Airsoft Arizona
Arizona Game Discussions => General Airsoft Game Discussion => Topic started by: aswayze on October 24, 2012, 06:52:01 PM
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Announcement:
Operation East Wind 6 (http://www.operationeastwind.com) dates and location have been set.
When: March 9th –17th 2013
What: Operation East Wind is a 9 day long 24 hour per day immersive milsim event set in the closing days of the Cold War. From the moment you arrive till the moment you leave, you are surrounded by and living in the life of a soldier deployed on an alert in the Cold War.
You may choose to be part of either the NATO forces (http://www.operationeastwind.com/NATO/) or the Warsaw Pact (http://www.operationeastwind.com/EB/) with each side having it’s own specific options, requirements, advantages, and disadvantages.
You may choose to participate either in the full experience, operating 24 hours a day living on site, 100% immersed in the event for the duration of your stay or if you prefer as a day player only playing during the daylight hours, camping at the campground on site or staying at in town at a motel.
As a full experience soldier you will know the feeling of walking out on a multi day patrol, (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28248345@N08/5573063639/#in/set-72157626260168989) the sound of a truck delivering your hot food (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28248345@N08/5593348533/#in/set-72157626212639557/) (if you are lucky) and the sights and sounds of dark forest seemingly teeming with the enemy around your little patrol base in the black of night. You will use night vision, you will use mines, you will ride in military trucks (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28248345@N08/3605259013/#in/set-72157607289936209/) and armored personnel (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28248345@N08/4468460730/#in/set-72157623591371905/) carriers, you will be supported by armor (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28248345@N08/5010554256/#in/set-72157623741038236/) and you will use period correct comms equipment. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28248345@N08/4761725031/#in/set-72157623741038236/) You will know the boredom of a 03:00 guard shift and the sinking feeling in your stomach when that shift suddenly STOPS being boring. You will know the true value of a hot drink (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28248345@N08/2746904701/#in/set-72157606632159560/) on a cold rainy day, you will learn to lament T-rations, (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28248345@N08/2801296105/#in/set-72157606977969144/) you will know the joy of walking into the mess tent and smelling hot A-rations. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28248345@N08/2801372867/#in/set-72157606981368037/) You will know how lonely the world can be when your little outpost is under attack and you know that the nearest help is way too far away. You will know how piercingly bright a parachute flare is on a moonless night. You will know the smell of a canvas tent on a sunny day (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28248345@N08/3403701814/#in/set-72157615999452864/). You will know how nice and cozy a stove is on a cold wet day. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28248345@N08/4474953645/#in/set-72157623741038236/) You will know what it is like to transition from peacetime (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28248345@N08/2733796953/#in/set-72157606551711747/), to alert, (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28248345@N08/2746903685/#in/set-72157606632159560/) to war. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28248345@N08/7514583264/#in/set-72157630449519056)
As a part time day player you can step into and out of one of the world’s best milsim events and get to see all of what goes into an event like this without having to commit yourself 100%. For a minimal cost comparable to most open play games, you get to see and be a part of daytime recon patrols behind enemy lines, (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28248345@N08/7518822456/#in/set-72157630449310614) anti-armor ambushes (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28248345@N08/2801358529/#in/set-72157606977920400/), deliberate attacks (http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7219/6851762626_9c22a69286_c.jpg) and fiercely fought defenses. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28248345@N08/7514367200/#in/set-72157630449310614/) You will fight shoulder to shoulder with the full time troops scraping and fighting for the same ground they are.
Either way, you will be surrounded by one of the most amazing events the world has to offer.
Who: Who may participate? Full experience troops must be 18 years of age or older unless pre-approved by event administration. Day players must be 16 or older with attendees under the age of 18 requiring parental consent.
How much does it cost?
