, and take care that your map is not opened up and flapping about – a drab map case with the map folded so that it gives the minimum working area is all that is needed. Take care also that the clear cover to the map case does not catch the light.

  Shine also includes skin. At night it will catch moonlight and flares, and even black soldiers need to use camouflage cream.

  FACIAL CAMOUFLAGE

  1 The first coat

  First get rid of all that white shining skin. Mix a small quantity of camouflage cream with spit in your hand and rub it all over your face, neck and ears. This gives a full light coverage of camouflage. Then cover your hands with the cream.

  2 Breaking up the shape

  Now break up the outline and shape of the eyes, nose and mouth. Any pattern that breaks up this familiar format will do; use more if you’re going in night patrol. Don’t forget your neck and eyes.

  3 Finishing it off

  Fill in the rest of your face with earth, loam and green colours, then spit in your hands and rub them over your face to blur it all together. On the move you will probably sweat heavily so you must top-up your face cream as you go along.

  Silhouette

  Similar in many respects to shape, silhouette includes the outline of the human form and the equipment it is carrying. The shape of the head and shoulders of a man are unmistakeable and an unscrimmed helmet attracts attention.

  The use of vegetation as garnishing helps break up the silhouette. Thick handfuls of grass tucked into equipment can remove the shape of the shoulders, and garnishing on the helmet breaks the smooth curve of the top and the line of the brim.

  Silhouette also includes fieldcraft – however well camouflaged you may be, it is little help if you “sky line” by walking along the top of a hill, or stand against a background of one solid colour.

  Smell

  Even the most urbanized man will develop a good sense of smell after a few days in the open. He will be able to detect engine smells, cooking, body odour and washing.

  HELMET CAMOUFLAGE

  1 Kevlar helmet. The new issue Kevlar helmet comes complete with a cover of DPM – standard military camouflage colours – and straps for local camouflage.

  2 Disguising the shape. Cover the helmet with strips of scrim and cloth

  3 Adding local camouflage. Insert local vegetation under the elastic. Use plenty, make sure it stays in and make sure it matches your background.

  Some smells are hard to minimize. Soaps should be scent-free and activities such as cooking confined to daylight hours when other smells are stronger and the air warmer.

  One of the greatest giveaways is smoking: its refuse has a unique smell. Rubbish produced by cooking as well as smoking should be carried out from the operational area and only buried as a second choice. Buried objects are often dug up by animals and this can give a good indication of the strength and composition of your patrol or unit as well as its morale. The disciplines of refuse removal are important.

  Sound

  You can make a lot of noise while out on patrol. Your boots can squeak, your cleaning kit or magazines may rattle in your ammunition pouches. Even your webbing can creak if it is heavy. Fittings on your weapon may rattle. Radios can have background “mush”. Coughing and talking can carry for long distances in the darkness of a clear night.

  You must become familiar with a “silent routine” in which field signals replace the spoken word, or conversations are conducted in a whisper.

  Proper stowage of kit, taping of slings and other noisy equipment and a final shakedown before a patrol moves out will reduce noise. If a position is being dug, sentries should be positioned at the limit of noise so that they can see an enemy before he hears the digging.

  Colour

  Though most modern combat uniforms are now in a disruptive pattern camouflage, there may be times when this is less helpful. If you
are evading capture and are unarmed, drab civilian outdoor clothing will be less conspicuous if you encounter civilians.

  The trouble with camouflage-type clothing is that in the wrong environment, like cites, it seems to do the opposite and say “Hey, look at me!” In fighting in built up areas a camouflage of greys, browns and dull reds would be better. The use of sacking and empty sand bags as scrim covers would help here.

  Natural vegetation used to garnish helmets and equipment (see “Silhouette”) will fade and change colour. Leaves curl up and show their pale under-surfaces. You may have put grass into your helmet band and now find yourself in a dark wood: or be wearing dark green ferns when you are moving across a patch of pale, open grass land. Check and change your camouflage regularly.

