Hydration and warfare

[John Kettler]

While troops with CamelBaks are common sights on the news in broadcasts from Iraq and Afghanistan, I think it might be interesting to take a peek at how we got there. Certainly, it's been well reported in INFANTRY magazine and elsewhere that the U.S. practice of forced watering (not merely drinking when thirsty) was learned from the Israelis, as is the unfortunate for the squad leader task of watching the troops pee, monitoring both urine color and viscosity to make sure water intake's adequate.

By a fluke, though, the other night I learned the back story in a History Channel Battlefield Detectives episode on the Six-Day War, but missed the first minute or so.

In the 1948 and 1957 wars, the IDF suffered terribly in desert ops, with water rations of a liter per man per day. Determined to definitively understand the physiology of marching combat loaded troops through the desert in summer, in 1959 the Israelis selected a group of young, fit soldiers and assigned the men the task of marching the length of Israel. Hourly breaks were taken, doctors watched carefully for sunstroke and heatstroke, but it rapidly became apparent that the water ration simply wasn't sufficient to keep men going in the blazing sands of the Negev. After further study, it was determined that water loss from sweating was so severe that the ration was upped to a liter per man per hour, a factor of 24 increase! Interesting thing happened, though.

Once properly hydrated and kept that way, the men not only completed the prescribed whole country march but dumbfounded doctors and military officials alike by saying they were ready to keep going!

When war came in 1967, the Israelis had completely replaced their old system with the new one, and consequently, had, if I remember correctly, no heat related casualties, whereas the Egyptians, by their own admission in on camera interviews, suffered thousands of fatalities, by Israeli estimate maybe 10,000 fatalities, from dehydration, in part because the Israelis shattered the retreating Egyptian columns, first with airpower, then ground attack in some cases.

The Egyptian troops had a liter of water per man

per day, if supply wasn't interrupted.

The program covered lots of other fascinating aspects, but it seems to me that the hydration issue alone may go a long way toward explaining

how the Israeli ground attack could succeed at against 3:1 odds, and it sure gave me a whole new level of awareness as to how big a force multiplier hydration can be for units already acclimated to a desert environment, let alone those from more temperate climes.

Regards,

John Kettler

[aka_tom_w]

but it rapidly became apparent that the water ration simply wasn't sufficient to keep men going in the blazing sands of the Negev. After further study, it was determined that water loss from sweating was so severe that the ration was upped to a liter per man per hour, a factor of 24 increase! Interesting thing happened, though.

Once properly hydrated and kept that way, the men not only completed the prescribed whole country march but dumbfounded doctors and military officials alike by saying they were ready to keep going!

WOW!

In the desert that is A LOT of water to supply/provide in the logistics chain.

1 litre per hour, per man!

"drink up! the world's about to end!"

-tom w

[John D Salt]

Originally posted by John Kettler:

[big snips]

The program covered lots of other fascinating aspects, but it seems to me that the hydration issue alone may go a long way toward explaining

how the Israeli ground attack could succeed at against 3:1 odds, and it sure gave me a whole new level of awareness as to how big a force multiplier hydration can be for units already acclimated to a desert environment, let alone those from more temperate climes.

The following is a passage from page 192 of "The Imperial War Museum Book of the Desert War 1940-1942" (Adrian Gilbert, Book Club Associates, 1992), citing Ralph Bagnold, the founder of the LRDG:

"We had a water ration of three pints in winter and four in summer. It was really enough if one was careful and lived at the bottom of one's spare gallon of water, instead of at the top like most people. Everybody has a spare gallon of water in their bodies. Most people in hot weather want to drink and they overdrink. They perspire freely and waste water which does no good and doesn't cool you at all. But if you keep to the bottom of the spare gallon your perspiration only moistens the skin to provide evaporation and cooling. If you don't sweat so much you don't lose salt. We had no trouble with lack of salt whereas on the coast they did."

If the LRDG made do on a ration of three to four pints (1.7 to 2.3 litres), then it seems clear to me that one litre is inadequate, and I find it hard to imagine how anyone ever thought it a sufficient ration. 24 litres, however, seems to me to be a lot of work for the loggies (and the Engineers if they have to provide water points).

