Air Soft Action February 2015

THE Airsoft Magazine
T H E
A I R S O F T E R S
M A G A Z I N E
O F
C H O I C E
WEAPONS
AGM MG42
IFLE - HALO
MA5 ASSAULT R
EVENTSCOTLAND
ENGLAND V S
LICHT
OPERATION NORD
SSUS
OPERATION COLO
Y BASH
REDWOLF CHARIT
FEATURY ED
LASER SAFET
SVT VS GARAND
MINE WARFARE
WORLD
EXCLUSIVE
COLD WAR WARRIOR
EFFECTIVE RIFLE
CONTROL
TIGER PHOBIA
KING OF THE TANKS
SMALL ARMS OF
THE SUPER POWERS
WW1: WAR IN THE AIR
l LOADED OR UNLOADED: UKSF
l SURVIVAL: EMERGENCY NAV
FEB 2015 - 4.50
BIG BOYZ TOYZ
9 772047 348032
SKILLS AND DRILLS
02
>
HALO MA5 ASSAULT RIFLE
12 - HALO M45 ASSAULT RIFLE
T H E
A I R S O F T E R S
M A G A Z I N E
O F
C H O I C E
WEAPONS
AGM MG42
E - HALO
M45 ASSAULT RIFL
EVENTS
LAND
ENGLAND V SCOT
LICHT
OPERATION NORD
SSUS
OPERATION COLO
BASH
REDWOLF CHARITY
FEATURED
LASER SAFETY
SVT VS GARAND
MINE WARFARE
WO
WORLD
EXCLUSIVE
RLD
EXC
LUS
IVE
TIGER PHOBIA
KING OF THE TANKS
WW1: WAR IN THE AIR
l LOADED OR UNLOADED: UKSF
COLD WAR WARRIOR
02
EFFECTIVE RIFLE
CONTROL
SMALL ARMS OF
THE SUPER POWERS
l SURVIVAL: EMERGENCY NAV
9 772047 348032
BIG BOYZ TOYZ
Editor: Nigel Streeter

Assistant editor: Gareth Gadge Harvey
Graphic design: Havoc Design
Ad design: Havoc Design
Publisher: Nigel Streeter
FEBT 2015 - 4.50
>
HALO M45 ASSAULT RIFLE
SKILLS AND DRILLS
40
CHARITY GAME
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Calibre Publishing Limited 2014
Distribution: Distributed to the newstrade
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04
december 2014
FIRST UP, I hope you all had a very happy Christmas and New Year and are looking forward to 2015.
2014 saw us - and by us I mean airsoft as a whole - face a number of challenges but the overriding
feeling I took from last year was one of positivity and the promise of even better things to come.
In a months time the British Airsoft Show is again at Stoneleigh Park, running alongside the British
Shooting Show and I understand from the organisers that there are a number of different ranges
being set up, including one by RedWolf Airsoft that will showcase the relatively new (to the UK)
discipline of Competitive Tactical Shooting (also known as Practical Action Shooting).
There are already a number of Clubs and groups running similar ranges but this is the rst time a
company the size of RedWolf has got fully involved and it marks the tremendous rise in popularity
this shooting skill has attracted. RedWolf Airsoft, as many of you will already know, are also involved
with the Airsoft Surgeon in staging the hugely popular and successful Airsoft Surgeon European
Championship, so it comes as no surprise to see their involvement and support of this new style of
airsoft. However, also of great interest is the step-change this brings to the game.
At Airsoft Action we will never lose sight of what airsoft is all about; that it is a most incredible
game that excites, challenges and rewards participants in the way no other game can - as an individual,
as part of a team and on personal, mental and physical level. It is also one of the most diverse games
out there, with more genres than any other that I can think of - and this is one of airsofts greatest
strengths. It is also why I welcome anything that will help to grow and enhance the public perception
of airsoft as being something more than just a bunch of blokes running about in woods shooting at
each other with toy guns, which is how I heard someone derisively describe it recently.
CTS/PAS has the potential to attract participants with a wide range of shooting skills and offers us
the chance to test our skills in a controlled, competitive environment against like-minded shooters.
It is already a rapidly growing sport in a number of countries and I, for one, hope it enjoys the same
level of success in the UK.
Whatever style of airsoft you play and wherever you play it, have a great year - its going to be a
good one!!
Nige.
CONTENTS
FEBRUARY
MARCH 2015
2014
CONTENTS
AIRSOFT ACTION FEBRUARY 2015

6 BRITISH AIRSOFT SHOW UPDATE
Whats happening at next months British Airsoft
Show
10 ROGUES GALLERY
Cool photos taken by Airsoft Action readers.
10 THE ADVENTURES OF MAG
Mag is out on his rst game with his new gun
in Airsoft Actions exclusive cartoon
12 WORLD EXCLUSIVE: HALO ASSAULT RIFLE
Before anyone else, Scott Allan gets his hands
on one of only 15 ries coming to Europe in this
Airsoft Action World Exclusive review.
60 LOADED OR UNLOADED: A BIT SPECIAL

Jerry Noone puts together two SF Loadouts; one
on a budget, while the other will most certainly
take care of any money you have left over from
Xmas!
67 DEBATE: AIRSOFT ENGINEERING
Do you like tinkering, or are the inner workings
of your guns a mystery? In this months debate
Gadge asks How much of an airsoft engineer
are you?
16 ARMOURY: AGM MG42

Scott Allan takes a look at an airsoft version of
Hitlers Buzzsaw and asks Does the AGM
version have two balls, or like Hitler just the one?
72 SKILLS AND DRILLS: RIFLE SHOOTING

POSITIONS
If youre not stable when you re, your shot is
more likely to miss. Pro-Tacts Andy Nightingale
runs through some basic rie shooting positions.
20 EVENT: OPERATION NORDLICHT

Chris Wright reports from the recent WW2
game, where Russians and Germans go head-tohead in 1942.
76 HEAD TO HEAD: SVT vs GARAND

Military Historian, Will Fowler, takes a look at
the pros and cons of these well-known WW2
self-loading ries.
26 EVENT: THE AULD ENEMY

With honours even, will Scotland continue their
winning ways, or can the English ght back?
80 SNIPER: JOSEPH T. WARD

Sometimes snipers have to put their normal
instincts on hold and do something different.
Sniper One, Dan Mills, writes about one such
occasion in Vietnam.
30 KIT AND KABOODLE

Richard Bell, aka FireBaseAlpha, takes a quick
look at some of the gear thats caught his eye
over the last few months.
32 COLD WAR WARRIORS: SMALL ARMS
Continuing his comparative series, Gareth
Gadge Harvey takes a look at NATO and WP
soldiers personal weaponry.
36 SITE: ACE COMBAT PEMBURY
Les Lee travelled to Tunbridge Wells on
Remembrance Sunday to report from a site that
is getting a lot of interest.
40 EVENT: REDWOLF / BLUESTREAK
CHARITY GAME
Nige reports from the RedWolf / Bluestreak
Charity event, held in December.
44 FEATURE: LASER SAFETY
How safe are laser devices? Andy Bourne, The
Tactical Optician, peels back the curtain on the
myths to give us the facts.
48 BIG BOYZ TOYZ: TIGER PHOBIA
Feared by all those that came up against it, Jay
Slater takes a look at one of Hitlers great killing
machines, the Tiger tank.
52 EVENT: OPERATION COLOSSUS
Kris Roberts once again nds himself caught
in the middle of Inltration Airsofts on-going
battle between The Flame and The Rain.
58 TEAM PROFILE: THE REAPERS
Dan Barlow writes about the team he co-founded
and what they want to achieve in the future.
84 WORLD WAR ONE: WAR IN THE AIR

Continuing his series about the 1st World War,
Dan Mills turns his attention upwards to a new
arena of battle, the sky.
88 BILLY BASICS: BUDDY BUDDY
Billy writes about a cornerstone of the British
military, which he has experienced many times
throughout his career.
92 FEATURE: MINE WARFARE
Mines are both hated and feared with equal
reason. Military Historian, Will Fowler, looks back
at the history of this loathsome weapon.
96 SURVIVAL: EMERGENCY NAVIGATION
Out in the wilds and left your GPS at home?
Survival Expert, Paul Yelland, gives us some tips
on how to navigate without a map or compass.
101 BOOK REVIEW: ROBERTS RIDGE
Kris Roberts on a book that doesnt pull any
punches as it documents a real-life Navy Seal
battle against the Afghan Taliban.
102 SITE DIRECTORY
If youre looking for somewhere to play, youre
sure to nd it here.
106 DEALER LISTING: AIRSOFT ACTIONS
ADVERTISER INDEX
Find who you are looking for in our listing of all
the adverts that appear in this issue.
05
BRITISH AIRSOFT
SHOW UPDATE
Stoneleigh Park Exhibition Centre, Warwickshire will be the
venue for the 2015 British Airsoft Show. Opening on the 13th
of February, the three-day event is held in conjunction with the
British Shooting Show, Europes largest public shooting event.
From humble beginnings with just a single range, The
British Airsoft Show has grown into the UKs premier display of
airsoft guns, equipment and gear, with many retailers and other
companies using it to showcase their products and services.
To reect the continual growth, for the 2015 show the
whole area has been redesigned and is now a total of 24,000
square feet dedicated purely to Airsoft. Exhibitor stands from
leading manufacturers and retailers will be crammed with
products and it provides a great opportunity to speak with the
professionals and get the latest news and information. There
will be plenty of opportunity to get up close and personal with
all the latest kit and chat to the people involved in airsoft on a
day to day basis.
Exhibitors already conrmed include: Airsoft Zone,
Badgertac, Band of Brothers, CQC Airsoft, Daves Custom
Airsoft, Epic Militaria, International Armour, JD Airsoft, Just
BBs, Land Warrior, Nova Vista, The Grange, Proairsoft Supplies,
Redwolf, Stirling Airsoft, TLSX-FX and of course, Airsoft Action
will be there too!
february 2015
Airsoft is a very hands on game and in keeping with

this, there are plenty of areas that offer the chance to try it for
yourself, such as the 1,000 square meter CQB demonstration
area. Run by Stirling Airsoft, one of the UKs leading Military
Simulation companies, you can try your hand at clearing
buildings as you assault their custom-built village complete with
armoured vehicle support, smoke and grenades - and all the
action can be seen on interactive viewing screens, which take
you right into the heart of the ght.
There will also be ranges to check out your dynamic
shooting skills (against a multitude of targets - and the clock),
as well as an AIPSC (Airsoft International Practical Shooting
Confederation) and a nine-land shooting range.
With all this plus free to enter competitions, Show Only
offers, a WW2 military vehicle display and much much more,
this show is certainly not to be missed!
Dont forget, your entry ticket also includes access to the
whole British Shooting Show, where you can browse around
hundreds of shooting-related stands and other show features.
Advance Tickets are on sale now, so dont miss out - either
telephone the ticket hotline on 01258 857700 or go to www.
britishairsoftshow.com and if you book early, you save money,
get in early and get fast entry too.
AA GALLERY
READERS PHOTOS
ROGUES GALLERY
Ian Murdoch -
RAW War
Ian Murdoch -
CARTOON
THE ADVENTURES OF MAG
FEBRUARY 2015
RAW War
AA GALLERY
READERS PHOTOS
ROGUES GALLERY
Ian Murdoch -
RAW War
Ian Murdoch - RAW War
STTS/JD Airsoft Sentinel
Competition winner - Ben

Slade
bat
Alex Thorpe. Taken at Com
Norfolk
r in Thetford
Airsofts Winter Weekende
INFORMATION
Fancy seeing yourself in Airsoft Action?
Send in your photos via email
(nige@airsoft-action.co.uk) or share on our
Facebook page (/AirsoftAction), plus a few
words describing whats going on in the
image.
10
FEBRUARY 2015
Matt Widdowson. Taken
at SWAT Fortress Liverpo
ol taken by SWAT NUTZ
Oscar P - Xmas fun
Oscar P - Xmas fun
Oscar P -
Skirmish
by Mark Lunn @
Images taken
2014
c
De
th
14
ry
nt
ve
Leicester & Co
Xmas fun
Images taken by Mark Lun
n @ Skirmish Leicester &
Coventry 14th Dec 2014
11
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HALO, IS IT ME YOURE
LOOKING FOR?
LIKE A COVENANT CRUISER SUDDENLY APPEARING OUT OF SLIPSPACE, THIS RIFLE WAS
ALMOST ENTIRELY UNKNOWN TO ALL BUT A FEW PEOPLE. THANKFULLY SCOTT AT AIRSOFT
ACTION IS ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE! SO WITHOUT MUCH FURTHER ADO, WE PROUDLY
PRESENT YET ANOTHER WORLD EXCLUSIVE FIRST REVIEW THE MA5 ASSAULT RIFLE!
SO WHO MADE THIS SPECTACLE? Well much like our own
futures are surrounded in some mystery, so is the true origins of
the MA5 Assault Rie.
There are certain things we can work out due to some
technical detective work; for a start, its not based on anything
at all. People have tried to liken this to the God-awful
Thundermaul, which looked like a childs effort at melting a
rie into a SMG. Similarly there are a couple of types of Pulse
Rie from the movie Aliens on the go. The cheaper one was
made by Snow Wolf, which was built on a Tokyo Marui cloned
Thompson then a cloned G&P kit. As a fairly cheap prop, the
Pulse Rie was still overpriced. The plastic was fairly poor but it
ticked a box for Aliens fans.
The important thing here is to note once again that the
MA5 is scratch built, not a clone, copy or a body kit. That
all said the construction and a few internal markers seem to
suggest Jing Gong or Snow Wolf parts are indeed used inside.
The packaging and the bodywork gave no clues though, so this
could be a new factory just using OEM parts from JG or SW.
Safe to say that internally there is a solid beating heart - before
we even get anywhere near the really cool stuff!
The MA5 comes in several versions over the Halo series
of games and this appears to be an approximation of the
B version. With this being based off a ctional computer
12
february 2015
game rie there will always be physical limitations that require

reworking. This was also famously found in the Judge Dredd
lms, the comic helmet design does not really work well in real
life because well comic book heads can be any size you like
and real human heads are kinda big. The rst thing you notice
about the Assault Rie is the size and then the weight! It is a
bit of a monster at 4.5 kilos, around 800mm long and 250mm
high. The overall size is something similar to a larger FN2000
THE ARMOURY
WORLD EXCLUSIVE | MA5 ASSAULT RIFLE
Safe to say that internally there is a solid

beating heart - before we even get anywhere
near the really cool stuff!
due to the real game version being a bullpup which this version isnt.
Using the fully electronic On/Off/Fire selector the whole rie, including
digital display and lighting system, comes into life.
Normally I would speak a little about the real version but that isnt
really applicable here. Okay it is a tiny amount but it is all ctional so
youll have to bear with me for the ctitious facts
The MA5B, much like a real rie, is said to be air-cooled, gasoperated and fed from a magazine which feeds 7.62 x 51mm in a
fully-automatic format. Curiously the people of the future still use
the NATO 7.62mm round and clearly the people of the future do not
need single shot. The B variant uses a 60-round magazine that
would weigh just over 2 kilos. Master Chief in Halo could carry 660
rounds fed into 11 magazines, thats 22.5 kilos just in ammunition.
That explains the need for fully automatic, to shed the weight and
thankfully the low gravity of Halo meant the extra weight didnt slow
the Master Chief down. The UNSC Marine Corps has used the rie for
50 years and as it is titanium alloy and polymer, it is very robust for all
environments, even space.
Back to the more/less real Airsoft version
When I opened the box I was pretty darn excited; all of my inner
geek had come to life! Finally something that wasnt a new M4/AK
or something else that had been done before. As one famous Airsoft
tech said someone really put their balls on the line making this
because it is not a fudge kit over an M4 - better still it looks and feels
brilliant.
The balance is right on the money, even though it is a heavy
lump the polymers and rubberised plastics are rock solid and thick.
No creaks and warping to be seen anywhere across the bodywork.
Okay the plastic colours are a little shiny but then it is from a game
so who cares? It certainly doesnt look cheap and when you activate
the Assault Rie it sparks into life. Normally Id never use the word
activate on an Airsoft rie but you really do with this replica.
Pushing and holding the re selector and the blue counter comes alive
in a very cool blue double 7-segment display and the bodywork sports
a couple of utterly unnecessary bright green LEDs, just like the game
version. There are no sights but you can easily look along the top ridge
that lines up perfectly to be used as a sight. Hiding under the barrel is
a small LED ashlight that is probably the only disappointing feature
on the rie. Its just not quite bright enough although that said, it
wouldnt be hard to replace.
Naturally I was concerned about the performance of this rie.
While the gearbox is standard V2/3 parts in a near P90 conguration
with an AK-style hop unit, I wouldnt have wanted to ddle with it
to get it to work. When we popped it open we stood in awe of a
wiring set up that is only rivalled by Systema. There is clear

innovation in the design that works really, really well. Sadly
some fanboys will complain that it is not a bullpup rie like the
game version but then why should it be? The design would
be a nightmare to change magazines with the weight and the
feed system would need to be convoluted which means.
Yes you guessed it kids itd be rubbish. Think of the ASG
Ashbury; stunning rie with a ridiculously complex (real
positioned) magazine loading system that just didnt work very
well, if at all. The Airsoft MA5 magazine loads up at the front
in a short 200-round, high-capacity magazine in a quick and
easy fashion. This gives you two 95-round loads which well
come to in a minute. The battery situation is odd; as well as
your standard LiPo or NiMh, it requires a 9v square battery and
then the torch takes a AAA battery - hence the candle light
performance.
13
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When you look at the feature list you wont see similar in any other rie,
at least not all of them together in a single package. Lets run through the
startup and how it works
9v battery goes under the butt plate and the dummy game magazine
at the back holds the battery. In our case we opted for an 11.1v LiPo to see
what it could do. The magazine held around 200 rounds and we wound it on
fully. There is a little re selector on the right hand side, depressing this for
a couple of seconds and all the lights come to life. The counter reads 0. We
load the magazine in and the counter jumps to 95. As much as we hate to,
we use single shot rst to set the hop. The rst round double taps; one dry
re and then a round. This raised questions on how the system works and
then we realised how brilliantly clever it is! The round counter feeds from
the end of the barrel through a light gate, much like a chronograph or tracer
silencer unit. Because the system (and the word system is correct here)
didnt detect a round, it allows another to re. Once it detected the round
passing through, it electronically cuts the gearbox. So unlike a PTW which
feels when the magazine is empty (which doesnt always work in mucky
mags) this actually counts the BBs going down the barrel. That is staggeringly
innovative and clever.
Is it very complicated? Not really - but the best things never are. Once the
counter hits zero the electronics take over again and stop the rie from ring.
Remove the magazine and place it back in and you are back up to 95. It is
worth noting that magazine removal keeps the counter at zero, this is due to
a small sensor in the magazine well. No magazine no ring. I did nd you had
to wind the magazine on a little to get to the end of the second load but not
much. Fully automatic gave around 900 rounds a minute, not staggeringly
fast but certainly quick enough. The microswitch trigger was snappy too.
There is a sea of wiring inside and electronics which are nicely sealed in the
body so no moisture issues should arise during game play.
At the time of writing I couldnt get any spare magazines which was a
shame and being just before Christmas there wasnt a chance to skirmish
this before a game. I did give it a fair few thousand rounds down the range
14
february 2015
THE ARMOURY
WORLD EXCLUSIVE | MA5 ASSAULT RIFLE
and it never once missed a beat. I suspect itll raise eyebrows on any game site if even
for the price seven hundred hard-earned pounds is a hell of a lot of money. Or is it?
I mean this is innovative. Unlike the Thundermaul or the Pulse Rie this is bespoke, not
just a clamp on kit. I am tempted to use the lip stick on a pig phrase to describe the
Thundermaul, whereas the Assault Rie is a thing of beauty. The features, design and
performance are all quite staggering. Okay its not a PTW but then PTWs are slightly
overrated in my opinion. They are very good out of the box and consistent but then the
prices are bonkers these days. You could argue that the Assault Rie is plastic and the
PTW is metal. Yes again but its cast metal which isnt the strongest and Id bet that the
MA5 is just as tough if not stronger. No, its not wallet friendly but it is very skirmishable
and it is very good on the performance charts. The groupings at 25 metres were easily
within 4-6 inches and with heavier ammo I dont think youd have any trouble hitting
targets out to 50 metres.
SIV
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CONCLUSION
I absolutely love what has been done here - its fresh and its good but it is very
expensive. It changes it from a nice little extra for the collection and moves it into the
die-hard fan niche.
They will only ever be produced in limited numbers and there were only 15 released
to Europe, so they are certainly collectable. When you see that Inokatsu make a $1,200
1911 then why not go for the Assault Rie? Youd use it a lot more thats for sure. It
really is all about justifying it to yourself and people who dismiss it as crap really need
to pull their heads out of their backsides and research before jumping on their mighty
keyboards of Airsoft doom and gloom. Its never going to be SF MilSim and the price is
off-putting but the collection wants it even - if your wallet doesnt.
I utterly love it!
features
SHORT MOTOR
STEEL GEARS
LAST METAL TOOTH PISTON
SILVER WIRING
QUICK RELEASE SPRING
ELECTRONIC FIRE SELECTOR / ON
AND OFF SWITCH
ELECTRONIC SHOT FIRED
DETECTION SYSTEM
MOSFET
MANUAL SAFETY CATCH
MAGAZINE DETECTION SYSTEM FOR
RELOADS
STOPS ON 0 ROUNDS
95 ROUND COUNTER
WEIGHT 4.5KG
LENGTH 800MM
HEIGHT 250MM
350FPS WITH 0.20G BLASTER
RRP 730
15
PRECISION DEATH
HITLERS BUZZSAW WAS A TERRIFYING AND FEARSOME MACHINE TO
STAND AGAINST BUT SCOTT ALLAN ASKS DOES THE AGM VERSION HAVE
TWO BALLS, OR LIKE HITLER JUST THE ONE?
AIRSOFT World War II weaponry has slowly expanded
over the years and it is surprising that the MG42 hasnt
been produced in the last ten, although certainly it has been
rumoured for the last 8 years. Well now it is here; made by
AGM and you can be damned sure we were excited to get it
out and tested.
WHO ARE AGM?

AGM are a Chinese low to mid-range brand. They initially
produced the MP40, which was amazingly good value even
though it wasnt a brilliant rie. It gave players a cost-effective
choice if they wanted to play German WWII and use something
other than a poor performing gas blowback, or a Tokyo Marui
Thompson. The potential for problems with this system are
fairly high but externally it looks nearly perfect.
So why the MG42?
The MG42 is an iconic piece of engineering, so good that
it is still used today by a few different armed forces. This is
an aluminium and steel constructed replica that sports real
wooden parts and it certainly pays homage to its real cousin.
The heavy and long design of the MG42 should set pulses
racing as this budget support weapon is fairly wallet friendly.
16
february 2015
THE REAL STEEL

The real MG42 is a 7.92mm, 1200 rounds per minute machine
of precision death. With quick change barrels and small crews
required to operate it, it ensured that fewer troops could
carry more weapons which could lay down more re.
When you run simple maths like that you can see why
the German forces did so well for so long.
Having had the pleasure and sheer joy to re
the real version at the 2014 Shot Show, I can tell
you which end Id rather be on The range
warden did say lean right into it and
after pumping out a few belts on the
GPMG and the M60 E4, I gured I
easily had this in the bag. I was
wrong! I leant right into
it, bipod straining
forward and
THE ARMOURY
AGM MG42
The real MG42 needed a

three man crew but you
should happily be able to
buzz around your site with
relative ease, setting up
and moving whenever you
see t.
unleashed what I expected to be a 3-5 round burst. Before I could

blink the bipod was raising and I was being driven back. I eased off the
trigger holding my aim to count around 15 shells still bouncing around
the range. I smiled, tightened my grip and leaned in even further.
The MG42 was not only a more efcient design of the already
great MG34 but it was a leap forward in warfare. The contending
Allied weapons were seriously out of date from slow to change
military forces. Safe to say it was a pivotal weapon in the history of
warfare and redened the general purpose machine gun role.
out-ranged by a MP5K. Sadly

this is where so many Chinese
mass-made weapons fall down
generally. Cheap production means
corners are cut (sometimes whole sides)
and AGM are as guilty of this as any of the others. Im not
knocking them by any means but you must be aware when
buying Chinese you are taking a little bit of a gamble. Good
companies who sell the product will offer you a warranty and
better companies will test ries before they are shipped to you.
THE AIRSOFT VERSION

