# Cold War Memories



## vonGarvin

Over 20 years ago, the Wall fell, and very quickly, our world changed.  It went from an armed camp in Europe where ethnic divisions were suppressed to one where those divisions rose to civil unrest and war.  
How do you remember the Cold War?  Many of our newest soldiers have no living memory of that time, yet many of our more senior members do.  What are your stories?

Here's my first taste of the Cold War as I remember it.  It was 1971, and I remember the year because I was in Kingergarten.  I was living in Belleville, Ontario, and there was an air raid siren around the corner from our house.  It malfunctioned quite often, in that it would sound for no reason.  I had no clue what it really meant, but when it went off, and especially if we were playing guns, then we would often jump in the ditched to avoid getting strafed by the enemy fighters that we assumed were mere moments away from hitting us.  I mean, they were coming after us individually, no?  Anyway, years later, my mother would confide in me that every time that thing went off, her heart skipped a beat and she felt as though she were punched in the stomach.


Later, in 1982, I had just arrived in Seelbach, Germany, as a 15 year old exchange student.  One lazy August afternoon, as I was listening to CFRN Lahr, the music stopped and there were announcements in English, French and Germany, announcing a "Snowball Alert".  I didn't really know what it meant, but I did hear them recalling all CF members to duty.  I shrugged my shoulders and went on reading.  Minutes later, I heard the very distinct warbling of an Air Raid Siren.  I think I felt that same nausea that my mother had once described to me.  First, the local CF members were recalled, and now there was that sound.  Combine this with the constant (and distinctive) whine of the CF 104s flying over head, well, I expected some Soviet Bombers to be heading our way.  I went downstairs to the living area, and my host family was sitting there, calmly reading, doing dishes, etc.  They asked me what the problem was, noting the fear in my face.  "Oh, that's just the call for the volunteer fire brigade.  When Herr Himmelsbach next door heads out, then you know it's not a drill, and he just left."  I asked about the snowball alert, and they smiled and said that they happened quite often.  Much relieved, I headed back to my room, confident that the Soviet Air Force had elected to remain within the confines of the Czechoslovakian Soviet Socialist Republic....for now.


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## chrisf

I was 7 when the soviet union collapsed, though I still remember soviet trawlers in port, particularly shortly before the collapse, as they were selling everything not nailed on, followed by everything they could pry loose...


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## armyvern

Technoviking said:
			
		

> ...
> "Oh, that's just the call for the volunteer fire brigade.  When Herr Himmelsbach next door heads out, then you know it's not a drill, and he just left."  ...



Herr Himmelsbach, as in The Herr Himmelsbach who worked in the Lahr Caserne?? Old German War Vet with severly ruined feet and legs from his days occupying Russia?? If so, he worked with my mom. We used to visit his place once a month circa 78-83 bringing he and his family real butter (it was rationned) out of the LX. His wife made the most awesome jagerschnitzel. I still use her spaetzle recipe to this day. Their daughter's name was also Veronika. If so, small world.

"Snowball, snowball, snowball - all Canadian Armed Forces personnel are to report to their place of duty immediately. Repeat: Snowball, snowball, snowball ..." the loudspeaker in our area (Langenwinkle) was mounted on our building ... right above MY bedroom window.  :-\


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## NavyShooter

I'm just a bit too late to remember the Cold War.  I passed through grade 13 in 1992, and off to Cornwallis that fall.

That said, everyone I worked with in those early years was very used to the Bear Menace.  

I remember there being an air-raid siren by the sports field across the street from my parent's house.  It never went off, it was Ottawa....heaven forbid you disrupt the serenity there.

Though, I do recall one day seeing something really really cool.  Two or three Hercs flew by, South of Ottawa, West of the airport (Nepean area-ish) and spit out a big pile of paratroopers.  I stood in awe.  

I'm not a cold warrior, alas.  

NS


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## vonGarvin

ArmyVern said:
			
		

> Herr Himmelsbach, as in The Herr Himmelsbach who worked in the Lahr Caserne?? Old German War Vet with severly ruined feet and legs from his days occupying Russia?? If so, he worked with my mom. We used to visit his place once a month circa 78-83 bringing he and his family real butter (it was rationned) out of the LX. His wife made the most awesome jagerschnitzel. I still use her spaetzle recipe to this day. Their daughter's name was also Veronika. If so, small world.
> 
> "Snowball, snowball, snowball - all Canadian Armed Forces personnel are to report to their place of duty immediately. Repeat: Snowball, snowball, snowball ..." the loudspeaker in our area (Langenwinkle) was mounted on our building ... right above MY bedroom window.  :-\


Actually, in Seelbach, Himmelsbach was one of three or four family names that made up the phone book, but this guy was too young to be a WW2 Vet.

But, if you have a Spätlze recipe from a German from Lahr.......next time I'm near Kingston, I'm hitting you up for some.  I haven't had real Spätzle in YEARS.  I have had that "Spazzel" (as they mis-pronounce it here), but it's nothing like the real deal.


EDIT TO ADD: "Spätzle" is pronounced "Shpetzlee"  ;D


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## George Wallace

One of the German butchers (the one with all the daughters) at the Fredericton Farmers Market runs a German chalet style restaurant outside of Sussex.  You need to get directions as it is out in the back roads.  Was there once and it was excellent.  Then there is also that restaurant outside Woodstock, but you really have to book in advance to eat there (very popular with cross border visitors).