I think it was SPI's "Campaign for North Africa" that included logisitics rules covering water supply, and had a penalty for Italian units because their rations required more water to cook (lots of pasta). I think this factor also accounts for the high incidence of surrenders rather than fights-to-the-death in mobile desert warfare; once you are out of water, there really is not a lot you can do about anything. I further suspect that this fact has contributed somewhat to the unjustified reputation of the Italians as invariably poor soldiers.

I also suspect that the British Army's habit of tea-drinking must have stood it in good stead in the desert, as hot drinks have a longer-lasting cooling effect on the body than chilled ones.

All the best,

John.

[Michael Emrys]

JDS,

It's my impression that the LRDG was riding most of the time rather than marching as the men in the Israeli experiment. Of course, there are tales of men having their vehicles shot out from under them and walking scores of miles back to their own lines with minimum water. In those cases though, I think they holed up during the day in whatever shade they could find and walked during the night. All that said, I'd still agree that 24 liters/day is a LOT.

Michael

[oren_m]

I remember the forced drinking stops during medium walks (up to 25 Km), the squad commanders order you to eampty your 750 ml. canteen, and when you eampty it you get a refill for the next stop.

In the 2'nd stop it's the time for the weak stomach guys to puke their guts out, which is very funny!!

Later in the service, one of the most important things to check in the tank is the water supply, you check it on a daily basis, you must check all the jericans and the inner water tank.

Oren_m

[John Kettler]

Very interesting stuff! During the 1960s when I lived in Glendale, Arizona, where it can get as hot as 120 F. in the summer, I took a civilian (was just a kid) desert survival course through the Arizona Fish & Wildlife Service. Back then, the manual called for a gallon per man per day in desert conditions--still way short of the revamped Israeli hydration standards.

As for rationing sweat, I totally concur. In hot, dry climates, it's simply crazy when water constrained to run around in shorts and a tee shirt, for doing so merely accelerates sweat loss.

That's why, brush and thorn protection aside, old time cowboys wore stout long sleeve shirts, wide Stetsons and bandanas, in addition to the obvious heavy duty long pants, chaps, and boots. Nor is it any accident that the Arabs developed their characteristic robes and headgear.

They both act to limit direct solar heating of the body, especially the critical and temperature sensitive brain, the dead air layers form insulation, and the whole ensemble limits water loss via sweating.

Regards,

John Kettler

[Bonxa]

How about frozen conditions? You tend to breath out a lot of water into the dry air then. Any studies regarding optimal water consumption in arctic conditions?

[Drusus]

I don't think water consumption is a big problem in arctic conditions, except for that keeping the water from freezing is critical. Bigger problem IMHO is that when you do things (like move fast or dig a fox hole) you tend to get hot. And when you start waiting for something to happen you will get cold fast. The problem is that you need vastly different clothing for different situations. When on the move the right equipment is wind stopping but else light (I usually had only the normal summer jacket + t-shirt + sharpnel west) but if you stop for a pause with this equipment you will turn cold _fast_. On the other hand I had something like 5 layers of clothing when doing the usual guarding stuff. Actually the most I had was something like t-shirt, long shirt, another thick long shirt, jacket, sharpnel west and "sissitakki" which is a thick coat which Finnish troops always carry with them for the purpose of having something warm when waiting. On some of our drills some idiot had the 5 layers of clothing when we were on a 10km walk. Should be easy for anybody, but because of too much clothing he passed out! And it was way below zero. In hot conditions it is essential to watch that your men drink enough, in cold conditions it is essential to make sure they have the right clothing for the situation.

But still I like much more weathers of -10 C to even -20 C than around zero. When you get your clothing and equipment wet in the field you won't get them dry. And this makes you feel cold plus adds almoust 10kg to your total weight. The "battle belt" is unbelievably heavy when it is thoroughly wet as is the sharpnel west. Ofcourse the nicest weather is around 15 C, but the trainers seem to think the ideal is somewhere around "when hell freezes"

[SgtMuhammed]

Water consumption is very important in cold conditions mainly because troops tend not to drink when they are cold. This leads to problems not because of water loss as in hot weather but from lack of intake.

