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Aldo Penniconi
07-19-2009, 09:07 PM
USAF Police TNT Team, circa 1979.
http://www.raf-upper-heyford.org/20SPS/z-3.jpg

http://www.raf-upper-heyford.org/20SPS/20SPS_1979_TNT.jpg
goat89
07-19-2009, 11:41 PM
What does TNT mean?
Roaming East
07-20-2009, 02:33 AM
Tactical Neutralization Team
Arfah
07-20-2009, 05:00 AM
If it wasn't for the soft hats and M4's it could be Northern Ireland ???!

So what's the story then ? Why are they wearing British DPM ?

It takes more than the wearing of our gear to be as good :-)
dersammler
07-20-2009, 06:43 AM
there are no M4s...
CamoDeafie
07-20-2009, 06:49 AM
arent the Colts CAR-15s? or XM177s? (earlier version of the CAR-15s) I also see that some have LC belts.......whats the sources of the photos?

all the flak jackets are US, at least, looks like the M1969 and M1955 types....

still doesnt tell me if they're US or UK.....O-o
big_les
07-20-2009, 08:05 AM
CAR-15s only in the colloquial sense. They are Colt carbines - GAU-5A/A aka Colt M649;

http://www.retroblackrifle.com/ModGde/CrbGde/USAFGdeCrb.html

XMM177s with M16A1 flash-hiders.
Eagle The Lightning
07-20-2009, 10:34 AM
Great pictures where they training in the UK or was this in America.
Soldat_Américain
07-20-2009, 10:36 AM
compadres...look at the date...it was 30 years ago. Sweet photos though.
big_les
07-20-2009, 11:47 AM
Er, yeah, we know.
Arfah
07-20-2009, 11:58 AM
Great pictures where they training in the UK or was this in America.

There is no chance whatsoever of U.S. troops wearing Brit DPM in the U.K. in the late 70's. Not with PIRA lurking about.
Arfah
07-20-2009, 11:59 AM
there are no M4s...

GEEK ! p-)
Eagle The Lightning
07-20-2009, 12:03 PM
There is no chance whatsoever of U.S. troops wearing Brit DPM in the U.K. in the late 70's. Not with PIRA lurking about.Ok thanks for clearing that up.
Soldat_Américain
07-20-2009, 12:05 PM
GEEK ! p-)
well maybe they were specifically attached to a British unit and were given the uniforms...and he's not a geek, when someone said M4 my jaw dropped.
Bee_Gee.
07-20-2009, 12:22 PM
OPFOR for an exercise perhaps?
Aldo Penniconi
07-20-2009, 02:19 PM
The images are from the RAF Upper Hayford photo archive.

Its possible the 68 DPM were temporarily used until batches of the ERDL fatigues arrived or until the M81 BDU's were in widespread use.

http://www.raf-upper-heyford.org/
CamoDeafie
07-20-2009, 02:30 PM
still doesnt quite answer the question of US or UK? IIRC, some UK groups could get the Colt rifle/carbines.......although the fact that some are using LC type belts tells me that they're US.....did the photos have captions?
James
07-20-2009, 03:13 PM
Some of the guys are wearing parts of the OG-107 fatigue uniform too; American methinks.
Royal
07-20-2009, 04:13 PM
They're Yanks. It was shot in the UK (judging by the buildings in the background).

I'm very surprised given the PIRA threat at the time (as Arfah mentioned). The USMC guys at St Mawgan used to do absolutely anything and everything to make it known that they were US Marines. I remember a Gunny on exchange at CTC getting into quite a lot of trouble with his COC after he got into a fight together with a bunch of us about to deploy to the Province - they were terrified that the papers would get the wrong end of the stick and suggest that he was going with us p-)
rgjbloke
07-21-2009, 07:19 AM
I haven't got a clue about these particular pics but they do bring back some memories for me lol. When my battalion, 1RGJ, was based in Celle in Germany in the early 70's, we used to wear a lot of American gear including high legged boots, trousers and shirts etc. Some of this stuff was worn on the Belfast 73 tour so I have actually seen this configuration of high legged boots, American trousers, DPM jackets and flak jackets being worn on operations.
tyovan
07-21-2009, 09:35 AM
The guys in the bottom row are wearing USAF chevrons on their sleeves..
Arfah
07-21-2009, 09:56 AM
The guys in the bottom row are wearing USAF chevrons on their sleeves..