Externally it is a big old beast (as you would
naturally expect) but when I assembled the whole
thing what did surprise me was the lack of weight.
At 6.5 kilos it is considerably lighter and therefore
much more skirmishable than all other MGs on the
market. The nish on it is unassumingly brilliant
too, the black is a smooth satin nish (which would
take weathering really well if one was so inclined)
and the wood looks solid and pleasantly nished.
The cocking handle looked nice but when tted it
kind of just opped about like a dead sh; a shame
as a good, tightly sprung version would have set it
off even better.
Performance for a support weapon is
paramount. There is little point in wasting
your hard-earned cash by lugging a heavy and
cumbersome beast around, only to nd you are
17
This saves you a huge amount of hassle when you could order
from overseas, only to nd the tin foil wiring held in place with
chewing gum has come loose. I have found some bizarre things
in Chinese gearboxes over the years, the most weird was a dead
y and tiny pebbles like the ones you nd in a sh tank - and
that is no lie!
Internally there are a few things Ive come to expect from
AGM and I wasnt really surprised by the quality but the M249
style gear box which this uses is a great design and this version
has the quick change spring which is helpful. The MG42 gearbox
also splits (a little like an ICS M4) which is also handy. The trigger
has two separate switches when you pull it. Firstly a micro switch
that activates the box magazine to wind and then secondly a
standard trigger contact to re. The gearbox typically had much
more grease than required and I also found the shimming to be
sketchier than a MPs expenses sheet.
On paper and to look at, the MG42 is a fantastic bit of kit
and if you want to go down the WWII German Airsoft route,
Id be sorely tempted by this. That said, there are things I would
do before I skirmished it that I will cover later. However a plus
point is the battery space available is quite good and we easily
tted in a 1450mah 11.1v LiPo battery, unlike the recent MG34
design which didnt really take into account that it needed to be
powered by a battery.
As I mentioned previously, AGM, like a lot of Chinese
companies, are a bit hit and miss with their Quality Assurance. A
hit and youll get a really great quality rie for a very respectable
price; get a bad one and you can be lucky if it will re. The
issues I had with the MG42 almost straightaway were the box
magazine had winding issues and the hop up didnt work at all.
Nothing major then. But that said, it didnt take long for the
tech team to get them all back up and running a bonus if you
have a tech team on hand yet a real bummer if you dont have
much technical knowledge. This is why UK purchasing can be so
handy for these brands, make it someone elses problem straight
off the bat. A good company will have test red the whole thing
to ensure it works rather than the Hong Kong re and forget
issue. The box magazine is okay but, as with all box magazines,
you may have to opt for a lower voltage and a slower rate of re
to suit the winding speed of your magazine. I think a high-cap
box magazine can sometimes be less hassle than an iffy electric
magazine, especially a Chinese one.
IN THE FIELD
It is genuinely light enough for me to extend it out single
handed. I couldnt run and shoot that way obviously but itll give
you an idea of what is achievable. The real MG42 needed a three
man crew but you should happily be able to buzz around your
site with relative ease, setting up and moving whenever you see
t. The length may not be suitable for all sites mind you and the
only time youd want it indoors would be for storage.
18
february 2015
CONCLUSION
It is an utterly ridiculous, long and iconic nice support weapon
and I dont play WWII Airsoft, so why do I want this so badly?
Partly because the engineering behind the real version was so
spot on that it has rightfully held its place in rearms history. I am
no stranger to having a tech rebuild a gearbox to make sure it is
entirely smooth and sweet at the point of purchase. For the sake
of a few quid more I could go from hit and miss performance to
a really solid and intimidating platform.
The WWII re-enacting scene love this type of gear too, as
even a deactivated MG42 can go for 800 so it provides a more
cost effective option for those events. In short it really is good
value, it looks fantastic and if you can ensure you have a good
one it shouldnt let you down.
LIST OF FEATURES
EXCELLENT EXTERNAL METAL FINISH
GOOD WEIGHT BUT NOT OVERLY HEAVY
REAL WOOD STOCK
FOLDING STEEL BIPOD
ADJUSTABLE SIGHTS
MOCK CHARGING HANDLE
LENGTH 1.2 METRES
WEIGHT 6.5 KILOS
MAGAZINE CAPACITY 2500 ROUNDS
FPS 360 WITH BLASTER 0.20G BB
RRP 550
OPERATION
NORDLICHT
CHRIS WRIGHT REPORTS FROM THE A WW2 GAME, WHERE RUSSIANS AND GERMANS GO
HEAD-TO-HEAD IN 1942
LIKE ALL GREAT AIRSOFT DAYS, THIS STORY STARTS IN A
MCDONALDS
A group of us from the 34th Infantry WW2 airsoft team
have met up near Keele. Its 07.30 and we are getting
some strange looks as a couple of my friends are trying to
gure out how to put Russian gaiters on. The weather,
after a week of rain, is nice and sunny and the forecast is
good. We set off and make our way to Gunman Stoke;
The Hill, some folks have camped the night before and
are up bright and early. Normally we tend to play American
infantry but today its the second part of an ongoing
storyline from the 900 Days Group, who are a group of
players running Eastern Front airsoft games. Last year in
Part One we played Russian but today we are mixed bunch,
some of us on the Russian side and some, myself included,
on the German side - and the banter has already started.
This game is set in the Autumn of 1942. The German
army has captured the hills overlooking Leningrad but both
sides have depleted numbers due to the battle so far. The
Germans are trying to move their artillery forward and the
Russians are trying to regroup and hold the line and, if
possible, counter-attack the invading forces.
Looking around as we got ready it seemed that the
Russians had rallied well as they seemed to outnumber
the Germans but I was sure with our superior training, we
would be ne. Well, that and a couple of MG42s, mines
and artillery! The Russians had higher numbers and whistles
(though at this time we did not know about the whistles).
After a safety brief and a quick rundown of the site, the
Russians moved out to their base which was unknown
to us and were issued ammo. For this game no player
brought any ammo, he was issued some from a limited amount

in little cardboard ammo boxes (a nice touch). Every player was
also given a pyro grenade. For ries you were given 50 rounds,
SMGs 100 rounds and support weapons 500 and our depleted
squad of 5 Gebirgsjager (German mountain troops) collected our
ammo. Between us we had 4 gas KAR98s and me with my ICS M1
Garand. I never really noticed how few BBs 50 is - so much so I
counted them thinking I had been short changed but it turned out
I had not.
We set off to our base which was only 200 feet away but up
a large, steep slope. This would have been ne apart from having
to get an MG42 on a tripod and 2 artillery pieces up there. After
much shoving and pulling we got to our base and took stock of
our position. We believed any Russian attack would come from the
west side so we deployed our artillery facing that way.
Our rst job after a quick breather was to set up defences in
case of attack. Convinced that any would attack from the west,
the other squad of Germans set out on a mission to deploy a mine
eld and barbed wire, while we started to build a barricade out of
anything we could nd and set up a defensive position covering
the western ank. With an MG42 and a nice supply of grenades
at the ready and up the hill to our right, a second MG42 on the
tripod behind sandbags, the Russians would be in for a shock if
they attacked.
By the time we had nished the other squad had returned,
so we set off on patrol to try and gather any Intel we could on
enemy locations or movement but just as we had moved out we
ran into a Russian patrol, they outnumbered us and had the high
ground and engaged.
We were pinned down and returned re. One of the Kar98s
got an early kill as we heard the scream of the rst Russian to fall
THE WHISTLES BLEW AND THE RUSSIAN HORDE CHARGED. WE OPENED UP WITH
EVERYTHING WE HAD BUT AS SOON AS WE KILLED ONE RUSSIAN ANOTHER TOOK
HIS PLACE.
20
february 2015
Event Review
OPERATION NORDLICHT
and straight after I got my rst kill when a Russian popped out
behind a tree and did not see me. But then their numbers and
high ground advantage began to tell, with two of my unit falling
to their re. We managed to deploy a smoke grenade to provide
us with some cover and bandage the injured. The Russians seeing
they had the advantage started to push down the hill but they
had failed to notice that the re ght had attracted the attention
of the second German unit! The anking Germans managed to
manoeuvre behind them and tore right through, leaving no one
alive.
After a few quick words of thanks and a quick ammo check we
moved out and after about 5 minutes we saw a group of Russians
in what we thought may have been a base. After observing them
for a while we marked their location down on our map and
continued our patrol. We soon came across a Russian mineeld
(which we also recorded the position of) and set off back to base
to report our ndings. Almost immediately we saw a large Russian
patrol heading our way and being heavily out-gunned, we took
cover and let them pass us by. As soon as they had gone we
carried on back to base to report all of our ndings to our ofcer.
On our return I managed to restock my ammo and we grabbed
a quick snack (there was no lunch break, it was eat when you
could). With the intel provided to our ofcers, they asked both
squads to each send a two-man patrol to check out a couple
of areas to see if any Russians were there. However, due to a
breakdown in communications, the other squad sent a patrol of 8
out and left 2 behind, leaving only 5 of us and 2 ofcers defending
our position.
For a short while all was ne, until the moment we heard
the sound of whistles along our east and south east anks! A
Russian horde appeared from the woods and charged towards
us. With our artillery and main MG facing the other way and
being outnumbered about 4-1, we rushed to defend our position.
I grabbed the MG42 which was beside me and with another
Gebirgsjager took cover in a small ditch facing the enemy attack.
I opened up with the MG42, felling 2 Russians straight away and
this held up the south east attack as they went to ground. We
turned to face the eastern attack and red at the enemy once
again felling a couple of Russians. Like their comrades they went to
ground as the remaining Germans took defensive positions. Again
the whistles blew and the Russian horde charged. We opened
up with everything we had but as soon as we killed one Russian
21
another took his place. With concentrated re and support from

the MG42 we forced the Russians to ground again on a ridge
just above us, within spitting distance of the second MG42. This
time the Russians were taking no chances as they patched up
their wounded; smoke grenades began to come over the ridge
as well as grenades. Lucky for us they were dropping short of
where we were dug in. We had managed to stall them but ammo
was getting low. Every time the Russians popped up their heads
we would send a small burst their way - but it was just a matter
of time. Half of our defensive force was lost already and again
smoke dropped over the ridge. With the MG42 running low on
ammo I crawled to my rie. Just as I got to it I found that the
Russians had got behind us. Almost surrounded and with rounds
ying in every direction, I was shot in the back. Soon after, my
fellow Gebirgsjager was shot as well. We could do nothing but lie
wounded as our position was over-run.
The enemy force managed to get explosives to our artillery
pieces and blow them up but before they could inict worse
damage on our base we were saved. Our patrols had returned and
were now anking the Russian horde; with them not knowing the
numbers attacking their anks, the whistles blew again and the
22
february 2015
Event REview
OPERATION NORDLICHT
Russians melted away back into the woods from where they had
come.
After the enemy withdrew, the returning patrols tended to
the wounded and we took stock of the situation. The Russians
had managed to destroy our artillery which was a heavy blow but
they did not have time to gather our intel. While the attack was
devastating, there was some good news... As the Russians were
attacking in high numbers our patrols had found the Russian base,
including a map marked with all of their positions and supply
areas.
We managed to grab a quick snack as we restocked our
ammo and prepared to go out on patrol to check out a couple of
locations shown on the captured map. This time we were taking
no chances - the MG42 and a bag of grenades were coming with
us!
It was during the patrol I realised how challenging this site was.
It was very up and down with mixed terrain and with four by fours
using this site on some weekends, it had some huge tracks to
cross over, which made it great to patrol and ght across and quite
different to a lot of sites I had played at. The idea of the patrol was
to loop around the area in one direction, with the other squad
going the other way and hopefully hitting the Russians from both
anks.
Twice we encountered a couple of Russian scouts but we
managed to sneak past them and head to our target, which was
one of the Russian supply bases. When we arrived we found it to
be empty of supplies so we resumed our patrol. Not long after
we heard a re ght close by and we saw that the other German
squad had been engaged by a large contingent of the enemy so
we closed in on their rear. The Gods were against us again and
some Russians who had been back to their base to regen hit our
ank. After a quick ght they over-ran us, but at great cost to
them.
After the enemy had passed we headed back to our base
where we stocked up on ammo and supplies for a nal assault on
the main enemy base. Both squads set out together. As we got
closer we encountered small pockets of enemy resistance which
were trying to slow us down to allow their main force to get back
to their base. It worked; forcing a large ght all around the enemy
base with attack and counter attack by both sides until we slowly
whittled the enemy down to a handful remaining in their base,
which we then over-ran! Later on the way back I found out that
most of the remaining Russians had no ammo left or were down

to just a few rounds.
We all then headed back to the safe zone for the normal
war stories as we changed and packed up and I have to admit
I was shattered! I had not expected the site to be so physically
challenging and felt I could have just rolled up into a ball and gone
to sleep there. It was nice to play on a site which was very different
to most sites I play at and what a great day it was too. Looking
around at the faces of the other players, the smiles and the banter
all indicated they all felt the same.
A lot of hard work had been put into this game by the
organisers and it had paid off. I was a bit worried about such
small ammo limits but it worked out well and the Russians players I
talked with loved how they fought literally to the last round during
the nal battle. Had their ammo carrier made it through the hail of
MG42 re that had cut him down, they felt they could have held
out until the end.
So many thanks to all those that ran this game, myself and
many more look forward to Part 3 in 2015.
23
THE AULD ENEMY

ARGUABLY THE BIGGEST GAME OF THE YEAR HITS ITS 7TH BIRTHDAY, AS SCOTT ALLAN REPORTS
PICS: STEPHEN REYNOLDS (DIRECTOR WHO SHOT THE MOVIE VENDETTA)!
FROM ENGLAND V SCOTLAND 2014
STIRLING AIRSOFT have been running airsoft events in the
UK and Spain for well over ten years now. They are said to
be the best in the business hosting the biggest events, with
the best scenarios on the best game sites available. They
are unique in the fact that they have no home site or direct
afliation with anyone and this gives them great exibility.
Their game styles vary from event to event. While they
are all MilSim to some extent, they do run open events
that anyone can attend and take part. How much you get
out depends on how much you put in. The highest level
is the combat mission games that often lean toward the
role-playing, so forget the running around crazy spraying
everyone. The events held in Spain are the best games I
have ever played, extremely immersive with role-playing
(which isnt my thing normally) and with more thought
involved including using translators!
The England V Scotland event was standing at three
games a-piece, so the pressure was on both sides to get
the fourth win. Scotland has never been ahead in games as
England has successfully broken the tie each time. To date
no side has ever won two games in a row so the outlook
was fairly bleak for Scotland, even though in 2013 they had
a landslide victory.
The battleeld of choice is the Catterick Garrison
training village which Stirling have used for many years.
They hold around ve events there every year, including the
Auld Enemy game. The training village is an old housing
estate converted for police and military training, which
offers a great range of terrain in a compact format, from
rubble-ridden assault courses, burnt-out armoured vehicles,
houses and tunnel networks, plus a multi-storey tower
block. The perimeter of the area is light woodland that allows

great creativity with the tactics teams deploy during a game. You
can have your snipers hold the woods, supported by support
weapon platforms and as you enter the buildings you can go all
door-kicking and grenade-slinging! This makes the event very
tough to manage for the team commanders as the players you
have sign on come from a variety of different backgrounds.
The event came around seven years ago, from the Stirling
Christmas game. It was always an invite-only game and more
and more people from Scotland began attending, due to Catterick
only being a few hours drive from Glasgow and Edinburgh. Matt
Belgrove, Stirlings owner and organiser, then approached me to
ask about running it as a competition. Now Ive always been up for
a competition and thought competitive airsoft was a good idea.
The rst year saw a foot of snow across the site and Scotland
were embarrassingly crushed beneath the English heavy boot. It
really felt like history repeating itself. We were outmatched and
outplayed at every single turn, we knew we had to do better in
the future. The main teams on the Scottish side spent more and
more time looking at what we did and how we worked and over
the years they got better and better. The win in 2013 was the most
convincing to date for Scotland but, just because you did well one
year does not give you the right to win the next and, if anything,
the history of the event showed the exact opposite. Given that I
was the Scottish Commander in 2013 there was some expectation
(if only a personal one) that we should achieve a good result
again Shouldnt we?
Naturally with airsoft (and like real warfare) the game is never
totally even. To prevent any single team being given a perceived
advantage, coins are tossed for which camouage is worn
(greens or deserts) and which side of the site each team starts
THE ENGLISH SIDE WAS SWITCHED ON FROM THE GET GO ON THE SUNDAY, THIS SHOWED
AS THEY HAMMERED IN THE POINTS TIME AND TIME AGAIN. BOTH TEAMS WERE EATING UP
THE MULTIPLE OBJECTIVES QUICKLY AND THE POINTS EVENLY CLIMBED.
26
february 2015
Event Review
ENGLAND V SCOTLAND 2014
on. To the eastern side lies Regen 1, the main safe area and
accommodation. To the west lies the Regen 2 area, which has a
slight advantage of being on higher ground and gives you better
access across the site. The site is nearly a classic keyhole shape,
with Regen 1 being at the base and Regen 2 being at the top. The
Regen points can be used by either team and when it is open for
a team at one side, the opposite side is open for the other team.
Then both shut for 5 minutes and switch around. This keeps the
ow of battle moving and prevents a solid front line being formed.
If anything the front lines often look like the contours of Ben Nevis
- and thats being optimistic!
The scene is set, the players sign up then the best part happens
the Friday night social! Its no secret that the English used to, in
part anyway, count on a large Scottish knees up happening. Sleep
deprived and feeling rough is denitely the enemy of choice if you
can have them. The social evening is an important part as airsoft
is a social game and it gives both sides a chance to catch up as
friends where North and South have a few beers and a laugh.
With 88 players signed to the English side wearing desert gear
and 78 to the Scottish side in green gear, the game kicks off at
11am on the Saturday. This gives time for breakfast, general safety
brief which covers site specics, such as no full-auto indoors and
then there is a team specic brief just before game on. The way
each team is managed is a personal choice of the Commander.
Ben Watt, the English commander is a good friend and has
probably commanded more Catterick events than I have played, so
I know he will not give us any leeway. Any mistakes that are made
by either side are quickly exploited and pushed on. Then you are in
the poo big time! The trick is not being on the back foot at any
time on the event but that is easier said than done.
The rst objectives are a row of split buildings that run straight
North to South through the site. As well as being worth 30 points,
they give maximum control of the area with minimal effort. Its a
thin green line that we have to try and hold at all costs, the Regen
is pretty far so any man we lose means he is gone for at best 5-10
minutes and a well organised team can overrun a position in that
time. Due to an overzealous assault by the Scottish team, they left
a building unoccupied so failed to score points. This meant of a
possible 30 points we achieved 10 - but prevented England from
gaining any points whatsoever.
Most of the afternoon was toe to toe ghting for both teams,
a real slugging match. The reghts were thick and always fast,
27
teams thought and fought on the y. This is where your side can
unravel and it was at this point in 2013 that England fell apart
quickly, thankfully for the English side, this time they stayed
coherent throughout the afternoon, even as Scotland nudged
ahead slightly.
Being a December game you are always against the light, even
the buildings are dark early on so you quickly need to rely on a
torch of some sort. Many players sport night vision of various
types that can begin to get frustrating for some players. That said
it is all about adapting what you do at night: Move in areas you
know are secure and if you suspect there is enemy in an area, treat
it as hostile. Often I have seen players from both teams wander
aimlessly up to a hedge full of the enemy only for them to be cut
to ribbons in seconds under a hail of torch light, grenades and
weapon re. Night ghting happens closer and identifying friend
from foe becomes a bigger issue.
Scotland began the evening campaign with a slight lead,
a lead that could quickly crumble and be lost if the team lost
direction. Night ghting at this event is fought on multiple levels
and coldness, fatigue, frustration and even a healthy dose of fear
are all things you have to deal with before you have even found
28
february 2015
Event REview
ENGLAND V SCOTLAND 2014
an enemy player. The ghting always concentrates around a few

key buildings, the best ght by far was around the multi-storey
tower block. With a huge stairwell, room top and basement to
ght and clear it is a challenge during the daytime. In the evening
it is practically a mineeld. Both teams lost scores of players taking
and retaking the ground levels. The English side really worked well
clearing the tower, sweeping out the Scottish side a few times. The
last points in the evening were only narrowly missed by England
due to a last minute QRF coming in from the Scottish team that
saw the building contested.
Unfortunately the Saturday had a 20-odd minute halt, as a
Sandy had slipped and dislocated his elbow and that saw the
Scottish side down a good player. At least we got to see him
before the paramedics escorted him off and tease him about
letting us down. The gas and air kept him chirpy enough to kindly
advise us where we could go and jump and that we had better
bloody not lose!
At the end of a confusing evening of much blue on blue, the
Scottish team ended with a good score just over double Englands
50 -105. The marshals commented that without so many blue
on blues the Scottish side would have run amok. There is little
that can be done to prevent this - regardless of challenge and
responses, different camouages between sides, the fact that you
have a torch and everyone has regional accents If someone is
convinced you are the enemy there is little you can do to prevent
blue on blue happening. Often we would move from the Regen
area to a target building perhaps 150 metres away and lose half
the guys on the way. I have often wondered how many get lost or
just decide to try something different.
The end of the evening sees a chance to get some much
needed food and to take on plenty of uids. A quick chat with
the marshal team to see if there are any serious issues that need
resolved. The rst day has run pretty smoothly play-wise, there are
always frustrated calls from each side but nothing major and the
play seems to be solid for each country. Its 1am, we rise at 6.30 to
head out for 7am. Curling up in my sleeping bag I dont think a
whole thought passes through my head before I sleep.
Babies dont sleep this well
Then I doubt babies are woken up by a 6 9 jock asking me if
Im having a long lie! A quick coffee and an energy bar and put on
all my gear. Swapping out socks and underwear is a religious habit
at these games and I am very thankful I lled all my magazines and

swapped over batteries before bed to save me thinking too hard
rst thing.
There is something wretched about getting up in the cold and
damp, to get dressed into cold clothes and to get ready to ght
- and its still very dark. Game-on was at 7.30am and happily the
rst signs of light were creeping across the site. We had held a
building the night before so this is where we started the next day,
gratefully it was a target building for an early objective so we knew
it was in the bag. The English team had locked down Building 45
at the far end of the site, an open garage building. Its a tough
building to take and defend in equal measure. We hit it continually
for a sustained period but we couldnt wear down the solid
defence. It was a slight dent in the moral for our team but the
momentum kept up. Various re ghts were popping up all over
the site but we were consistently hitting the points we needed.
The English side was switched on from the get go on the Sunday,
this showed as they hammered in the points time and time again.
Both teams were eating up the multiple objectives quickly and the
points evenly climbed.
Ultimately at 11am, the nal whistle was blown. With the
points scoring it was impossible for England to catch Scotland
from 9.30am on the Sunday but with great spirit they fought on
regardless and treated each objective like it was the last winning
point.
The nal objective saw Scotland holding one area and England
locking down two areas. Regardless of the big push that Scotland
made they couldnt get the traction to uproot Englands foothold.
It made little change to the nal outcome but it certainly showed
how tough both sides were willing to play regardless of scores.
The nal scores were:
England 95 160 Scotland
Players KIA: England 1832 1967 Scotland
The nal brief for congratulations all round saw the handover
of the Stirling Shield, which will spend another 12 months on
display at Land Warrior Airsoft in Edinburgh!
29
Gear Overview
KIT AND KABOODLE
KIT AND KABOODLE

RICHARD BELL, AKA FIREBASE-ALPHA, DOES HIS REGULAR ROUNDUP OF KIT THAT HAS
CAUGHT HIS EYE
Haley Strategic Partners
For me personally, the Haley Strategic Partners reputation for high quality gear and equipment
has been growing since the release of the D3CR (Disruptive Environments Chest Rig) in
early 2013. My thoughts on the D3CR have already been well documented but I have been
fortunate to get hands on with some other bits of gear from HSP recently.
I have had the INCOG Discreet Rie Case for about 2 months now and it currently holds
my D3CR (fully loaded) as well as my PTS RM4 ERG, although at a recent event it contained
my G&G AKSU74. Currently it is only available in the Disruptive Grey colour, constructed
out of 1000D with YKK zippers and Velcro placed conveniently to increase both load as well
as the versatility for a users specic requirement. I hope to do a larger, more detailed review
of the HSP gear after SHOT SHOW 2015. The 2nd pieces of gear that I have been using quite
extensively, especially in such mild and sunny weather are the Gasket model sunglasses from
Liquid Eyewear. The most notable design feature of these glasses is that they are hinge-less,
something that I had not come across before. They are CNC machined out of aircraft grade
aluminium making them incredibly lightweight, very strong but also durable, to a point, to
allow a very comforting t to the users head. You have two choices for lenses; the ones I have
been using are the polarised non-ballistic lenses; however you can get transitional ballistic
rated Hellre lenses. Overall I really like the HSP Liquid Gasket sunglasses and although I may
not fully use the INCOG rie case in the role it was originally designed for, it is a great piece
of gear and certainly makes life easier with everything I would need stowed in one simple,
compact case.
UK Distributor: Tactical Kit UK Retailers: Tactical Kit and Land Warrior Airsoft
Grifn Technologies Protective Cases

I wonder how many of you got some new Tech from Santa this year? I know that our
household just increased the strain on Wi-Fi as well as increased the stress element for
damaging our new toys.
For me the one company that has provided a sense of relaxation is Grifn Technologies.
I started using their Survivor protective case for my iPhone over 4 years ago and as the
technology increased, so did the number of protective cases. We now have two iPhones, one
iPad mini and an iPod all utilising their systems and to date not one incident! We have had
drops, bangs, spills, submersions, overnight back garden stints as well as skirmishes, travel,
work and several other events not to be repeated and no problems.
The key features of the Survivor series are Shatter-resistant polycarbonate frame, shockabsorbing silicone, Screen protector and Sealed plugs for connectors and ports. When I rst
got my case they were not available in the UK however that has now changed and most
stores stock these and other cases from Grifn Technologies. Regardless of your thoughts on
the Grifn systems I would strongly advise you to look at the protective case you may have/
have not and ask if its up to the task. There are many companies out there producing cases
of a similar nature and for me it has been a worthwhile investment.
Manufacture: Grifn Technology
Magnum Scorpion Patrol Boots

These were sent to me a few months back by Military1st and I have to be
honest and say, I did question why I was being sent a pair of desert patrol
boots to rural Scotland in Autumn/Winter time. However, me being me I
just addressed my choice in sock and adhered to my winter foot regime and
cracked on with using them.
I can recall the rst Magnum Hi-Tec boot coming out over a decade ago
and they were a beautiful boot, so I had high expectations of these and
guess what? They meet them and more! The combination of breathable
1150D and leather makes for a very light weight but very hardy boot that
also allows for very quick drying. Some of the other features include a
reinforced toecap, anti-microbial treatment, cambrelle lining, speed lacing
eyelets and high traction outsole. Overall as a non-waterproof boot they
have performed exceptionally in this current climate and I can only envisage
that performance will increase as we move into hotter seasons.
Retailer: Military1st
30
february 2015
SMALL ARMS OF THE

SUPER POWERS
CONTINUING HIS COMPARATIVE SERIES, GARETH

GADGE HARVEY TAKES A LOOK AT NATO AND
WP SOLDIERS PERSONAL WEAPONRY
32
february 2015
CWW
SMALL ARMS
WORLD WAR II LEFT A DRASTIC CHANGE on the face of modern

warfare. The age of the bolt action rie was over and in both the
East and the West the search was on for the next generation of
personal weapon.
In this months article well continue our short series on
comparative equipment of the major players in the cold war era.
This issue well be looking at the assault ries, battle ries, SMGs
and other small arms commonly in service with the Warsaw Pact
and NATO.
Prior to the Second World War nearly every army in the world
equipped its soldiers with long magazine fed (albeit small internal
ve round magazines or short removable 10 round box mags) ries
capable of engaging an enemy up to kilometre or more away. This
emphasis on a large, heavy rie round and extreme range was
perhaps a throwback to colonial warfare and the hard lessons
learnt in the Boer War but, in WWII it was found that most infantry
engagements happened at 800 metres or less. Post-war studies
had also found that the accurate but slow ring bolt action had
had its day. US designs like the M1 Garand (which would spawn
the M14) with semi-auto re capability and the German Gewehr
43 enabled sections that had lost their light or medium machine
guns to totally dominate reghts. Previously, the rie section
had been seen as a means to supply the squads one or two light
machine guns with ammo to supress an enemy before an assault
could be made but, with the introduction of lightweight automatic
and semi-automatic ries, cheap to manufacture SMGs and even
the worlds rst assault ries, the bolt action had become a
liability.
The rst true assault ries came late into WWII in the
shape of the German MP43/44. A fully automatic rie looking
(supercially) like a primitive AK47 with a large curved magazine
but most importantly, it red a relatively new type of cartridge.
The short intermediate or Kurtz 7.92 round combined the range
and stopping power (to a degree) of a rie round but was lighter
to carry, enabling the MP43/44 sturm gewehr (German: Storm
Rie) to be used as a powerful alternative to the sub machine gun.
By the end of WWII the Germans were equipping entire platoons
of men with hastily produced MP44s (Machine Pistol 44) hoping to
trade off the massive allied superiority in men and equipment with
increased repower. A ten-man section with MP44 was worth
more than a platoon of men with bolt action ries in a reght.
LEARNING THE LESSONS OF WWII

