In the middle of the winter it's pitch black outside for at least 23 hours a day in northern Norway. As a result our boots couldn't be checked by the officers on morning parade. But one day the an officers saw me and (even worse) my boots in the harsh light of the indoor lamps in the corridor. He just said quietly: "Oh f*ck" and went away. The next morning the whole company's boots were checked by flashlight and I'm sorry to say it was my fault …...
Some of the recruits in my intake were very devious. They bought boots and they would keep these boots only for parades. So, as the rest of us worked hard to polish our boots that we had been wearing all day, they would not have to. They knew they must hide these boots though because when we found them we would smash the polish off on the concrete step and throw them over the camp wire where they could not be got by the owners!
I often wondered if any one ever one found out about this and then went to go and collect these boots at the end of basic training and sell them to the next recruits?!
I had 2 pairs of boots as a standard, even going in as conscript.
That was one of the lessons I learned from my father.
I bought a pair 2 months prior to my conscription starting, and wore them in, so that they were comfortable to walk in. When I signed the second pair from the army, I kept those in an immaculate condition at the back corner of my locker, so that I always had a perfectly bulled pair in my use at the drop of a hat.
Later on it drove the conscripts under my care absolutely insane. When after a week in the woods, we would be back at the barracks, and they would still be shining their boots for the week end inspection in their dirty cammies; when I would be in a perfect leave uniform with shiny boots overseeing their efforts after just 15 minutes: kit in storage or in the drying room, rifle cleaned, oiled and in the rack, and me fresh from the shower and shave! ) ) )
"I mean, she almost kills bond...with her ass."
-Mr Arlington Beech
We're all shocked and enraged by the terrorist attack on the hospital in Kabul on Tuesday, killing thirteen people including sixteen women and two newborns. No-oe has taken responsibility for this crime, but most seem to think IS is behind it.
But I did feel a little bit of pride when I learned that Norwegian special forces were out there fighting the terrorist in the hopital. "We can confirm the Norwegian force took part in the mission by the maternity ward" said a spokesperson for Norwegian military HQ. It's known that there are 60 Norwegian special forces operators in Kabul.
Ahh, the soft and soothing sound of the Finnish language. Truely the French of the north :v
But I'm impressed by the intensity and realism of the training. There must be dozens of soldiers in the Norwegian "army" who gets that sort of training. Well, at least if they can find enough armour that works at the same time.
Raised a smile or two and a few comments from some contacts (you know the types all black tape and no eyebrows), funny how they all get a bit my winky is better than your winky about such videos )
Cheers :007)
My name is Bond, Basildon Bond - I have letters after my name!
WHY WOULD THEY DO THAT I say, the environmentalists are running amok in the Norwegian armed forces!!
They are training to recapture oil rigs in the event of terorists or foreign forces take control of one. FSK, the main special forces unit in the army, was created in 1982 mainly to protect oil rigs and other petrol infrastructure.
Raised a smile or two and a few comments from some contacts (you know the types all black tape and no eyebrows), funny how they all get a bit my winky is better than your winky about such videos )
Cheers :007)
I guess there is no objective way of measuring what unit is best at something, but I have a feeling Norwegian SF is among the very best at protecting oil rigs. I belive this was the main focus of Forsvarets Spesialkommando (FSK) for about a decade. No desert training, no jungle training etc. , just anti-terror and especially protecting oil rigs year after year.
During the week, the conscripts from the Uusimaa brigade carried out the beret march. The march is about 70 kilometers long and should be performed at max. 30 hours. During the march, various military knowledge and skills are tested, to see if the soldier has what it takes to earn the green beret. The green beret is the hallmark of coastal Jaegers and is adorned with a golden beret badge in the shape of a sea eagle's head.
Some conscripts who came to the finish stated that: “If there is one thing I learned during the march, it is that you have more stamina than you think. As a whole, the march was a fun, but at the same time extremely demanding experience. It was heavy physically and to some extent also mentally. But the small blisters you got on your feet or the pain you have in the body in general, will disappear after a while while the memories that the experience has given will be something that we will all remember for a long time to come. The pain is temporary, the beret is forever. ”
"I mean, she almost kills bond...with her ass."