  The most obvious colour that needs camouflaging is that of human skin, and for that you need camouflage cream. As mentioned, even black or brown skin has a shine to it. A common mistake is to smear paint over the front of the face and to miss the neck, ears and back of the hands.

  Camouflage cream needs to be renewed as you move and sweat. A simple pattern is to take stripes diagonally across the face – this cuts through the vertical and horizontal lines of the eyes, nose and mouth. Some camouflage creams have two colours, in which case you can use the dark colour to reduce the highlights formed by the bridge of the nose, cheek bones, chin and forehead. The lighter colour is used on areas of shadow.

  Association

  The enemy may not see you, but he might spot your equipment or refuse and associate that with a possible unit on the move. A cluster of radio antennas shows that a company HQ is on the move or dug in. The cans stacked near a vehicle park, perhaps with white tape around them, are likely to be fuel. To a trained observer the unusual – a flash from a plastic map case, or the smell of cooking – will alert him and he will bring his own senses to bear on the area.

  VEHICLE CAMOUFLAGE

  Good camouflage and concealment is often a trade-off against good fields of fire or good positions for observing enemy movement. Radio communications work better with line-of-sight but sitting on top of a hill is very public. And if you are trying to evade or escape you will need a vantage point for a sentry to observe likely enemy approaches, and may be observed yourself.

  Assuming that you are part of a group of six to 12 men and that you have a light vehicle like a Land Rover or jeep, how would you conceal your position while evading capture?

  Siting

  Avoid the obvious. If the enemy are looking for you they will sweep the countryside, and if there are not many of them they will concentrate on rivers and woodland, farm houses, barns, known caves and natural cover. All are on maps, and the first move that an enemy search team will make is to do a map reconnaissance and look at likely locations.

  Track plan

  A track plan is essential if you are going to stay in the location for any length of time. Trodden grass and footprints will show clearly from the air, and large areas of normally lush undergrowth can be flattened in a way that attracts attention.

  Vehicle tracks are even more dramatic from the air – bad drivers will carve a path across a field in a way that no farmer would dream of driving. Track planning means attempting to copy the normal routes adopted by animals, farmers or the locals. Thus vehicle tracks along the edge of a field and a footpath that might also be used by the inhabitants will pass unnoticed by the enemy.

  IR signature

  As with personal camouflage, the infra-red band is the most difficult to avoid. Thermal imaging will penetrate cover, and activities like running a vehicle engine to charge batteries or simple tasks like cooking become a major problem since both will show as a very strong hot point in an otherwise cool terrain.

  Though a cave may not be ideal if it is on the local map, it will give good thermal screening. Parking the vehicle under cover will also reduce its IR signature – but again remember that barns and farmhouses are very obvious and may attract attention from the air or ground.

  Sound and smell

  As with personal camouflage, sound and smell are important. If you run your engine to recharge batteries you will make noise and exhaust fumes (and take care that fumes do not blow into the vehicle if the exhaust pipe is blocked by the camouflage). Use a flexible metal extension pipe to reduce the noise.

  If you are in a convoy, the sound of your vehicles will attract attention and so will your radio traffic.

  Smell will come from cooking as you prepare your evening meal and the smell of fuel is also distinctive. Spilled fuel and the wrappings from rations are a calling-card for an alert enemy.

  Association

  Association is also important – radio antennas around a position or on a vehicle show that it is of significance. Antennas can also catch the light and show up as long, hard shadows in an otherwise concealed position. Most antennas can be situated away from the set, so put them on a reverse slope where they are not only invisible to the enemy, but also have some of their signal screened. Failing that, locate them against a building or tree.

  Camouflage is a complex and sometimes contradictory skill. There is a reduced TI signature in a building under cover; but buildings attract attention. Hessian should be used on a vehicle among cold buildings; but not in warmer woodland. If you want to remember one rule to camouflage, it is that you should not give the enemy the signal that will make him look twice.