After the war the Russians were the rst to seize onto this German
innovation by creating the classic Kalashnikov automatic rie,
model 1947 or the AK47. Supercially this looked like the
German MP44 but worked on different mechanical principles; the
effect however was the same a massive amount of repower in
the hands of each soldier.
With a huge conscript army, the AK47 was perfect for the
Soviet Union. It was simple (with few moving parts and a near
indestructible build), it had a high rate of re and used en
masse was effective. Its loose tolerances and large (by western
standards) gaps between moving parts meant that it could re
when other guns would fail with fouling from dirt and carbon
build up; although this did make it somewhat inaccurate. It was
also, in its initial form, very heavy. The AK would see several major
changes through the Cold War years. Initially the heavy milled steel
receivers were replaced with lighter stamped steel constructions
and a compensator applied to the muzzle. This used the vented
gasses from ring to push the rie down and reduced its tendency
to climb when red on automatic. This model is commonly known
as the AKM (M for modied)
In fact the rie itself exemplied Warsaw Pact (WP) doctrine.
Overwhelming short range repower. Unlike most western
weapons which cycle from safe, through single shot to
automatic, the AK47 (and the lightened AKM) goes straight
from safe to give it loads with the safety catch doubling
as the bolts dust cover sheer utilitarian genius. The Soviet
Union allowed its Warsaw Pact member states to make their own
domestic version of this classic rie and, with the exception of
the Czechoslovakian Vz.58, even the Chinese would copy the
design of the AK with their Type 56 rie. The differences between
them were largely cosmetic, meaning an exceptional level of cross
training and parts commonality across the WP easing logistical
problems dramatically. Rather than concentrate a new SMG, the
old WWII PPSH and similar models found their way into police and
rear line units as the AK could do everything an SMG could and
more.
Towards the end of the Cold War the Soviet Union decided to
follow NATOs lead with developing a lighter infantry round (more
of this later) and created the AK74, a 5.54mm rebuild of the tried
and tested frame. A few concessions were made in the creation
33
CWW
SMALL ARMS
his predecessors. In the eld however the M16 was found to suffer
from catastrophic design aws which would take at least a decade
to iron out, poorly trained conscripts often used full automatic re
in a panic as the default and wasted their extra ammunition - and
the reliance on 7.62 light and medium machine guns
meant that the squad still had to carry heavy 7.62mm
ammo anyway!
ENTER THE ASSAULT RIFLE

These problems were ironed out and later models of M16 had the
full auto option replaced with a three round burst setting but not
before many soldier had lost their lives in Vietnam, found dead with
a cleaning rod stuck in the barrel of an M16, or trying desperately to
reload one of the two 20 round mags they had been issued with for
a rie with a cyclic rate of 800 rounds per minute! Combat accounts
from Nam frequently report the frustration of trying to ght the NVA
or VC, who would be carrying up to nine magazines of 30 rounds a
piece for their AKMs, while US soldiers initially only carried 40 loaded
rounds the other 400 or so being in plastic bags!
In the UK things were not that much better. While Special Forces
(who generally perform reconnaissance and dont plan to be in
a reght) had adopted the M16 largely due to its light weight
benets, the rest of the army soldiered on with the SLR. Combat
experience in the Falklands led the army to believe that a fully
automatic rie was needed and the small arms for the 1980s
programme was brought into production, with the rst SA80s and
LSWs entering trials service in 1986. As with the Soviets, the SA80
and its short length replaced the need for dedicated SMG and the
light support weapon was intended to replace the ageing L4 LMG
(a rechambered WWII bren gun!)
of the AKSU for tank and vehicle crews, a compact carbine version
of the AK format and recce units and paratroopers were often
issued with the folding stock variants of the AK47, AKM and AK74
generally sufxed with an S to donate a folding stock.
SPRAY AND PRAY

On the other side of the political spectrum NATO small arms policy
was largely led by the USA. Early on NATO had believed that
accurate marksmanship was superior to high volumes of automatic
re and most western designs reect this. Before the formation of
NATO, Britain had developed an outstanding bullpup 7mm round,
selective re assault rie with 4x optical scope, the EM2. The EM2
was clearly a world leader and could give many of todays weapons
a run for their money. However the US Government were set on the
heavy 7.62mm round being the NATO Standard for all nations to
use, for a logistics parity with the Warsaw Pact. While NATO trials
were allegedly rigged to show the M14 to be a superior rie (and
this fully automatic son of the M1 Garand would be adopted by
the US Army for us up to the Vietnam War) few NATO countries had
faith in the heavy, overpowered M14 that was difcult to control
on full auto. Germany and Spain opted for variants of the Spanish
CETME 7.62 rie while Britain, Belgium and many other nations
opted for Fabrique Nationals FN FAL (in British service the option
of fully automatic re was removed and it was sold as the SLR or
Self Loading Rie, again emphasising the British Armys priority on
accuracy over spray and pray).
All of these ries which served NATO and the Warsaw Pact during
the 50s, 60s and 70s are what we now call Battle Ries. However
experience in the small wars in South East Asia led NATO to believe
(well more for the US to admit - other nations had known all along)
that adopting a 7.62 individual weapon was a mistake. The rounds
themselves were heavy - limiting how many could be carried and
fully automatic re was extremely hard to control. Once again NATO
looked for a new round and while Britain plumped for a bullpup rie
of 4.85 calibre the US again took the lead in pressuring for a 5.56mm
round and the M16 to be adopted by NATO. On paper this seemed a
wise choice. The M16 itself was light and had a high rate of re in its
secondary re mode for emergency use, the 5.56mm round was also
very light allowing a soldier to carry much more ammunition than
34
february 2015
Like the M16, the SA80 (or more technically correct L85a1) and
its LSW brother (L86) were initially disastrous, with reports of ries
falling apart in service and critical parts like ring pins breaking easily.
Many of the worst problems were xed by unit armourers but it
would take a post-Cold War overhaul by Heckler and Koch to make
the SA80 the top class assault rie it is today.
By this point the world had already entered a new phase
of personal weapon for the infantry soldier, the assault rie.
Optimised for engagements of around 500 metres (rather than 800
metres or more) and capable of accurate re or high rate suppressive
re and with a light round the assault rie began to replace the
battle rie in nearly every armys inventory. The US adopted the M16;
The UK the L85 and the as aforementioned, the Soviets made their
AK74 for a lighter 5.45 round. France had adopted its own excellent
5.56mm bullpup (the FAMAS) while Germany and other NATO
nations persevered with the G3 battle rie - a revolutionary caseless
ammo assault rie had been trialled by the Germans (the G11) but
had been plagued by problems and found to be too expensive to
equip across the army.
While its impossible to cover the small arms of every Cold War
army in a short article I hope that this issues Cold War Warriors has
shed a little light on the doctrine and politics of cold war repower.
Of course as airsofters we overlook these small but vital changes in
design well lets look at it - nearly every one of the dozen AEGs I
have res the same calibre, to the same range and with roughly the
same rate of re! Even my BB weight makes little difference to the
amount of kit Im humping on site but to the grunt in Vietnam these
small things were, quite literally, the difference between life and
death.
ACES HIGH
LES LEE TRAVELLED TO TUNBRIDGE WELLS ON

REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY TO REPORT FROM A
SITE THAT IS GETTING A LOT OF INTEREST
68
FEBRUARY 2015
SITE REVIEW
ACE COMBAT PEMBURY
HAVING RETURNED FROM THE MIDDLE EAST, I felt compelled

to air my views on the frontline combat I had witnessed as any
credible embedded journalist would do. While the rest of the
civilian world were relaxing on a lazy Sunday, the battle rattle
raged on in this Godforsaken rain soaked wilderness.
Well Kent is technically in the East and Pembury is somewhere
in the middle, so if you were thinking I had strayed beyond my job
description you would be ever-so-slightly wrong and, as much as I
love my reporting I would be looking for a bit of a wage increase
before I joined the rest of the Western Journalists. Besides, I like
my head where it is so thanks but no thanks before anyone asks
but give me a fully loaded Mini gun and I just might be tempted.
So now my bad humour moment is out of the way (maybe), let
me tell you about this rather awesome Airsoft site just outside of
Tunbridge Wells.
Ace Combat was formed by husband and wife team Liz and
Chris Ockendon approximately 10 years ago. Their passion for
Airsoft was forged from 15 plus years of playing and they were
so enthused with this unique way to spend a well-earned Sunday,
they decided to create their very own site and found themselves
signing a deal securing a piece of land in Kent, which they were
determined to make one of the best Airsoft sites in the South East
of England.
That particular theatre is Ace Combat Brenchley but you are
going to have to wait a while before I head back out that way, as
this review is all about their second site: Ace Combat Pembury. Still
in relative infancy by comparison, dont think for one minute that
this is just a quick make do of a site because the high standards
that are set in stone at Brenchley are emulated in this amazing
mix of forest, valleys, babbling brooks and open elds covering
approximately 40 acres.
As usual with my regular site reviews (as if there is such a thing
as a regular site), lets start where my reports always begin with;
directions - this time taken from the Ace Combat website. The
road in is very well detailed and of course, a piece of cake if left
to a Sat Nav. Its when you get to the gateway where, according
to the directions, once through the gate I was to follow the red
arrows....... So I waited....and waited..... but as impressed and
excited as I was, there was still no sign of them. After all the
website clearly says follow the red arrows.
Okay Les, dont let this little factor jade your judgement as
there were probably perfectly good logistical reasons. Maybe they
got lost in the clouds or were busy showing their stunts at an air
show somewhere but they just didnt appear. So I had to simply
nd my own way in with the help of lots of little white directional
signs, symbolised with directional arrows painted in..... red.
Anyway, enough of my bad humour, lets get back on point.
So upon arrival I was able to park right at the front door and there
to greet me were Liz and Chris and a considerable number of
combatants all raring to go. The safe zone is a well-constructed
series of covered wooden buildings which blended in with natures
DELTA MADE IT TO THE BRIDGE WITH HALF

THE MISSION TIME TO SPARE. THE ONLY
PROBLEM NOW WAS THAT THEY NEEDED TO
HOLD THEIR EXFIL. POINT TO THE END - AND
THEIR DEFENCE WILL GO DOWN IN THE ANNALS
OF HISTORY IN THE MISSION BOOKS.
clearly makes Chris earn his keep so well done Chris, you deserve
to be Master of the Marigolds 2014!
Gates open at 08.15 hours and the morning protocol gets
underway. After the safety brief, chrono check and formalities,
the mission details were released and I must say, the planning that
had gone into this single game day would have impressed even
Eisenhower himself!
Now this is where this review takes a twist away from my
typical and sometimes very vanilla style of reporting. This time,
as well as the regular overview of another quality site in this corner
of the world, Im going to give you the actual playbook of that day.
As this was Remembrance Sunday, Ace Combat had created some
very clever combat roles for every man, woman and child on site.
Nathan Scott, a veteran of some 10 plus years and Head
Marshall, is the brains behind the sorties and we have been given
exclusive access into this particular events objectives and results,
including the nal scores, so for those strategists amongst you,
please enjoy this next section where I hand you over to Nathan.
Missions Format:
surrounding woodlands with a kind of Alpine lodge feel about
them; dry, solid and very functional. Yes, this safe zone has been
very well thought through and every modern day expectation was
there, including the purpose-built wooden male and female toilet
building, which is the cleanest I have ever seen at any site. Liz
We ran four missions during the day, with a Spec Ops team made
up of a quarter of the players from each of the two main teams
attempting to get from their inltration point(s), complete a
mission and then get back to an inltration point, all against the
clock and the rest of the adversaries.
Everyone gets the chance to play as part of a Spec Ops team in
one of the missions and prove theyve got what it takes to operate
37
under pressure and against the odds, as its up to the team to decide how
to tackle their mission.
Each Spec Ops Team is given a Mission Brief which gives them the
basics of what they have to do and the team is also briefed by myself.
The Spec Ops Team are then given a 5 minute head start to get to their
inl. before the two main teams set off for their start points. The Spec
Ops have one set of lives plus an additional self-medic bandage and if
they use up all of their lives during their mission they rejoin their Red or
Yellow main team as a normal player.
The rest of the team operatives are pitted against each other for
the highest kill count, as well as trying to capture the Spec Ops to gain
valuable bonus points. At the end of the day we tally the points and give
each of the four mission teams a score based on their success whether
they have fully or partially completed the mission and whether they have
all, some or none of the players at the exl. at the end of the mission,
and the two main teams based on their logged regens. and how many
Spec Ops they have captured alive. That is all written up in an After
Action Report posted to the Ace Combat Facebook page and the Ace
Combat forum a few days later.
After Action Report Pembury 09/11/14 Remembrance Day Missions:
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.
We would like to start by saying a massive thank you to all the guys
and gals that turned up for the Remembrance Day Missions, especially for
their very generous contributions to the Royal British Legion, along with
the donations from last weeks Brenchley event.
The morning began with a chill as the players ooded in but the grey
clouds cleared mid-morning and the sun broke through for a great day
of battling in the woods and open elds. The crowd were very eager all
day long with four Spec Ops teams that pushed to the end against very
determined forces resulting in no mission failures and a lot of regens.
Alpha Team pulled the LZ mission, where they had to make their way
from the Bridge to the LZ and clear the landing pad of mines. A small
group encountered early resistance but battled their way through to the
LZ, against the odds and in an excellent example of a good plan executed
well, they cleared the area with plenty of time on the mission clock. Not
to be caught napping, they left a small distraction team in Zone A to deal
with the inevitable search parties whilst the rest set up a perimeter at the
exl. Despite an intense reght and the exl. being discovered towards
the end of the mission, Alpha held their own to nish with a fully
completed mission and 11 at the exl. with only one operative captured.
38
FEBRUARY 2015
The Reds logged 35 regens and the Yellows logged 9 regens and one
capture.
Bravo Team drew the Triangulation mission where they had to place
LED markers on both of the main team regens and the Bridge. This meant
they would need to push into the heart of both main teams territory and
engage. The team was given the option to split their force and use two
different inl. points but they opted to stay as one cohesive unit. At the
start of the mission they split and one team headed to push down from
Kazaa but they encountered immediate, heavy and organised resistance
resulting in heavy losses against the Reds. Having been pushed back, they
circled back round with the Reds in pursuit only to nd a wall of Yellow
cutting them off in the corner of Zone A. Bravo put up one hell of a ght
but one-by-one they fell to a combined Red and Yellow offensive. During
this, a breakaway Bravo force did manage to get a marker on the Red
regen but by the end of the mission they had suffered three captures to
the Reds and none got to the exl.
SITE REVIEW
ACE COMBAT PEMBURY
The Reds logged 31 regens with 3 captures and the Yellows

logged 27 captures.
After lunch Charlie Team set up for a Surveillance mission, with
the task to get at least ve identiable pictures of each team. They
were split into two groups with each having a camera and separate
inl. points, allowing them to stalk each team separately. Once again
the two main teams pushed hard and fast from the start, engaging
Charlie quickly although the teams were heard discussing possible
mission targets to cover, not realising that they were the targets
themselves! Despite taking some casualties and a minor technical
hitch with one of the cameras Charlie managed to succeed in getting
some photos as well as getting nine operatives to the exl. and only
losing one capture, taken by the Yellows.
With the big numbers it was always unlikely that there would be
a complete mission success with a full complement of survivors but
all four teams did excellent jobs as there were zero mission failures.
That truly shows just how committed each and every person was
to the task at hand, so congratulations to you all. That said, it was
a close call between Alpha and Delta for the top dog honours but
Delta edge it as they both had 17 operatives at the start but Delta
held on to 12 and suffered zero captures.
And there you have it. A rare insight behind the scenes of the
type of game scenario that you can expect from a day at this rather
unique site.
Ace Combat has a strict adherence policy to rules and regulations
which I always like to see. This is a very professionally operated site
of the highest standards. These standards are in place to protect you
and your fellow softers and to ensure that everyone goes home in
one piece having had a cracking day. This was apparent to me as the
day unfurled and the high standards were clear to see.
The Ace Combat website has all the information you will need
and I would urge everyone to take a look, as there are specics that
you will need to know to not only enhance your day but at the very
least to allow you to reach compliance when it comes to FPS limits
and standards on certain types of guns that can be used.
So as I close off this review, I can only wonder...
If this new Ace Combat site is this good already, then surely
the very well established sister site at Brenchley must warrant a visit
early in the New Year, where Im assured that site has even more to
offer. Sounds like a no-brainer to me so Ill see you guys in the early
part of 2015 and remember, keep your pistols polished and ries at
the ready - theyre not known as Ace Combat for nothing, thats for
sure.
As once said by the famous Arnold Squashaknacker Ill be
back.
Les OUT!
The Reds logged 18 lives and the Yellows logged 15 with one
capture.
The nal mission fell to Delta and they had Dead Drop, where
they had to recover two hard drives from Kazaa and get them to their
exl. at the Bridge. Delta incorporated some well-seasoned veterans
in Pembury Missions and it showed from the off. They had a plan
and they made sure the whole team were up to speed literally!
They doubled-timed it from their inl. at the LZ to Kazaa, quickly
recovered the drives and then started making their way to the Bridge.
Amazingly, they encountered light resistance and the bulk of Delta
made it to the bridge with half the mission time to spare. The only
problem now was that they needed to hold their exl. point to the
end - and their defence will go down in the annals of history in the
Mission books.
It wasnt too long before engagements from the main teams
began and from there Delta were subjected to a relentless
hammering from both of the main teams, as the combined Red and
Yellow forces desperately tried to break through to the small territory
on the other side of the gulley. Wave after wave crashed against the
Delta force but they held strong for more than 20 minutes to nish
the day with a complete mission and 12 survivors at the exl. This
was all the more impressive as they started with 17 and suffered zero
captures.
The Reds logged 19 lives and the Yellows logged 18.
The nal scores were:
Alpha: 625pts
Bravo: 250pts
Charlie: 312.5pts
Delta: 625pts
Reds: 300pts
Yellows: 600pts
contact
LIZ & CHRIS OCKENDON
ACE COMBAT
WOODLANDS FARM
PEMBURY
KENT
TN2 4BL
ACECOMBAT.CO.UK
INFO@ACECOMBAT.CO.UK
01303 814803 OFFICE HOURS
07849 372704 SITE MOBILE
39
CHARITY BEGINS
AT HOME
NIGE REPORTS FROM THE REDWOLF/BLUESTREAK
CHARITY EVENT, HELD LAST DECEMBER.
40
february 2015
event review
REDWOLF/BLUESTREAK AIRSOFT
SWEET AND SOUR PORK, rice, Pancake Rolls and Dim Sum are
not the normal fare you would expect for lunch on an airsoft site
but that is exactly what was on the menu at the second RedWolf/
Bluestreak Airsoft charity event, held last December - and while the
food was good, the airsoft was even better!
In December 2013, RedWolf ran their rst charity event in aid
of Maggies Centre in Cheltenham and almost a year to the day
later the 2014 event was also in aid of Maggies, along with a
second charity, Soldiers Off The Street.
Maggies provides free practical, emotional and social support
to people with cancer and their family and friends, following the
ideas about cancer care originally laid out by Maggie Keswick
Jenks.
Registered in August 2010, Soldiers Off The Street was set
up to help ex-service personnel whose lives have been affected
by homelessness. As their website says, [We] think they deserve
better after going through the traumatic experience of war in far
off lands, what they have been through for the country they love,
to be forgotten and homeless is a national disgrace - and I think
few of us would argue with that!
It was an early start (actually, it was a very early start) but as
the sun came up and I had to put my Ray Bans on, the promise
of a really good day of airsoft soon had the miles dropping away.
Regular readers may well remember my report from last years
event and I was really chuffed to be invited back again, although I
had such a great day last year I was wondering if this would be as
good - I shouldnt have worried!
The event was being held at BadgerTacs site, Bluestreak
Airsoft, just outside Aylesbury. For those of you that dont know,
BadgerTac is based at Westcott Venture Park, formerly an RAF
Station and the home of the Rocket Propulsion Establishment. One
of the projects worked on was the Blue Streak Ballistic Missile,
which is where the name for the site came from and when the
guys say the site is right on the doorstep of the shop, they are
not joking!
Having been waved through the manned Security Gate I arrived
at the Safe Zone, which was already buzzing with players getting
their kit together, grabbing a coffee or browsing through the
goodies for sale in the on-site shop. Ratty, Billy and Banzai were
immediately visible in their customary Hawaiian shirts and there

was a nice array of Rafe Prizes out on display (donated by a large
number of different companies), tempting you to buy just one
more ticket.
As soon as all 80-odd players had arrived and signed in, one of
the marshals (affectionately known as Pumped Up) gently called
everyone together for the safety brief. Actually, I say gently but
residents as far apart as Aylesbury and Bicester were probably
looking around, wondering who was shouting at them!
Safety brief over, new and walk-on players were taken to one
side and given a separate brieng on how to use any hire kit and
pyros etc. I really like this aspect and Im seeing it more and more,
which is a good thing as, much as we like to think we are, we are
not born with an innate sense of how to change a mag, use a
smoke grenade or prime a BFG!
With 80+ players two teams were quickly created, one with
armbands (The Bandits) and the other without (The Greens)
- a very simple thing which adds to the overall gameplay, as you
dont have to look for a colour, just whether they are wearing an
armband - and then it was out for BlueStreaks signature warm
up game. The objective of this rst game was to shoot out all the
other players (so far so good) but with a twist; the only way a hit
player could be put back into the game was by being shot again by one of his own team!
As you can imagine this is absolutely hilarious, as players were
repeatedly hit and then had to take another shot to carry on
playing. At one point I watched a player who seemed to spend
most of his time shooting his own team. He was very good though
and only shot them on their packs or bits of kit that wouldnt
hurt mostly!
I have known this site for quite a while. Many issues ago I
reported on a Tier 1 event here, which involved helicopters and a
48-hour mission and have been back on a number of occasions
since. It is not what youd call a big site but it is absolutely
packed with features, including a variety of buildings and blast
shelters (well, it was a rocket testing site after all!) Ratty and
his team have done a huge amount of work to make it even
more playable and have created some endishly wicked Kill
Houses, one of which stands out above the rest. Moving into the
41
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event review
REDWOLF/BLUESTREAK AIRSOFT
building you are greeted with what, at rst, looks like an ordinary
arrangement of doors and passageways - except all the doors open
both ways and have been cunningly placed so that the next time
through it is completely different depending on which way they are
open. Denitely not something to try and gure out if you had a
particularly heavy Saturday night!!
The second game of the day involved three separate objectives
that had to be found and brought together in order to complete
the mission. Both teams quickly realised that the only way to be
successful on this site is to work together to drive the opposition
back and then push up. Unless you move quickly to hold taken
ground, the opposition has time to regen and come back at you. On
a couple of occasions Id moved up with the attacking team and then
gone off for a few minutes to photograph some of the action, only
to return and nd the other team now in possession.
The morning passed quickly and it was soon time to head back
to the safe zone and the aforementioned Sweet and Sour lunch
and perhaps Id best point out that Ratty and the guys dont do the
cooking! Just up the road from the main entrance is the Waddesdon
Deli (where you will nd some of the best sandwiches ever in my
opinion) and they prepare the food for BlueStreak, which arrives
freshly made and piping hot just a few minutes before players return
for lunch.
Chinese was the order of the day today and it was delicious and a far cry from the usual burger/hotdog and a Mars bar - the
seconds queue was almost as big as the rsts! The rafe was
held after lunch and everyone crowded around as tickets were drawn
and prizes collected. Weeks before the event the call went out to the
airsoft trade asking for sponsorship of the prizes and, once again the
generosity of the response was superb, with prizes ranging from guns
(lots of guns) to tee-shirts, gas and just about everything in-between.
The afternoons play got underway and I have to make a
confession.
Normally when I cover an event, I deliberately leave my kit at
home as it is just too much of a temptation to play, when I am
supposed to be erm working. I dont know how it happened
but when I opened the back of my Jeep, there it all was! Kit bag, gun
case, gas, ammo Must have fallen in while I wasnt looking! Only
one thing for itCamera down and kit up!
Fifteen minutes later found me in the company of Iggy Roberts