-Mr Arlington Beech
All the Nordic countries (with the exception of Iceland, they only have a coast guard) going to use the same military uniforms. The uniforms will look different from each other because of the camouflage patterns, but the uniforms will be the same. Soldiers from all the Nordic countries are testing the new design.
reality is though when on Ops and in contact professional soldiers would prefer the person next to them to have chosen to be there rather than told. The mindset is different you only have to look at the Falkland Conflict or 2 Iraq conflicts to see the difference in standards between volunteer and voluntold armies. Not meant to sound arrogant just logical - we have been debating this for years in the army and now have experience to back up the theories.
Many look to the military to solve the problems with the youth of today by conscription or national service when reality is fix the parenting or put ex forces in schools and allow then to instill some discipline early in life it’s not rocket science
Cheers :007)
My name is Bond, Basildon Bond - I have letters after my name!
That is probably correct in countries with large populations, many working/low paying class people and potential battlefields far away. But here we have relatively small population compared to the size of the country. We border on Russia and most of the people are middle class/upper middle class. With the exception of Finland we also have (too) small armies, so even though we have a conscription system so few get called to service it's de facto a volunteer force.
I should also remind you have the conscription militaries of Israel and Finland has done very well historically.
Actually Sweden tried to shift to a professional military around the year 2000. They have now returned to the conscript system because they simply couldn't fill the ranks. A conscription system is also a very good recruitment aid to the professional jobs in the military since a lot of people get in contact with the miltary through the conscription process.
That is probably correct in countries with large populations, many working/low paying class peeple and potential battlefields far away. But here we have relatively small population compared to the size of the countries, we border on Russia and most of the people are middle class/upper middle class. With the exception of Finland we also have (too) small armies, so even though we have a conscription system so few get called to service it's de facto a volunteer force.
I should also remind you have the conscription militaries of Israel and Finland has done very well historically.
This. Also I have seen and worked with NATO country professional soldiers as well as reservists from countries with conscription, both in Finland as well as in international missions. In my experience personal and national characteristics supersede any recruiting system when it comes to how an individual conducts him/her self in a military setting. However, one should really not compare Israeli and Finnish conscripts; Israeli conscripts can get a real life operational experience during their 30mo. service, which is not true in Finland. In Finland, to get operational experience, you have to have completed your service (a reservist) and a volunteer for international service and have had relevant training.
FWIW. Latest polls in Finland show that over 80% of the population under 25yo. are in favor of compulsory military service and of the whole population the number is over 70%. Also, almost 70% of the population is in favor of military response in case of any invasion or armed incursion into Finland no matter how desperate the situation seems. So yeah, I think we're volunteers!
"I mean, she almost kills bond...with her ass."
-Mr Arlington Beech
"The Finnish Defence Forces tested its joint fires capability and new ordnance taken into use over the last few years at the Rovaniemi training area during the Army Combined Joint Fires Exercise MVH 20. The development of the Finnish Defence Forces’ joint fires capability has been consistent and sustained effort over the last few years. Watch a Finnish Combat Camera video of the testing event."
I just read a book about Lauri Törni (Born a soldier" by J. michael Clverly). Facinating story about the Finish war hero. Probably one of the best special forces soldiers of both WWII and the Vietnam war.
I just read a book about Lauri Törni (Born a soldier" by J. michael Clverly). Facinating story about the Finish war hero. Probably one of the best special forces soldiers iof both WWII and the Vietnam war.
Yup, he was something! It's a fascinating subject, the WW2 time LRRP soldiers in Finland. Especially the ones that were recruited before or in the early stages of war, before the attrition rate got too extreme. Most were cut from the same cloth as Törni, (although L.T. was in a class of his own): independent, resourceful, task oriented and not a very good fit to the "big army". Most had trouble adapting to the civilian life after the war; there were alcoholism, suicides, unemployment etc. The few "lucky" ones found employment with a myriad of NATO agencies, CIA MI6... even Norway recruited their own former LRRP men to go to Russia. The official history of counter intelligence in Finland tells the story of "red VALPO" trying to prevent the recruitment and unsanctioned operations to Russia in the late -40s and early -50s.
I think Finland's LRRP units (perhaps especially Separate Battalion 4?) were among the best special forces units in WWII, competing alongside units like SAS, Alamo Scouts and Decima Flottiglia MAS. I'm convinced Finland fielded the best cold-weather special forces in WWII. I think a Finish patrol has the reccord for the longest lasting LRRP in WWII when one patrol spent over fifty days behind Soviet lines. I also read somewhere that the only known example of a silenced rifle used in combat in WWII was a Finish LRRP soldier killing a Soviet truck driver. After reading "Born a soldier" it seems like that soldier was Lauri Törni. according to the book he shot the driver first, making the truck crash. Then Törni's patrol killed everyone in the truck without firing a single shot!