Isn't that where they usually wear them ? p-)

I would like to know who supplied them our DPM ? The finger of suspicion is pointed squarely at the U.K.'s Uber S.F. , the RAF Regt ! rofl
DnA
07-21-2009, 12:45 PM
I found captions for the pics..

first pic

"Circa 1979ish. 4 person TNT team pic is (from the right) SSgt Robinson, me (a lot younger and slimmer)! Jerry Temple, and I don't know the last guys name."

second

"Team pic of the TNT same time frame... I'm sure some folks recognize some of them... cut off on the left was "D" Flight Shift Commander at the time Lt. Edith Kiblie (spelling)... TSgt Jenkins (far right blue jacket), SSgt Larry Gilleland (rear/my old supervisor)... others I wish I could remember."



http://www.raf-upper-heyford.org/20th_SPS.html
vor033
07-23-2009, 02:21 PM
The USAF worked very closely with the RAF Regiment in the 70/80/90 and even paid for the Regiment to provide Low Level Air Defence (Rapier) for their bases in East Anglia Mildenhall etc.

So thought it might be USAF personnel attached to a Regiment Squadron or some type of Cross training with a Regiment squadron.

Ps - Arfah -The Regiment has never claimed to be a SF Unit, though we do have the superbly trained 2 Squadron and a Flight as part of SFSG
Deathchant
07-23-2009, 08:56 PM
Why does everyone always rinse the rock apes? I know they mainly guard places nowadays but they end up going to **** holes like everyone else. Or is it just a big wind up to get them to bite. Some of my mates were in the paras then transfered to the rock apes and they still ended up fighting in horrible places.
wicked_hind
07-25-2009, 04:28 AM
What the hell, those Colt Commando carbines don't have forward assists?
James
07-26-2009, 12:32 PM
What the hell, those Colt Commando carbines don't have forward assists?

The USAF had a lot of those. In the 60's when the Army and USMC started using M16s with the FA, the USAF didn't. Read more here (http://www.retroblackrifle.com/ModGde/CrbGde/USAFGdeCrb.html).
DeltaWhisky58
07-26-2009, 02:42 PM
What the hell, those Colt Commando carbines don't have forward assists?


The USAF had a lot of those. In the 60's when the Army and USMC started using M16s with the FA, the USAF didn't. Read more here (http://www.retroblackrifle.com/ModGde/CrbGde/USAFGdeCrb.html).

Bear in mind that the USAF (and UK Forces) adopted the AR-15 before the US Army & USMC. UK forces were using it in considerable numbers as early as 1962 in Borneo and Malaya, I think the USAF adopted it for security police units shortly after we did.
Red_Fern
07-26-2009, 03:09 PM
Interesting to see DPM on non-UK troops. Puzzling story.
big_les
07-26-2009, 06:38 PM
It's NOT outside the UK mate. Read the thread.
Red_Fern
07-26-2009, 06:49 PM
It's NOT outside the UK mate. Read the thread.

I meant being worn by non-UK troops. Sorry for the confusion.
Dominique
07-26-2009, 07:05 PM
From what I've read, the guys in the pics are a Security Police TNT. TNT's were one of the designations the USAF used for its version of a military SWAT team. The TNT's job was to act as a counter assault team, respond to terrorist attacks, or retake nuclear materials. They got a lot of leeway in their selection and equipment. Their modern day counterparts are called Tactical Response Force (TRF).