(an Airsoft Action contributor whod made the trip up from the
South West especially to play), as we stood in a building keeping the
attacking forces heads down. I was having one of those days when it
seems that all I had to do was just point my rie in the right direction
and pull the trigger to get a hit and, knowing that it couldnt possibly
last, I was making the best of it. I very rarely play on full-auto (cant
actually remember the last time), preferring the good old doubletap, with the occasional wait a couple of seconds and re a third
thrown in for good measure - and it was working great. That was
until they managed to get round the back of the building and we
were both toast in a matter of seconds - brilliant fun while it lasted
though!
The rest of the afternoon whizzed past in attack and counterattack as we alternatively stormed and defended locations but
above all else, one thing stood out way above everything; the
sportsmanship and attitude of the players. I dont know how many
times I heard good shot, or nice one player being called and I
think the marshals were enjoying themselves as much as we were.
As the light started to fall we made our way back to the Safe
Zone and, as is so often the case, it really didnt matter who won or
lost, what really mattered was that everyone had had a great day and
loads of money had been raised for two very worthy causes.
Speaking to Chris Kong of RedWolf Airsoft later, he said how
pleased hed been with the whole day, that so many players had
turned up and played in the true spirit of the game and that two very
good charities would be beneting directly from the generosity of
airsofters.
Would there be a 2015 Charity game? You bet! was the
answer.
On behalf of both Maggies and Soldiers Off The Street, a
huge thanks to all the companies below, who helped raise
a signicant amount of money for both charities - and, of
course, to all the players for supporting the event and making
it the success it was.
Tactical Apparel, Swindon Airsoft, Army Surplus & Toys
Stitch Me Up, BadgerTac, Patrol Base, Combat South, WE
Airsoft Europe, Land Warrior, Fire Support and RedWolf
43
IN THE EYE OF
THE BEHOLDER
HOW SAFE ARE LASER DEVICES? ANDY BOURNE, THE TACTICAL OPTICIAN, PEELS BACK
THE CURTAIN ON THE MYTHS TO GIVE US THE FACTS.
Lasers in airsoft. Weve all seen them used, most of us
have tried them, love or hate. There are plenty of opinions
out there about lasers. Ive heard most of them. Sites
that wont allow them to be used; sites that only allow
certain colours; restrictions on type; players claiming they
are dangerous; that they have been deliberately dazzled
by an opponent using one. But what is the bottom line
with lasers in airsoft? Are they safe or are they an accident
waiting to happen? In this article, I will attempt to separate
the myths from the reality and explain just what hazards
exist with laser use.
The laser as we know it is named from an acronym;
Laser Amplication by Stimulated Emission of Radiation.
In todays world we are surrounded by lasers in our
everyday lives; CD and DVD players, supermarket bar code
readers and laser printers. In the medical world, laser use
44
february 2015
has ushered in a revolution in eye surgery (but thats a story for

another day). Over the last 50 years, lasers have become mundane
and common. The rst functioning laser was operated in May
1960 at Hughes Research Laboratories in California. Since then,
they have become, like much of the technology around us, smaller,
cheaper, more efcient and widespread. A quick search of a well
known internet auction site nds laser pointers available for less
than ve pounds. Also, military uses have grown hugely. We are
familiar with the Laser Guided Bombs which preceded GPS Guided
munitions widely used today, as well as infantry target marking
units such as the Insight AN/PEQ2A and AN/PEQ15. Modern antimissile systems and electro-optical countermeasures units rely (to
a great degree) on lasers. At this point it is worth noting that the
use of lasers as blinding weapons was outlawed by Protocol IV of
the 1980 Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, issued by
The United Nations in October 1995. This came into effect on 30th
July 1998.
So what exactly makes a laser different to a torch?
Firstly, a laser produces a concentrated spot of light via a
very narrow beam. This is easily seen in a laser light show; sharp
coloured lines of light are produced. These narrow beams are
known as collimated beams and are characteristic of lasers.
Torchlight has an inherent spread or splash of light and cannot
produce the same spot effect. Secondly, a laser source produces
light of a single wavelength, which means a single colour. Some
laser wavelengths produce light of a wavelength that is not visible
to the human eye, such as the infra red units used by the military
in PEQ boxes. The common colours are red and green but any
colour of laser beam can be produced. The wavelength gives the
colour of the beam. Visible light has a wavelength of between
380 nanometres (violet) to 780 nanometres (red). Beyond 800
nanometres is infra red light. Green light is about 560nanometres.
Thirdly, the energy in a laser beam is highly concentrated into that
small spot, just like concentrating the energy of the sun through a
magnifying glass. It is in this concentration of energy that is where
the dangers lie.
feature
LASER SAFETY
Lasers in airsoft are widely available and we can group them

into two types:
Firstly those that are marketed for airsoft use, such as replica
PEQ boxes and pointers built into other items such as sights.
Secondly there are lasers of an industrial or military nature which
are utilised by airsofters. These can be either home-built or of
military origin. So how do we know that a laser is safe for use and in what manner can we dene safe?
Like many things, laser safety is dened and classied
according to a standard. In this case, the most up to date standard
is IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) 60825-1, which
sorts lasers into classes according to their output or power. It also
refers to the MPE (Maximum Permissible Exposure), which is the
longest time that a laser can be directly viewed with safety. So, lets
take a look at the various classes of laser.
CLASS 1:
A Class 1 laser is safe under all conditions of normal use. This
means the Maximum Permissible Exposure (MPE) cannot be
exceeded when viewing a laser with the naked eye or with the
aid of typical magnifying optics. The magnifying optics used are a
telescope and microscope. Viewing a laser through such apparatus
can be considered similar to viewing an opponents laser through
a magnifying sight such as a snipers scope or an ACOG sight,
from an airsoft point of view. So we can consider a Class 1 laser as
posing no risk to eyesight on the airsoft eld.
visible-light lasers, as only visible light will cause a blink reex. This
is an important point for infra red laser use, which we will come
back to. Class 2 lasers are limited to a continuous power output
of 1mW (milliWatt). Many laser pointers fall into this category.
At this point it is worth noting that eye damage will occur if a
user deliberately stares into the laser of a Class 2 unit. There are
documented cases of burns to the retina from this, usually in
children who have stared into the beam of a toy laser pointer.
CLASS 2M:
Class 2M lasers are safe thanks once more to the blink reex,
unless viewed through magnifying optics. This class is particularly
important to us as airsofters, as it is the lowest class of laser which
poses a potential sight risk to a player. If viewing such a laser while
looking through a magnifying scope, the blink reex of the eye
will not be quick enough to prevent possible damage to eyesight.
Scary, isnt it? In as little as two tenths of a second, damage to
your eye could be caused by a laser of this output. The risk is low,
but it could happen.
CLASS 3R:
A class 3R laser is considered safe if handled carefully, with
restricted beam viewing. Damage can occur to sight with a class 3R
laser but it is not likely with brief exposure. Such cases of damage
CLASS 1M:
A class 1M laser is safe for all conditions of use except if passed
through magnifying optics such as microscopes and telescopes.
Class 1M lasers produce large-diameter beams and hence deliver
higher power. A class 1M laser is still safe to view without
magnifying optics. We must consider that there is a risk to eyesight
if viewing a class 1M laser through sufciently strong magnifying
optics such as a high powered rie scope. However, the time of
exposure required to cause damage would require the viewer to
stare into the beam for a signicant time. We can consider that
this is very unlikely, as the normal reex is to blink and/or look
away from such bright light shining through a scope.
CLASS 2:
A Class 2 laser is safe because the human blink reex will limit the
time of exposure to no more than 0.25 seconds. It only applies to
45
feature
LASER SAFETY
CLASS 2M LASERS ARE SAFE THANKS ONCE MORE TO THE BLINK

REFLEX, UNLESS VIEWED THROUGH MAGNIFYING OPTICS. THIS CLASS IS
PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT TO US AS AIRSOFTERS, AS IT IS THE LOWEST
CLASS OF LASER WHICH POSES A POTENTIAL SIGHT RISK TO A PLAYER.
have usually resulted in a temporary loss of vision which has recovered.
Class 3R lasers are restricted to no more than 5mW power output.
Class 3B:
A class 3B laser poses signicant risk to eyesight if viewed directly but
reections of the laser light (such as from a rough surface) do not pose
a risk. Reections from a shiny surface however, do pose a risk. Such
lasers are normally between 5mW and 500mW power output (visible
light). They are a signicant risk to eyesight. Many everyday appliances
such as CD players use Class 3B lasers but are classed as Class 1
because the laser light is enclosed in the item and cannot be seen.
Class 4:
Class 4 lasers are of the highest power output. They can cause
extremely rapid damage to eyes, burn skin, and can ignite res, not
only as a result of direct beam exposure but also from the reections
as well. A Class 4 laser must be tted with a key switch and safety
interlock. Most industrial, medical and scientic lasers are in this class.
It is highly unlikely that they will be found on the airsoft eld.
So we can see how the laser can pose a hazard to eyesight but
it is worth noting that visible lasers up to and including Class 3R are
unlikely to cause permanent harm - unless viewed for more than a
moment. The risk is greater if viewed through a scope or binoculars,
however. Thanks to our eyes nifty blink reex, we can get some
protection but what happens if we cant see the beam?
Infrared lasers are becoming more common amongst airsofters
using night vision equipment. These units produce a laser which is
not visible to the human eye, so there is no blink reex to protect the
delicate tissue. This poses a real risk, particularly those users of military
PEQ units. Most commonly seen in airsoft is the Insight AN/PEQ 2A
unit. It carries an infra red spotlight and laser pointer and is a Class 3B
laser producing 50mW in high power setting. In other words, it can

cause signicant eye damage if viewed directly, even for a moment.
Being infra red, the viewer would not know that they were viewing a
high power laser. The PEQ 2A has a power output switch and a blue
removable safety screw (often missing). The low power outputs are
safe for training use as classied by the US Military. The high power
setting should not be used by airsofters as it poses a signicant risk to
other players eyesight.
But surely our eye protection can help? Sadly not. There are
military-use-only lenses that can help to reduce the amount of laser
light getting to the eye but these are restricted and not available to
the general public.
So we must be very careful using a military laser in airsoft but
commercially available airsoft versions are ne, right? Well, most of
these are not classied in any meaningful way, as they have been
manufactured abroad and produced cheaply. This author has seen
laser pointers producing over 70mW of power (which would make
them a class 3B laser and hence hazardous to even momentary
exposure) sold as Class 2 (and hence safe to eyes). There is no proof
that the laser you bought is safe to use when shone directly at another
player for any length of time. The news carries stories of laser effects
on pilots; in 2012, the Metropolitan Police alone handled 252 cases of
lasers used to dazzle aircrew.
The message here is to be aware of what potentially could happen
on a skirmish eld. I do not support the idea that all lasers should be
banned from airsoft but I think that everyone who owns and uses one
should understand what could happen and use their laser responsibly.
Dont shine it directly at another players head. If you have a real
PEQ unit, keep it on low power. Site owners and operators should
consider including as much in their safety briengs, so we can raise
awareness amongst our fellow players.
One last thing, if you think you may have had your eyesight
damaged by a laser, seek medical assistance as soon as possible.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andy Bourne BSc (Hons) MCOptom is

an ophthalmic optician, former reserve
forces ofcer and keen MilSim airsofter.
He is associate optometrist with the Vision
Surgery & Research Centre, UK, has written
widely on the latest advances in optics
and refractive surgery and his research has
been presented worldwide. He currently
divides his time between hospital,
general practice and airsoft, although not
necessarily in that order. You can contact
him at www.Facebook.com/AirsoftOptician
or tacticaloptician@airsoft-action.co.uk.
46
february 2015
TIGER PHOBIA
68
FEBRUARY 2015
FEARED BY ALL
THOSE THAT CAME
UP AGAINST IT, JAY
SLATER TAKES A LOOK
AT ONE OF HITLERS
GREAT KILLING
MACHINES, THE TIGER.
BBT
THE TIGER TANK
ONE OF THE MOST FEARED WEAPON platforms of the Second

World War, the success of the Tiger was so profound that no Allied
tank dared to engage it in open combat; this psychological fear
soon became to be known as Tiger phobia.
Before the war German military policy did not specify the
parameters used to dene a light, medium or heavy tank. In
essence, it was accepted that the light tank was to be used in
reconnaissance missions, which demanded mobility over armour
protection and as a weapons platform; medium tanks had to
be fast as well as packing armour and a large-calibre gun; and
heavy tanks, or panzer, were to support the infantry as well
as penetrating enemy defences so that the medium tanks could
exploit a breakthrough. Whereas roles for the light and medium
tanks often crossed, the heavy panzer lacked speed and endurance
due to its greater weight and size.
At the time, Nazi doctrine focused on the offensive. With that
being said, when the tide of war was going against Germanys
favour, armour formations would be held back to counter-attack
a possible breakthrough. Therefore, the Tiger was to be operated
in a defensive and offensive capacity to annihilate the enemys
heavy armour.
Development began in 1939, but was stepped up two years

later when the German Army requested a 45-ton tank with a highvelocity KwK 36L/56 88-mm gun to dominate the battleeld (the
same used as an effective ak cannon against high-ying bombers
over the Third Reich) and was capable of penetrating 140 mm of
armour at a range of 1,000 meters. The Tiger was a phenomenal
weapon and struck admiration and fear into the Allies, whose tank
design was woefully lacking.
IN TUNISIA, THE BRITISH FIRED

EIGHTY ROUNDS FROM A 75-MM
ARTILLERY GUN AT THE SIDE OF A
TIGER FROM 150 FEET AND THEY
ALL BOUNCED OFF ITS NICKEL-STEEL
ARMOUR PLATING.
The Tiger I, with its 88-mm gun, coupled with superior optics
could accurately hit and destroy targets at ranges the enemy could
not even aim at, such as American Shermans, Russian T-34s and
inadequate British tanks (although these improved throughout the
war and were vastly superior to Italian and Japanese lightweight
tanks). In Tunisia, the British red eighty rounds from a 75-mm
artillery gun at the side of a Tiger from 150 feet and they all
bounced off its nickel-steel armour plating. The same panzer, Tiger
131, is currently housed at The Tank Museum at Bovington in
Dorset, UK and is the only fully working Tiger I in the World. (It is
also bloody awesome!)
The hull of the Tiger was a simple design with a one-piece
superstructure welded on top. At the front, its armour was
100-mm thick, 80 mm on the sides and 26 mm on top. To aid
production when the war effort was very much against Germany
and valuable metals becoming increasingly scarce, all shapes were
kept simple. Whereas future tank design would dictate sloped
armour to deect shells, in the case of the Tiger, this was a moot
point due to the thickness of its staggering armour plate. Such
was the potency of the Tiger that it got an aura of invincibility;
however, the tank could be stopped and its sheer size and weight
caused transport and logistical issues.
The rst prototypes, with a ve-man crew, were ready for
Hitlers birthday on 20th April 1942. Henschel and Porsche versions
were tested and the former won as Henschels design was easier
49
BBT
THE TIGER TANK
to produce for mass production; Porsches Tigers were therefore

converted in to the mighty Ferdinand Panzerjager tank destroyer.
The ofcial designation of the new tank was Panzerkampfwagen
VI Tiger Ausf. H. The Tiger I was the rst German tank to be tted
with overlapping road wheel suspension, which gave it very good
weight distribution and was comfortable for the crew. However, the
Tiger had issues. During the winter, mud and snow would pack into
the tracks and freeze, inicting performance issues and reliability
on the Eastern Front; also, she craved fuel. Original Tigers were
underpowered (this was rectied) and a journey of sixty miles would
guzzle some 150 gallons of gold juice, something that was a rare
quantity in the Third Reich. Costing three times as much to produce
as a Panzer Mk IV and maintaining a decent fuel supply was always
a difcult process thanks to marauding Allied ghters such as the
rocket and bomb-armed Hawker Tempest, arguably the nest ghter
of the Second World War, Tigers were built in limited numbers with
some 1,350 leaving the production lines.
It was in the retreat from Russia that the Tiger proved itself in a
defensive capacity as well as giving the Allies a rude awakening in the
liberation of France.
On 18th October 1943, a Tiger commanded by Sepp Rannel
destroyed eighteen Russian tanks. Michael Wittmann, an infamous
ace with 119 kills, enjoyed great success in Normandy; his Tiger
claimed twenty-ve British tanks, fourteen half-tracks and fourteen
Bren-gun carriers in a massacre around the village of Villers Bocage.
With that being said, Wittmans unit lost six Tigers and these
invaluable tanks, as well as the experienced crews, were impossible
to replace. In France, the Tiger blooded itself and became a myth that
terried the Allies and the phrase Tiger phobia was common talk
amongst terried Sherman crews. Indeed, on 11th July 1944, thirteen
British Shermans out of twenty were lost in action and just two Tigers
held up an advance of the 53rd British Infantry division.
The Tiger became the stuff of legend.
Despite technical issues and a lack of fuel, the Tiger decimated
the opposition. British gallows humour soon followed and the
Sherman was dubbed the Tommy cooker, a notorious deathtrap
for its crews; with an unfortunate habit of going up in ames
when hit, it was estimated that several Shermans were necessary
to take on the Tiger and penetrate its thinner rear armour. Despite
overwhelming numbers as The Third Reich faced defeat, the Tiger
arguably became the nest tank of the Second World War.
One day, a Tiger Royal [sic] got within 150 yards of my tank and
knocked me out. Five of our tanks opened up on him from ranges
of 200 to 600 yards and got ve or six hits on the front of the Tiger.
They all just glanced off and the Tiger backed off and got away. If we
had a tank like Tiger [sic], we would all be home today.
Sergeant Clyde D. Brunson, 2nd Armored Division, 1945
There were advanced versions of the Tiger. The Tiger II, or the
King Tiger and Royal Tiger, rst saw action on the Eastern Front in
May 1944 and Western Front three months later. A monster of huge
proportions, it weighed 68 tons and was powered by a 690-bhp
engine: the Tiger II was a formidable and feared weapon platform.
Like the Panther, the Tiger II represented the ultimate tank design of
the war. Previously, armour, repower and speed had to be carefully
balanced to achieve tactical designs (the British preferred speed over
armour). With the Tiger II, this metal behemoth boasted formidable
specications in all three areas. The best performing tank of the war,
even when at standstill, the Tiger II was a formidable pillbox and
attracted the attention of RAF and US ghters. The story of the Tiger,
however, as the Third Reichs nest tank does not end there.
In late 1944, the Panzerkampfwagen VIII Maus, or Mouse (a
rare show of German sense of humour) was a 188-ton super-heavy
tank and elded a mighty 128-mm gun. It was, and still is, the most
impressive tank the world has ever seen. Dr Ferdinand Porsche was
the driving force behind the Maus, as well as the 140-ton E-100;
however, the crippling war effort and dwindling resources restricted
production and a total of nine of these monster tanks were in
various stages of completion. The turret alone weighed 50 tons and
was almost the total weight of a fully loaded and fuelled Panther.
Considering that Germany was lacking in many resources during
the closing stages of the war, the Maus was a fantastic feat of
engineering and it is alleged that two completed examples were sent
into action in the nal days of the war. One tank was destroyed by its
crew to evade capture and the other was sent to Russia where it can
be seen today at the Kubinka Tank Museum. However, the story still
does not end there. German engineers had designed a version of the
Maus that was armed with a 305-mm breech-loading mortar it was
named Bear and a colossal 1,500-ton vehicle with a 800-mm
gun as its main armament and two 150-mm guns in separate turrets.
This beast of war was to be powered by four U-boat diesel engines
but (thankfully) the war came to a close before these monsters could
be unleashed.
And the Tiger comes full circle; its name is legendary and part of
societys consciousness. Even today, everyone has heard of the Tiger
that has become iconic as has the Supermarine Spitre some seventy
years later. The Tiger was awed as a ghting machine; despite its
excellent design, it suffered from mechanical and logistical issues
for a tank of its size. It was prone to mechanical faults and required
constant repairs and maintenance in the eld to keep it running.
Indeed, it was forbidden to run the Tiger for extended periods due
to wear and tear. Also, the Tiger drunk fuel, a resource that Nazi
Germany was in short supply of. Production-wise, the Tiger was
a very expensive and resource-consuming tank when Hitler was
running out of time. The average cost of a Tiger was some 250,800
Reichmarks (some estimates are higher at 800,000 Reichmarks). In
contrast, a PzKpfw III Ausf M cost 103,163 Reichmarks, a PzKpfw IV
Ausf. G cost 115,962 Reichmarks and the Panther, arguably a better
tank, cost 117,100 Reichmarks. Also, each Tiger consumed 300,000
man-hours and 6,000 people to manufacture in a week; the Third
Reich simply could not afford to burn such precious commodities as
the war came to a close.
The Tiger may have been the pinnacle of tank design but it came
too little too late to save Hitlers crumbling regime. After all, all wars
are wars of attrition and although 1,350 Tigers were built, they
paled in signicance to the 55,000 T-34s built in Russia alone. For the
legendary Tiger I, King Tiger and Hitlers Third Reich, it was endgame
where sheer numbers consumed and overpowered an enemy that
was growing weaker by the day.
As for Tiger survivors, as mentioned previously, the only surviving
and working example is located in England (it is a must-see and
also featured in the Brad Pitt lm Fury (2014)); however, there are ve
static Tigers Is located in the US, France and Russia. There is one fully
operational King Tiger in the Saumur Tank Museum in France with
seven other stationary examples located throughout the world. There
are also two Sturmtigers, three Jagdtigers and two Elefants in various
museums.
Achtung! Long live the Tiger!
51
OPERATION COLOSSUS
KRIS ROBERTS ONCE AGAIN FINDS HIMSELF CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ON-GOING BATTLE
BETWEEN THE FLAME AND THE RAIN
52
february 2015
EVENT review
INFILTRATION AIRSOFT
FLASHBACKS
It has been a full week since my return home. Yet still, whenever I
close my eyes, even if only for a second, Im back inside that room and
living the moment.
It is dark and cold, my feet tread softly on the carpet and I try to
avoid standing in the beam of orange light that cuts in through the
open window from the streetlamp outside.
Someone across the way has seen me and I have only a millisecond
to react as tracer rounds zip towards me, missing my head by just a
couple of inches. I stay low behind cover and watch the glowing rounds
ood into room and ricochet off the walls in a spectacular light show.
Then the rounds stop and I hear the tell-tale sound of my opponent
changing his magazine. I pop up and quickly bring my silenced MP5 to
bear. Across the street in the neighbouring gardens I see my target as a
shadowy form in the gloom. I re a series of shots, instantly losing sight
of my rounds but hearing the thud as they impact across his chest. As I
draw back into the room I spot two more gures moving swiftly along
the street and trying to assault my building. A quick urry of re and the
threat is stopped dead in its tracks. For a second things fall quiet, the
enemy has paused.
TIME TO GO
I y down the stairs and try to get out of the back door, only to curse
out loud when I nd it locked. No choice, I have to move fast and get
away before they launch a proper assault. I slip quickly out of the front
door and double back up the side of the house. Keeping the barrel of
my gun up in the aim, I walk as fast as I can across the back garden,
through the gate into the eld behind the row of houses, and towards
the garages on the street corner where I believe my team mates are
holding up.
Suddenly an enemy player steps out of a gateway two feet in front
of me. I push the silencer of my MP5 into the padding of his chest plate
and re a single shot. He jumps out of his skin and as I move past him
he chuckles and offers me a Well done!
One more garden to cross, a dozen shadows for the enemy to
ambush me from, I keep moving forward and clearing the corners. Right
now I feel like a mega dude, like Charlie Sheen in Navy Seals. This
isnt adrenaline surging through my veins, its tiger blood!
Didnt stop me from getting shot by my own team mate two
seconds later though!
A YEAR OF BATTLE
Operation Colossus, the latest instalment from the team at Inltration
Airsoft, was held on the rst weekend of December at the Rype Village
training facility on the south coast of Kent. This establishment, used to
train our Armed and Police Forces is home to row upon row of terrace
houses, block buildings, alleyways, shops and open crossroads. There
is even a newer section built to look like a modern housing estate and
it is eerily deceptive just how realistic the whole environment feels. A
perfect setting it would seem to host the nal battle of 2014 between
the warring factions of The Flame and The Rain.
RECAP
For those readers new to the games of Inltration Airsoft, allow me to
give you a quick overview of the world they have created.
Set in a dystopian future, the system of government has collapsed
as the divide between the rich and the poor grew too vast. A revolution
unfolded and what remained of the establishment called upon those still
loyal to create a stronger government. Now titled The Flame, they set
out to enforce a new set of laws onto its people. These Purge Laws
were met with hatred and deance and this resulted in the formation of
a Peoples Army, one which would grow and unite with others under the
name of The Rain.
These arent the only factions in play though, with further characters,
groups and bizarre additions adding to the complexity of the tale and
experience as well.
This setting is the bedrock for all of Inltrations games and the story
evolves according to the results of each event and to which objectives
were won or lost. The outcome of this is a rich and detailed back story
unlike anything I have seen in Airsoft and, as I stated in my review
of their previous event, I cannot do the story justice on these pages.
Instead I urge you to make a fresh cup of tea, grab a packet of biscuits
and visit their website at http://inltrationops.com. Its well worth
reading.
What is really of note is the technology that Inltration brings to
the scene. Each player is issued with a computer-chipped wristband,
which is used not only to log players at regen but is also used to activate
various other devices which must be captured and held throughout the
day. There are no capture the ag moments here, these are complex
props which require download times and the players must plan and
strategise accordingly if they wish to succeed. No effort has been spared
by the game designers in helping the player to feel as immersed as
possible.
WENT THE DAY WELL?

Saturday kicked off under a bright but chilly morning sun. The players
53
event review
INFILTRATION AIRSOFT
had been won by those who were fortunate enough to afford such
shiny luxuries. I felt as though I had been robbed of the chance to get
involved in a fair ght and allow the better player to win rather than
the fatter wallet.
I fell asleep that night thinking of how maybe such formidable
weapons like Night Vision devices should be balanced between teams,
or limited on usage, or allowed as a mission reward... Anything to
balance the eld and give everyone a ghting chance.
When I woke the next day I knew that no matter what, I would
never want to deny any player the chance to use such a fantastic piece
of kit and much of what I felt the night before was jealousy. I still
thought that some kind of usage restriction would be better but I had
a wonderful moment of clarity that instantly wiped away all of that
misplaced and unjustied negativity.
PERSPECTIVE
burst forth from their bases like children running through the gates
of Disneyland. The excitement level was zzing in the air and within
minutes the sides met and battle lines had been drawn. Both sides
were eager to ex their muscles and in no time at all the streets were
lled with the sounds of ghting.
As usual I was armed with my camera for the daytime hours and
I tried my best to keep up front with the action as the battle lines
owed like water in and out of the houses and gardens. This was no
easy task, as the level of play from both sides was top notch and the
determination, skill and aggression meant I was frantically trying to keep
up.
Ive been in numerous close quarter environments before, but the
scale of the site was huge and it allowed for multiple opportunities
to perform anking manoeuvres and surprise attacks. Sometimes the
shooting was at arms length and would involve ghters from both
sides holding different levels of the same building. With fty players
per side and with the scale and design of the site, the ghting would
range from individual distant skirmishes to insanely intense moments
of all out war as everyone fought over the same street corner.
This level of engagement took its toll on the players and even the
hardcore were feeling the strain. Still, as small groups here and there
ltered back to the safe zone for a brief respite and a bite to eat, the
sounds of ghting never ceased. It was a long day and everyone knew
that the coming hours of ghting in the dark would require every
ounce of strength and awareness they could muster.
DISADVANTAGED? OR JUST PLAIN LUCKY?