I hated manuevering in the cold. I am a heavy sweater and so normal infantry stuff would leave me damp. I dreaded the inevitable, "Point, hold up a minute." Meaning the Lt thought we were lost. I would have to freeze for several minutes before the Lt. convinced himself that I really did know where I was going.

Hydration is always a major factor in any operation in any weather and extreems only make it worse. One thing I had to remember was to follow my own orders and keep myself hydrated. It is easy to forget when you get busy worrying about everyone else. The Camelback is the greatest piece of gear I ever had. Once I got one I never had trouble staying hydrated.

[Michael Emrys]

Originally posted by Drusus:

Bigger problem IMHO is that when you do things (like move fast or dig a fox hole) you tend to get hot. And when you start waiting for something to happen you will get cold fast. The problem is that you need vastly different clothing for different situations. When on the move the right equipment is wind stopping but else light (I usually had only the normal summer jacket + t-shirt + sharpnel west) but if you stop for a pause with this equipment you will turn cold _fast_.

Polypropylene underwear and a Goretex (or equivalent) outer shell are your friends. The Goretex blocks wind and rain (or in your case, slush) but allows water vapor to pass out rather than collecting next to your body. The polypro wicks moisture away from your skin and retains its insulating properties well.

Most natural fibers, especially cotton, should be avoided. Cotton soaks up moisture like a sponge and retains it forever, causing its insulating value to drop to practically nil.

[Added] The only problem with Goretex is that it tends to be noisy. I understand some more recent materials based on the same principle are quieter, but I have no experience with them.

Michael

[Michael Dorosh]

Originally posted by sgtgoody (esq):

Water consumption is very important in cold conditions mainly because troops tend not to drink when they are cold. This leads to problems not because of water loss as in hot weather but from lack of intake.

My big problem has always been my feet. Not sure why, even in temperate weather my feet always freeze. We have new "sock systems" with inners and outers - haven't tried gore-tex socks yet, though Emrys is correct about that as far as feet go too from what I hear. The old "sock system" I utilized consisted of cotton sport socks and wool outers, which is the absolutely wrong thing to wear.

We now have boots with gore-tex linings that seem to work much better than the old black cadillacs.

I went out and bought hunting socks; thought the D Cell batteries would feel heavy but they were okay - it was the expense that bugged me.

[ January 30, 2006, 10:24 AM: Message edited by: Michael Dorosh ]

[SgtMuhammed]

The Danner boots were my second favorite piece of kit. The best socks I found were the Thorlo brand but no socks help if your feet get wet and my Danners only got wet during an unexpected water crossing.

I do know an unfortunate few who can't seem to keep their feet warm even with a fire. Sorry to hear you are one. Few things feel better than cozy warm feet.

[Drusus]

Well, I bought some underwear meant to keep you warm and used them during the last cold months of my service. While it helped the problem is still the same. For example I was in mortar platoon, so if we happened to advance on foot during the shooting (luckily this is usually avoided) we had to first walk around with our "light" 81mm mortar and then run to the firing positions. Then we sit there for 30 minutes and do practically nothing. And this is nice during summer. During winter you are absolutely freezing. First you sweat and you have problems with overtemperature, then when you stop you are freezing.

The biggest problem is feet and hands. Actually for me the biggest problem was writing. It is really slow to write when you don't feel much with your hands due to the coldness and at the same time you try to write as fast as possible to get your mittens back on. As a platoon leader I had to write a lot of stuff. The other problem is feet, they get easily wet, and after that it doesn't matter how high tech clothes you have. We usually carried a lot of replacement socks with us if we knew we were going to walk long distances. And you keep your water under your clothes to keep it warm. These are little things that make your life easier during the cold winter days.

[cassh]

When infantry training in Oman we had about 8-10 litres a day plus either a dextrasol (spelling?) tablet or a tablespoon of sugar and a teaspoon of salt to replace electrolytes. I think they all use supplemental isotonic drinks nowadays?

As Michael Emrys says in cold climates infantrymen want high-wicking under clothes and breathable waterproof outerwear, with as many or as few layers in between (preferably with no natural fibres which hold moisture). This keeps you both dryer and warmer. You have to work at it though. As the old army saying goes (excuse my French) "Any c*&$ can be uncomfortable!"

