Load.

This is coolbert:

In 1950, the U.S. General S.L.A. Marshall wrote a small pamphlet called "The Soldier's Load and the Mobility of a Nation".

This pamphlet contained observations and recommendations based upon many years of research by the General. A military historian who not only compiled military history, he was a driving force in using history to determine "lessons learned" and act upon them.

Marshall did what the Germans did in World War One. Create operational research analysis that led to better tactics and methods.

This particular pamphlet dealt with the load that American soldiers carried with them into combat.

And how this load was excessive and lead to a physically debilitated soldier whose efficiency is much reduced.

In the previous blog I mentioned the instance of the Normandy Invasion, D-Day. How the soldiers coming ashore were so overloaded with gear they could not cross the beach but with great effort. And many unable to cross the beach but were killed because of the conditions they had to face, and just plain ordinary physical weakness from the burden of gear carried by each soldier.

Now, there is something that needs to be clarified about load carrying ability of the soldier.

Many militaries throughout history have been faced with this dilemma and have reached the same conclusion after much study. A soldier cannot carry but about a maximum of one third [1/3] of his body weight without becoming debilitated and losing efficiency over a period of time. It is interesting that this comes out to about sixty to seventy pounds of weight. And this is what was carried by the Roman Legionnaire two thousand years ago and is what is carried by American air mobile troops in training during rucksack marches.

And please do not think that if soldiers were better trained they could do better and bear up better under load carrying conditions.

No amount of training or preparation in training can prepare the soldier to do better under conditions of combat. Combat, and the involuntary flow of fear induced chemicals in your body has the effect of exhausting the person, no matter who they are.

[As mentioned in a previous post, Marshall, while an officer leading his troops to the front during World War One, observed that half the men fell out on the march as they moved toward combat. These troops were carrying sixty pound packs and had trained to march twenty miles at a crack carrying such a load. And yet, with all this training, half fell out on the march. On the march AWAY from the front six weeks later, Marshall observed that not one troop fell out on the march!]

And what is the conclusion that Marshall arrived at?

Well, strip the combat soldier down to the basic minimum when going into combat. A rifle, ammo, grenades, canteen, ammo pouches, first aid kit, web belt and suspenders, entrenching tool, maybe bayonet, and that is it. Of course the soldier is wearing the helmet and has his uniform on, but that is to be expected, is it not? [this is called the basic fighting load]. And what does all this weigh? About thirty five pounds! And that should be the max for the combat soldier in battle. This is the fighting COMBAT LOAD!

Now, some staff officer will undoubtedly say, "well, what about food, what about if it rains, what about his chemical mask and chemical suit, and what about the night vision equipment, and what about going to the toilet, etc.??". Well, that is the problem. Everyone will agree that stripping the fighting soldier down to the minimum is the answer to the weight problem. But then everyone will have their own little items that they want to add. And then the problem starts all over again.

Marshall was fond of saying that mollycoddling the soldier will make a mollycoddle out of them.

The American soldier is expected to endure rain, cold, hunger if necessary. And maybe do this for a couple of days or more. And still fight.

What is suggested is that the American soldier goes into a fight laden down with the bare minimum and then have what he needs brought to him. And if what he needs cannot be brought to him, then the American soldier must learn to do without what cannot be brought to him.

An excellent example of how this could have been was illustrated during the winter of 1944.

General Patton had more casualties from trench foot in his Third Army than were casualties from combat action!? Soldiers could not keep their socks, boots, and feet dry in the cold weather. And they did not have the time to stop and dry their issue of socks. Patton said to send them new, clean, dry, socks that could be given to the soldiers. Just throw away the old and use the new. This idea was considered to be preposterous. And all this occured while bottled Coke, candy, and cigarettes were being shipped to the troops without problem. But to get new clean socks to the troops was considered to be impossible!?

Here is an alternative way to look at the situation. Called the infantry square. Take a regiment of four infantry battalions. Two battalions are up front in combat with stripped down soldiers and the other two battalions are in the rear resting and serving as a reserve. Those two battalions up front in combat go for two or three days fighting and having brought to them what they need. Then they are replaced by the reserve battalions who then continue the fight while those relieved get hot food, rest, and use the toilet, etc. Another way to do it.

And please do not think that this problem of an overweighted soldier is a thing of the past.

The American soldier say just in Afghanistan has been found to be way overloaded. Air mobile troopers are carrying with them loads that are just way overexcessive. And yet they are told all this is necessary and they must bear the load. And in the process their ability to find, close and destroy the enemy is greatly diminished. Read more about what one soldier has to say in this area by clicking here. Click here to see what the Marines have to say. And see what the Army has to say about this subject by clicking here. This last site is must illuminating. It is as if the observations of Marshall never even existed in the first place.

coolbert.