My only negative experience seemed to come late in the evening
game. I was trapped and alone on the long balcony that ran above the
shopping precinct. My team mates had already been hit trying to get
down the single stairwell and instead of following them in a fool hardy
attempt to get back to street level, I opted to hang back and try to pick
off the enemy shooters.
What I hadnt counted on was that I was facing a group of enemy
players equipped with Night Vision Goggles. Every single move I
made was checked, every attempt to slip away or ght back was met
with a storm of vicious and accurate re and the whole situation left
me feeling limp and useless. I called up my team mates on the radio
and requested that as they return from regen they attack the enemy
position that was causing me so much grief. My plan was either to
use the distraction to get to street level and join the attack, or provide
covering re from my higher location.
But, alas, every attack was driven back and eventually I received a
call over the radio to tell me that the Flame force was too well dug in
and that their NVGs were making it impossible. I was on my own.
Later that evening I thought about how much of a game changer
the night vision had been and I began to feel bitter that the ght
I was fteen years old when I bought my rst Marui Springer

pistol, this was over two decades ago and my group of mates quickly
followed suit. We had no idea of Airsoft, none of us had even played
paintball. What we had was a love for movies like Die Hard, Lethal
Weapon, Predator etc. and we were simply mucking around in each
others houses and gardens and using our imaginations to create epic
gun battles worthy of Hollywood. We would talk about favourite
action scenes and what cool scenarios we could dream up and
fantasise about.
Ive never forgotten those games because they were the
foundations of why I play today. So on that Sunday morning I allowed
my fteen year old self to replay what I had been through the night
before
My team moving down the road, an enemy machine gunner
ring from behind a parked car, take cover, return re, cant get the
angle, smoke grenade out, team mate goes right, I push forward as
he covers, I slip into the next garden, shouting, ring, gunner down!
Regroup, clear these houses, torches ashing, blinding, keep moving,
clear! Move outside, slip through alleyway, into the shopping presinct,
stay in shadows, ve of us in line, guns cover every angle, up the stairs,
enemy! Cover re, smoke grenade, push them back, push them back!
Theyve barricaded themselves in, smoke them out! Breach and clear!
We have the balcony, move back downstairs, sniper re, men down!
Cannot move, fall back into rooms, silent shadows below, re pouring
in at me, I cannot move, try to re, try to escape, call for help, duck
for cover, help not coming, I must run, I must run faster than they can
shoot. Go now!
As a boy, I had
never in my wildest
dreams imagined such
an exciting, thrilling,
varied and remarkable
moment could be
found playing a game.
I could never have
imagined that our little
pastime would develop
to a point where such
astonishing games
could be fought in such
a remarkable location.
Rype Village was like
nding paradise and
to be in such a place with one hundred like-minded people who were
constantly pushing to get the most out of the opportunity, created
some of the most memorable moments I have ever experienced in
Airsoft. It was a Valhalla moment, when I realised that I wanted to be
here, doing this, every single day and I would never get tired of it.
I was glad of the Night Vision, as I was glad of the tracers and the
snipers and the gunners and the little speedy ninja types who seemed
to pop out of nowhere. I was glad of it all.
Everything was a challenge and it left me salivating for more.
A CHANGING TIDE
I think its fair to say that by the end of play on Sunday afternoon
everyone was completely done in. The teams had given their all.
So far in 2014 every victory had been awarded to The Rain.
55
They had performed solidly throughout every operation to date

but this time round things had changed. Even before the ofcial
announcement had been made back in the safe zone, everyone knew
that victory had been won by The Flame.
On the day they were simply the better team and their use of
observation and communications was absolutely spot on. The Rain,
in their self-condence, had lowered their guard and slipped into
ghting as individual groups without a huge concern for the bigger
picture. The Flame on the other hand, worked as a solid and cohesive
unit, strengthening their weaknesses through effective use of radios
and team tactics.
A deserving victory for The Flame then but, before I had even
made my way back to the car to head home I heard one Rain
player turn to his comrade and say Lesson learnt. That isnt
happening again!
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK

What has really impressed me about Inltration is that in less than
a year they have appeared on the scene, seemingly out of nowhere
and changed our awareness and expectations of the game. They
havent pushed the boundaries, theyve smashed through them in a
Tiger Tank and invited us along for the ride. They havent lost sight
of the basics though, openly embracing the fun factor which is sadly
misplaced in some other High-end gaming ideas.
Before I sign off, I wanted to know more about what makes the
minds at Inltration tick. So I got in touch with the head man, Harry
Ford, and asked him to reect on the last year.
Kris: 2014 has been a very busy year for Inltration. Looking back,
has it lived up to your expectations and have you achieved everything
you initially set out to do?
Harry: It has been a mad year for us. After the rst event back
in March we expected things to move at a much slower pace, turned
out that our vision really took off as popularity and immersion grew
rapidly around the events. For this we have only the players to thank,
many of which have put in every effort to attend each and every
event throughout the year, bringing with them a high quality level of
play that makes it all a worthwhile venture.
Despite developing and building a lot of tech in our rst year,
there is so much more in the pipeline to bring to the Airsoft scene in
order to further improve the experience had by those attending our
events. Introducing new concepts, such as our in game phone app
currently in the build and testing stages, will help keep us ahead of
the game as more innovative and original ideas are introduced. Lets
say Im very excited about whats around the corner.
Kris: Colossus took place at an amazing venue, how important do
you feel the locations are to the success of your events?
Harry: As players we have attended venues all around the UK
and even abroad. As many will say, variety is most denitely the spice
of life. So with each of our events being held at varying locations it
brings something different to each of our events and alongside each
location comes a different chapter in the Inltration storyline.
Every effort is made to choose the best possible venues to cater
for the type of event we have in mind, each environment has an
important inuence on the strategy and structure of each event. The
combination of location, structure and gameplay in unison are key to
delivering a successful event, which ultimately can only be judged by
those participating.
Having hosted events at Longmoor Camp, The Compound
(Hampshire), Battle Lakes (Kent) and most recently Lydd Training
Camp, there has been a real opportunity to partake in both woodland
56
february 2015
and urban environments, allowing us to identify the popularity of

each occasion. I am always looking forward to where we will be
heading to next.
Kris: The Flame managed to grab their rst victory of the year. As
an onlooker it seemed to me that as a team they became much more
involved and focused on unity and teamwork. How does it make you,
the game designer, feel when the players immerse themselves into
your scenarios and push themselves that extra mile?
Harry: This is what makes Airsoft so unique, allowing everybody
to immerse themselves to varying levels of involvement, whether
youre heavily into teamwork and running right alongside the storyline
or simply operating as a lone wolf. The deeper that players delve into
the occasion, the more personal the situation becomes and results in
many pushing themselves that extra mile to ght for their cause.
Operation Colossus was a turning point for The Flame, who
drastically improved communications and implemented a number of
tactics to help them claw back the decit of previous defeats. One
idea they implemented was to plant two civilians and have them
explore the site for much of the rst day. Having conrmed with
us that they were able to do this, as long as they were unarmed as
civilians, the two players were able to wander around and scout out
enemy movements and routes. This intuitive behaviour is encouraged
by us and this involvement from our players highlights how far people
are willing to go to get the upper hand.
Kris: The facebook groups you have in place are a great forum
for the teams to prepare for and debrief after each game. Do you
monitor the feedback when preparing for the next instalment?
Harry: That is a major part of what we do. I actually try and
make sure to speak with each and every player that attends our
events, whether it be before, during or after. It is the feedback from
these conversations that have enabled us to continuously improve and
develop over the year.
Its been a steep learning curve for us and were still the new
guys on the scene but being a group of passionate Airsofters
ourselves has meant that we can bring the best possible experience to
the players and has ultimately helped to gain their trust.
The private Facebook groups not only allow us to collate
feedback, they are also great fun to have, allowing everyone afliated
to The Rain or The Flame to have some good banter and laughs about
what we all enjoy doing so much.
Kris: 2015. There are plenty of people out there who are itching
to learn about what you have in store for the next few instalments.
Are there any titbits youd be willing to share or is it all still very top
secret?
Harry: We are currently working towards some massive
technological advances. There will be two new phone apps launching,
one of which can be used during our events. The aim is to push the
boundaries of what can be integrated into the Airsoft battleeld
without having to overcomplicate things beyond necessary.
Further introductions to our inventory of tech units are also
planned, allowing even more game scenarios and missions to be
implemented and allow players to have more interaction with their
objectives.
I cant really disclose too much about our plans for future events,
except that the Church of the Armageddon are pretty displeased
with The Flame for spoiling their recent plans and rumour has risen
regarding Volktech ramping up its arms company internationally
across the waters
Personally, I cant wait for the next instalment!
RAIN HELL!
DAN BARLOW WRITES ABOUT THE TEAM HE CO-FOUNDED AND WHAT THEY WANT TO
ACHIEVE IN THE FUTURE.
RAIN HELL! is the motto used by the amateur West
Midlands-based Airsoft team The Reapers. They say dont fear
the Reaper, however this ten to twenty man team gives you every
reason to fear him and his new found dwellers of Death (well in
the Airsoft world of course).
Im Daniel Barlow and I am Co-Founder and team leader of the
Reapers. In this article Im going to give you an insight into what it
means to be a Reaper and brief history of the team. If you want to
contact myself, or even drop us a LIKE on Facebook, you can nd
us at the following link; www.facebook.com/pages/The-REAPERSpublic
After a year learning the ropes, the craving grew for taking the
gaming experience to the next level by putting together a team, a
team that would make a difference.
While working as a Cleaner for Birminghams Bullring (yeah I
know but it pays for the BBs) I met the other Co-Founder of the
team, Dean Stinton. He had only just started airsoft but felt as
passionate as I did about creating a team, so Dean and I paired
up and started improving our combat skills together. When we
werent out slinging plastic we racked our brains together over
names, rules, image, kit, media options. Youd think two heads are
better than one.
After some time and renement, weve developed several sets
of rules. Theyre simple once in practise and are in a constant
state of change if necessary. They are also open to debate by
Reaper members as weve adopted a democratic approach to how
things operate. Some may believe this isnt effective, or as efcient
but in our experience this is real life and real people that are all
dealing with their own problems outside the Airsoft world. If all
our members have equal opportunity for their say and we have
found it has made it all easier for us to get on. Should you wish to
join our ranks, youll quickly learn most of our processes work in
threes.
Since both our beginning, Dean and I can recommend Fireball
Squadron based at Bassets Pole (www.FireballSquadron.co.uk), its
where our Team began and will end. By no means have we limited
58
february 2015
team prole
THE REAPERS
ourselves to just this eld, at one time we had sub-branched to

Manchester, where I have personally organised trips to F&O sites
at Bolton. Fireballs services and support to our members has been
awless and we, as a team, would like to thank them for putting
up with us.
They say naming something you care for can be one of the
hardest things to do and it was months before we decided on
The Reapers. I had already used a Medal of Honour-styled patch
on my kit, in the form of a Wolf Pack call-sign and we both
enjoyed the artwork but an animal type name didnt stick. We
wanted something darker and doom impending.
Eventually after casting a vote on a long list of names, also
considering the word Reaper being already used in military
backgrounds, The Reapers was the winner and always will be.
Since day one weve strive and continued to strive to honour all
that is good in our sport and its something we regard as the most
important factor in our recruitment process.
Over the last two years, as I mentioned, weve established
ourselves at Fireball Squadron and being there weve been lucky
enough to take part in their weekenders, Operation Blue Shrew
and Operation Red Bull and are very much looking forward to
taking part in Operation Dirty Beaver, in 2015. These weekend/two
or three day operations have been vital to the teams development
and evolution. As some of you will already know, its a whole
new ball game in comparison to standard skirmish days but the
hardships and laughs you have make it worthwhile. It all makes
you better as a team and those quality moments (drunken or not)
are the back bone of any team, what you learn getting amongst it
is priceless... and for everything else there is MasterCard!
THE TEAM
The team is made up of solid players (of course), so lets briey
introduce you to them (in its current form).
Each member is given a number based on when they were
recruited. The numbers dont represent rank, please dont be
mistaken in that, we run a democratic system in the team that
provides an equal chance for important decisions to be made and
each member is given ample chance to have their say. So without
further a due I give to you THE REAPERS:
DANIEL BARLOW (RE01) - El president, leads from the front.
JOHN MCARTHY (RE06) - The horse-loving ninja of the group.
ANDY TAYLOR (RE07) - The head strong tech and also a
member of the command.
PHIL TAYLOR (RE10) - The big, tall guy with the big gun, also a
member of the command.
ADAM DOWNING (RE13) - The sharp-witted, funny-accented,
decent guy of the group.
DAVID REEVES (RE15) - The dependable, full of ideas, all round
nice guy.
STEVEN YOUNG (RE16) - The one the only BAD horse.
KIERAN WOODCOCK (RE17) - The gun-ho-aggressor.
JAMES DYSON (RE18) - A ladies man with the wheels.
Are these the men you could put your faith in no? (You
should see what they look like). As you can see there are currently
three command members and our full capacity is 20 men (or
women). We have had members come and go for this reason and
for that reason - but none have left on the grounds that they are
no longer our friends in our out of the airsoft scene.
Ultimately our aim for the future is to become the most
rooting, tooting, beer drinking, plastic slinging, hit taking, beard
growing operators of all things operator NOT! (But it would be
nice if I could grow some more face pubes!)
All jokes aside our aim for the future is to continue to cultivate
our team inside our own community and in other communities
too (airsoft ones of course). We pride ourselves on the honourable
reputation we have built so far and wed like to continue to
maintain that reputation. So that somewhere near you, on an
airsoft eld or not, when youre asked about The Reapers,
hopefully you will be condent in saying yeah, good bunch or
great players.
As we all know the beauty of the airsoft network/community in
the UK, is that its a small world thats growing in an even smaller
world. So whenever we kit up and roll out, I cant stress enough to
my team mates that we are all representing The Reapers and what
we do affects us all. No pressure but, touch wood, were proud to
say our reputation as far as weve found has preceded us.
Now that you have seen into a small part of what we do I wish
I could tell you more but dont have time and they dont the ink
for it.
I hope to see out there some time and if you want to get
signed up to operations (weekenders) or open days (standard
skirmish days) at Fireball Squadron, go to: http://www.
reballsquadron.com
59
A BIT SPECIAL
IF YOU WANT TO PUT TOGETHER A HALF WAY DECENT UKSF LOADOUT ON A BUDGET,
THEN THIS MONTH JERRY NOONE WILL POINT YOU IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AND IF
YOUVE GOT MONEY TO BURN, HES THE VERY MAN TO HELP YOU SPEND IT!
WORDS: JERRY NOONE PICTURES: NETEE
ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHAIRBORNE WARRIOR debates
Ive ever come across online is to do with replicating a good
UKSF loadout, one that will give a nod to the likes of
Task Force Black whilst not going completely overboard!
I am always amazed when I see some of the historical
loadouts whether they be WWII, Nam, Cold War, or
other. Many of these are so historically accurate that they
wouldnt be at all out of place at a living history event and
luckily theres a lot of good reference material out there to
work from.
This exact replication though does lead us into some
very muddy waters and theres a lot of very volatile debate
out there as to what is acceptable and what is not. I
personally sit in the camp that unless you have actually
served in a particular unit, then you shouldnt adopt any
of their hard-won signature items of uniform, like a sand
coloured beret bearing the winged dagger of the Special
Air Service! Many airsoft players have served in the Armed
Forces and indeed Im always proud to play next to them;
one friend in particular, a former member of the Parachute
60
february 2015
Regiment proudly wears his red beret in the safe zone as is his
right He earned it.
So where do we draw the line on this? My opinion, right or
wrong, is that if you are involved in a properly themed historical
game, where the scenario is completely immersive to the period,
then go for it and make your loadout as accurate as you possibly
can. If however its a Sunday Skirmish, where youll see all sorts of
gear at the same time, then follow the spirit of the real deal. As
usual Ill say do your research well and put together a set of kit
that works and, in this respect, at least looking at what the good
guys out there have and are using can be a very good starting
point!
Although not a member of a particular team I play regularly
with a bunch of friends and we all made the decision to follow
a generic UKSF theme with our loadouts. When we made this
decision everyone went off to research and luckily for us (and
for you) if you decide to follow a similar theme, there are some
excellent reference pictures easily found online - and lets face it,
more and more video images come out every day.
KIT
LOADED OR UNLOADED
Were also probably in a time when there is more and more

airsoft gear out there than ever before, so getting the look and
feel of the loadout is more easily achievable on a tight budget.
Yes, you can scour the internet for a good deal on the very thing
worn by the guys at the sharp end and if youre doing this as a
living history project, then I would urge you to do so. If you are
wanting to put together a cracking set of kit that will serve you
well on the airsoft eld though, then the loadout doesnt have
to be so in depth and money can be spent wisely; once again
Id say go for the spirit of the loadout rather than absolute
replication. To this end, this month Ive put together two sets of
gear that certainly take their lead from gear used at the sharp
end!
UNLOADED
The rst loadout is inspired by the gear worn by members of Task

Force Black/Knight during the war in Iraq. Working out of The
Station, within Baghdads Green Zone, this unit was made up of
elements of 22 SAS, 18 (UKSF) Signals Regiment and the Special
Forces Support Group; its also thought that some members of the
SBS were part of the unit as well.
Working closely with US Special Forces along with other
coalition partners, it is believed that Task Force Black/Knight
removed or eliminated some 3,500 insurgents in the Baghdad AO,
drastically reducing the number of bombing incidents. They were
also on standby for hostage situations.
One of the things for me that made this a really interesting
theme for a loadout was the way that members of the unit were
allowed great leeway in their choice of uniform. Although there
are a couple of key pieces that really need to be included (Ill
come on to that!), reference pictures show a real mix and match
of British and American kit; British DPM and DDPM were liberally
mixed with US Tri-colour and even ACP. Black boots were worn but
so were tan. Your choice of gear for this loadout can therefore be
as simple or as complex as you want to make it!
To form the basis of this loadout I chose to go with US Tricolour trousers that I picked up at the War & Peace show for a
tenner! They have all the features that I need and are made from
a really solid, heavy duty cotton mix. For the top half I decided to
ditch the DPM smock and go with a replica SPEAR eece that I got
second hand from a mate for 20; leather DDPM gloves came in
at a ver from a military surplus shop locally. ALTA kneepads work
well here too and you can usually pick these up pretty cheaply at
Militaria fairs.
In relation to footwear I already had a pair of leather LOWA
Mountain Boots; these have been with me for a while and actually
come from the right period so they were a simple choice. Theyre
sturdy, supportive, have a great sole unit which gives superb
traction and above all theyre waterproof so theyre ideal for our
balmy British climate!
I mentioned earlier a couple of key pieces that are shown in
virtually every reference picture there is. The rst of these is the
green armour vest. Now the real deal would have been a split front
Releasable Armour Vest (RAV) from the likes of BLACKHAWK!
or Paraclete but both of these are VERY expensive items and the
correct models are becoming harder and harder to get hold of.
This was one area where I wanted the look though, so I decided
to do some internet trawling to see what I could come up with.
Military1st proved to be the winner here with an Olive Green
Quick Release Plate Carrier from the Condor range. Whilst
its not a split front rig I wanted to save some money here and
the Condor carrier gave me the spirit of the thing I wanted
and didnt cost the earth; if you want to save even more then
Military1st have a range of OG Condor plate carriers that are all
great value for money. This great rig has all you would expect from
MOLLE system equipment though. It comes with front and back
panels, both padded with soft air mesh, featuring special internal
compartments for soft armour and plate pockets for hard armour.
61
MISSION PACK
Capacity:
Material:
Colours:
Dimensions:
38.5 litres (approx)

600D Cordura
V-Cam, Coyote, Green, Black
52 x 24 x 32 cm
Internal hydration sleeve

Ventex system back panel
Adjustable hip pad/harness
Padded shoulder straps and sternum strap with QR buckles
MOLLE webbing attachments located on exterior pouches
including D-Rings
Multiple compression straps
Hydration/coms outlet
Side carry handle
2 x V-Lock
1 x D-Lock
SRP 84.95
RANGER PACK
Capacity:
Material:
Colours:
Dimensions:
>GET THE
TACTICAL
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600D Cordura
46 x 33 x 26 cm

4 point, Ventex system back panel
Padded shoulder straps and sternum strap with QR buckles
MOLLE webbing attachments located on exterior pouches
including D-Rings
Side carry handle
Internal retaining
straps/bungees
Felt lined exterior
utility pouches
2 x Velcro ID panels
2 x V-Lock
1 x D-Lock
SRP 84.95
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Internal retaining straps/bungees
Felt lined exterior utility pouches
4 point, Ventex system back panel
Padded shoulder straps and
sternum strap with QR buckles
Grab carry handle
MOLLE webbing attachments
located on exterior pouches
including D-Rings
2 x Velcro ID panels, 2 x V-Lock,
1 x D-Lock
SRP 54.95
TACTICAL
MIDI PACK
Capacity:
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Colours:
Dimensions:
22 litres (approx)
600D Cordura
43 x 23 x 26 cm

Padded shoulder straps and
sternum strap with QR buckles
2 x side stow pouches
Internal Nylon utility sleeves
Mesh back
Compression straps
including D-Rings
2 x V-Lock
1 x D-Lock
SRP 45.00
MINI MODULAR PACK

Capacity:
Material:
Colours:
Dimensions:

600D Cordura
42 x 23 x 34 cm
Mesh helmet hammock located on front

with compression straps for adjustment
2 x External side pouches
Padded shoulder straps and sternum
strap with QR buckles
MOLLE webbing attachments located
on exterior pouches including D-Rings
Compatible with Plate Carrier
1 x Large Velcro ID panel
2 x V-Lock, 1 x D-Lock
SRP 45.00
ONE DAY MODULAR PACK

Capacity:
Material:
Colours:
Dimensions:

600D Cordura
19 x 20 x 43 cm
Internal mesh pocket to
accommodate hydration bladder
Shoulder straps with QR buckles.
including D-Rings
1 x Large Velcro ID panels.
2 x V-Lock
1 x D-Lock
SRP 26.50
SHOULDER PACK
Capacity:
Material:
Colours:
Dimensions:
10 litres (approx)
600D Cordura
31 x 20 x 16 cm
Retaining straps/bungees
Exterior utility pouches.
Mesh back panel.
Shoulder straps with QR buckle.
including D-Rings.
2 x Velcro ID panels.
2 x V-Lock
1 x D-Lock
SRP 29.95
SPECIAL OPS POUCH

Capacity:
Material:
Colours:
Dimensions:
5.5 litres (approx)

600D Cordura
20 x 15 x 18 cm

located on exterior front
External mag/phone pouch
Sectional internals
Fold out compartment
Removable shoulder carry strap
1 x Large Velcro ID panel
2 x V-Lock, 1 x D-Lock
SRP 2
24.95
4.95
Both panels are connected at the waist level with an adjustable internal
elasticated cummerbund. The Quick Release Plate Carrier also has nonslip padded shoulder straps with additional removable wrap around pads
for extra comfort and support. All these allow for quick adjustment and
modication, and provide maximum comfort, t and ventilation; theres
literally acres of MOLLE attachment points too!
To this I added a holster, dump pouch and a selection of magazine
and utility pouches, sticking with items from the VIPER range to keep
costs down and added a BULLE hydration carrier from Flecktarn.
Between VIPER and BULLE you can put together a very serviceable pouch
setup and keep everything on a very tight budget.
The last piece of the puzzle was the lid and once again I found a
replica Modular Integrated Communications Helmet (MICH) in olive
green from the budget Mil-Tec range at Military1st. Once again, the
MICH helmets were a bit of a signature piece and this really helps to
pull the whole loadout together. To this I simply added an NVG mount I
found cheaply online (although Im still searching for a PVS21 version!),
some ballistic goggles from Wiley X and a replica SORDIN headset I
already had in hand.
Job done!
LOADED
Now as I said earlier, I dont play with a formal team but the guys and
I really decided to push the boat out for our more up to the minute sets
of kit and if youre on a budget Id look away now!
The basis for this loadout is the excellent Gen II combat shirt and
trousers from CRYE Precision. Even second hand these go for a pretty
penny but they really are key pieces of gear for ANY SF inspired look.
Lets face it, CRYE Precision were really one of the big names early in
the game when it came to equipping the operator and the combat
shirt and trousers still feature some pretty unique features. The shirt is
designed specically to be worn under body armour. it keeps you cool
with a lightweight high-performance ame resistant DRIFIRE torso, and
reinforced Mil-Spec 50/50 NYCO ripstop sleeves designed for use with
CRYEs own removable Combat Elbow Pads, although you need to buy
these as an accessory. The shirt also features a deep zip collar that allows
64
February 2015
you to get it on and off easily and this is also high enough to avoid the
dreaded sling rub.
The trousers are aggressively cut for maximum mobility. These
combat-proven pants are sized in 2 waist increments and multiple
lengths for a perfect t. They feature a unique padded waistband and
high mobility stretch panels at the knee and lower back for added ease
of movement. Ten pockets mean that you have space to carry all those
necessary items. They are designed for use with CRYEs removable
AirFlex Combat Knee Pads, again sold separately. The base fabric is
a bomber tough Mil-Spec 50/50 NYCO ripstop with durable a 4-way
stretch panels.
Next up is load carrying gear and body armour and I was able to full
the look I wanted by visiting just one single manufacturer (apart from
the hydration carrier that came from Intelligent Armour).
Ive long been a fan of Warrior Assault Systems (WAS) and their Low
Prole Harness and Frag Belt form the rst line of the load gear. Onto
this Ive added a couple of open top magazine pouches, utility and rst
aid pouches, a Personal Retention Lanyard, Dump Pouch, and a custom
Kydex holster. This gives me a basic ghting load should I have to ditch
my plate carrier.
When it comes to the plate carrier itself I simply bought a WAS DCS
DA 5.56 combo. The DCS (Dynamic Combat System) is a lightweight,
low prole system which is rugged, yet ergonomically designed to
provide exceptional comfort and functionality. Designed with direct input
from active SF operators the DCS is suitable for anything you can throw
at it. The DCS was developed to be worn in tandem with the Warrior
Frag Belt and Low Prole Harness and comes as standard with 5 open
top pouches for 5.56mm mags and two small utility; I also added an
admin panel and one of the personal rip off medic pouches along with
the hydration carrier.
When it comes to footwear youve got a pretty wide choice. Once

again reference pictures show the real deal wearing boots from
LOWA, Salomon, and Asolo just to mention three. My choice though
was the AKU Pilgrim High Leg. Available with a Gore-Tex lining in Black
and Forest MTP and AKUs own sanit high wicking liner in Desert
Beige, these new models are exclusive to Trekitt Mountain Sports and
have been developed from the hugely successful AKU Pilgrim which
hit the market with such a bang last year. In its Gore-Tex lined version
this versatile and hugely practical boot is completely waterproof with
increased breathability and the outer is very quick drying; theres just
no point having a highly breathable boot lining if the outer fabric stays
waterlogged as this will prevent moisture dispersion from the inside.
With a 3D fully taped Gore-Tex booty lining and Air 8000 uppers the
Pilgrim HL GTX is 30% more breathable than conventional Gore Tex
lined boots! As Trekitt are based in Hereford I think Id be on safe
ground that a few of the gentleman may have chosen these excellent
boots too!
To nish things off it was back to VIPER for me, with one of their
new FAST helmet replicas in Multicam. Under this I have a genuine
PELTOR headset and a multicam neck gaiter from 0241 Tactical adds a
little extra comfort and face protection. Gloves here are the superb HWI
Combat model, once again in multicam.
KIT
LOADED OR UNLOADED
ITS ALL IN THE DETAIL

These are two loadouts that would look great at any airsoft game,
inspired by (but not completely copied from) the real world. They are
both setups that work well and if you put your loadout together with
friends or team mates they certainly look impressive too.
One nal consideration to make here though is your choice of
primary and secondary RIFs. Both Glock 17 and SIG P226 handguns
are used by UKSF and I have one of each from WE Airsoft Europe. The
choice of primary though is pretty specic in that the rearm of choice
is the L119A1 - NOT an M4 as many think. While there are obvious
similarities, the 119 is based on the Diemaco C8 produced by Colt
Canada. These differ from an M4 in that they have a distinctive 16 inch
hammer forged mid-length barrel although there is also a 10 inch barrel
CQB version, often seen with a Surere suppressor, ACOG with mini
red dot and an AN/PEQ box mounted. Just google it and theres a LOT of
information out there.
Ill close this month though with my personal tip from the top If
you want an L119A1 then just pay a visit to J-Tac Custom; based in the
main on WE Airsoft Europe donor guns, John at J-Tac is producing some
of the sweetest 119 replicas that Ive yet come across. He holds all
the necessary parts in stock and can build you exactly what your heart
desires if you want to be a bit special!
GEAR LIST AND WHERE TO GET IT

www.viperkit.co.uk
VIPER make some of the most cost effective tactical clothing and
equipment available, and their quality just keeps getting better and
better. The new range of packs, tactical gear, footwear, and clothing
is being released already, and believe me when I say there are some
surprises there!
www.ecktarn.co.uk
For their own range of BULLE nylon gear and a huge selection of
clothing footwear and tactical kit Flecktarn are well worth a visit.
www.warriorassaultsystems.com
For really rst rate tactical gear including plate carriers, chest rigs,
packs and more then give WAS a look. Their website is constantly
updated with new kit, and their combo deals are tasty!
www.top-of-the-range.co.uk
To check out the full range of HWI gloves Boots give the TOTR
website a visit. Theyve also got some other great tactical brands in their
portfolio and youll nd full details tech specs and stockist details.
www.military1st.co.uk
Need tactical gear? Military1st is pretty much your one stop shop
in this respect. All the Condor is on their website, along with so much
more!
www.cryeprecision.com
For the ultimate x of gucciness visit the CRYE Precision website
and be prepared to drool more than a little. None of their rst rate gear
comes cheap, although stuff does come up for sale regularly online via
forums and Facebook groups.
www.body-armour-protection.co.uk
Intelligent Armour produce gear for the real world, so everything
they make or stock in the shop is absolutely 100% legit. Their belts and
accessories are made from the best material and components and are
rst rate!
www.weairsofteurope.com
For more details on their RIFs as well as gas, BBs, batteries, and
accessories please pay WE Airsoft Europe a visit! Theyve been busy in
recent months with new product releases, and believe me when I say
theres a LOT more to come!
www.jtac-custom.co.uk
J-Tac started out making bespoke armour covers and replica SAPI
plates for airsofters but has grown to become one of my go to
suppliers of custom airsoft ries, carbines and pistols. Go and check
them out and prepare to be VERY impressed by what you see!
www.thomasjacks.co.uk
Thomas Jacks distribute the Wiley X range of eyepro and gloves
(amongst many other quality brands). Pay them a visit to check out
stockist details.
www.trekitt.co.uk
Trekitt Mountain Sports in Hereford are the sole supplier of the
excellent AKU military boots so do pay them a visit to check out the full
range; new sole units have just been added to the very latest models.
65
debate
AIRSOFT ENGINEERING
HOW MUCH OF AN AIRSOFT