You probably know much more than me about these units, so you are very welcome to write someting (or supply links to articles or videos) in the Espionage and special operations thread.
...I think a Finish patrol has the reccord for the longest lasting LRRP in WWII when one patrol spent over fifty days behind Soviet lines. I also read somewhere that the only known example of a silenced rifle used in combat in WWII was a Finish LRRP soldier killing a Soviet truck driver....
The longest patrol in record was 56 days and 500km behind enemy lines, detachment Hartikainen, an air force patrol to gather intelligence on enemy air bases.
I have never heard of or encountered silenced rifles in Finnish WW2 inventory. I have to look into this a little closer.
"I mean, she almost kills bond...with her ass."
-Mr Arlington Beech
The longest patrol in record was 56 days and 500km behind enemy lines, detachment Hartikainen, an air force patrol to gather intelligence on enemy air bases.
A friend of mine who served with me in the army but is now also in the UK told me about this story which was in the newspapers in my country. This happened some time ago but is still funny.
A man from the commando regiment, our regiment, was home on leave when armed men tried to break in to his parents house to rob them. The soldier chased the robbers away but one of them began to shoot at him. According to the soldier he managed to cheat death because his training meant he could dodge the bullets as they were fired at him!
I must have been on leave when that course came up!
My friend said he too missed that course!
I wonder what his friends said when he got back to depo!
Comments
In the middle of the winter it's pitch black outside for at least 23 hours a day in northern Norway. As a result our boots couldn't be checked by the officers on morning parade. But one day the an officers saw me and (even worse) my boots in the harsh light of the indoor lamps in the corridor. He just said quietly: "Oh f*ck" and went away. The next morning the whole company's boots were checked by flashlight and I'm sorry to say it was my fault …...
I often wondered if any one ever one found out about this and then went to go and collect these boots at the end of basic training and sell them to the next recruits?!
That was one of the lessons I learned from my father.
I bought a pair 2 months prior to my conscription starting, and wore them in, so that they were comfortable to walk in. When I signed the second pair from the army, I kept those in an immaculate condition at the back corner of my locker, so that I always had a perfectly bulled pair in my use at the drop of a hat.
Later on it drove the conscripts under my care absolutely insane. When after a week in the woods, we would be back at the barracks, and they would still be shining their boots for the week end inspection in their dirty cammies; when I would be in a perfect leave uniform with shiny boots overseeing their efforts after just 15 minutes: kit in storage or in the drying room, rifle cleaned, oiled and in the rack, and me fresh from the shower and shave!
-Mr Arlington Beech
-Mr Arlington Beech
But I did feel a little bit of pride when I learned that Norwegian special forces were out there fighting the terrorist in the hopital. "We can confirm the Norwegian force took part in the mission by the maternity ward" said a spokesperson for Norwegian military HQ. It's known that there are 60 Norwegian special forces operators in Kabul.
English subtitles available.
-Mr Arlington Beech
But I'm impressed by the intensity and realism of the training. There must be dozens of soldiers in the Norwegian "army" who gets that sort of training. Well, at least if they can find enough armour that works at the same time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=74&v=dZPWdytVS9k&feature=emb_logo
WHY WOULD THEY DO THAT
-Mr Arlington Beech
Raised a smile or two and a few comments from some contacts (you know the types all black tape and no eyebrows), funny how they all get a bit my winky is better than your winky about such videos
Cheers :007)
They are training to recapture oil rigs in the event of terorists or foreign forces take control of one. FSK, the main special forces unit in the army, was created in 1982 mainly to protect oil rigs and other petrol infrastructure.
I guess there is no objective way of measuring what unit is best at something, but I have a feeling Norwegian SF is among the very best at protecting oil rigs. I belive this was the main focus of Forsvarets Spesialkommando (FSK) for about a decade. No desert training, no jungle training etc. , just anti-terror and especially protecting oil rigs year after year.
