Air Force Spec Ops get cold 🥶 (based in Kentucky lol)

[carbonbased]

Air Force commandos are learning how to fight in Sweden’s frigid forests where ‘nothing works’

“I mean, it's a real steep learning curve."

taskandpurpose.com

March 2022 dateline. As a guy from North Dakota, this was funny to read. These guys sound like total cold noobs. Like, “Gee whiz, didn’t realize cold temps make stuff a lot harder, golly.”

Based on the fact that few had their hoods up suggests it wasn’t that cold at the day of the pics.

In Grubbnäsudden, Sweden near Finland (where they trained in Jan 2022) I see there one day with a low of -17°F, which is a respectable cold day. But most of the time is was downright balmy! (historical temps). Christ, that month I see a high of 43°F!

Scroll left/right to see the whole month, make sure it’s on F° if you’re a Yank.

But that ice bath training looks hardcore. Props to them!

Look at this serious cold in Russia current forecast. Looks like their graph color for temps under -57°F-ish is BLACK haha!

-64°F is no fucking joke.

 

[carbonbased]

Crap, an even colder forecast far Oymyakonsky.

A couple daya with lows of…

-69°F

At least the highs those days are forecasted to be -62°F. What a relief.

 

[roostercogburn98]

Damn cold makes everything harder. Worst part is coming back inside and getting in a hot shower after a few days in stupid cold weather. Feels like a bunch of needles stabbing you

 

[TheGerman]

Laughs in MWCS

 

[Fig]

What happened to Artic Survival School Fairchild? And NWTC Black Rapids? I guarantee that those two bleak, dark, and cold places are as bad as Sweeden. Though, a lot can be learned from people who live that way 365 rather than just deploying for training...

 

[carbonbased]

Damn cold makes everything harder. Worst part is coming back inside and getting in a hot shower after a few days in stupid cold weather. Feels like a bunch of needles stabbing you

Personally, few things beat the pleasure of taking your sock off, poking your numb toe, and feeling something…slushy. And then that warms up. Ow.

Haven’t got bad frostbite ever, just sort of bad frostnip.

 

[roostercogburn98]

What happened to Artic Survival School Fairchild? And NWTC Black Rapids? I guarantee that those two bleak, dark, and cold places are as bad as Sweeden. Though, a lot can be learned from people who live that way 365 rather than just deploying for training...

Black rapid is still there. Cold as FUCK still too. Coming out of the airplane at 1000 feet agl is a swift kick in the nuts that takes your breath away.

 

[Maxduty]

But I'm digging that snow camo pattern. Cant' find it available on the market. Any leads?

 

[roostercogburn98]

But I'm digging that snow camo pattern. Cant' find it available on the market. Any leads?

Look at a company called Torraka. They sell artic camo in the U.S. that is made by a Swedish company called Taiga

 

[TheGerman]

We had 2 Austrain SF guys die during MCWS that when found, had taken most of their cold weather gear off. They got separated from their team during a quick shift in the weather while doing a mountain bypass/land nav portion. I believe long standing SOP was changed after that as about 30 different things going wrong from the way their team reacted to it, to operational planning contributed to it. Things had gotten so cold and wet that one of the bodies literally had their bare hand glued to their face.

We almost lost another during a SERE phase who had fallen into an unseen tree well. Ironically, he almost became hide and seek champion as no one would have ever found his ass.

Meanwhile, I was bitching about my socks being too long and rolling down/bunching up in my boots and asking why I didn't have a donkey to snuggle with. BTW, for mountain units that still use pack animals, the donkey is always right, and he's worth more than you are.

To this day I'm still scared shitless about being on any kind of glacier.

I see the 'fuck this, we're not wearing armor' aspect is still a thing for these type of operations.

 

[carbonbased]

We had 2 Austrain SF guys die during MCWS that when found, had taken most of their cold weather gear off. They got separated from their team during a quick shift in the weather while doing a mountain bypass/land nav portion. I believe long standing SOP was changed after that as about 30 different things going wrong from the way their team reacted to it, to operational planning contributed to it. Things had gotten so cold and wet that one of the bodies literally had their bare hand glued to their face.

We almost lost another during a SERE phase who had fallen into an unseen tree well. Ironically, he almost became hide and seek champion as no one would have ever found his ass.

Meanwhile, I was bitching about my socks being too long and rolling down/bunching up in my boots and asking why I didn't have a donkey to snuggle with. BTW, for mountain units that still use pack animals, the donkey is always right, and he's worth more than you are.

To this day I'm still scared shitless about being on any kind of glacier.

I see the 'fuck this, we're not wearing armor' aspect is still a thing for these type of operations.

So, you’ve mentioned MWCS in your first post and now MCWS. Being non-military, I’m having problems deciphering the acronym. Can’t find anything on MCWS, and the only thing I can figure is MWCS = Marine Wing Communication Squadron.

I assume MCWS is a simple typo.

I emoji’d a laugh above because through context I figured it was something like SERE. But Marine Wing Communication Squadron just doesn’t seem to jive with Survival, Evasion, Resistance, & Escape.

I’m not razzing you at all, just a little confused and curious after I actually tried to figure out the acronym. I know very little lol but am always interested in cold-weather stuff.

EDIT: weird, searching for Marine Wing Communication Squadron cold training gave me some hits but Marine Wing Communication Squadron training gave me almost nothing.

 

[TheGerman]

So, you’ve mentioned MWCS in your first post and now MCWS. Being non-military, I’m having problems deciphering the acronym. Can’t find anything on MCWS, and the only thing I can figure is MWCS = Marine Wing Communication Squadron.

I assume MCWS is a simple typo.

I emoji’d a laugh above because through context I figured it was something like SERE. But Marine Wing Communication Squadron just doesn’t seem to jive with Survival, Evasion, Resistance, & Escape.

I’m not razzing you at all, just a little confused and curious after I actually tried to figure out the acronym. I know very little lol but am always interested in cold-weather stuff.

EDIT: weird, searching for Marine Wing Communication Squadron cold training gave me some hits but Marine Wing Communication Squadron training gave me almost nothing.

Mountain and Winter Combat School in Mittenwald, Germany

The Karwendel Kaserne (Barracks), formerly "General-Kübler-Kaserne", is home to the Germany Army Mountain and Winter Combat School. Units of the 233 Battallion of the Mountain Troops are also stationed here. Following links are in...

virtualglobetrotting.com

There's only 2 in the world. NATO forces including the US send special operations personnel to Mittenwald; the other location I swear is in Canada but I'm not completely sure if thats correct.