ENGINEER ARE YOU?
IN LAST MONTHS ISSUE WE LOOKED AT THE CHANGING FACE OF HIGH TECH

AIRSOFT, WHICH LED THE WIFE TO ASK ME HOW ID COPE IF AEGS GOT ANY MORE
COMPLEX THAN THEY ALREADY ARE AS MY ABILITY TO FIX AND MAINTAIN MY
KIT IS PRETTY MINIMAL. SO THIS MONTH WERE ASKING
HOW MUCH OF AN AIRSOFT ENGINEER ARE YOU?
Can you change a gearbox or do you struggle to change
mags?
As I mentioned earlier, sick of seeing me break another
beloved AEG, my beloved Sian asked me why on earth I
just didnt learn to x it myself, or just do more regular
maintenance?
The answer is I just cant do technical stuff and
believe me, Ive tried. I once bought a wrecked M4 off
a mate as a project to do up. With the help of some
very technically-minded mates we got a new body for it,
improved a few things and reassembled it into a roughly
working order but it didnt last long and by now, well Ive
totally forgotten 90 per cent of what that rebuild taught
me as it was almost a decade ago.
While all of us love a good shoot out in the woods,
some of us (me included) are real luddites and when it
comes to what makes my fave hand cannon work Im lost.
Im such a klutz with kit that I steer clear of gas guns and
if my AEG dies on me these days its back to a store for
a professional x (or more likely my long suffering buddy
Evo gets tasked with xing it) The thing is, Im just not
technically minded when it comes down to electronics. Im
not too bad with DIY and happy with stuff I can x with a
hammer - but the sight of a soldering iron can bring out a
cold sweat.
So how good are you with the innards of an aeg, the
gubbins of a gearbox?
We asked how much technical knowledge do you feel a
player should have about their kit?
As a former infantry soldier a fundamental part of my training

was being able to strip and reassemble my rie in minutes
blindfold. We learned how to strip the bolt down and were even
tested on the names of the component parts, daily cleaning was
part of the job; but with airsoft well I can just about change a
battery and bolt on a RIS handgrip. I guess the issue is no one is
making me do this stuff anymore and my life will never depend
on knowing how to shim a gearbox. I also think that once again,
this real world gun maintenance is far more akin to household
DIY than tinkering around with the tiny parts in an AEG gearbox
and this seemed to be a sentiment echoed by many of you. Plenty
of you felt you were comfortable with the mechanical workings
of the gas pistol, with tting a new barrel or perhaps a new stock
that required screwing in but opening a gearbox well Pandora
would have blushed.
As the Ed. remarked, sometimes its best to not even go there
having recounted a tale of an AEG shipped back to the store as
it didnt work that had had a particularly bold attempt at home
xing; the gun had been disassembled to the level of an exploded
parts diagram and literally rattled in the box. The moral of the
story being, by all means have a go at xing it but its a bit rich to
totally destroy it before sending it back to the shop!
A few of our readers, however, felt they really enjoyed getting
greasy with a gearbox and that rebuilds and maintenance were
almost a second hobby (and could provide a tidy beer money
income xing for friends) in itself and thankfully, while most of you
felt that we should all be able to clean and look after our favourite
shooter, none of you thought my lack of skills were a serious crime
against airsoft!
So this month, our survey said:
Gear Addicts (Roger): Ive got the technical knowledge
about AEGs. Im doing everything on my own (got a lot of stuff
like chrono, internal/external parts etc.). Its fun for me to make
changes and upgrades in my airsoft guns. Thats like another
hobby for me. Im not struggle when other players dont know
anything about it I think that they are my future customers.
Matt Crowe: To put it into perspective, it took me over an
hour of swearing; crying and stubbed thumbs to get the mag
release tab back onto my AK105 yesterday. Im ok with changing
out wiring and barrels and hop units but when it comes to
anything nicky involving small spaces or springs my sausage
ngers soon ensure itll never work anywhere close to passable
ever again.
Scott Allan: I dont do springs.... they should be banned. All
of them!
Jez Power: I cant even change a battery.
Alex Higgins: I tried to x my SCAR mag release and stabbed
myself with a drill bit. So far as I can tell its still in there!
Martin Garrett: I am happy to sort out barrels, bucking
67
and hop ups but anything more and I go to those that have the skills I
dont.
Neil Coupland: I can build a pc, diagnose and x any pc fault,
havent even got a clue how to open any of my gats, they break its to
the shop they go.
James Sivieri: Learnt everything off YouTube. Change springs,
gearbox internals, motors, hops and barrels. Dont get me wrong Ive
had some Oh balls! moments when bits go ying across the room but
never had to take a box of bits to the local techie yet.
Daniel Shears: I think its good practice to have a basic knowledge
about how your stuff works. Im pretty condent that I can diagnose and
x most faults with my airsoft guns and Ive helped out a few people
who might be less condent in repairing their guns (mostly guns I dont
own and therefore it has increased my knowledge in the process). Ive
been lucky that I know a pretty competent airsoft tech and if I cant x it
I dump it on his desk.
Dean Cerys Phillips: As Im just getting into it, Im not 100%
condent to take bits apart however Im a mechanical engineer by trade
so have been busy making bits for my gun rather than buying them and building the odd riot shield too!
Sean BE: I am not technically minded but owning a Trabant and
spending most of my time at the roadside trying to repair it, you learn a
lot and its the same with AEGs; the more I use them and watch others
doing repairs the greater my knowledge is becoming. I am still at the
early stages but it is rewarding doing something for the rst time.
David Miller: I pretty much always have someones gun on the
desk being xed - its what funds airsoft for me really. I dont despair
that people dont know how to change a spring, or even a motor. Ive
worked on everything except PTWs, my favourite being gas guns as
90% of the time they are basically only one step away from the real
thing in terms of how they operate.
Its almost a separate parallel hobby for me, albeit one that feeds
68
february 2015
debate
AIRSOFT ENGINEERING
back into skirmishing very well. I think that people should

know how to clean their own guns. Hands down the
easiest money maker for me is the gas pistol that is
feeling a bit tired and worn out and all it needs is a
good clean and re-lube. Handing a working gun back to
someone is a great feeling, especially when they pay you
for it!
Gary Gazthepainter Mulligan: I wouldnt know
where to start, and Id be scared of making it worse by
going in blind! Good idea for an article on maintenance
and repair Id say!
Barnes Kno Al: I will x anything that uses gas of
any sort but ask me to open a gearbox and off to the
shop Ill send you! I really love working on GBB as its a
mechanically similar process to my real ries. Theres no
feeling like stripping and ne tuning a trigger sear even if
it makes zero difference in the eld. Thankfully, airsoft is a
hobby with so many facets.
Nick Shaw: Ten years behind the workbench, pretty
much seen it all and have just started getting into making
my own custom parts and guns.
Matt Keen: I dont know how to anything. I also
dont want to know. It will ruin the magic.
Andy Waters: I have 3 or 4 guns that need repairs and I need to
order replacement parts but its the taking them apart and all the bits
thats intimidating to do so myself. I will give it a bash however I think its
probably more frustration than its worth sometimes!
Zakku Kurai: When it comes to repairing gearboxes, Im not the
best but if its just swapping parts like a new motor, gearbox, barrels, its
really no problem. Like right now Im trying to x and upgrade the bolt
assembly on my spring sniper rie. Its really no problem to x at all, just
everything I want to do to it just costs so much. And thats just the stuff
to get it eld ready again.
Martin Seymour: Only been airsofting for a short time but I need
to learn. Thankfully not had issues with my AEG yet but I will strip it
soon for a deep clean and that will be my rst time inside of one.
Chris Sinclair: Gas or spring I can x ne, but aeg is denitely
harder. Im sure it will be easy enough but its the idea that you are
dealing with cogs and pistons that scares me.
Jethro Holberry: I was that sprog with a screwdriver whod strip
the radio!
I am pretty new to the world of airsoft tech but the internet
provides. There seems to be a common consensus (among techies) that
after every X amount of BBs you should open her up and clean out and
replace grease, check wear, replace primary O ring etc.
Perhaps learning about your internals and performing services on

your weapon will help you become acquainted with it, you dont need to
know how to shim to put the shims back onto the axle stubs. If carried
out properly these services will prolong the life of your airsoft gun. Ive
done this a few times on my M4 and it has lead my condence onto
upgrading the internals bit by bit. Thats my two pence anyway!
Phil Bucknall: I quite enjoy the xing and upgrading side of
things and have built many different guns for people. No custom
manufacturing of parts but building off the shelf components into a rie
they cant get for example. I also do the hire guns at my local site but I
especially like working on GBBRs.
I dont think everyone should be expected to x their own stuff.
A basic knowledge and ability to say change a hop unit or motor yes
perhaps but not necessarily the more in depth stuff.
Scott Grimsley: Id like to upgrade my own but when it comes to
anything other than a spring sniper Im lost and dont have the courage
to take it apart to have a go.
Got a good idea for a debate, or is there a burning question
youd like the airsoft community to answer?
Send an email to Gadge (gadge@airsoft-action.co.uk).
69
tickets on sale now!!
WWW.BRITISHAIRSOFTSHOW.COM
HOLD IT STEADY
IF YOURE NOT STABLE WHEN YOU FIRE, YOUR SHOT IS MORE LIKELY TO MISS.
PRO-TACTS ANDY NIGHTINGALE RUNS THROUGH SOME BASIC RIFLE SHOOTING
POSITIONS.
POINTING THE DANGEROUS END OF A RIFLE at something
that you want to hit with a round and pulling the trigger
is simple but, for that round to actually hit the intended
target with the desired effect takes a little more effort than
just point and squeeze. At the very beginning of the
shot the weapon must be held in the most stable position
possible. Remember the marksmanship principles rule
number one: The position and hold must be rm enough
to support the weapon.
In this article we will look at some of the different ways
in which we can provide a stable platform to support the
rie in combative and defensive situations. Due to the
diverse conditions and situations we face during combative
and defensive situations there is no single way in which we
hold and support the rie. We all know that to hold the
rie we must ensure that we have a good solid grip on the
weapon, with a strong cheek weld and the head upright.
The stock should be pulled tight into the pocket of the
shoulder with the elbows tucked in towards the torso. Due
to the different styles and grip accessories of modern ries,
the particular way in which we actually hold the rie differs
from weapon to weapon and shooter to shooter. However
the principles are all the same Strong and solid.
Once we have mastered the hold we have to provide a
stable position to shoot from. I want to share with you ve
ways to overcome positional situations.
STANDING
The most common is the standing position and everyone
has shot from this position at some time or another. All
positions have pros and cons and standing is no exception.
Standing offers ease of movement for the shooter.
PROS: It is quick to adopt and quick to deploy the rie
from. Lateral movement is not hindered in any way and
a 360 degree response is possible without any problem
whatsoever. If the need arises the shooter can move off line
in an instant and relocate at speed. However the cons side
of the standing position tend to out weigh the pros.
CONS: The standing position is a very unstable platform
to shoot the rie from due to the lack of stability provided
by the shooter. Close quarters shooting is not too much of
a problem but long precision shots are near impossible to
achieve, even for the most skilled of shooter. The rie can,
however, be supported during the shot by a xed support
such as a wall or branch of a tree to aid stability but this
may not always be possible.
72
february 2015
The prole of the shooter in some situations (such as out in the

open) remains large, providing a greater target area for the enemy
to zero in on. No matter what situation you may nd yourself in
you will probably end up shooting from the standing position at
some point.
SQUATTING
Squatting, also known as the Rice Paddy Prone is the adapted
version of the standing position.
PROS: Much like the standing position the squatting position is
quick to adopt; basically its the standing position but with a lower
prole. Its quick to adopt and quick to move off line with little
effort.
From the standing position the shooter simply bends at both
knees and adopts a squatting posture. The elbows are supported
by the knees but remember not to put bone on bone. Make sure
that the balls of the elbows are resting in front of the knee caps to
aid stability during recoil. It may not feel as stable as the standing
position as you can not lean into the recoil but placing both feet
at on the ground ensures that a more stable supportive platform
is ensured. Moving off line is simply a case of standing up and
moving.
The squatting position also lowers your prole by at least half,
making you not only harder to shoot at but also harder to nd.
CONS: Lateral movement and 360 degree cover is a lot harder
to achieve with the squatting position. The lower the shooting
position to the ground the slower movement will become. This
position can also become uncomfortable during long periods of
use.
KNEELING
Like standing, kneeling positions are a favourite of most shooters
and this is because the kneeling position is easy to adopt and easy
to recover from. The kneeling position can be used on either a
single knee or both, depending on the situation you nd yourself
in.
Adopting the single knee position requires the shooter to
simply step forwards with the weak side foot and place the strong
side knee on the ground. With the weak side knee raised the weak
side elbow (supportive elbow) can be placed on the knee to aid
in stability. Remember not to have bone on bone. Also, if you are
using a side arm, adopting a strong side knee down will allow you
to access the side arm with ease, especially if you are using a drop
leg holster.
skills
RIFLE SKILLS
73
skills
RIFLE SKILLS
The shooter can either be in a raised position, with the strong side
thigh in a vertical position, or in a low position by sitting on the strong
side foot.
PROS: The single knee position will allow some vertical adjustment
to the position during shooting, simply by raising the torso up and
down using the knees as a pivot. It provides a stronger and more stable
platform than the squatting position and is less tiring during long periods
of use. It is also a good position to adopt during magazine changes
and stoppage drills due to the fact it is easy to adopt and reduces your
personal target prole.
CONS: Lateral movement is restricted and swapping knee positions
(strong to weak) may need to be done to secure a better ring position
in some situations. Without padded knee protection this position can be
uncomfortable in urban and similar situations (I think we all may have
said a few choice words when we have knelt down on a BB or two!!)
PRONE
The prone position is by far the most preferred position to adopt in
combative and defensive situations. It is the most stable of all shooting
positions and reduces your prole to its minimum. Adopting the prone
position can, with careful practice, be fast to adopt however recovery
can be slow.
To adopt the prone position rst adopt a single knee position then
taking charge of the rie in the strong hand, place the weak hand in
front of you, to aid stability and adopt a laying down position. Bring
the rie up into position and obtain the correct grip. To recover you just
simply reverse the action.
The kneeling position can also be a two-knee affair. This can be

adopted by simply adopting a single knee position rst then the weak
side knee comes along side the strong. Although a lesser used position
this is still a good position to adopt if using low cover to shoot from.
PROS: This is the most stable of all shooting positions to re from

due to the support it offers. Your personal target prole is also at its
minimum (only your head is exposed).
PROS: Vertical movement is easy to adopt by simply raising the torso.

Its quite comfortable to use (with knee pads) and is less tiring.
CONS: Movement is severely limited in the prone position. Although

adopting the prone position is relatively quick, recovery is very slow.
Lateral and 360 degree movement is very slow although not impossible
to achieve.
CONS: movement from this position is very slow and standing up can
be tricky if the ground is uneven. This position will not allow you to use
the knees for support during ring however other articial support can
be used.
SEATED
The seated position is probably the least used of all combative and
defensive shooting positions. This is due to the fact that it is the slowest
to adopt and also the slowest to recover from. It does have its place in
shooting though. During a fast-paced shootout it is pretty much useless
but for an ambush position, or defending a LUP or OP over a long
period, then this position comes into play.
As with the kneeling position the elbows can be rested on the knees
for additional support providing the shooter is sitting in a crossed leg
position.
PROS: This position is comfortable and can be used over long periods
74
of time. Stability is great due to both elbows being supported by the

knees.
CONS: It is slow to adopt and movement is severely restricted.
Recovering from the seated position is dangerous if you need to bug out
fast.
february 2015
The above are just some of the most popular ring positions used in
modern warfare today. There are other positions that are less used and
are more specialised and will be covered in another article. It is worth
spending time to practice all of the above mentioned shooting positions
as you will at some point in your Skirmish life need one or all of them in
a day.
Make sure that not only when practicing these drills but also when
in the eld, you observe all safety rules to make sure we are all safe.
You will be surprised where the muzzle points when adopting some of
these positions. You will also notice that you will be able to adopt some
of theses positions easier than others, especially us old folk (like me).
Physical tness also plays a valuable part in being able to adopt and use
these positions to their full potential.
Take things slow when practicing, learn by any mistakes you make
and remember your knee pads!
Have fun and stay safe.
WORLD WAR II
SELF-LOADERS
MILITARY HISTORIAN, WILL FOWLER, TAKES A LOOK AT THE PROS AND CONS OF TWO WELLKNOWN WW2 SELF-LOADING RIFLES
SVT
The SVT-38 (Samozaryadnaya Vintovka Tokareva - Tokarev Selfloading rie) was originally adopted in 1938 after more than 20
years of research and development, undertaken by the famous
Russian small arms designer Fedor Tokarev. It was not the rst
Soviet semi-automatic rie - there were the select-re Avtomat
of 1916 by Fedorov and also the select-re AVS-36 of 1936 by
Simonov.
The Avtomat was chambered for Japanese 6.5mm Arisaka
rounds and had been declared obsolete and the AVS-36 showed
some design deciencies, so a new rie was required. The SVT38 was the winner in a competition and was a gas operated
weapon with a short-stroke, spring-loaded piston above the barrel
and a tilting bolt. It thus it became one of the pioneers of this
conguration, which eventually became widely used notably in
the Belgian FN FAL and its derivative, the British L1A1 SLR.
The SVT 38 was issued to the Soviet Army but following
experience in the Winter War with Finland in 1939-40, the initial
reaction of the troops to this new weapon was negative. Among
the criticisms was that the rie was too long and cumbersome,
difcult to maintain and the magazine had a tendency to fall off.
This led to modications and updated the new rie went into
service in 1940 as the SVT-40.
This new weapon (to give it its full title; the 7.62mm
Samozariadnyia Vintovka Tokareva o1940g, SVT40 automatic
rie or, 1940) had a ten-round box magazine and weighed 8.5
lbs and eventually two million SVT40 ries were manufactured.
When German soldiers captured SVT40s they were quick to put
them back into use against their former owners, re-designating
them A1Gew259(r). The biggest drawback with the SVT40 was
that it had a heavy recoil. Other versions of the rie were the SNT
snipers rie and the fully automatic AKT-40. Poor workmanship
meant that the snipers rie was unreliable and most Soviet snipers
favoured the vintage bolt action MosinNagant. Though it was an
innovative design the SVT40 demanded too many man-hours from
skilled machinists and was phased out between 1943- 44.
76
february 2015
feature
HEAD TO HEAD | SVT V GARAND
Like a lot of Soviet military equipment the T-34 tank and

M1938 120mm mortar the SVT40 had come as a shock to the
Germans, who ramped up their semi-automatic rie development
efforts signicantly. The SVT gas-operated mechanism was copied
by Walther in the G41(W), producing the Gewehr 43 (or G43). The
simpler, sturdier design and mechanism of the G43 made it lighter,
easier to produce, more reliable and also much tougher than the
earlier self-loading rie, the Gewehr 41. It was said that the G43
was tough enough that Alpenjger elite German mountain troops
would use them as ladder rungs during climbing. The addition of a
10-round detachable box magazine was an improvement over the
xed box magazine of the G41(W). The Gewehr 43 was intended,
like the G41, to be loaded using 5-round stripper clips without
removing the magazine.
That the German small arms industry copied the SVT40 proves
that imitation, as the saying goes, is the highest form of attery.
SPECIFICATIONS
Caliber: 7.62x54 mm R
Action: Gas operated, tilting bolt
Overall length: 1226 mm
Barrel length: 625 mm
Weight: 3.85 kg
Feed: 10 round detachable box magazine
GARAND
The Rie, Calibre .30, M1 rie adopted by the US Army in 1936
was designed by John Garand of the Springeld Arsenal in the late
1920s. This eponymous weapon was a robust semi-automatic gas
operated rie that weighed 9.5 lbs, was 43.5ins long and had an
eight-round box magazine. The effective rate of re was between
16 and 24 rounds a minute and although the sights were set
out to 1,200 yards, the effective range was just 460 yards. It also
had the minor tactical drawback that the clip was ejected with a
distinctive ping when the last round had been red. Realistically
in a re ght, opposing soldiers would be unaware of this sound
and that it meant a soldier would need to load another clip of
rounds.
General George S. Patton described the M1 Garand as the
best battle implement ever devised and the most deadly rie in
the world. The Garand would be the US Infantrymans weapon
through World War II, Korea and briey in the early years of the
Vietnam War. By the time production stopped in 1957, over
5,400,000 M1 Garands had been manufactured by Springeld
Armory and three private contractors.
The British Commando Ofcer, Brigadier Derek Mills-Roberts,
would carry an M1 Garand during his service in World War II,
having seen its effectiveness in training as second in command
of No4 Commando prior to the landings at Dieppe in August
1942. The Commandos had men of the newly formed US Rangers
attached for the operation and one of them was Sergeant Alex
Szima.
For Szima, training with No 4 Commando had been his rst
chance to familiarise himself with the M1 Garand rie. In the US
Army his personal weapon as an NCO in the headquarters was
a Thompson SMG, but over the ranges he would be engaging
the enemy a rie would be a more effective weapon. In the rst
practice he would be ring an un-zeroed rie on the ranges in
Portland. His American accent and GI uniform (and the right side
of his face scared from a pre-war cycling accident) had already
lent him the reputation of a mystery man to British soldiers, whose
knowledge of the United States in the 1930s and 40s was derived
largely from Hollywood lms. His beginners luck on the ranges
would add to it.
To any British soldier who has red on the old pre-electric target
ranges, the orders issued at the end of a ring practice (Cease
ring. Unload. Show clear. Stand up. Dress down the
range and check targets.), are as familiar as a temple mantra to
priests and worshippers. On the words check targets ring
77
point instructors and students run the distance that separates the ring
point from the targets (or butts) to check the hits and so the accuracy
of the sight settings on the rie and the marksmanship of the shooters.
To Szima and his fellow US Army Rangers this range procedure was
novel, almost exotic.
Surprising and not so surprising: at the cease re, he recalled,
everyone on the line ran like a herd of buffalo with Maj. Mills-Roberts
leading the pack.
Walking back from the targets, Mills-Roberts met the US Ranger
Sergeant. The British ofcer was shaking his head and Szima was
convinced that his shooting was in British range parlance a wash out
and that every round had missed the target. In fact his ve rounds were
in a tight 200 mm (8 inch) group.
Sergeant, are you a member of the American Army rie team?
asked the Commando ofcer. No Sir, came the reply, Im just a
bartender from Dayton, Ohio!
The man who designed the formidable M1 that would bear his
name was John Cautious Garand, who was born on January 1, 1888 in
a small farm in Quebec, Canada. By the age of 11 he was working as
a oor sweeper at a Connecticut textile mill, where he was fascinated
by the machinery he saw around him. Naturally inquisitive, he began
to spend his spare time learning from the mechanics and by 18 he was
working as a machinist.
Garand had an inventive mind and by November 1919 was working
at the Springeld Armory in Massachusetts, where he would eventually
become the Chief Civilian Engineer. Garand invented the self-loading
.30 calibre rie, known as the M-1 or simply the Garand, which was
adopted in 1936 after gruelling tests by the US Army. For the M-1 and
numerous other technical innovations related to weaponry, Garand
received no monetary compensation beyond that of his modest salary.
A bill introduced in Congress to grant him $100,000 did not pass. He
was, however, in 1941 awarded a Medal for Meritorious Service and a
U.S. Government Medal for Merit three years later.
SPECIFICATIONS
Calibre: .30-06 (7.62x63 mm)
Action: Gas operated, rotating bolt
Overall length: 1103 mm
Barrel length: 610 mm
Weight: 4.32 kg
Feed: non-detachable, clip-fed only 8 round magazine.
Cyclic rate of re 600 rounds per minute
78
february 2015
GARAND VERSUS THE SVT

The Garand is a little like the Jeep both are World War II veterans that
have soldiered on long beyond the date when they entered service.
That the Garand was used in two more conicts after World War II is
an indication of its excellent design. The M14 that was an attempt to
improve it never lived up to expectations.
The SVT family of weapons are very innovative and features were
copied by the Germans. However the Soviet Union lacked the highly
trained workforce of the USA and so the quality of the workmanship
was not high. Arguably the ten round detachable box magazine
makes the SVT a more useful weapon in a re ght and it is lighter
than the Garand but if there are stoppages, or the Soviet weapon is
inaccurate, then the heavier Garand wins every time.
WHERE ARE YOU BIG TEN?