During the week, the conscripts from the Uusimaa brigade carried out the beret march. The march is about 70 kilometers long and should be performed at max. 30 hours. During the march, various military knowledge and skills are tested, to see if the soldier has what it takes to earn the green beret. The green beret is the hallmark of coastal Jaegers and is adorned with a golden beret badge in the shape of a sea eagle's head.
Some conscripts who came to the finish stated that: “If there is one thing I learned during the march, it is that you have more stamina than you think. As a whole, the march was a fun, but at the same time extremely demanding experience. It was heavy physically and to some extent also mentally. But the small blisters you got on your feet or the pain you have in the body in general, will disappear after a while while the memories that the experience has given will be something that we will all remember for a long time to come. The pain is temporary, the beret is forever. ”
-Mr Arlington Beech
The one thing I learned from day one, was the joys of retroactive enjoyment
Cheers :007)
reality is though when on Ops and in contact professional soldiers would prefer the person next to them to have chosen to be there rather than told. The mindset is different you only have to look at the Falkland Conflict or 2 Iraq conflicts to see the difference in standards between volunteer and voluntold armies. Not meant to sound arrogant just logical - we have been debating this for years in the army and now have experience to back up the theories.
Many look to the military to solve the problems with the youth of today by conscription or national service when reality is fix the parenting or put ex forces in schools and allow then to instill some discipline early in life it’s not rocket science
Cheers :007)
I should also remind you have the conscription militaries of Israel and Finland has done very well historically.
Actually Sweden tried to shift to a professional military around the year 2000. They have now returned to the conscript system because they simply couldn't fill the ranks. A conscription system is also a very good recruitment aid to the professional jobs in the military since a lot of people get in contact with the miltary through the conscription process.
This means that people like me, who should have been called for service, didn't and just volunteer to join the military anyway.
This. Also I have seen and worked with NATO country professional soldiers as well as reservists from countries with conscription, both in Finland as well as in international missions. In my experience personal and national characteristics supersede any recruiting system when it comes to how an individual conducts him/her self in a military setting. However, one should really not compare Israeli and Finnish conscripts; Israeli conscripts can get a real life operational experience during their 30mo. service, which is not true in Finland. In Finland, to get operational experience, you have to have completed your service (a reservist) and a volunteer for international service and have had relevant training.
FWIW. Latest polls in Finland show that over 80% of the population under 25yo. are in favor of compulsory military service and of the whole population the number is over 70%. Also, almost 70% of the population is in favor of military response in case of any invasion or armed incursion into Finland no matter how desperate the situation seems. So yeah, I think we're volunteers!
-Mr Arlington Beech
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=en21sFypy2c
-Mr Arlington Beech
Yup, he was something! It's a fascinating subject, the WW2 time LRRP soldiers in Finland. Especially the ones that were recruited before or in the early stages of war, before the attrition rate got too extreme. Most were cut from the same cloth as Törni, (although L.T. was in a class of his own): independent, resourceful, task oriented and not a very good fit to the "big army". Most had trouble adapting to the civilian life after the war; there were alcoholism, suicides, unemployment etc. The few "lucky" ones found employment with a myriad of NATO agencies, CIA MI6... even Norway recruited their own former LRRP men to go to Russia. The official history of counter intelligence in Finland tells the story of "red VALPO" trying to prevent the recruitment and unsanctioned operations to Russia in the late -40s and early -50s.
Here is something of interest: https://www.tellerreport.com/news/2020-08-23-this-seemingly-ordinary-farmhouse-in-central-finland-hid-the-secret-of-the-remote-patrolmen---no-one-could-have-guessed-what-kind-of-operation-was-being-prepared-inside-.Hke3r2_l7P.html
-Mr Arlington Beech
You probably know much more than me about these units, so you are very welcome to write someting (or supply links to articles or videos) in the Espionage and special operations thread.
The longest patrol in record was 56 days and 500km behind enemy lines, detachment Hartikainen, an air force patrol to gather intelligence on enemy air bases.
I have never heard of or encountered silenced rifles in Finnish WW2 inventory. I have to look into this a little closer.
-Mr Arlington Beech
Perkele!
A man from the commando regiment, our regiment, was home on leave when armed men tried to break in to his parents house to rob them. The soldier chased the robbers away but one of them began to shoot at him. According to the soldier he managed to cheat death because his training meant he could dodge the bullets as they were fired at him!
I must have been on leave when that course came up!
My friend said he too missed that course!
I wonder what his friends said when he got back to depo!