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## mariomike

When we worked for Commissioner ( Mr. ) Pollard ( he was a retired CDN army colonel ) they used to send us to  one of the four stations in Metro ( always around 0400 hrs ) that housed the Casualty Collection Units CCU's. They were portable hospital tents and morgues, each loaded into a truck. All we had to do was check that they were secure, do a vehicle inspection, and then drive a circuit ( 401-DVP-Gardiner-427 ) just to give them a run. So the engines did not seize up. Your partner followed in the ambulance. Park it and wash it.
In 1976 Federal funding for Metro Emergency Measures Organisation stopped. No more EMO. The CCU's disappeared. I guess they figured there would not be enough survivors to drive them?
That is about all I had to do for the Cold War.


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## armyvern

Technoviking said:
			
		

> ...
> But, if you have a Spätlze recipe from a German from Lahr.......next time I'm near Kingston, I'm hitting you up for some.  I haven't had real Spätzle in YEARS.  I have had that "Spazzel" (as they mis-pronounce it here), but it's nothing like the real deal.



Done. 

Zigeuner-Schnitzel, spaetzle and wurst salad. With beer.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmm


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## 54/102 CEF

1960s - teacher crying during the Cuban Missile Crisis

1973 - Glorious 5 month callout with 4 Fd Sqn Lahr - much field time - much convoy time - who are those guys in Maroon Beret's? (3 Mech Cdo) - paper thin NBC suits - track vibration still rings in my ears - Napalm drops in Hohenfels, live Mine trg against old French tank targets - bridging like the last man out of Stalingrad - 104 engines (what the F is that?) warming up - bugs in the barracks near the MP/Fd Amb unit - Canex Rum Ration

Mid 80s - Umpires coming back saying 4 Bde had gone to the dogs


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## Kat Stevens

54/102 CEF said:
			
		

> Mid 80s - Umpires coming back saying 4 Bde had gone to the dogs



They would have been wrong.


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## armyvern

George Wallace said:
			
		

> One of the German butchers (the one with all the daughters) at the Fredericton Farmers Market runs a German chalet style restaurant outside of Sussex.  You need to get directions as it is out in the back roads. ...



Have eaten there many times; delicious!!  Gasthof Old Bavarian.  Edited to add: Knightsville Road outside of Sussex.

The one in Woodstock is Heino's.


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## Fishbone Jones

I was on Centurions in 72-75. Everytime the alert went, it was real until we got stood down. We never knew. My wife had emergency cash, had her passport, and the town I lived in was 60 km from Basel, Switzerland. The Base was north, Basel was south. If I didn't come home for three days and there was panic in the streets, she knew which direction to head in.

For all the Snowballs I went through, there never seemed to be any direction for our families. If it had ever been real, we likely weren't coming back, but no one seemed to consider what our loved ones were supposed to do. There never was any direction on that, that we were aware of. My suggestion to her was to wait it out for a couple of days, head for Switzerland with our landlord, and get a flight home.


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## George Wallace

CFRN was my “Alarm Clock”.  They would usually end their broadcast day at around midnight and then the white noise would put me to sleep.  At 0600 hrs they would come back on the air with the National Anthem and it was time to rise and shine and head into work.  If there was a Snowball at zero dark thirty, then the Snowball music and announcement would wake me up and it would be time to rush into work.  

Very few people had telephones at home in those days as the Germans charged by the second when the handset was taken off the hanger.   The yellow telephone box was used by everyone, or they would use the phones at work or the Sally Ann.  Now everyone has a "Handy".

We also had people assigned as “Alerters” who would go around knocking on doors to raise the Canadian soldiers.  I only had an Alerter wake me a couple of times and sign his register as I got in the habit of leaving the radio on at all times tuned to CFRN.  They actually had some very excellent DJs on some of their shows.

One lesson I did learn and never forget from a Snowball was not to assemble my .50 Cal M2 HMG in the Wpns Locker and then carry it out to the vehicle.  I did that only once.  Next time I either made two trips, or had someone else carry parts and then assemble and mount the wpn on the veh.

I wish that I had been awake enough to record that Snowball message and some of that Gawd awful Snowball music (A War of the Worlds thing).  I wonder if anyone has a recording of it?


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## George Wallace

ArmyVern said:
			
		

> The one in Woodstock is Heino's.



Is that a name change?  It used to be John Gyles  



You're correct:

Just Googled it and it is John Gyles Motor Inn Ltd.: Heino's German Restaurant~ Woodstock


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## Northalbertan

Would love that spatzle recipe and if you could throw one in for the jaegershnitzel?
Attention all personel. Attention all personel.  Snowball, Snowball, snowball.
I remember it well.  Our Regimental Assembly Area was infested with these little white spiders, poisonous little things.
Somedays it got so bad you had to fix bayonets and run through the trees waving your rifle in front of your face to clear the spider webs.
We'd move out for three days and the yankee airforce would move in.


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## armyvern

George Wallace said:
			
		

> ...
> We also had people assigned as “Alerters” who would go around knocking on doors to raise the Canadian soldiers.  I only had an Alerter wake me a couple of times and sign his register as I got in the habit of leaving the radio on at all times tuned to CFRN.  They actually had some very excellent DJs on some of their shows.
> ...
> I wish that I had been awake enough to record that Snowball message and some of that Gawd awful Snowball music (A War of the Worlds thing).  I wonder if anyone has a recording of it?