SOMETIMES SNIPERS HAVE TO PUT THEIR NORMAL INSTINCTS ON HOLD AND DO SOMETHING
DIFFERENT. SNIPER ONE, DAN MILLS, WRITES ABOUT ONE SUCH OCCASION IN VIETNAM.
JOSEPH T. WARD WAS A US MARINE, part of 5th Marines
stationed at Hill 65 near a place called An Hoa in Vietnam.
This action occurred late into his long tour of duty in
Vietnam and he had worked his way to be squad leader of
a sniper team in the US Marines, with 63 conrmed kills.
Working on intelligence gained he set off on a hunter
mission before sun up, along with his number two, Lance
Corporal Terry Lightfoot. Navigating their way into the
desired area they had selected a position to over-watch an
area known to have an increase in enemy presence. The
area they selected was overlooking some wide, open elds,
some of which contained rice paddies.
They quickly worked to get secure and set up a re
position from which they could freely observe for signs
of enemy movement and which they could defend and
(if needed) escape from - all good sniper stuff. Ground
selection is key and when operating in small teams it
is vital to make best use of any ground that hands you
any advantage. A sniper will select ground that provides
concealment, is defendable, has good covered routes in
and out and one that communications can be made from.
Within the eld of view of the sniper pair were wide
open breaks within the jungle, which surrounded the open
areas being cut into by locals. Overlooking transit routes or
known areas of enemy activity can prove very valuable for
logging and reporting, gaining information about how they
operate - and for destroying them.
This open area was being used by the local population
to grow crops and also by the VC/ NVA to transit through,
as it was often easier to move through, though more
dangerous being exposed. Underfoot would have been
wet and slippery in the elds with drainage ditching
surrounding the perimeter, then the jungle set slightly back.
The sniper pair quietly set up shop and lay in wait to see
what would happen.
With quiet disbelief the prone observers could not
believe what their eyes were telling them when at rst
light the enemy appeared straight away, bursting through
the jungle treeline; not just a patrol but in their hundreds!
80
february 2015
What was worse is that they were patrolling straight towards the
OP from one side of the open ground to the other. Ward had to
think and think fast.
It was blindingly obvious that Ward and Lightfoot could not
take on and defeat such a large force as this, they appeared to be
of at least a battalion strength of NVA, heading fast and soon they
would be within rie range.
Instances like this are rare. A good sniper training course
involves each and every sniper being taught how to use signals to
call in air or artillery assets when the situation dictates and this was
one of them, an opportunity not to be missed. But they had to act
fast as the enemy front vanguard was almost on them.
Instantly Ward radioed back to base calling in some air support,
Grid Reference 123 456 Massed Enemy Troops in open destroy
now!
Air trafc operations room staff quickly re-routed two F4
Phantoms heading elsewhere on task and gave them to Ward
ETA seven minutes.
Lightfoot was armed with an M14 assault rie and quickly
emptied his pouches of magazines in front of his position, laying
Sniper
SNIPER | JOSEPH T. WARD
JUST AS WARD DROPPED YET ANOTHER MACHINE

GUNNER FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER MORTAR MAN,
THE GROUND AROUND THEM ERUPTED IN NOISE AND
VIOLENCE.
them out making it easier to reload. Knowing it would be a tough

ght, they were going to have to delay the advancing enemy in
order for the air assets to have time to arrive on scene. This was
not the normal for the pair, usually they went out and hunted prey
in the single digits group size, not Company plus!
Ward pulled his weapon back into his right shoulder taking aim
on a machine gunner, in this situation the MG was likely to cause
them a lot of bother. Lightfoot would concentrate on the nearer
section of approaching troops.
Fire!
Ward put a round right between the unsuspecting
gunners eyes then switched to the next target, whilst instantly
Lightfoot had shot down the closest three men. With rapid bolt
manipulation Ward shot a second gunner then hit a third, a
mortar man, in the neck dropping him instantly. The NVA had no
idea what was going on, quickly though they returned a furious
weight of re but luckily for the two snipers their position was still
concealed.
The enemy advanced slowly and cautiously forward, still
heading right towards them. Ward glanced at his watch, Big
Ten where are you? Hurry up! It was going to be close. If the
Phantoms did not arrive soon they would undoubtedly be overrun.
It was going to be very close as the enemy re grew in accuracy.
The fourth round hit the number two on the mortar, the loader.
It struck him as he was feeding a round into the mouth of the
mortar and as the mortar man fell dead to the ground his mortar
round red off and exploded amongst his communist comrades.
Even better, now they thought we had called in mortars.
Lightfoot was ring away, dropping two more of them and
keeping the remainder pinned down out front, whilst a fth
shot from Ward hit another MG. Rounds were ying everywhere
because they had still not found the position they were being
engaged from, testament to the snipers ground selection.
Searching around for targets Ward was doing two things at once,
trying to engage with the airframe whilst simultaneously trying
to engage another machine gunner and because of this his sixth
round missed the target!
Looking across he could see his buddy was methodically
shooting and reloading, shooting and reloading, the two of them
were causing absolute chaos out of all proportion to their size,
with deadly accuracy.
The rounds were hitting much closer to home now as the
enemy soldiers got nearer, crawling forwards on their bellies in the
rice paddies, Lightfoot swore as dirt was kicked up into his face a
round impacting in the earth close by. Hurry up Big Ten, where
are you?
As Ward reloaded he heard an awesome message over the
radio: Long Rie, Big Ten. Final approach now. Out.
Excellent, they were almost on target, just a little while longer.
Just as Ward dropped yet another machine gunner followed by
another mortar man, the ground around them erupted in noise
and violence. The tree line was decimated by napalm, re breathed
its way engulng both ghters and forest and those in the open
were torn apart by rockets and gunre.
All incoming re at the sniper pair ceased, the enemy had
something bigger on their minds now. Immediately Ward switched
to the artillery support net and called in a re mission, peppering
the survivors and likely escape routes with shells from 105mm and
175mm guns. Whilst the bombardment from hell came down on
communist heads, the pair packed kit and bugged out back to
base camp. A job very well done, they had decimated many men
from a whole NVA battalion and lived to tell the tale.
In all, take from this classic sniper skills; navigation, to and from
the selected target area. Selection and sighting of an OP, from
which one can stay concealed, undetected, observe and report,
ght and destroy. Shoot, with skill, at various ranges take out
targets in priority order, crew served weapons, ofcers, signallers,
foot soldiers. Abilities, to use other assets as and when the
situation dictates.
Awesome!
81
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WAR IN THE AIR

CONTINUING HIS SERIES ABOUT THE 1ST WORLD WAR, DAN MILLS TURNS HIS ATTENTION
UPWARDS TO A NEW ARENA OF BATTLE, THE SKY.
THE FIRST WORLD WAR USHERED in many new
technologies, new methods of warfare and one of these
was the introduction of the airplane, which brought
warfare to a whole new level.
It wasnt until the Italians had dropped grenades on
Turkish formations in Libya in 1911, that the airplane was
considered for an active role in combat. Until then they
were designed for aerobic displays, acrobatics and record
attempts. The man that bombed like this was Italian Lt
Giulio Gavotti when he dropped four grapefruit-sized
4-pounders over the side of his aircraft, he also carried out
the rst ever night mission in his plane.
The effect of the grenades was physiologically
signicant but most commanders in their war preparations
dismissed the aircrafts use, intending to keep them as
reconnaissance platforms, scouting ahead sending back
information and being used as artillery spotting platforms.
Roland Garros was an aviator who had been a pre-war
racer in early planes and was also the rst pioneering pilot
to y across the Mediterranean. On the outbreak of war
he quickly joined up and was again amongst the early
pioneers looking at ring machine guns forward through
the aircrafts propeller, a feat he achieved and becoming the
rst to do so on the 1st April 1915.
Garros did this after a visit to the Morane-Saulnier
plane works, taking forward the work on metal deector
wedges tted to the blades. This pioneer achieved the rst
shooting down of an enemy aircraft using this method,
achieving two more kills before himself having to crashland behind German lines. After careful German study of
the plane it was sent to Anthony Fokker who invented the
Interrupter, which allowed guns to shoot through with
much better accuracy and warfare in the air was born.
Remarkably the Allies were still reluctant to get properly
involved in the new warfare, whilst the Germans went
full speed ahead we cried of unsporting behaviour. The
edgling Royal Flying Corps had a mere handful of planes
whilst the Bosch had hundreds, which led to the term the
Fokker Scourge.
84
february 2015
The RFC were in action from the outset. During the early days
of the BEF they were up in the air spotting enemy forces and
movements, reporting back strengths and dispositions in August
and September 1914, prior to the disaster at Mons and beyond.
Another early air invention was the Kite Balloon, stolen
this time from a German invention they quickly spread around
the Western Front. Kite Balloons, though very vulnerable to re
from both air and ground still played an important part, their use
continued well into the Second World War. Ideally used as aerial
platforms to monitor enemy troop movements and observing for
the Artillery, the brave souls who used them were tted with a
parachute attached to mooring lines and the canopy.
Different, better, ghter planes replaced the early crates and
soon the names of several pilots began to stand out, initially these
brave pilots went out alone searching for an enemy plane to shoot
down single handed but by the wars end up to fty or more
aircraft were out patrolling the skies together.
Names such as Albert Ball, who had shot down 43 enemy
planes before his 21st birthday. Before his death he was awarded
the VC, DSO and Bar, plus the Military Cross amongst other
WW1
WAR IN THE AIR
THE ALLIES WERE STILL RELUCTANT TO GET PROPERLY INVOLVED IN THE

NEW WARFARE, WHILST THE GERMANS WENT FULL SPEED AHEAD WE CRIED
OF UNSPORTING BEHAVIOUR. THE FLEDGLING ROYAL FLYING CORPS HAD A
MERE HANDFUL OF PLANES WHILST THE BOSCH HAD HUNDREDS.
awards after joining up as a Sherwood Forester. Manfred Von

Richthofen was one of the most famous, shooting down 80 allied
planes before his death in the red plane he painted, gaining him
the distinction The Red Baron.
To be an ace one had to shoot down ve enemy planes. Many
pilots went on to achieve much more than this but many did not,
there was a high rate of attrition however air warfare had proven
its uses and was here to stay.
Another later but notorious Ace was Hermann Goering. He
also started his life in the trenches as an infantryman before
moving into planes. Goering absconded and transferred himself
off into a friends plane and was initially sentenced to punishment
for doing so, though this was never carried out after news of his
success spread. He quickly gained awards and recognition before
eventually taking over the same unit recently led by the Red Baron,
after the Barons successors death. Goering became an ace,
achieving a total of 22 kills and receiving Germanys highest award,
the Pour le Merite long after winning the Iron Cross First Class.
Many arguments about the use of the planes went on, some
argued against wasting planes in ashy sporting aerial dogghts
over the trench lines, to crippling German munitions and supplies
in the industrial heartlands of Germany. Later planes were tted
with skis for landing at sea, these were used to attack submarines,
another new invention of warfare, naval shipping and logging and
reporting and escort duties.
Another method of air warfare introduced was the Zeppelin
air balloon. Balloons had been in development since the 1870s
and now were moved into aerial combat. Ferdinand Von Zeppelin
had pushed the balloon idea forward, stumbling many times but
eventually at the outbreak of WW1 his balloons were taken on by
Imperial Germany. The term Zeppelin seemed to have become
the household name for these big lumbering air beasts and it
stuck.
The German Army and Navy operated the airships, at rst
for reconnaissance missions but then bombing missions. These
bombing raids captured the publics imagination and much
propaganda appeared about them, they went on to drop leaets
over warring opponents too.
Bombing raids over British cities and towns were made, with
the rst Zeppelin raid on London being the night of May 31st
1915. This raid instilled fear amongst the population, dropping
incendiary bombs and grenades on innocent civilians below. Seven
civilians were killed with another 40 being wounded.
The British public were left astounded that this slow moving
craft could ease its way into British towns and cities and escape
after causing death and destruction. The largest ever airship raid
came in early September 1916, as 14 of them crossed over the
Channel. One British pilot, Lt. W. Leefe Robinson earned himself
the Victoria Cross for shooting one of them down, along with
much admiration from the population.
Reaching their raiding peak with 22 raids that year, by 1918
the anti-air systems and RAF took a great toll and attacks that year
dropped to only four.
Over the years of the Great War each arm or service had
developed their own ying machines. This came to an end in April
1918 when the Naval Air Service, British Air Corps and the Royal
Flying corps amalgamated to become The Royal Air Force. The
main driving force behind this since his early command of the RFC
in August 1914 was Major General Sir Hugh Trenchard. With his
foresight the RAF went on to become the force that was to defeat
the Germans for the second time that century in WW2.
By mid-1918 the allies had air superiority and an impressive
line-up of aircraft, approximately 22 thousand of them and no
shortage of trained pilots volunteering to y them.
Air warfare had gone from strength to strength and instead of
single pioneering pilots dropping grenades mass squadrons now
ew bombing missions. Trenchard had even drawn up plans to
bomb Berlin but the end of the war beat him to it.
85
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Quote Reference AAMARCH2014
(please delete as appropriate)
BROTHERS IN ARMS
BILLY WRITES ABOUT A CORNERSTONE OF THE BRITISH MILITARY, WHICH HE HAS

EXPERIENCED MANY TIMES THROUGHOUT HIS CAREER
SOLDIERS OF THE BRITISH ARMY are arguably still the best
Army in the world. Alright we havent got as many toys
to play with as the Americans, as many soldiers as the
Chinese, or look as grizzly and as menacing as the Russians
(which is hardly a surprise as they all have a pretty rotten
life compared to our boys). But potent and powerful things
do often come in small packages and weve got a long
proud history of outstanding soldiering behind us, as well
as the fantastic support of the country as well as our family
and friends.
The British Army (as do our other sister services the
Navy and the other one.. just kidding, the RAF) does
face challenges in the future, theres no doubt about
that. I recently watched a 2-part series on our adventure
in Afghanistan called The Lions Last Roar and it made
sobering watching I can tell you. However I didnt
subscribe to its central premise; that were a spent force
in terms of projecting a large force overseas to protect our
national interests or to help out an ally.
If you bear in mind what a tiny island nation we are
relative to the other nations that I just mentioned, what
exactly is it that makes our Army such a cohesive family and
a potent force that is the envy of the world?
The Americans (some of them anyway) sometimes look
at us askance at the way we do our business because we
are often focussed on helping people, rather than just
smashing up the bad guys. But what makes us great is our
esprit de corps, our love of our friends and our Regiment
and a distinct pride in what we do. This cornerstone of this
is the Buddy Buddy system and thats what were going
to chat about today.
Anyone whos served in the Army will have been told
that the smallest unit in the ORBAT is the Infantry Section
but I believe that this splits down further, to a more potent
unit. Obviously youve got the re teams Charlie and Delta
(4 men in each one that make up the 8 man section) that
will break the section into two parts when they are in the
last stages of the assault. What makes up the Fire team is
two sets of two oppos, or muckers, mates, friends, battle
buddies - in essence two men that rely on one another
and the glue that bonds them together in a friendship that
is often lifelong. This friendship is often more powerful
(and here I at risk of being controversial) and has more
stickiness or endurance (for want of a better word) than
the relationship between a man and wife.
Basic Training: I am still in touch with several of my
mates that I did Basic Training with, over 25 years ago. I
speak to a few of them once every couple of weeks, there
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february 2015
is a bond which was created during periods of cold, hunger and

stress. We all knew that we were in it together and that a smile
or a joke or a kind gesture was only a minute away and that was
a powerful incentive to keep with the pack, not to give in and be
left behind by a group of men/brothers that you felt increasing
brotherly love for.
Manners maketh the man someone once said, it was
probably Noel Coward or Churchill (Ed is a cultivated chap, hell
no doubt put me right on that score (William of Wykeham - Ed.)),
whoever said it was right. Despite the mud, sweat and tears the
guys that I trained with always cared for, considered and helped
one another out and thats what the Instructors were seeking in us.
Their job was to whittle away the wasters and chancers until that
what was left was a group of likeminded individuals who could
form a team and who understood what had happened to them
and what to look for in others.
billy basics
BUDDY BUDDY
89
billy basics
BUDDY BUDDY
Arduous courses: As I mentioned earlier, British Army training is

some of the best and the most demanding there is; its realistic and
tough and prepares our young soldiers for Battle and War. It also forms
friendships and bonds that are hard to break, it can bring out the very
best in people. One example I remember was of a young soldier in
training who was clearly wiped out but just kept on helping his friends, it
was heart-warming and I remember calling a few of the other Instructors
over to witness it when I rst saw it.
We were on one of the Ranges up in Sennybridge in Wales, each
section had about 30 minutes on the range at a time and the other three
sections were back in the shelter either re-bombing, feeding or getting
their heads down. There was a distant sound of gunre from up the
hill, a line of doss bags on the oor with wet smelly boots, soaking wet
bergens and belt kits everywhere and the smell was wonderful (to those
that love that kind of thing which I denitely do). There is normally
no getting someone out of their doss bag in those circumstances other
than for a very, very good reason. But time after time when the sections
came in and swapped over with the next group. This young fella (who
was himself shattered) would get up out of his bag and help the others
sort their kit out. Hed ll magazines, get brews on for them and then
retreat to his bag for another vital 15 minutes before he and his section
were called forward.

We were so impressed with this young lad and about a month later
when he suffered a bad fall, twisting his ankle (which normally would
have seen him re-join the following course a few months later) all the
Instructors decided that there was no way we were losing him. We
arranged for him to be driven by the Instructors onto the target for the
nal assault, he stayed in Fire Support and then we all carried his kit for
the exl out - everyone and I mean all the Instructors as well as the OC.
He was just too good to lose and all the other boys completely got it.
Going a bit OTT (over the top and not in a trenches kind of way): I
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february 2015
was in the US some time ago on an exercise with a mixture of American

and Brit soldiers. We had a super exercise, did a substantial amount of
shopping and then had a night out on the beers. US Soldiers have been
scarred by conicts like Vietnam and Somalia and a central plank of their
ethos is never leaving anybody behind.
We had made an outline plan that we would visit a series of
hostelries along the strip in Las Vegas in a circular pattern that would
take us back to our hotel. We were all in a good mood after the ex,
clearly on the hunt for a good time and some ladies, so when one of the
lads trapped off with a suitable looking young lady I nodded to him that
we were off to the next pub and thought nothing more about it. He
knew where we were going and was an adult.
We were all pretty leathered at this point and I had my arm around
this chaps quite big shoulders when he asked where Brad was. Brads
back in the pub with some tasty looking bird, I told him we were off I
replied, well with that he whipped my arm away from his shoulder and
started vigorously chest poking me. He had a disappointed but furious
look in his eye and was very cross indeed
Goddam it man! You of all people should know man, you never
leave your buddies behind man, not ever. They might look like us,
carry similar weapons but oh boy theyre quite different in lots of ways.
As you can imagine the Brit lads thought it was all extremely funny but
the cultural exchange at that point was well and truly over.
Operations: Ops are where its all bought together in one place
and for one purpose to achieve the mission and destroy the enemy.
The culmination of all the hardship, training, adventurous training and
endless weapons training and ranges. Now most of the time this is
where the Buddy Buddy system ourishes and it is the glue that binds
ghting units and men together but, like any relationship, you need to
work at it and it sometimes needs TLC.
One of my best friends and I were in Afghanistan together. We had
known one another for years and I thought we were as thick as thieves
and nothing could get between us but slowly and almost imperceptibly
our friendship began to unravel. I can look back now and identify how
it happened over a period of about two years (which is a very long time
for me not to notice isnt it?) and the milestones. I wont bore you with
it but it was a case of my ego getting in the way and me not looking
at the situ from his perspective, there was fault on both sides but the
point is that a wonderful friendships was dashed because we both let
it happen. If you can feel one of your friendships drifting towards the
rocks, give it a hand back to deeper waters and away from the rocky
shore. Itll be the best thing you ever do. I think thats as good a point
as any to end.
Finishing on a good note my chum and I are back in touch now and
have exchanged a few emails so I think itll all end well.
Take care everybody and Move fast, stay low
THE HIDDEN ENEMY

MINES ARE BOTH HATED AND FEARED WITH EQUAL REASON. MILITARY HISTORIAN,
WILL FOWLER, LOOKS BACK AT THE HISTORY OF THIS LOATHSOME WEAPON.
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feature
MINE WARFARE
The iconic Skull and Crossbones sign and the word Mines
has the power to frighten and deter even the boldest and
experienced soldier.
Land mines, the reason why this sign is displayed, come in two
broad types - anti-personnel (AP) and anti-tank (AT). The former
are designed to kill or disable soldiers, although tragically many
of their victims are civilians and they have become the scourge
of countries in Asia and Africa. The grim rationale behind antipersonnel mines is that they are not designed to kill but rather
disable - a man or woman missing a foot or leg is alive, in pain and
requires immediate evacuation and this will tie up between two
and four soldiers, further depleting the strength of the unit that
has entered the mineeld.
Mines also slow down soldiers. Soldiers who are picking their
way carefully through what may be a mineeld are easy targets for
direct or indirect re.
Many AT mines are designed to cut the tracks or wreck the
wheels of AFVs, known as an M Kill or Mobility Kill. A
disabled tank can then be destroyed by anti-tank guided weapons
or even close range shoulder-red weapons, like the ubiquitous
RPG or LAW family.
A K Kill destroys the vehicle completely. This may by a
shaped charge penetrating the belly armour which in turn sets
off the on-board ammunition and fuel, resulting in the total
destruction of the vehicle.
Early mines were constructed from steel, however it was the
Soviet Union in World War II who pioneered the use of simple
mines made from a wooden box tted with a booby trap pressure
switch. Wood had two advantages; it could not be detected by
electronic mine detectors but, unlike metal, it was not a strategic
material. Carpenters could make mines. The Germans were quick
to see the advantages of this type of mine and not only made
wooden mines but also used glass and pottery - splinters from
these materials could produce nasty wounds.
After the war the material of choice became plastic; tough and
light, it could be coloured and textured. British Royal Engineers
in the Falklands in 1982 were faced by the Italian Misar SB-33
that had been sold to Argentina. This compact AP mine is only
85 mm in diameter and 30 mm high and contains 35 grams of
high explosives. What made it even more challenging was that
the plastic body was textured so in the darkness in a mineeld
breaching operation, to an engineer this little mine could feel like a
natural object lying on the surface. Plastic bodied mines could be
produced in shades of ochre for desert environments or green for
temperate.
Mineelds themselves fall into three broad categories: Barrier,
Tactical and Nuisance.
Barrier mineelds were a feature of the ghting in the huge
open spaces of Russia and North Africa where, while there might
be some natural obstacles like escarpments or rivers, there was
also open ground over which armoured vehicles could manoeuvre.
The Barrier mineelds would block, or canalise movement and
force armoured units towards dug-in anti-tank guns. Barrier
mineelds took time and manpower to lay.
Tactical mineelds would be dug around a battalion or
company position and in the British Army might be undertaken
by the battalions Assault Pioneers, rather than Royal Engineers.
Depending on the nature of the threat they might simply be a
couple of belts of anti-personnel mines. The laws of war require
that both barrier and tactical mineelds should be marked.
Nuisance mineelds are just that. They are unmarked and may
just be a single anti-tank mine placed in a dele through which
vehicles will be obliged to pass. If the mine is triggered and has
wrecked a vehicle or caused casualties, the immediate reaction is
to stop and check if there are any more in the vicinity, so slowing
down movement.
There is a fourth, slightly odd type of mineeld; the Dummy. In
this case all the markers and fences are in place for a real mineeld
and if engineers have the time, they may even scatter empty mine
boxes, dig holes and then replace the turf in a mineeld pattern, or
even put scrap metal in so that it triggers a response in electronic
mine detectors.
The nastiest and craftiest thing to do is lay out a dummy
mineeld but include real mines in it. The engineers become

fatigued, assume that it is a dummy and then take casualties when
they trigger the real mines.
ANTI-PERSONNEL MINES
AP mines come in two types; blast and shrapnel. Blast mines
contain a small amount of explosive in the Soviet-era PMN-3 as
little as 80 grams, though the older PMN-1 has nearly 250 grams.
They are roughly the size of a shoe polish tin. The nature of the
injuries they inict can be the loss of a foot or a leg. In Vietnam the
American M14 mine had the cruel nickname of a Toe Popper
and was used by patrols inside hostile territory to deter the enemy
if they were in hot pursuit. Mines like this could also be used to
impede movement of enemy logistic units on tracks and supply trails.
At close range shrapnel mines can kill. Probably the most
widely known and most widely copied is the American M18A1
Claymore. This is a command detonated, directional mine that
blasts around 700 18 inch steel balls in an arc out to 250 metres,
though the effective range is 50 metres. Developed following
the Korean War, when American and UN soldiers were faced by
massed assaults by Chinese and Korean soldiers, it came into its
own in Vietnam.
The design has been copied in different sizes, including a
massive version that the Swedish Army deployed to cover likely
helicopter landing zones in the event of an attack on Sweden by
the Soviet Union.
The other shrapnel mine is the bouncing mine and is much
older. In the winter of 1939-40, when French soldiers encountered
the rst examples of the S-mine (Schrapnellmine, Springmine
or Splittermin) on the German border, they nick named it The
Silent Sentry although other names since the war include the
Bouncing Betty. Unlike the Claymore, this is an omni-directional
mine that is designed to explode at a height of three feet after it
has been red from the ground following the initiation of primary
charge. At this height the secondary charge explodes blasting
steel balls in a 360 arc. What made the S-mine mine particularly
versatile (and lethal) was that it could be rigged with a variety of
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MINE WARFARE
initiation devices, including the S.Mi.Z 35 (pressure), Z.Z.35 (pull),

Z.U.Z.Z. (tension release) and E.S.Mi.Z (pressure and electric). It was a
design that would be copied widely following the war.
A less sophisticated, trip-wire activated mine, the Soviet POMZ,
POMZ-2 and POMZ-2M ( ) are mines in
which a charge, surrounded by a cast iron fragmentation sleeve, is
xed to a wooden stake and initiated by a pull switch and trip wire.
Finally, a simpler and cruder device (and more of a booby trap) can
be made by attaching a trip wire to the ring on the pin of a hand
grenade and securing the grenade to a post at about a foot above
the ground. While this can be constructed from a fragmentation
grenade, a nastier version can be made by attaching a CS grenade
to a White Phosphorus grenade. The combination of a gas that
produces an intense burning sensation in the eyes and throat, with
the burning globs of phosphorus that stick to clothing and skin, is
a lethal deterrent to enemy troops who may be in hot pursuit of a
patrol. Phosphorus burns carry a greater risk of mortality than other
forms of burns, due to the absorption of phosphorus into the body
through the burned area resulting in liver, heart and kidney damage,
ANTI-TANK MINES
For many years AT mines were rather like a cake tin; a circular metal
container with a fuse well in the centre. In World War II the German
range of Tellermines were seen as the benchmark design.
AT mines employed in World War II used mechanical mechanisms
that operated when a sufciently heavy load was placed on them,
which would drive a ring pin into the detonator. The ring pin
might be held in place by spring-loaded ball bearings (ball control),
or a strong metal pin (sheer pin), or might be on the inverse side of
a metal diaphragm that, under pressure, would invert (diaphragm
control).
Generally speaking the mines produced an M Kill but if the tank
was immobilised it was vulnerable to anti-tank weapons located
outside the mineeld. It was also possible to produce a K-Kill by
burying more than one AT mine in the same hole so producing
double the blast effect.
It was after the war that electronics and the development of
shaped charges changed mines dramatically. They could now
deliver a K Kill and perhaps more disturbingly, they could think for
themselves!
The thinking mine could be tted with a sophisticated fuse that
was triggered by the seismic signal generated by a hostile tank and
more ingeniously, the mine could be programmed to explode when
the tank straddled it. The explosive was a shaped charge that would
send a jet of intensely hot gas, or a slug of molten metal through the
thin belly armour and ensure a K Kill.
A cruder (but simpler) way to ensure that the mine exploded

under the belly was to t a tilt rod (an extension to the fuse that
stood about 18 inches proud of the mine) in grass or debris. It was
hard to detect but as the front of the tank pushed it out of alignment
the mine would explode after a couple of seconds delay. However
what can be switched on, can also be switched off and mines tted
with electronic fuses could be programmed to self-sterilise after a
set period. This was not a design feature motivated by humanity but
rather by pragmatism. If an AT mineeld had switched itself off, then
the forces who had laid it could safely manoeuvre across it.
AT mines had been tted with mechanical anti-handling devices
during World War II, including pull and/or pressure switches. If the
mine was lifted they would detonate it killing the engineers and
deterring further mine breaching or clearance operations. Electronics
made these devices smaller and more sophisticated and mines could
be detonated even if there was a slight movement. Perhaps the
development was that it was now cost effective to t AP mines
with anti-handling devices.
MINE LAYING
In the past mines were laid by hand and it was slow, labour-intensive
work. Holes were dug at specied intervals, mines positioned, fuses
armed and nally soil and turf replaced camouaging the hole.
Probably the most efcient mine laying system developed after the
war was the British Barmine Layer. This could be towed behind a
variety of wheeled or tracked vehicles and cut a neat furrow in the
ground and then slotted in the L9 Barmine. This powerful 1.2 metre
long mine could cut the tracks of any AFV. If the Cold War in Europe
had become a hot war, Barmine layers would have produced
barrier mineelds across West Germany.
Mines have also be laid from low ying helicopters and as the
warhead of projectiles from multiple launch rocket launchers.
Today the mines in Africa and Asia that are posing the major
problem (not to soldiers with sophisticated search and destruction
equipment but to civilians, including farmers and their families) are
the AP mines laid by insurgents that are unmarked and often in
valuable agricultural land, or near water sources. Their location and
destruction is a challenge to governments and NGOs. Sadly an AP
mine that can cost a few dollars to produce can cost ten times that
gure to locate and neutralise but whilst these mineelds are still in
place, we will continue to see a steady stream of badly maimed, or
wounded civilians or worse.
There are moves to ban the use of mines but, as always, only
the honest will follow the rules and terrorists will continue to defy
convention.
95
EMERGENCY NAVIGATION
OUT IN THE WILDS AND LEFT YOUR GPS AT HOME? SURVIVAL EXPERT, PAUL
YELLAND, GIVES US SOME TIPS ON HOW TO NAVIGATE WITHOUT A MAP OR
COMPASS.
IMAGINE THAT YOU HAVE JUST escaped from capture. All of your equipment, including any survival items have been conscated
by the enemy. You know that by travelling south you should get to safety, however you have no means to navigate your way
there... or do you?
Nature provides us with ways to navigate without the need for a map and compass. The rst thing to do is to look all around
you. Observe the lay of the land. Make a mental note of all the features such as rivers, forests, hills and valleys. Try and relate the
terrain that you can see with what you can remember about the locations that you have seen on maps or in aerial images. As you
scan the landscape, is there anything that seems familiar to you?
There are several different ways to navigate with natural direction indicators. Most are weather-dependant and some only
work in daytime, with other methods only usable at night. Therefore it is important to learn a few different ways of natural
navigation. Also, when trying to identify a direction by using natural signs, use more than one technique to conrm the direction,
as inaccuracies are possible by relying on just one method.
POLARIS - THE NORTH STAR