  Concealing your position

  Don’t make the mistake of thinking you’re safe as long as you have dug your position. A good hide or bunker should be invisible even at close quarters; if you have dug it well and are careful in your movements, it may pass unnoticed. But the enemy can still spot you if you haven’t been careful enough, so keep the following in mind.

  1 The colour of soil that has been dug from lower than about a metre is lighter than the topsoil, and a trench has a strong shadow at the bottom. Conceal earth by covering it with turfs; and put light-coloured straw at the bottom of the trench to reduce some of the shadow. This will also be more pleasant to walk on and live in.

  2 In a tropical environment, cover can grow very quickly, so replace plants and creepers around your position and it will soon be concealed.

  3 A simple basha made up with poncho or basha sheet can be square, shiny and noisy. Do not put it up until after last light, although you can position it flat on the ground before dark. Carry a length of old camouflage net; it will break up the shape and shine.

  4 When you are cooking or brewing up keep your opened kit to a minimum; you might need to make a quick getaway. Also, avoid littering tins and wrappers around the position that may catch the light and be seen from a distance.

  5 It is commonly thought that a hand torch with a red filter does not show at night. It does; it’s certainly less obvious than a white light, and it does not impair night vision, but it shows. Do not use a torch at all; by last light you should have set up your position so that your kit is packed and you can reach for your weapon, webbing and pack without needing one.

  Concealing your vehicle

  Any vehicle will be under suspicion. If you are moving in convoy, take care to avoid bunching. Vehicles close together are very recognisable from the air, and make easy targets for enemy aircraft. And remember the following points when finding somewhere to position your vehicle.

  1 If you are near buildings, for instance on a farm, try to get the vehicle close to a wall or under cover in a barn. A camouflage net will attract the attention of a nearby enemy. Use hessian and local materials to disguise the vehicle.

  2 If you park in the country, try to find the shadow of a hedge to disguise the vehicle’s hard shape. But remember that in northern and southern latitudes the sun moves, and the shadow of the morning can be the sunlit field of the afternoon.

  VEHICLE CAMOUFLAGE CHECKLIST

  1 Site selection: Choose a harbour area away from the edge of the wood, away from tracks and with good cover overhead as well as at ground level. Try to pick a “hull d
own” or “dead ground” position. Remember to back the vehicle in, you may have to exit fast.

  2 Hessian sacking: All the principles of personal camouflage apply equally to your vehicle. Black hessian destroys the shine from windows, headlights and number plates and disguises the general shape of the vehicle.

  3 Net poles: A good selection of net poles is essential to hold the camouflage net off the vehicle to disguise its shape. Chicken wire can also be used. You must not cut poles from trees around your position; the cut-off shoots will give you away. Harbouring two vehicles together with nets over both can be helpful in producing a more natural shape. Remember, you cannot afford to leave any equipment lying about; concealment is an ongoing task, as the threat of discovery is ever-present. Plastic bags and uncovered windscreens are asking for trouble.

  4 Camouflage net: Use the surrounding trees as well as the poles. The ideal situation is to create a camouflage “garage” you can drive into and out of without having to remove net, poles etc.

  5 Two-sided net: There are two sides to a camouflage net, with different colour combinations, so use the side that best matches your surroundings.

  6 Shell scrapes and track plan: As soon as the position is occupied, a route around the site must be marked by cord and cleared. By using this trackplan, disturbance of natural ground is minimized. Shell scrapes must be dug in “stand to” positions.

  3 Late evening can be particularly difficult with low sunlight catching the glass fittings of your vehicle. As a short-term precaution cover the windscreen and lights when you stop, not forgetting the reflectors.

  4 If your vehicle is military, it will have been painted with IR reflective paint and you should not cover this with hessian, which will produce a blue-grey colour on any infra-red device that the enemy might be using. You should cover the reflective surfaces and then deploy a camouflage net.