Derek Quinn. Radio personality extraordinaire from my youth there; And, great friends of my mother and father. I used to love visiting his house - or he ours -- especially New Years Eve & you just knew there'd be awesome music happening. I last saw him a couple years after he & his wife (BJ) attended my wedding, but if anyone I know has a copy of that Snowball Alert ... it would be him.

I see (by googling) that he's now a big-wig at RCI and an international diplomacy consultant. Perhaps, I'll send him an email to reaquint & see if he still has all those old reel to reel recordings we used to have a blast with.


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## Jammer

I spent my formative years in Lahr (74-78).  I remember Dad going into work at some ridiculous hour when we lived in a small town called Dorlinbach, and then seeing masses of vehicles (and my dad) rolling through several hours later. I always looked forward to getting that cool Tonka Toy every time he came home, usually seven weeks later.
When we moved into Lahr we always went into the Sally Ann downtown, and the Globe theater afterwards. Sundays was usually a trip to the Rod and Gun Club...dad so he could have a few beers...me so I could hang out near the runway.
I miss those days, especially the school trips that would take us all over Europe and going to Europapark!


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## OldTanker

First Cold War memory? Air raid (?) drills in First Avenue School in Ottawa, circa 1960. Going into the basement and sitting on the floor. I'm not quite sure what that was supposed to do but we did it anyways. And lots more memories over the years.


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## Northern Ranger

Lahr 1987- 1992  1 RCHA.  Best part part of my time in the forces.  Challenging exercises, great friends, great parties and I must say that the high calibre of  Snr NCO's and their leadership style had a great impact on me, and the way they treated me is the way I have tried to treat any of my subordinates.

I like to think of the cold war as the war that ,    we knew who the enemy was, we knew that they would come, but they never did.

Like I said best 5 years of my time with the CF, and the only war I was part of that we won


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## Spanky

Was in Lahr in '78 as a part of a fly-over troop attached to the RCD.  After seeing bases in Canada with nice white buildings with green trim etc, and flying into Lahr with the dull green buildings, bunkers, wire etc was sobering.... but only until we hit Gasthof Greif.


Wurst Salad!  That was awesome.


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## George Wallace

Army Group sized Exercises that covered all of Germany.  Driving tanks up the autobahn in the middle of the night.  Parking in people's driveways and camming up.  OPs in barns and towers.   Having a "real" enemy.  Tank Trains.  Convoys on the Autobahn.  Fast Air skimming the treetops.  A-10s circling like vultures.  Americans having no Voice Discipline on their Nets.


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## vonGarvin

Spanky said:
			
		

> Was in Lahr in '78 as a part of a fly-over troop attached to the RCD.  After seeing bases in Canada with nice white buildings with green trim etc, and *flying into Lahr with the dull green buildings, bunkers, wire etc was sobering*....


Funny you mention that.  I noticed that too when I first flew into Lahr in August, 1982.


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## George Wallace

Technoviking said:
			
		

> Funny you mention that.  I noticed that too when I first flew into Lahr in August, 1982.



Around 1994, some brainiac in the Coriano Club Mess Committee had the main lounge painted in that colour of green..........Brought back memories..........Flashbacks.   Not exactly the best colour for the Mess though.


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## wildman0101

Snowball,Snowball,Snowball. You treated it as actual. Considering we had the Warsaw pact
sitting right in front of us. Poland,Checslovakia,Hugary,Romania,Comunist East Germany,
Sheesh,,,, then if we survived that onslaught, F/n Russian troop's coming right on thier 
heel's,,,,,,I remember waking to a call of nature one morning 0200 hrs dark-time and 
heard Snowball,,Snowball,Snowball.... And my heart jumping up my throat. Then again 
Scoty B
P.S. The first thing Sgt Cheeseman taught me,,,
Allways be prepared for the un-exspected .
Because if you dont your dead.
Jim was a proud member of the Fort Garry Horse. and he knew his S@@@!


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## Occam

Technoviking said:
			
		

> But, if you have a Spätlze recipe from a German from Lahr.......next time I'm near Kingston, I'm hitting you up for some.  I haven't had real Spätzle in YEARS.  I have had that "Spazzel" (as they mis-pronounce it here), but it's nothing like the real deal.
> 
> 
> EDIT TO ADD: "Spätzle" is pronounced "Shpetzlee"  ;D



I worked at a German restaurant during my teen years, and spent my Saturday afternoons making spätzle (pronounced "shpetzluh" by the owner) for the week.  If you want the recipe, here you go:

5 flats of eggs
~16 cups of flour (adjust for texture)
1/4 cup salt (to taste)

Mix all ingredients and knead by hand until thoroughly mixed.  Put dough through a spätzle press into boiling water.  Skim off spatzle when it floats to surface.  Drain and serve.

Sorry about the quantity....it's the only batch size I ever made.   ;D

It's really good exercise for the pecs, although you'd never know it by looking at me now...


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## armyvern

Occam said:
			
		

> I worked at a German restaurant during my teen years, and spent my Saturday afternoons making spätzle (pronounced "shpetzluh" by the owner) for the week.  If you want the recipe, here you go:
> 
> 5 flats of eggs
> ~16 cups of flour (adjust for texture)
> 1/4 cup salt (to taste)
> 
> Mix all ingredients and knead by hand until thoroughly mixed.  Put dough through a spätzle press into boiling water.  Skim off spatzle when it floats to surface.  Drain and serve.
> 
> Sorry about the quantity....it's the only batch size I ever made.   ;D
> 
> It's really good exercise for the pecs, although you'd never know it by looking at me now...



