Hamburger Hill Question

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TarpleyG

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Yes, I watched all the war movies over the weekend on AMC.

In HH, the Airborne guys had a length of rope tied up in what I'd call a Reeve Coil and attached to their H harnesses via a caribeener. Looked like 20' or so of 1/2" 3-braid stuff. Why? Wouldn't this tend to hang you up? I know I wouldn't care for it and at no time did anyone use this piece of rope.

Gun-related--it looked like everyone was using the correct era M-16A1 unlike Platoon and the XM177s.

Greg
 
Its a rapell set rig, you tie a swiss seat from it. Was also used in the mountains for ascending/descending steep hills. Tie a end of line bowline in each end, hook up D rings and attach together. Wasn't used for dragging dead or wounded, web gear works much better. NVA/VC tied rope or 550 cord loops on arms and legs for same purpose, also used a baling hay type hook for dragging off their dead.

rk
 
Funny you should mention this movie.
I was rolling through the channels and stopped on it
for a while.I only watched for about 20 minutes.
TWICE I saw magazines in backwards/upside down
on one of the lead characters:what:
I turned the channel.

QuickDraw
 
Thanks for asking this question, I've wondered it myself. If it's for climbing, why is it exposed and placed so prominently on the soldiers' gear? I guess somewhere amongst all the other stuff distributed throughout the unit, somebody gets to carry the LONG piece of rope in their pack.

Backwards mags: some of the guys had two mags taped together in their weapons for quick reloads. Maybe that's what you were seeing? I wouldn't want to go prone in that kind of slop with a set-up like that.
 
The swiss seat is used for rapelling. To make a swiss seat, double the line and put the bight (the loop) on the left hip. Bring the line completely around the waist from that point and tie half a square knot. If you are proud of your personal equipment, make another wrap. Now bring both ends between your legs, then up to the waist. Wrap the ends around the line around the waist, and finish off with a square knot. The carabiner or snap link is then snapped over the rope just below your belly button and the rapelling rope goes through, around and back through the snap link.

In most units in Viet Nam, this arrangement was used to rapell from helicopters into areas where helicopters couldn't land -- such as heavy brush or small clearings. Troops carried the swiss seat so everyone would be ready for such a mission.
 
BTW, "Hamburger Hill" is inexpensively available on DVD. It's in my collection, don't remember what I paid but it would have been under $10.

(Don't confuse with Clint Eastwood movie, which deals with a fictional "Granada" type battle.)

My Viet vet platoon sergeant in Berlin had everybody carrying swiss seats as SOP, even though we rarely worked with helicopters or rappelled. Habit, I guess.
 
Taped mags tend to shift back and forth. I've seen the movie several times, and I never noticed the technical error you're describing.

But I could be wrong.
 
I will say one thing:

Hamburger Hill is located just inside the 101st Airborne TAOR. I commanded a mechanized rifle company in the 1st Bde, 5th ID, OPCON to 3rd MarDiv -- my company was the closest unit to Hamburger Hill, and I flew a recon with my battalion and brigade commanders to be prepared to be committed to that battle.

When you see the trench system from the air in the movie -- that's EXACTLY how I remember it.
 
The swiss seat is used for rapelling. To make a swiss seat, double the line and put the bight (the loop) on the left hip. Bring the line completely around the waist from that point and tie half a square knot. If you are proud of your personal equipment, make another wrap. Now bring both ends between your legs, then up to the waist. Wrap the ends around the line around the waist, and finish off with a square knot. The carabiner or snap link is then snapped over the rope just below your belly button and the rapelling rope goes through, around and back through the snap link.
Click to expand...

You missed a step Vern.

Before tying it off you need to do a deep knee bend while yanking up on the ends. This simultaniously gives you a wedgie, the male version of camel toe, & cuts off circulation to your legs :what: . However it does tighten up the harness quite a bit & makes it much more secure for you.

