OPs of which there were Thousands > 자유게시판

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Tour equipment was geared firstly towards completing missions and secondly towards self-sufficiency. Inevitably the two were interdependent. There was no point going out into the DDR to undertake missions if you couldn't stay out there for up to six or seven days at. The range of conditions met and experiences to be dealt with over the years finely tuned the Mission's inventory. Temperatures ranged from a bone- numbing minus 30 degrees Centigrade and several feet of snow in winter to a sweltering plus 40 degrees and endless clouds of dust in summer. Targets varied from underground bunkers that required breaking into, to distant training-areas only visible with the greatest magnification. Eating and drinking was for the most. Ablutions were reduced to wet wipes. Shovel recces were carried out first thing or not at all. First aid included extensive training in dealing with trauma and accidents. First aid kits included morphine and plasma drips to cope with remote and difficult locations, a lack of two-way communications and slow or nil response from local emergency services.

The last thing we wanted in the event of an accident was be carted off to an East German or Soviet hospital, not for safety reasons but for the appalling variation in standards of medical care from those one might receive in the West. Self-sufficiency, together with the tools of the trade, were key. It all had to be transportable. Without doubt the most versatile, reliable and effective carrier was the Mercedes Gelandewagen. It was the platform from which we launched the vast majority of all our missions, the shell in which we carried everything we needed plus items that we brought back from Tommy finds and unexploded ordnance to armour plating and chemical samples. Moreover it was invariably the first and last word in escape. Second only to the cameras, the G-wagon made the job possible. Four-wheel or two-wheel drive option. Spare 90-litre fuel tank. Front mounted electric winch.

Stowed hand winch on trifor-jack. Average distance of 500 kilometres travelled per day. Used only in preference to the G-wagon where speed was of the essence, low-profile was essential or if all the other vehicles were out on tour. Quite often used for local tours of Potsdam. It appeared less aggressive and more like a formal flag-waving tour. Four-wheel or two-wheel drive option. 180-litre fuel capacity, daily glucose balance 1,300 kilometre range. Top speed in excess of 200 k.p.h. All vehicles were under-armoured to enhance cross-country capability. They were rewired to isolate lights, horn etc. or configure them to replicate East German vehicles. IR spots and extra beams were fitted. Colour schemes were all-over drab olive green to replicate Soviet and East German military vehicles. Nikon F3 Manual - three bodies and motor drives made from a Kevlar-based material for protection. 85-mm, 180-mm, 500-mm mirror and 1,000-mm mirror lenses. Doubler to extended focal length up to 2,000 mm.

Nikon F4 Automatic - one. This camera was trialled with an 85-150-mm telephoto lens. It wasn't approved because it negated calculations for mensuration without knowing the precise focal length. Mickey Mouse' - one, GlycoMode metabolic support usually AF 35-mm Canon. A point and press camera in emergency. Very useful for underground work or when in a tight spot, it could be operated almost within the palm of the hand unseen. The 400 ASA could be up-rated or 'pushed' to 6,400 ASA for aircraft or low-light work. Colour slide for presentation work if time and memory allowed! Film was the cheapest part of the operation and tourers carried what they thought would be necessary for their tour. Sometimes tours would return with two or three rolls, sometimes they would be conserving film after the first hundred rolls. Two spare packs of twenty 100 ASA and twenty 400 ASA were always carried at the bottom of the camera case for this eventuality. Film was stored in fridges back in Berlin to keep it as fresh as possible before use.