Holy crap!! That is enough to feed a Cold war Army!!  ;D


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## wildman0101

ocht spatzle .... das vas sahr goot. Danke mein fruend..
Salute.


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## Occam

Memories of the Cold War: 

Tearing a flash message off the Mod 28 and flashing up a transmitter and receiver to "phone home"...

Fighting over the "Big Eyes" to look at a Sovremenny or Krivak in the distance during a Northern Wedding.


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## Occam

ArmyVern said:
			
		

> Holy crap!! That is enough to feed a Cold war Army!!  ;D



A week's worth for a very popular restaurant, anyways.  It does keep well!   ;D


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## daftandbarmy

Defending nuclear cruise missiles (heavily armed with binoculars, radios and pick handles) at Greenham Common from rampaging lesbians so that the heavily armed US Air Force security troops protecting the former didn't gun down the latter, who were continually trying to break into the compounds so they could get shot by the former and make a point. Good thing that the RAF Regiment were always holding part of the perimeter 'cause they left us alone and always broke through there. I always thought of it as a little 'girl on girl' action.

Speaking of which, the only good part about that gig was watching them 'recreate' at night in their Blair-wirtch-project-like-tents, through our the triple apron barbed wire, using 2nd generation II scopes.  ;D


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## armyvern

daftandbarmy said:
			
		

> Speaking of which, the only good part about that gig was watching them 'recreate' at night in their Blair-wirtch-project-like-tents, through our the triple apron barbed wire, using 2nd generation II scopes.  ;D



Nothing beats free entertainment!! Too funny.


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## vonGarvin

Occam said:
			
		

> I worked at a German restaurant during my teen years, and spent my Saturday afternoons making spätzle (pronounced "shpetzluh" by the owner) for the week.  If you want the recipe, here you go:
> 
> 5 flats of eggs
> ~16 cups of flour (adjust for texture)
> 1/4 cup salt (to taste)
> 
> Mix all ingredients and knead by hand until thoroughly mixed.  Put dough through a spätzle press into boiling water.  Skim off spatzle when it floats to surface.  Drain and serve.
> 
> Sorry about the quantity....it's the only batch size I ever made.   ;D
> 
> It's really good exercise for the pecs, although you'd never know it by looking at me now...


Mmmmm.....


(WRT how to pronounce it, it's hard to type out how some sausage-eating _Allemanner _ would spurt out that word through an Alpirsbacher! ;D)

Another one for me.  This was in Canada ~1985 as a Private Soldier in The Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment on exercise.  The "enemy" force was always from the "1st Guards Tank Division", and they were Soviets, not "Fantasians" or "Granovians".


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## Old Sweat

Being (quite) a bit older, my first real impression of the Cold War was the look on my mother's face when word came that North Korea had invaded the South. Other memories include the Hungarian Revolution and its crushing by the Soviets, the launch of Sputnik, the space race with failed launch after failed launchv by NASA, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the assassination of JFK.

I then served in 4 CIBG 1964-1967 and can confirm we took it seriously. At that time the brigade had a strength of just over 6000, not including the 3rd and 4th line logistics organizations. We were to be employed as a brigade in 2nd British Division under nuclear conditions, so our training included nuclear and chemical defence and tactics as per Canadian Army Manual of Training 1-8, The Brigade Group in Battle, Part I - Tactics and Canadian Army Manual of Training 1-11, Part II - Administration. There also was a procedure in place to evacuate the dependents back to Canada, which was a real comfort to the troops. As a friend of mine put it, "we were expected to go off to battle, leaving our wives and kids in the hands of the DND teachers and the officers the COs did not want to take to war."

I won't get into the AMF(L) and the CAST Brigade, as that era is being covered by others. Suffice to say, I know my way around large hunks of North Norway.

p.s. Our version of Snowball was Quick Train.


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## mariomike

I remember a couple of stories told to me by one of our EMO guys back in the 1970's. Just after EMO ended. He said a false warning of an impending nuclear attack had been accidentally broadcast across the United States a few years before. Real "War of the Worlds" stuff. A technician at NORAD mistakenly broadcast the nuke message ( with a code word ), instead of the regular test message. 
I remember the test messages.  
He also mentioned that there was not a widespread panic, because it was not taken seriously by most stations, they stayed on the air, and there was also a mechanical failure of some kind to some news media networks. That it was sort of a good thing, in a way, because it exposed some weaknesses in both the US and Canada.
Apparently, it took them almost an hour to cancel the false alarm, while they hunted for the cancellation code word. 
He said that would be unlikely to happen in Canada, because the "no duff" message was kept under lock and key at North Bay ( or Ottawa? ). He also said that EMO - Canada could not broadcast a true attack warning between midnight and 0600 hrs., because most CBC stations would be shut down during those hours! 

The other story I heard was even more bizzare about a parachute club in Don Mills, in the 1960's, ready to "jump into action" in case they "dropped the big one", or some other disaster.


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## Spanky

Taking a Combat Int crse in '85 and coming to realize the size of the Warsaw Pact force facing NATO and thinking "Holy F***!  We're screwed!".  
I do miss the bratwurst with the hot mustard on a little paper plate and the fresh brochen(sp).  Went well with a litre of pilsner.


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## mariomike

Here we go. Bound to trigger some flashbacks memories. I remember NORAD tracking Santa Claus from the North Pole. Maybe they still do?

