| RobH | 05 Aug 2015 2:12 p.m. PST |
Looking at building some scenery including sangars for a set of Pendraken 10mm figures I picked up and discovered I have no information about their use. Were sangars "built" as an individual strongpoint manned by a few troops? with supporting troops in nearby foxholes or improvised cover. Or as groups of mutually supporting positions manned by a platoon? |
79thPA  | 05 Aug 2015 6:51 p.m. PST |
I sent a PM to Armand; perhaps he will be by to help you out. |
| Tango01 | 05 Aug 2015 10:05 p.m. PST |
Sorry… don't know what a "sangars" is… But about trenches or foxholes there were plenty there. The biggest problem was the terrain… very rocky and wet. Take note that there were only one little trench shovel to 6 men. About the materials… wathever you can taked using your imagination. But it's depends mostly in the zone you were. We produced a wide range of shelters of all kinds, with the use of all materials that might have on hand, peat, rocks, metal for roofing, boxes of ammunition, fuel drums also… they were filled with peat and then were half-buried … the biggest problem was the water emerging from the excavations, some made channels to divert water, for it we used pallet or grids to avoid direct contact with moisture and you always tried the water running into a ditch or deeper inner shaft were you then have to drain the pit by hand or with a hose if you were lucky or a good thief (smile).We have no bags… they stay in the Continent and never arrived. The best position I saw were the Marine Infantry… they have the tools and equipment to do them good. Some pics for your guide…
link Hope it helps you (smile) Amicalement
Armand |
| bsrlee | 05 Aug 2015 10:08 p.m. PST |
IIRC the positions were dug in pretty much below ground level as anything sticking up above the grass was very obvious and an easy target. |
| Navy Fower Wun Seven | 06 Aug 2015 12:09 a.m. PST |
I've been on the battlefield tour around Goose Green, and the key thing to note is the defences were mutually supporting and situated in depth, back up all the re-entrants and so on. Hence how Lt Col. H Jones met his end – close range flanking fire from a slit no-one imagined was there…. |
TimeCast  | 06 Aug 2015 2:20 a.m. PST |
It was often difficult to dig in too deep as the water table was sometimes only a couple of feet (or less) below the surface, with the result that the trench soon flooded. As a result you had to deturf the area, pile the spoil around the position to raise the parapet and then replace the turf for camouflage. Either that or you hit rock after 18" or so (particularly on the higher ground). This was the case on the ridgeline outside Fitzroy. After digging all night we could only get about 2.5 feet down and we had to sit or lie down in the trench to get any protection. I was only able to add overhead protection on a couple of trenches, when we dug them close enough to a settlement to be able to obtain timber and wriggly tin to improve the trenches. Barrie
TimeCast |
| RobH | 06 Aug 2015 3:41 a.m. PST |
Thanks for your help guys (Armand: I much appreciate the pictures, many there I have not seen before) Guess I need to build some form of position for all the defenders. The figures I have are squad based on 35mm discs so am probably going to hollow out some mdf terrain bases and work up some low shelters with removable tops. |
| Jemima Fawr | 06 Aug 2015 9:04 a.m. PST |
'Sangar' is a word from the Indian NW Frontier that is now used by British forces to describe a revetted fighting position/bunker. |
| Tango01 | 06 Aug 2015 11:16 a.m. PST |
A votre service mon ami Robh! (smile) Thanks for the answer Jemina Fawr!. Barrie… in what unit you were there? (smile). Amicalement
Armand |
| Mako11 | 06 Aug 2015 12:04 p.m. PST |
Those are great pics Armand. Thanks for sharing them, and the info. Really surprised each man wasn't issued with a shovel. I guess there are just some things we take for granted. Of course, they aren't much good in rocky ground anyway. |
| Tango01 | 06 Aug 2015 11:26 p.m. PST |
Glad you enjoyed them my friend!. Nothing have taken for granted in the Argentine Army of those days!. (smile). How to walked many miles with a heavy Sailor bag instead of knapsacks? For Army infantry!! (smile). But… the Marine Infantry have the best knapsacks I saw! (smile). Amicalement
Armand |
| TimeCast | 07 Aug 2015 1:51 a.m. PST |
Armand I was attached to HQ 5 Inf Bde. :-) Barrie
TimeCAst |
| Tango01 | 07 Aug 2015 11:00 a.m. PST |
Wow!… you were with the Parachute Regiment?. Very rough guys as I heard from Goose Green… At the end… imhe we have fair of them as for the Ghurkas… Glad you are here my friend. Hope you return "whole" (smile). A big hug to you!.
Raśl. |
| TimeCast | 08 Aug 2015 2:06 a.m. PST |
Armand I was attached to the Brigade HQ – I'm not a para! :-) I watched the fighting from a (mostly) safe-ish distance, although I did get a very close up view of an FAA A-4 Skyhawk as it flew past, close enough to see the pilot's face. I came back in one piece. :-) Hope everything is well with you. Barrie
TimeCast PS I can be contacted via the TimeCast website if you wish to discuss any other aspects of the war. All the best – hope |
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