Science Removes Chill From Bosnian Winter U.S. Troop Will Still Face Cold-Weather Obstacles Knight-Ridder

During the frozen winters of the Korean War, haggard U.S. soldiers often were forced to urinate on the barrels of their water-cooled machine guns to keep the weapons from freezing.

Rifles had to be greased with pencil lead, because other lubricants failed. Motor oil was drained from vehicles and taken indoors to warm overnight. And candles often were used to give individual soldiers a bit of heat.

Forty-five years later, as American forces heading for Bosnia to begin their first serious cold-weather deployment since the Korean War, much has changed for the frost-bound GIs.

Now, instead of the cotton, wool and flannel that troops used to fend off the elements in 1950s Korea, American soldiers will be clad in space-age, multipart garment “systems” made of Gore-Tex and polypropylene.

Instead of just chilly tents and frozen foxholes, the Army is expected to supply the Bosnia deployment with modern, 16-acre heated tent cities where 500 GIs at a time can rest, do laundry, take a shower or watch a video.

And instead of lubricants clotting and rubber tires going “square,” synthetic oils and rubbers have made almost everything run more smoothly.

Even tanks have their own ice cleats, thanks to modern technology.

But despite modern advances, Army specialists warn that cold-weather operations like those in Bosnia still present the same daunting challenges to man and machine they did in 1950 or before.

“There are still problems with cold-weather deployments, with anything mechanical and anything electrical,” said Jerold Barger, technical director of the Army’s Cold Regions Test Activity, at Fort Greely in central Alaska.

“Every time we have troops come up to Alaska to do exercises, we get people having frostbite and various cold injuries. There is a period of acclimation that is as much mental as it is physical.”

Winter in mountainous Bosnia can be severe, and while it is classified by the Army as an uncomfortable “wet cold,” it is more comparable to winter in New England or the upper Midwest.

Yet despite the modern advances, constant outdoor activity in such an environment will be challenging for the 25,000 Americans who are being sent to join NATO’s Balkans peacekeeping force.

Cold weather presents soldiers, for example, with an array of physical obstacles, said Maj. David Rutledge, commandant of the Army’s Northern Warfare Training Center, also at Fort Greely.

“Everything takes longer in a cold-weather environment,” he said, “at least a third longer. Everything from movement to changing your socks to whatever mission you’re trying to accomplish.

“Cold also requires more energy,” he said. The normal daily caloric intake of 2,500 to 3,000 calories needs to be doubled in cold weather.

Surprisingly, dehydration can also be a problem. “Cold suppresses your thirst mechanism,” Rutledge said. Perspiring under heavy clothing can add to that. And even respiration of cold, dry air can drain the body of fluids.