This is the test message:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YRHAro1iTE&feature=related

This is the false alarm. ( They interupted The Partridge Family! ):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yu4r79l8P8I

Edit to add:
Chicago:
"I was absolutely terrified. It was so authentic. I just knew we were at war and the President would come on and say what had happened.":
http://conelrad.blogspot.com/2010/09/code-word-hatefulness-great-ebs-scare.html

Groucho Marx offers A-Bomb survival tips:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h31xJhOP85c


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## Occam

mariomike said:
			
		

> Here we go. Bound to trigger some flashbacks memories. I remember NORAD tracking Santa Claus from the North Pole. Maybe they still do?



Hell, Santa and NORAD have been on the web for years...

http://www.noradsanta.org/


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## dangerboy

One of my memories is getting ready to go on my reserve Infantry course in the summer of 89 and the word came down that they were taking people for the fall ex.  I believe it was part of EX REFORGER (if not I am sure somebody on here will correct me ;D).  What they did was take the one platoon of unqualified soldiers and ran an Infantry course for them while the rest of us were in the other Pl doing an Infantry course also.  It was more or less the same as our course with the one exception, they had the new weapons (C7s & C9s) and they were trained on them and we were using the FNs.  While I could not care less about the C7, I liked the C1 the C9 was an object to be desired especially over the C2.  I was tempted to put my name in for the exercise but I was still in school and could not justify missing 2 months of school to train in Germany.  I thought there will be other exercises and I will just put my name in again.  I did not know at the time this would be one of the last chances if not the very last chance to deploy and Germany and receive some invaluable training.


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## George Wallace

1990 was the last big "Fall Ex" for 4 CMBG and 1 Can Div.  There was no REFORGER that year, as it was the new reunified Germany's first election.  Canada was the only nation to hold a "Fall Ex" that year.


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## vonGarvin

dangerboy said:
			
		

> One of my memories is getting ready to go on my reserve Infantry course in the summer of 89 and the word came down that they were taking people for the fall ex.  I believe it was part of EX REFORGER (if not I am sure somebody on here will correct me ;D).  What they did was take the one platoon of unqualified soldiers and ran an Infantry course for them while the rest of us were in the other Pl doing an Infantry course also.  It was more or less the same as our course with the one exception, they had the new weapons (C7s & C9s) and they were trained on them and we were using the FNs.  While I could not care less about the C7, I liked the C1 the C9 was an object to be desired especially over the C2.  I was tempted to put my name in for the exercise but I was still in school and could not justify missing 2 months of school to train in Germany.  I thought there will be other exercises and I will just put my name in again.  I did not know at the time this would be one of the last chances if not the very last chance to deploy and Germany and receive some invaluable training.


I was a section commander in that "other" platoon


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## Rifleman62

Some of the "funny" memories:

1. An excited mother yelling her son's name the the front entrance of Minto Armoury Winnipeg on a October Saturday morning at the start of the Cuban missile crisis.  
2. The role of the Militia was National Survival (meaning rescue). We were taught nuclear bomb effects, knots & lashings, how buildings collapse, how to rescue from buildings. Practice from the balconies/rafters of Minto. Pity the poor simulated casualty, tied to a stretcher, sometimes flipped upside down, being lowered and hoping the lashings hold. The Ponderosa ( 3 or 4 building training village with the different kinds of collapses) at Shilo. Black coveralls worn all the time over wool battledress. WWI helmets.
3. Being told, in the event of an attack, to RV at the armoury, where the 3/4 and 2 1/2 tons would be fired up, convoy to Portage la Prairie (50 miles West), and re-enter Winnipeg to rescue the citizens!  Cars were not common place; steetcars were = time to reach Minto, convoy, move, starting vehicles in the winter, etc. Not a hope in hell before the bomb hit.
4. Summer concentration in 1963. Units were allowed one day of Corp training after NS training. That one day, learning never go to ground on a forward slope. Brought "under fire" , looking back to see hundreds of black coveralls all on the slope.
5. 2 PPCLI, Germany 1968: never allowed, even in garrison, to roll up the sleeves of the combat uniform due to the possibility of "Flash" burns from the nuclear weapon! If you are that close, what about the blast, radiation effects? 

Bn practice, and 4 CMBG Quick Train. Germany being one armed camp. Autobahn, right lane, signed military traffic only. Bn parade, CF 104, screeching over the parade square, RSM (probably not flinching) also screeching "what are you looking at, eyes front). Night tank attack by the Brits against us, using white light. Absolute confusion. Sitting on a hill at dusk, meeting my Pl Comd for the first time. Capt Brophy asking if knew Barbara ______. He went to high school with her. Barbara was my sister! A young Maj Stewart, formally the Bde Maj, joining as Coy Comd. A fitness nut, he sure made sure we were in top shape. (I have had a couple of opportunities to reminisce those days with MGen Stewart. He remembers all the key Coy peoples names from that time). 

Not so funny was the Prague Summer. The married rats were brought into, and confined to camp (Fort MacLeod). The Quick Train was cancelled, fearing the German citizenry would panic. (I believe it was the law that the citizens were not allowed on the roads to flee the Soviet hordes, thus clogging the roads for military traffic). Every vehicle bombed up, live. We were only approx 500 km from the Czech border.

One of my new neighbours was drafted, of course, into the Hungarian Army. He had no idea what was going on, where he was going, but ended up there. 

The Cold War is over.


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## vonGarvin

Rifleman62 said:
			
		

> (I believe it was the law that the citizens were not allowed on the roads to flee the Soviet hordes, thus clogging the roads for military traffic).


