Royal Marines Afghanistan Loadout

[-Phoenix-]

Hey EveryBody, along with other loadouts i am Putting together i have decided to make one for the Royal marines Circa 2002 as on the 16th of April 2002 Operation Ptarmigan Began which was the insertion of Royal Marines From 45 Commando into the Afghan Mountains, This Operation is very personal to me as the Man leading it was My father, At the time Lt. Col S T Chicken, and as the son of a Royal marine i want to dedicate this post to him and all the other brave marines who have ever fought for our country and who are still doing it today.

A quick Pic of the man Himself
ltcol_chicken.jpg

I will be putting up more reference pics along with some pics of my loadout as i build it (most of it i have and its the exact same as in the Pic, apart from the rifle obviouslyy) please feel free to post any other RM loadouts

Cheers,

-Phoenix-

[Hawke]

Re: Royal Marines Afghanistan Loadout

Interesting! His RSM from 2002, Russ C, is a mate of mine, featured quite a lot in the 1980's series "Behind The Lines", had THE biggest tache in NATO to compensate for his massively bald head.

Around 2001, 2002, the kit was very simple. GW1 desert combats, Arctic Windproof smock, Buffalo 6 fibrepile top, civvy walking boots, Arktis 42 chest rig or an assault vest, and an American cot bought from the PX at Bagram!

[-Phoenix-]

Re: Royal Marines Afghanistan Loadout

ah Brilliant! I think he has mentioned him a few times, and of course no group would be complete without a guy with a huge tache yeah i still have most of my old man's kit from when he used it up in the mountains! and gotta love the PX, most if not every piece of tat available! thanks for the assist!

S.Chicken

[Red Cuffs]

Re: Royal Marines Afghanistan Loadout

You say you've got "most" of the old fella's kit,
is there anything that you need to complete your kit?

[-Phoenix-]

Re: Royal Marines Afghanistan Loadout

I need the right goggles but i can substitute them with some similar ones, i dont know what the old sod did with his webbing but i have an NI Chest rig until i find the right one, and an L85 Because most of them cost a lot and im doing an L119a1 Build at the moment for an SBS loadout but anyway i have the helmet and the same Dpm's he used (dont worry they've been washed haha) and the NVG strap for the helmet but otherwise ive got everything else

S.Chicken

[Red Cuffs]

Re: Royal Marines Afghanistan Loadout

Very pleased to hear that you dhobi'd yer auld fellas rig before you started to cut about in it.

I worked alongside 45 just before Telic kicked off so I reckon they'd have been wearing the same stuff as they did in Afghan the year before.
I saw a lot of guys wearing PLCE but there were quite a few who wore the recently issued Tactical Vest.

Here's a set for under £40.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genuine-Br...item4174250847

I remember trying to win a set from a Marine in a game of spoof but lost an Australian M4 mag carrying leg rig to him instead.

As for the goggles. They look like they could be "Scotts". If They're not then I reckon they'd be a unit local purchase before they got deployed. Then it's anybody's guess what type they are.
Scotts were the only decent goggles issued back then. I still have a black pair wrapped around my old despatch riders helmet.
The elastic has lost it's elasticity but they're yours if you want them.

The only other type of goggles I remember seeing around those times were the sort you'd expect to see on a welder.
They were so huge with such a rubbish strap the wind would blow them off your face !!!

It looks like he's got a set of "Ranger Eyes" around the rim of his lid. That thin grey/green band just under his goggles.
I know he's got an NVG mount on or something, but they really do look like ranger eyes.

I've just refurbed my old para lid and bought a set for it.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2212328286...84.m1423.l2649

Just under his arctic smock I think I can see the top of a set of CBA. Combat Body Armour. I reckon it'll be the "General War" type cover, not the NI type.
I saw that I've still got my "General War " type cover in the loft.
So that's yours as well if you want it.

Just let me know if you're around Kingston Upon Thames next.

[Red Cuffs]

Re: Royal Marines Afghanistan Loadout

And I forgot, I've a couple of those brown/pink First Aid Field Dressings that were issued before the Israeli type.

[Bourne killer]

Re: Royal Marines Afghanistan Loadout

Phoenix Are you after a helmet i have a mark 6 with a desert cover that I'm willing to part with mate.

[janash37]

Re: Royal Marines Afghanistan Loadout

I'm very interested in this... may have to put one of these together myself!

Quick question... When did the assault vests start getting issued? You know, the ones that Web Tex make a cheapo copy of. Seems like 2002 but maybe I'm wrong? Correct me if I am!

Wondering if I could use my vest for an impression.

[Bourne killer]

Re: Royal Marines Afghanistan Loadout

Roughly mate from 2000 might even be before i did buy a issue one off a certain auction site a while back that had 1999 on the manufacture date, i know chest rigs where quite commonly used until the assault vest became more widely available. you can pick up a issue one off a certain auction site now for no more then 35 quid just depends on how authentic you want your load out to be if you want to go the extra mile you could even pick up a desert body armor that just has the pocket for the hard armor plates over the left side of your chest. there was so many different variation of how that kit was and laid out its kind of hard to get a definitive idea on what they where wearing at the time but that purely cos of the fact that they had only been in that conflict for a year. However for a pretty spot on load out go for what phoenixs' dad has on in the picture.

per mare per terram

[-Phoenix-]

Re: Royal Marines Afghanistan Loadout

My old man told me he was using a standard PLCE webbing set/Belt order, i think it was personal preference for him, but apart from that webbing the only other kit i can think of that he used was the 58 pattern in the Falklands, dpm drivers chest rig in NI and possibly an osprey in iraq, not sure, so any of those would work, i think if youre using a Bergen then the NI chest rig would be best or the PLCE, again then personal preference, as long as it doesn't look too odd. anyway will be going home soon so i might get some pics up, good luck with all your kits, off for a run ashore

-Phoenix-

-Per Mare Per Terram
-By Strength and Guile

- - - Updated - - -

@Bourne Killer

cheers for the offer mate but ive got 2x mk6 lids both with des covers, might change one to a temperate for another loadout, got a few going on atm, will keep all posted,

aufwiedersehen

-Phoenix-

-Per Mare Per Terram
-By Strength and Guile