The chances are that if evading capture, you will be
moving during the hours of darkness. If so, the way
to navigate is by using the moon and stars (subject
to cloud cover). In the northern hemisphere, the best
method to start with is by using Polaris, as it always
points to true north (it is also known as the North
star).
To nd Polaris on its own is quite difcult due to
it not being very bright. So, look for The Plough (also
known as the Big Dipper). The shape of the plough
is easy to spot as it looks like a saucepan. Locate the
two stars which form the side of the plough. Draw an
imaginary line between these two stars and continue
this line along until you reach Polaris. As a tip, Polaris
is approximately x4 the distance away. Be aware
that the plough rotates around through the different
seasons of the year, so sometimes it may appear
upside down but this method of nding Polaris will
still work.
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THE SUN
It is possible to navigate by using the sun. However, the effectiveness
does depend on the amount of cloud cover and the time of day.
As a rule the sun rises in the east and sets in the west but this can
vary slightly with the time of year. Regardless of the actual direction of
the sunrise, the sun will track from the east via south and towards the
west. If you have a way of telling the time, then the suns position at
midday will point in a general southerly direction.
THE MOON
On a clear night, when a crescent moon is visible, there is a way of
identifying a general southerly direction.
When looking at the crescent moon, imagine a straight line
joining the top and bottom angles together. Now continue this line
downwards maintaining the same angle until it meets the horizon.
The point where the line meets the horizon indicates a general south
direction. This is not a 100% accurate indicator of south as on some
nights you will nd that the angle of the line points towards the
south east and on other occasions the line may point in a more south
westerly direction. However, this technique, although variable with
the results, will get you facing towards the general southern sky.
WRIST WATCH
If you are wearing an analogue wrist watch, then you can nd south
by using the watch face and the sun.
Hold the watch horizontally and line the hour hand up with the
position of the sun. Then divide the distance between the hour
hand and the 12 o clock position by half and draw an imaginary line
through the centre of the watch face, running along this division. The
line running away from you will point towards the south.
If you are wearing a digital watch, simply draw a watch face with
hands showing the current time and follow the above procedure.
Make sure that you have made allowances for any daylight saving
time periods.
STICK AND
SHADOW
ORION
In the northern hemisphere, the constellation Orion is visible in the
southern sky during the autumn and winter months. It is possible
to nd south by using Orions sword, as long as the constellation
is upright and reasonably high in the sky. Locate Orions belt which
consists of three stars. Beneath the belt hangs the sword, which
again is made up from three stars. If you imagine a line joining the
three stars of the sword together and continue the line down until it
reaches the horizon, it will point due south.
REMEMBER THAT WHEN THE EXCREMENT

HAS HIT THE FAN, DO NOT LET PANIC TAKE
OVER. WHEN YOU ARE LONELY, SCARED AND
FEEL THAT YOU HAVE NOTHING, JUST TAKE A
LOOK AROUND YOU.
On a sunny day, you

can use the shadow
that is cast by a stick to
determine the cardinal
points.
Select a stick
approximately one
metre in length and
place it vertically into
the ground so that it
stays standing upright.
The choice of ground
should be somewhere
that is well exposed
to the sun and is
bare or has very short
vegetation to allow
a clear shadow to be
cast.
Look and see where
the end of the sticks
shadow is being cast
and mark that point
on the ground with a
small stone or wooden
stake. Wait at least
twenty minutes and
97
feature
check the shadow. You will notice that it has moved. Mark the end
of the shadow with another stone or wooden stake. Now draw a line
between the two markers and you will have an east - west line. The rst
marker points west and the second one points east. From this you can
now work out the direction of north and south.
Windswept trees leaning away from the prevailing wind towards t he north
THE PREVAILING WIND

The prevailing wind direction in the UK comes from the south west. In
exposed places such as hills and coastal areas the prevailing wind will
sculpt the shape of trees and vegetation causing them to lean away from
the prevailing wind. We know that the normal wind direction is south
westerly, so an exposed and windswept tree will be leaning towards the
north east. From this it is possible to work out the direction of north and
south.
Tufts of windswept grass, all leaning east
There is a degree of error with this method though, so do not just

rely on one windswept tree but identify several different trees and note
the general direction that they all lean towards before making any
decisions.
As well as trees, tufts of grass on exposed hills can also be effected
by the prevailing wind. The long tufts of grass will look like they have
all been brushed in the same direction which will be towards the north
east. However, there is also room for error, so be cautious and conrm
your ndings with other natural navigation signs.
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february 2015
FOLLOWING A RIVER
The old advice of if you are lost, then follow a river may seem like
an ineffective way of navigating your way to safety but in reality, it
is probably one of the more reliable ways of getting yourself out of
trouble.
Small streams join rivers and rivers ow near settlements, under roads
and alongside railway lines. Following a river is not going to directly
show you which way north or south is, but it may lead you to a location
that you can recall from memory which does.
To test this method, I put myself into the middle of Dartmoor on a
day that had weather which could only be described as challenging.
After locating a spring at the bottom of a hill and with visibility
at almost zero because of fog, I started to follow the small trickle of
water. The ow of water quickly formed itself into a small stream which
became deeper and faster owing the further I followed it. It was
difcult ground to cover in some places because of marshes and bogs
which had to be negotiated with care. It was easier to move away from
the stream and keep to the high ground in places but still keeping the
sound of the owing water in earshot and to my right hand side. I kept
returning to the bank of the stream as often as possible as the water
course often changed direction without any warning. The water was
snaking through the land and now providing a prominent feature to
follow.
After a few miles the stream led me to a track with a ford crossing. If
I had followed this track, it would have taken me to Okehampton Army
Camp. Some distance further, the stream widened and turned into the
East Ockment River. If I had continued to follow the river, it would have
led me into the town of Okehampton.
SUMMARY
Remember that when the excrement has hit the fan, do not let panic
take over. When you are lonely, scared and feel that you have nothing,
just take a look around you. Remember what you have read in this
article and you will soon realise that you are surrounded with everything
that you need to get yourself safely home.
O
TI
IP
R
C 9
S
B 7.9
U
S 3
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U ST
S
S JU
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2
DIGITAL EDITIONS
AVAILABLE ON iPAD,
iPHONE AND ANDROID
VISIT
BOOK REVIEW
ROBERTS RIDGE
ROBERTS RIDGE
BY MALCOLM MACPHERSON
KRIS ROBERTS ON A BOOK THAT DOESNT PULL ITS PUNCHES AS IT DOCUMENTS

A REAL-LIFE NAVY SEAL BATTLE AGAINST THE AFGHAN TALIBAN
Fifty feet above the ground, as soon as Calvert ared the

Chinook, bullets crashed through the chin bubble. In the right
seat, he watched as holes pinged through the windshield
glass. Two bullets hit his helmet and jerked his head left, as if
a hammer had slammed his skull. In the same spray of re, he
was shot eight times across his chest, one bullet lodging in the
Kevlar armour while seven ecked off.
On the controls, he increased the Chinooks speed; he was
aborting the landing.
Content
Roberts Ridge is the extraordinary true-life account of the
battle of Takur Ghat on March 4th 2002. As part of Operation
Anaconda, a combined US and Afghan government push to
destroy Al-Qaeda and Taliban forces in the Shahi-Kot Valley, a
small US Special Forces unit was tasked to set up an observation
post high in the mountains to provide overwatch in support of
the battle below.
This seven man team, designated

MAKO 30 ew by Chinook helicopter
to the target location of the snowcapped peak of Takur Ghat mountain.
With only days old intelligence available
and a position as strategically important
to the enemy as it was to them, the
team had planned to insert after nightfall
further down the mountainside and use
the cover of darkness to climb to the
peak and assess any potential threats.
The plan quickly fell apart when
the time scheduled for take-off was
pushed back by delays on the ground.
Faced with the prospect of climbing the
mountain in daylight and with the battle
already underway in the valley, MAKO 30
had no choice but to attempt a landing
at the peak itself.
As the Chinook lowered its tail ramp
and descended onto the mountaintop,
an explosion of enemy small arms
and RPG re tore into the aircraft.
The helicopter bucked and reared in a
desperate attempt to stay ying, tossing
the men around like ragdolls inside the
cabin. With massive system failures the
pilot fought for control. In this critical
moment, Navy Seal Petty Ofcer 1st
Class Neil C. Roberts lost his footing,
fell through the open tail ramp, and
disappeared into the darkness of the
enemy held mountain below.
Jeremy Curran got up on the ICS. What
the hells going on, sir? he asked,
wondering where they were heading.
Mack told him, Were going back.
Theres a guy on the LZ.
But the guns dont work.
Test-re em.
Curran and Nutall did, and they did not
work.
Mack said, All right, were going in
anyway. Any complaints?
No, sir, lets get him, came from several
points on the ICS.
Impressions
I must confess my enduring cynicism
when it comes to modern books on
recent American conicts. Not because
of the subject matter but because

all too often the reader has to wade
through pages and pages of ag-waving
patriotism and a God-given justication
to cause. Refreshingly this wasnt the
case with Roberts Ridge and the story
focussed on the facts at hand. The
mission, the action, the men.
By the time MAKO 30 reached the
mountain peak I was hooked but this is
only the start of a story which involved
multiple rescue attempts, awesome
displays of direct aerial support and an
ever-watching command chain that
struggled to keep control.
The close proximity of the ghting
is nail-biting to read, and the author
cleverly manages to involve the reader
even more by taking brief pauses to give
a little background on the history and
character of the men we are reading
about.
What captured me the most was that
this mission was set in the early stages
of a decade of war. Its clear that lessons
were learnt from what worked and more
painfully, what didnt. Inter-service coordination, state of the art technology
and weapons, even the command and
control structure are all opened up for
criticism. This is because fundamentally
these systems failed the men on the
ground, who were ultimately forced to
call on enormous reserves of courage
and ght using techniques that were
thousands of years old.
A no nonsense approach that delivers
a powerful lesson, if youre looking for
an honest book on modern warfare then
you wont be disappointed.
INFORMATION
PAPERBACK RRP 8.99
PUBLISHER - CORGI
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ATROOP AIRSOFT
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102
february 2015
Stoulton, WR7 4QW

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www.airsoftskirmish.co.uk
Chobham, Surrey, GU24 8SL

01252 315225
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Shafton, Barnsley, S72 8RE

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SITE DIRECTORY
Huge thanks to our friends at Airbana (www.airsoftmap.net) for supplying data
FIND SOMEWHERE TO BE THIS WEEKEND
BATTLETEC AIRSOFT
DARKWATER AIRSOFT
FINMERE AIRSOFT
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DELTA TEAM 3
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Houston, Renfrewshire, PA6 7BP

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FIRST AND ONLY

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CERBERUS AIRSOFT
- RIVOCK EDGE
Keighley, BD20 0LS
07891 469492
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CHESTERFIELD IMPERIAL
AIRSOFT
Brimington, Chestereld, S43 1DQ
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Westcott Venture Park, Westcott,
Aylesbury, HP18 0XB
01296 658600
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BRAVO 2-2 AIRSOFT

Leisure Lakes, Mere Brow,
Southport. PR46JX
07790 715059
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BRISTOL AIRSOFT
Bristol, BS1 2HQ
07776 288826
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BRIT-TAC AIRSOFT
Shefeld, S2 5TR
07795 631331
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BUNKER 51
Charlton, SE7 8NJ
0870 7549653
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C3 TACTICAL
DRAGONS LAIR
CLOSE ACTION AIRSOFT
Corby, NN17 3BB
07740 165787
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COMBAT ACTION GAMES

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combatactiongames
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CONTACT! FIGHT SCHOOL

Kelvedon Hatch, Essex, CM14 5
01438 368177
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CERBERUS AIRSOFT
- THE COMPLEX
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Bradford, BD2 1BQ

07891 469492
Kidderminster, Worcs, DY11 5SA

0161 727 8863
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Wales, NP26 5XL
07921 336360
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FIRST AND ONLY

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Otley, West Yorkshire LS21 2NA
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FIRST AND ONLY

BUNKER WOOD
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Longhope, Gloucestershire,
GL17 0PH
07597 938011
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07891 469492
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07703 530189
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Leek, ST13 8
0161 727 8863
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Truro, Cornwall, TR2

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Horsham
West Sussex, RH12 4SE
TEL 01293 852 314
http://www.holmbushpaintball.
co.uk/airsoft
Bolton, BL7 9TS

0161 727 8863
ELITE ACTION GAMES

WORTHING
FIRST AND ONLY ASYLUM
Worthing, BN13
01784 433023
www.eliteactiongames.com
Kidderminster, DY10 3PT

0161 727 8863
ELITE BATTLEZONE
FIRST & ONLY: THE HIVE
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07968 448475
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Middleton, Manchester, M24 1AZ

0161 727 8863
EXPERIENCE AIRSOFT
Swindon, Wiltshire, SN5 0AN
01380 728982
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FIRST & ONLY: THE ARMOURY

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FIRST & ONLY: THE ACADEMY

FIREFIGHT COMBAT
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FIRST AND ONLY

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Leamington Spa, Warwickshire,

CV32 6QF
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info@fewargames.co.uk
www.fewargames.com
103
LAC SITE 1
NOMAD AIRSOFT
Gainsborough, North Lincs,

DN21 4JH
07775 877057
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Gainsborough, North Lincs,
DN21 4JH
07775 877057
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NORTHERN ALLIANCE AIRSOFT

Thirsk, North Yorkshire, YO7 3LQ
01845 565465
www.northernallianceairsoft.co.uk
NORTHFLEET CQB
LAC SITE 3
Saxillby, LN1 2JW
07775 877057
GUNMAN AIRSOFT
CAMBRIDGE
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www.elitebattlezone.co.uk
NSC AIRSOFT
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP28

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LAC SITE 5
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LINDSEY AIRSOFT
Kirton Rd, North Lincs, DN16

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www.nscairsoft.co.uk
FIRST & ONLY: THE DEPOT

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0161 727 8863
GROUND ZERO WOODLAND

Ringwood, Hampshire, BH24 2DF
www.groundzerowoodland.com
FREE FIRE ZONE

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GASS AIRSOFT PENN

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GASS AIRSOFT PIDDINGTON

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RAF Honiley/The Grange

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Common, West Mids CV7 7FP
Tel: 01676 532 384
info@suspensionofdisbelief.co.uk
www.shop. suspensionofdisbelief.co.uk
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07854 277264
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Wolverhampton, WV10 7HU
08000 354490
www.paintballuk.com
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Spanby, Lincs, NG34 0AT
07971 560249
facebook.com/HomelandTacticalAirsoft
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North Lincolnshire, DN21
www.humberairsoft.co.uk
07792 680297
ISLAND RECON AIRSOFT

COMBAT
Near Shorwell, Isle of Wight, PO30
07964 751047
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GREENZONE COMBAT
Co. Armagh, BT60 1NE
07772 919974
www.greenzonecombat.com
104
february 2015
LAND WARRIOR AIRSOFT

Gorebridge, Midlothian, EH23 4LG
0131 654 2452
www.airsoftedinburgh.co.uk
Manby, Lincolnshire, LN11 8HE

07955 487983
www.lindsey-airsoft.co.uk
MATLOCK COMBAT GAMES

Matlock, Derbyshire, DE4 5FW
07974 507166
www.matlockcombatgames.com
MAW
Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, LE14
07562 479966
maw.airsoft@hotmail.com
MIA
Cornwall, EX23 9JL
01288 331748
www.airsoftsouthwest.co.uk
NTAC
Durham, DL4 2ER
01642 281220
www.ntac.co.uk
OBAN AIRSOFT HILL ARGYLL

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07967 710185
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OP-TACTICAL UK TEAN-OPS
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OVER THE TOP AIRSOFT CLUB

Anglesey, LL71
www.ottairsoft.co.uk
07731 744471
MILITARY OUTDOOR
ADVENTURES
PATHFINDER GROUP AIRSOFT

MILITARY SIMULATION
Wrightington, WN6 9PL

01942 514724
www.militaryoutdooradventure.co.uk
Former RAF Camp Sopley/

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02380 899369
MILSIM UK
PHOENIX AIRSOFT
Checkley, Staffordshire, ST10 4NS

07523 916607
www.milsimuk.co.uk
Welbeck Airsoft, Academy, Budby

Road, Notts NG20 9JX
07956 587213/01623 812483
www.phoenix-airsoft.co.uk
NCIS AIRSOFT
Edinburgh, EH14 4
nick@ncis-airsoft.co.uk
www.ncis-airsoft.co.uk
Huge thanks to our friends at Airbana (www.airsoftmap.net) for supplying data
SITE DIRECTORY
FIND SOMEWHERE TO BE THIS WEEKEND
PLATOON 1HQ
SG1 COMBAT GAMES
TACTICAL WALES AIRSOFT
UCAP GREEN OPS
Rochester, Kent, ME1 1 HQ

01634 829063
www.ptt-1hq.co.uk
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07713 273102
www.sg1combatgames.co.uk
Reynoldston, Swansea SA3 1AS

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www.tacticalwales.co.uk
Linch, West Sussex, GU30 7

07590 818881 www.ucap.co.uk
PLAYERS OF WAR
SKIRMISH AIRSOFT BILLERICAY
TACTICAL WARFARE AIRSOFT
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Warlingham, Surrey, CR6 9PL

020 8665 1299
www.tacticalwarfare.co.uk
PREDATOR COMBAT GAMES
SKIRMISH EXETER
TECH BRIGADE
Ballynahinch, BT24 8NF

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www.predatorcombat.com
Exeter, Devon, EX4 5

01548 580025
www.airsoftexeter.co.uk
Newgate Street, Hertfordshire.

SG13 8NH
07841 713356
www.techbrigade.org
RAVENS NEST
SOUTHDOWN AIRSOFT
Suffolk, IP8 4
01473 831563
www.ravensairsoft.co.uk
Petworth, West Sussex, GU28 0LR

07766 770830
www.southdownairsoft.com
RAW WAR AIRSOFT CUMBRIA
SPEC OPS AIRSOFT

BLOXWORTH
THE BUNKER
Wareham, Dorset, BH20 7EU

07984 656947
www.specopsairsoft.co.uk
Aberystwyth,
www.aberairsoft.co.uk
07841 462806
Wigton, Cumbria CA7 3SZ

01900 85645
www.airsoftcumbria.co.uk
RED1AIRSOFT
Chislehurst, Bromley BR7 6SD
07956 522691/01727846069
www.red1airsoft.co.uk
co.uk
RED1AIRSOFT CQB
Red1 CQB. Kings Langley, WD4 8RN
07956 522691/01727846069
www.red1airsoft.co.uk
RIFT AIRSOFT COMS SITE 3

Chipping Warden, OX17 1LZ
07751 586781
www.riftairsoft.com
RIFT AIRSOFT (COTTENHAM)

Cambridge, CB24 8RL
07751 586781
www.riftairsoft.com
SECTION 8 AIRSOFT
Shotts, N Lanarkshire, ML7 5AB
07974 026517
www.s8airsoft.com
Cowbridge, S Glamorgan, CF71

02920 593900
www.taskforcepaintball.co.uk
Bean, Kent, DA2 8

07590 818881 www.ucap.co.uk
ULTIMATE WARGAMES
FAWKHAM
Fawkham, Kent, DA3 8NY
01268 796130
www.ultimatewargames.co.uk
ULTIMATE WARGAMES
LIMPSFIELD
Oxted, Surrey, RH8 0RH
www.ultimatewargames.co.uk
URBAN6AIRSOFT ZONE 13
Stone, Staffordshire ST15 0QN
07432 291729
www.urban6airsoft.com
URBAN6AIRSOFT THE BLOCK

SPEC OPS AIRSOFT THE ROCK
THE DESERTERS AIRSOFT
Portland, Dorset, DT5 2EG

07984 656947
www.specopsairsoft.co.uk
Redford, DD11
07751 878175
www.thedeserters.co.uk
Wood Street, Butron-Upon-Trent,

Staffordshire, DE14 AB
www.urban6airsoft.com
URBAN ASSAULT
STIRLING AIRSOFT
THE EX SITE
Coventry, CV3 6NX

07831 429407
www.stirlingairsoft.com
Mold, CH7 4
07840 001975
www.theexsitewales.co.uk
Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, PE26 1

01733 247171
www.urbanassault.org.uk
VIKING AIRSOFT
STORMFORCE AIRSOFT
THE WARGAMES CENTRE
Welwyn, Hertfordshire, AL6 0UN

www.vikingairsoft.co.uk
Rugeley, Staffordshire, WS15 4LD

07515 937633
www.stormforcepaintball.co.uk
Lundholm Road, Stevenston,

Ayrshire, KA20 3LN
www.thewargamescentre.com
wargamescentre@gmail.com
WARMINSTER AIRSOFT
SUSSEX AIRSOFT
Slinfold, RH12
020 8150 9284
www.sussexairsoft.co.uk
S.W.A.T. AIRSOFT
Boathouse lane, South Wirral,
Cheshire, CH64 3TB
www.swatairsoft.eu
07703 177756
SECTION 8 AIRSOFT
Shotts, North Lanarkshire, ML7 5AB
07974 026517
www.s8airsoft.com
TASK FORCE SKIRMISH
UCAP SANDPIT
TA EVENTS
Hemel Hemstead, Herts, HP2 7QB
07894 059794
www.ta-events.co.uk
Warminster, BA12 7RZ

www.warminsterairsoft.co.uk
TROJAN AIRSOFT
Maccleseld, SK10 4SZ
07428 024874
www.trojan-airsoft.com
TROJAN AIRSOFT OLYMPUS

CQB
Weir Mill, Viaduct Street,
Chestergate, Stockport, Cheshire,
SK5 7JP
XSITE AIRSOFT OUTPOST

Dunstable, LU6 2EE
01494 881430
www.xsiteairsoft.co.uk
XSITE AIRSOFT LANE END

High Wycombe, HP14 3NP
01494 881430
UCAP AIRSOFT
Portsmouth, Hants, PO17 6AR
07590 818881
www.ucap.co.uk
105
DEALER LISTINGS
ADVERTISERS INDEX
Land Warrior Airsoft
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Airsoft Zone
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Airsoft Armoury
eHobbyAsia
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Military 1st
Gunman Airsoft
Leeds Airsoft
VIPER
British Airsoft Show
S.W.A.T. VTG
E-W Trading
Airsoft Action Subscriptions
DynaTex
Eton Guns
Sly Photography
Crawley Surplus Store
NoVAT
Dragon Valley
Military Outdoor
Wolf Armouries
Airsoft Action Digital
Percy Publishing
Advertisers Index
Airsoft World
Pro Airsoft Supplies
106
OD8J 2014
2 + 71
3 + 19 + 66
7 + 79
9 + 35 + 75
24 + 25
31
42
47
50
54
57
62 + 63
70
82
82
86
87
87
91
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THE Airsoft Magazine

COLD WAR WARRIOR

WW1: WAR IN THE AIR

l LOADED OR UNLOADED: UKSF

l SURVIVAL: EMERGENCY NAV

FEB 2015 - 4.50

BIG BOYZ TOYZ

SKILLS AND DRILLS

HALO MA5 ASSAULT RIFLE

12 - HALO M45 ASSAULT RIFLE

THE Airsoft Magazine

WW1: WAR IN THE AIR

l LOADED OR UNLOADED: UKSF

COLD WAR WARRIOR

BIG BOYZ TOYZ

Editor: Nigel Streeter

FEBT 2015 - 4.50

HALO M45 ASSAULT RIFLE

SKILLS AND DRILLS

UK 12 - issue subscription rate: 43

Wyche Innovation Centre, Walwyn Road,

Search Airsoft Action

Letter, idea or question?

AIRSOFT ACTION FEBRUARY 2015

60 LOADED OR UNLOADED: A BIT SPECIAL

16 ARMOURY: AGM MG42

72 SKILLS AND DRILLS: RIFLE SHOOTING

20 EVENT: OPERATION NORDLICHT

76 HEAD TO HEAD: SVT vs GARAND

26 EVENT: THE AULD ENEMY

80 SNIPER: JOSEPH T. WARD

30 KIT AND KABOODLE

84 WORLD WAR ONE: WAR IN THE AIR

Airsoft is a very hands on game and in keeping with

Ian Murdoch - RAW War

STTS/JD Airsoft Sentinel

Competition winner - Ben

Matt Widdowson. Taken

at SWAT Fortress Liverpo

ol taken by SWAT NUTZ

Oscar P - Xmas fun

Oscar P - Xmas fun

Images taken by Mark Lun

n @ Skirmish Leicester &

Coventry 14th Dec 2014

game rie there will always be physical limitations that require

Safe to say that internally there is a solid

wiring set up that is only rivalled by Systema. There is clear

WHO ARE AGM?

THE REAL STEEL

The real MG42 needed a

unleashed what I expected to be a 3-5 round burst. Before I could

out-ranged by a MP5K. Sadly

THE AIRSOFT VERSION

brought any ammo, he was issued some from a limited amount

another took his place. With concentrated re and support from

most of the remaining Russians had no ammo left or were down

THE AULD ENEMY

block. The perimeter of the area is light woodland that allows

an enemy player. The ghting always concentrates around a few

at these games and I am very thankful I lled all my magazines and

KIT AND KABOODLE

Grifn Technologies Protective Cases

Magnum Scorpion Patrol Boots