I recall a briefing in ~1987 or so by an officer during one of our lectures.  Someone brought up "what about refugees on the roads?"  The officer replied that since it was law in Germany to remain at home in the event of hostilities, then there would be no refugee problem.  I suppose his faith in the German attitude of "Ordnung muß sein!" was a bit stronger than mine!


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## Blackadder1916

George Wallace said:
			
		

> 1990 was the last big "Fall Ex" for 4 CMBG and 1 Can Div.  There was no REFORGER that year, as it was the new reunified Germany's first election.  Canada was the only nation to hold a "Fall Ex" that year.



Not quite, we did have a FALLEX the following year as well, 1991.  However to be honest, it was less involved than in previous years, but the C2 elements from the rest of 1 Can Div did fly over for a CPX.  The arms units stayed mainly in the Hohenfels Training Area (HTA) and the other odds and sods played in the Requisitioned Manoeuvre Area (RMA).

In 1990, while there was no REFORGER, we weren't the only ones out in the RMA.  II (GE) Corps was also there, but there was not as much interaction as during the glory days.  When the German Unity Day (3 Oct) rolled around the bde/div fwd had already moved out of HTA and was in the RMA.  We had been instructed to keep a low profile during the day and after sundown all units had to be in a hide - and NOT in any villages.  We were specifically told to refrain from making any close recces of gasthaus .

I'm not sure if the Americans had deliberately not planned for REFORGER in 1990, but by that time their units in Germany were either on the way or gearing up to move to Saudi Arabia.  On the day that we moved out of Hohenfels, (while waiting to start the road move) the US medical company that took over the cantonment buildings we just vacated was commanded by a friend of mine (we had been on course in Texas earlier that year).  His division was doing work-ups before deploying down range; their move was scheduled to be the day after they completed 2 weeks in the HTA.  We, of course, were hoping that Canada would send 4 CMBG.


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## Old Sweat

Rifleman62 asked an intersting question:

_2 PPCLI, Germany 1968: never allowed, even in garrison, to roll up the sleeves of the combat uniform due to the possibility of "Flash" burns from the nuclear weapon! If you are that close, what about the blast, radiation effects?_ 

The answer is relatively simple in that casualty causing thermal effects from a tactical nuclear weapon outrange both blast and what was known as "militarily significant radiation." The latter is radiation which would kill or incapictate a soldier within a short period of time. If you escaped that you might die later from radiation, say in a matter of months, but in the meantime you were available to fight.


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## Blackadder1916

Old Sweat said:
			
		

> Rifleman62 asked an intersting question:
> 
> _2 PPCLI, Germany 1968: never allowed, even in garrison, to roll up the sleeves of the combat uniform due to the possibility of "Flash" burns from the nuclear weapon! If you are that close, what about the blast, radiation effects?_
> 
> The answer is relatively simple in that casualty causing thermal effects from a tactical nuclear weapon outrange both blast and what was known as "militarily significant radiation." The latter is radiation which would kill or incapictate a soldier within a short period of time. If you escaped that you might die later from radiation, say in a matter of months, but in the meantime you were available to fight.



The following is the article that concerned the doctrine for medical management of nuclear casualties.

CFP 313(1) Medical Services in the Field (dated 27 November 1970)


> 1307. PATIENT MANAGEMENT
> 
> 1.     First aid treatment of nuclear casualties will be described in art 309 of the basic reference.  *It must be emphasized that there is NO first aid for nuclear radiation injury, except for the simple management of vomiting, and that all casualties require medical attention*.
> 
> 2.     The immediate management of nuclear radiation patients will be based upon signs and symptoms indicated by the patient rather than on the basis of the supported dosage of radiation received.  Treatment and *evacuation of these patients will be based primarily on the priority of their associated burns and/or traumatic injuries*.  The interpretation of the medical significance of various levels of exposure to radioactive contamination is a function of the medical service.  The evacuation policy and maximum stay time permitted in a radioactive area are command decisions.
> 
> 3.     Patients suffering from acute radiation sickness for whom the decision to evacuate has been made should be sent directly to a definitive or special care facility.  It is obviously to the patient’s advantage not to travel too far or too long, but nothing will be gained by admitting him to any of the limited care facilities in the evacuation chain.
> 
> 4.     *Treatment of radiation sickness* presents a complex problem, and one that is beyond the scope of this manual.  The *basis for initial treatment is:
> 
> a.  steps to allay apprehension by cheerful and attentive nursing care;
> b.  the administration of anti-nauseants, analgesics and sedatives as required;
> c.  maintenance of body fluids by mouth, if possible, or by intravenous fluids; and*
> d.  the maintenance of strict asepsis and the use of antibiotics prophylatically as indicated.
> 
> 5.     It should be noted, in conclusion, that the manifestations of nuclear radiation injury are usually delayed.  *Apart from the comparatively few severe cases, who are really beyond help, symptoms will not appear for perhaps two weeks*.  The immediate problem is burns and trauma.



Our panniers for nuclear casualties had large quantities of anti-emetics and basic analgesics.  Probably the best explanation of the treatment regimen for radiation casualties that I heard as a young MA was “Give him Gravol and an aspirin, make him drink a canteen, give him a pat on the head and tell him he’s fine, then send him back to the line.”