Dehydration in cold climates is all too common, and brewing up becomes vital as no bugger will drink anything else. Hot chocolate and soup although leaving your cup with a gack aftertaste do have the advantage of not being diuretic like tea or coffee.

[Michael Emrys]

Originally posted by Drusus:

First you sweat and you have problems with overtemperature, then when you stop you are freezing.

Ventilation is the only answer for that. I used to do a lot of walking in cold weather, and I sweat like a horse, so staying moderately cool and dry during activity so that I would stay warm during long inactive periods was important to me too. And like Dorosh, I too suffer from cold feet (and believe me, there isn't much that's more miserable than that). So, when I would start to feel myself warming up, I'd begin unzipping my jacket, even unbuttoning my shirt. I'd turn to face the wind and let it blow around inside my shirt for a few seconds and then proceed on my way. It didn't necessarily keep me perfectly dry, but it came close enough for me to stay as comfortable as I was going to get.

Again, synthetic fibers, like acrylics, are better at staying dry, but even they are sensative to how humid the air is. Dry air will carry away more moisture faster. In your situation, since we are discussion dehydration in this thread, that might not be entirely desireable. It wasn't a problem for me since I had plenty of liquids available to me all the time. But if you are having to carry your own and might not know where your next refill is coming from, retaining moisture might be a goal for you.

Michael

[MikeyD]

I recall something that I recently read in "Achilles in Vietnam" (HIGHLY recommended) that greatly surprised me. Of the many privations of grunts in the field a major one was Insufficient water. This was unexpected, considering we're talking jungles and rice paddies, but the murderously high humidity and gruelling marches through jungle terrain were awful to contend with. I think the book said the average soldier weigh in the field dropped to around 130 - or maybe less. There were anecdotes that exhausted soldiers would be glad to be fired-on simply for the excuse to drop to the ground for a moment's rest!

[John Kettler]

MikeyD,

The combination of high heat, high humidity and heavy workload is indeed murderous, for the body can't cool itself by evaporation the way it can in what're typically thought of as desert climes, so expends even more energy per unit of work done. As someone who spent years in South Carolina and Georgia, I know exactly what I'm talking about.

Try unloading a trailer load of old style color TVs, in Atlanta, Georgia, in midsummer, if you doubt me. SE Asia's even worse than that.

It takes time to acclimate, and it's no accident that both the VC and the NVA, who were indigenous, went about in very light kit. This was not only mobility enhancing vs. the U.S. troops but energy and water saving, too. Meanwhile, the GIs, once inserted, slogged through the jungle weighted down by enormous packs, which only made their already tough situation that much worse in the already enervating heat and humidity, never mind difficult terrain and under fire!

Regards,

John Kettler

[konstantine]

I think I read somewhere that Gatorade, the hydration king got a big boost by sponsoring the Packers way back when, but I can't find any info on it.

Anyway, Camelbaks on troopers is fundamental to operating in a desert environment--it's cycling technology adapted by the military: instant access to a decent and transportable amount of potable water, or preferably water with sugar a dash of salt and electrolytes.

In response to another post: soft shells can quietly do the job of gore tex in many environments: for example:

rundown of soft shell tech

[ February 02, 2006, 01:36 AM: Message edited by: Preserved Killick ]

[Splinty]

For our first couple of weeks in Kuwait prior to moving north to Baghdad, we were putting away at least 10 liters of water per day per soldier. Everyone was writing home and begging relatives to send us powdered Gatorade. The small PX trailer available to us at Camp Virginia would sell out in minutes, the few times they got it on the shelf. I have a picture of the thermometer we had hanging in our tent, the outside temprature was 155 degrees! Literally hot enough to fry an egg, I know because we cooked one on a HMWWV hood. The egg eas kind of runny but it was cooked.

[John Kettler]

Drusus,

Viktor Suvorov (Vladimir Rezun) did a grueling gig as accompanying field inspector with the Spetsnaz before he became a GRU field officer. His book, SPETSNAZ, has some deep insights about how the then Soviets dealt with cold weather gear for SpecOps and why. Believe you'll find much of interest there.

Regards,

John Kettler