Ah memories :evil: .
 
You missed a step Vern.

Before tying it off you need to do a deep knee bend while yanking up on the ends. This simultaniously gives you a wedgie, the male version of camel toe, & cuts off circulation to your legs . However it does tighten up the harness quite a bit & makes it much more secure for you.
Click to expand...

Also, remember to carry your OWN locking carabiner. The Army issue ones can be put on backward.
 
Safety line for SPIE rigging and river crossings, ridge pole for poncho shelter, the list goes on and on.

Also good for a buddy line for night amphib work. Nothing worse than getting separated in the surf zone or finding yourself alone a klick offshore. :uhoh:
 
"...the list goes on and on..." Yep, you have no idea how handy a length of rope can be until you don't have one.
 
Army rangers in WWII used a 12' section of rope with a loop on each end, loops were made by seperating the rope strands and weaving them back into the rope about 10" down from each end. They wrapped them around their waist for easy acccess, when needed they would loop one end around the T handle of their E tool and the other around the top of the blade. This was an instaneous ladder wth foot rests and hand holds. I don't remember 30 round magazines showing up in RVN until 71.

rk
 
Yep, you have no idea how handy a length of rope can be until you don't have one.
Click to expand...

550 cord, commo wire, 100 mile an' hour and a Leatherman tape can solve any problem. If it can't, an M16A2 can.

:D

I don't remember 30 round magazines showing up in RVN until 71.
Click to expand...

http://www.jouster.com/articles30m1/

Apparently McNamara thought 20 rd mags would be cost effective. :uhoh:

While no evidence supports my theory, perhaps he believed "No one NEEDS 30 rounds to hunt a deer, err NVA!" :neener:

My last Sarge was a Vietnam vet. He says he still thanks God that his unit wasn't issued M16's until after he finished his tour. Good Sarge. Between him and the Major, they made sure I fired at least 5k rds per week. He, hopefully jokingly, told me not to come back from rifle qual with less than a 40 out of 40 "or else". I got 39, and blamed the missed 300m on "wind changed on me!". He let it slide. (I yanked the trigger, and I knew it as soon as I fired.)
 
Apparently McNamara thought 20 rd mags would be cost effective.
Click to expand...

An amusing side note. Kalashnikov blamed Stoner for the USSR changing his original AK-47 design to the 5.45X39 (AK-74) and Stoner blamed Kalashnikov for the US replacing his original 20-round magazine with 30 rounders.
 
An amusing side note. Kalashnikov blamed Stoner for the USSR changing his original AK-47 design to the 5.45X39 (AK-74) and Stoner blamed Kalashnikov for the US replacing his original 20-round magazine with 30 rounders.
Click to expand...

Bit OT, but who do you think would win in a celebrity death match? Kalashnikov or Stoner? In their prime, I mean. I'd place odds on Kalashnikov, personally.
 
You missed a step Vern.

Before tying it off you need to do a deep knee bend while yanking up on the ends. This simultaniously gives you a wedgie, the male version of camel toe, & cuts off circulation to your legs . However it does tighten up the harness quite a bit & makes it much more secure for you.

Ah memories .
Click to expand...
One more step to keep the seat from loosening or shifting, when you go through your crotch, come up to your waist and stick a loop of rope up through the rope around your waist, put the running end through the loop and cinch it down. Then tie the two ends together in a square knot, just not in the exact center. Your biner goes through both ropes.
 
Bit OT, but who do you think would win in a celebrity death match? Kalashnikov or Stoner? In their prime, I mean. I'd place odds on Kalashnikov, personally.
Click to expand...

A lot of people on our side would be shooting at Stoner -- especially those who got the first M16s used in combat.
 
Yep, you have no idea how handy a length of rope can be until you don't have one.
Click to expand...

"Name one thing you're going to need the stupid rope for, huh ?"
-Boondock Saints.

Funny, funny scene.
-K
 
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