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## Danjanou

dangerboy said:
			
		

> One of my memories is getting ready to go on my reserve Infantry course in the summer of 89 and the word came down that they were taking people for the fall ex.  I believe it was part of EX REFORGER (if not I am sure somebody on here will correct me ;D).  What they did was take the one platoon of unqualified soldiers and ran an Infantry course for them while the rest of us were in the other Pl doing an Infantry course also.  It was more or less the same as our course with the one exception, they had the new weapons (C7s & C9s) and they were trained on them and we were using the FNs.  While I could not care less about the C7, I liked the C1 the C9 was an object to be desired especially over the C2.  I was tempted to put my name in for the exercise but I was still in school and could not justify missing 2 months of school to train in Germany.  I thought there will be other exercises and I will just put my name in again.  I did not know at the time this would be one of the last chances if not the very last chance to deploy and Germany and receive some invaluable training.





			
				Technoviking said:
			
		

> I was a section commander in that "other" platoon



Fall 1989 one of my first duties as the newly minted CSM of a "Tronna Regiment" was to read the assesment of one of our summer 
newbies who had been in that "other" platoon. Damn thing read like a lost kit report for CENTAG. 8)

Reading it did bring back memories of my own youthful adventures in the land of brautwurst and beer a decade or so earlier. Said newbie must have learned a bit there I would imagine as he went on to a relatively lengthy career with several promotions according to the unit's Facebook page.


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## daftandbarmy

Old Sweat said:
			
		

> Rifleman62 asked an intersting question:
> 
> _2 PPCLI, Germany 1968: never allowed, even in garrison, to roll up the sleeves of the combat uniform due to the possibility of "Flash" burns from the nuclear weapon! If you are that close, what about the blast, radiation effects?_
> 
> The answer is relatively simple in that casualty causing thermal effects from a tactical nuclear weapon outrange both blast and what was known as "militarily significant radiation." The latter is radiation which would kill or incapictate a soldier within a short period of time. If you escaped that you might die later from radiation, say in a matter of months, but in the meantime you were available to fight.



Probably a moot point as the synthetic material would melt into your skin anyways. Unless you're SOOOO old that you were wearing the wool battledress!  ;D


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## armyvern

daftandbarmy said:
			
		

> Probably a moot point as the synthetic material would melt into your skin anyways. Unless you're SOOOO old that you were wearing the wool battledress!  ;D



This is why underwear of any type/sort should be BANNED according to Vern.  ;D


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## Fishbone Jones

daftandbarmy said:
			
		

> Probably a moot point as the synthetic material would melt into your skin anyways. Unless you're SOOOO old that you were wearing the wool battledress!  ;D



.......and that too, thank you very much. I still have two DT60\PDs. I was also recently at a show where a guy had a table full of CD V-742 Pocket Dosimeters. He was amazed when I showed him how they worked and how to zero them with the charger.  ;D He had bought them surplus and wasn't even sure what he was selling.


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## George Wallace

I wonder what my DT60 would read as if I had it read?   Hopefully not too much.


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## Rifleman62

ArmyVern: ... and topless into battle we will go. 

GAP probably went naked into battle.

daftandbarny: I still have my last set of battledress, as well as my black Fox putties thank-you very much.


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## George Wallace

Sitting in the back of a Queen Mary on late night radio watch and sentry listening to Radio Moscow on the 106 set.


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## armyvern

Rifleman62 said:
			
		

> ArmyVern: ... and topless into battle we will go.



Well, if the next big one hits the fan in Europe or Ontario ... that's all perfectly legal!!  ;D

Apparently, in a Muslim nation, it would just serve to cause earthquakes.  :-\


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## vonGarvin

ArmyVern said:
			
		

> Well, if the next big one hits the fan in Europe or Ontario ... that's all perfectly legal!!  ;D
> 
> Apparently, in a Muslim nation, it would just serve to cause earthquakes *BOOBquakes*.  :-\



There, fixed that for you!  ;D


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## daftandbarmy

Posted to Silberhutte as a cross country ski instructor and posing by the big fence in front of the sentry tower (East Germany, the Brocken) for a hero shot and being yelled at by the locals: 'Come back! For God's sake come back over the line!'. 

Geez, I guess those little red, yellow and black trail markers I passed were actually the border, eh?


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## Kat Stevens

Border tour to the Czech frontier, tossing green liquid grenades over the fence for the Godless heathen commie bastards.  Major shitstorm ensues, many laughs had over many beers back at Albertshof later.  Beer fuelled international incident?  Nah, never happen.


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## The Bread Guy

Bumped with an example of Russia's take on Cold War Memories ...


> *More than 60 Soviet people die in Cuba during Caribbean crisis - Defense Ministry*
> _The ministry posted on its website the information, according to which the losses made 64 people_
> TASS, September 09, 9:45 UTC+3
> 
> MOSCOW, September 9. /TASS/. The Russian Defense Ministry published data on the Soviet citizens, who died in Cuba during the Caribbean crisis - the acute confrontation between the Soviet Union and the U.S.
> 
> On Friday, the ministry posted on its website the information, according to which the losses made 64 people.
> 
> "The exact number of the Soviet military who died in the operation has not been published," the ministry said. "According to the Defense Ministry’s information between August 1, 1962 and August 16, 1964, in Cuba 64 Soviet citizens died."
> 
> 55 years earlier, on September 9, 1962, in a secret operation dubbed Anadyr the Soviet Union delivered to Cuba first ballistic missiles, and later on the USSR supplied the nuclear warheads for them. The operation in August-October 1962 was a response to deployment of the U.S. missiles in Turkey and Italy as well as to the threat of the U.S. military intervention in Cuba. The growth of the Soviet military presence in Cuba, which is only 200km from the U.S., caused the Caribbean crisis - a dramatic aggravation of the Soviet-American military and political relations in the Cold War, which put the world on the brink of a nuclear conflict between the two countries.
> 
> Soviet military, who participated in the Anadyr operation, were decorated with state awards.


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## RodneySmith

We were in 3 wing(RCAF Zweibruchen I believe)  from 1962 to 1966. I was born in March 1962 and we left Canada that June.

Forgive me if my memory is a bit weak, I was very young at the time.  I remember being told by my mom about the sound trucks that would go around late at night( we lived in the City about 20 miles from the base) . Every time the Soviet army in East Germany would go on exercises we went on full tactical alert.  
3 Wing had a quick response area and a fighter wing that stood on ready 5 alert for over 25 years.  To the best of my memory that wings task was to fly in front of US heavy bombers, headed east.  Both the fighter wings and the heavy bombers would be carrying nuclear weapons.  I was taught by my mom that when the sound trucks came blaring "Snowball"  my dad, then an RCAF Corporal and his crew had 10 minutes to report to work .  We were on the Audubon and one of each crew kept a porsche or similiar speed car in the driveway .  The crews would grab their go bags and pile into the cars. and floor it.  Maybe 10 minutes later the dependents buses would be around to take us family to the deep shelters.  It was a time my parents never forgot the terror of.  Thing is we were only 15 minutes missile flight time from the East Germans.  SO if they flinched we had to assume it was a real first strike and respond.   My parents had me as an infant and my 2 year old brother.  I thank God above that each time was just a false alarm.  If things had gone bad there is no way that Nato could have halted a Soviet aggression east of France.  We simply did not have the men/weaponry.


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## daftandbarmy

RodneySmith said:
			
		

> We were in 3 wing(RCAF Zweibruchen I believe)  from 1962 to 1966. I was born in March 1962 and we left Canada that June.
> 
> Forgive me if my memory is a bit weak, I was very young at the time.  I remember being told by my mom about the sound trucks that would go around late at night( we lived in the City about 20 miles from the base) . Every time the Soviet army in East Germany would go on exercises we went on full tactical alert.
> 3 Wing had a quick response area and a fighter wing that stood on ready 5 alert for over 25 years.  To the best of my memory that wings task was to fly in front of US heavy bombers, headed east.  Both the fighter wings and the heavy bombers would be carrying nuclear weapons.  I was taught by my mom that when the sound trucks came blaring "Snowball"  my dad, then an RCAF Corporal and his crew had 10 minutes to report to work .  We were on the Audubon and one of each crew kept a porsche or similiar speed car in the driveway .  The crews would grab their go bags and pile into the cars. and floor it.  Maybe 10 minutes later the dependents buses would be around to take us family to the deep shelters.  It was a time my parents never forgot the terror of.  Thing is we were only 15 minutes missile flight time from the East Germans.  SO if they flinched we had to assume it was a real first strike and respond.   My parents had me as an infant and my 2 year old brother.  I thank God above that each time was just a false alarm.  If things had gone bad there is no way that Nato could have halted a Soviet aggression east of France.  We simply did not have the men/weaponry.



More proof that every 'dependent' in Europe at that time deserves a friggin' SSM medal too, AFAIC  :nod:


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## RodneySmith

We truly felt like cannon fodder.  Unless the enemy delayed initial firing there is no way the dependents could make it even to the shelters. Not enough time.  Given a 15 minute launch to impact.  Add to that the shelters were WW2 surplus and no where near strong enough to survive a nuclear incident.   If we survived the plan was to load dependents onto Yukon or other transport aircraft and evacuate us via Spain.  It was felt that we could not safely be taken to England in an emergency so had to go from the Azores transatlantic to Halifax


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## AlDazz

The cold war to me is summarized by my service in 4 Brigade and our base at CFB Lahr. A real mission with our best equipment.  Post war history has confirmed that we were just a shell of an formation with no depth.  Even at our best our government  ensured that we would be finished after one battle.


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## drikols

I was 7 when the soviet union collapsed, though I still remember soviet trawlers in port, particularly shortly before the collapse, as they were selling everything not nailed on, followed by everything they could pry loose...


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## tomahawk6

My cold war experience was in Alaska with the 172d Inf Brigade Light. During heightened tensions in the Middle East our Brigade was put on a war footing. I was in an airborne company and we were loading up to deploy to Nome. At that time the brigade had 3 infantry battalions, an aviation battalion, 2 engineer companies, a FA battalion it was the largest seperate brigade in the Army. If the Russians came we would be a speed bump reliant on the USAF for air cover. Fortunately tensions eased and we returned to our base outside Anchorage. It wasnt our only time on alert status but it was the closest we came to a hot war in frozen Alaska.


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## RocketRichard

One of the last major Fallex’s was in 1990. Was given 48 hrs notice to head to West Germany (due to most of 5 Brigade in Oka). Twas a good go except for wearing full NBCD most of the time and moving the whole unit every few hours. The beer was good that’s for sure. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## daftandbarmy

The Parachute Regiment, being a non-mech unit, was tasked with 'Home Defence' in the UK if the Soviet balloon went up.

I found this desperately disappointing initially. I mean, images of Dad's Army' came to mind 'They don't like it up 'em!' was the battle cry.

Then I discovered what it was really all about, which included protecting key points, and helping the Rozzers round up sleeper agents .... who have apparently become even more of an issue than when the Berlin Wall was up:

https://www.businessinsider.com/illegals-of-directorate-s-russia-undercover-covert-sleeper-agents-2017-12


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