The fee structure for Operation East Wind is broken into two categories:
The cost for full experience participants attending for 1-4 total
days is $165. For those attending from 5-9 total days the cost is $200. Full experience attendees are provided with all meals, (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkSIPprJ5P4#) including snacks and drinks for the duration of the time they are in attendance. Additionally, full experience attendees are allowed to check mission equipment out from the supply tents including correct night vision systems, flares, IR systems, Claymore and POMZ mines, radios (http://www.flickr.com/photos/shoobe01/5544580343/#secretb446bb72c8), telephone systems etc.
Day time players who pre-register pay a fixed rate of $25 per day apart from day 1 and day 9 which are both free days since they involve a great deal of unit set up and tear down. Day time players are not provided with meals and are not allowed to check mission equipment out from the supply tents since most mission equipment goes out for night or multi-day missions.
Sign up for full experience troops is now open and will close on March 1st, 2013. At signup, a non-refundable deposit of $50 is required with the balance due on March 1st 2013. Day players must be pre-paid by March 5th 2013.
Where is East Wind 6 being held.
This year, we are proud to announce that East Wind 6 will be held at D-Day Adventure Park in Wyandotte, Oklahoma. (http://www.ddayadventurepark.com/) No doubt, there are a great many of you who have played at D-Day before. It is an amazing facility with a lot of really impressive infrastructure. You might be tempted to think that you even know the D-Day Adventure Park pretty well… You will be quite surprised to see how much more there is to that property than you ever imagined. We will be operating on a 1000+ acre playing field with 45 miles of roads and trails. (http://www.operationeastwind.com/maps/EventFields/DDAP-NATO-24x36.pdf) There are towns, an airfield, steep hills, green valleys, streams, ponds, and lots upon lots of space. If you have played at OK D-Day before you have probably seen a little bit of it but I assure you, it’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Why?
Why 9 days?
We run East Wind events for 9 days because in order to put together a quality event there is a certain minimum amount of time it takes to get everything all set up and settled in. If this was a weekend event, we would spend all day and night Saturday setting up and getting everyone settled in and then all day Sunday endexing. By running for 9 days we maximize our field time and get the most value out of our week’s vacation time (or spring break for you guys in school). If you cannot attend for the entire time, that’s fine; you can attend for as much or as little as you can fit into your schedule.
Why this degree of insanity/attention to detail?
Sure, we could camp in civvy tents instead of GP Mediums (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28248345@N08/3391361658/#in/set-72157616423020431/) or real Soviet tents. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28248345@N08/3424668093/#in/set-72157615999452864/) We could use a Ford Tempo with a plywood turret instead of a real Diamler Ferret. We could move guys around in a short bed Chevy pickup instead of a M35A2 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28248345@N08/3403705688/#in/set-72157607289936209/), and we could certainly cook flapjacks on a 2 burner Coleman stove instead of using period correct field kitchens. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28248345@N08/3391366546/#in/set-72157606981368037/) Where would the fun be in all of that? At East Wind we seek to get everything right down to the smallest detail because this is how we immerse you into the event. You do not attend East Wind, you are part of it, you are inside the world that we create for you, you can “feel” this event.
Why the expense?
When you look at the cost remember that you are getting food included as well as the use of a lot of really top notch gear. When we say food, we are not talking about just MREs or hotdogs cooked on a Weber grill. We have cook staff who are professionals in their fields that are cooking nutritionally balanced meals that are also era and nationality correct. Doing this right is not cheap and we refuse to skimp on quality. You could not eat at restaurants for a week on a $200 budget and get the quality of meals you will get at East Wind and that’s before we even talk about the other stuff. It is not an average game that a real BTR-152 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/92513238@N00/5048975193/#) comes down the path at you or that you get to face off against a real FV-432 APC with your RPG (http://www.flickr.com/photos/shoobe01/5531473304/#). It is not an average game that you show up to the supply tent before your night mission and get Gen 2 and 3 night vision equipment (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28248345@N08/3390549061/#in/set-72157615915136503/) issued to you. It’s not an average airsoft game that sends you scrambling out of your camp when an AH-64 Apache shows up skulking around. Yes, East Wind is expensive, but value wise, it is impossible to beat. Come and see, we’ll make a believer out of you by day 1.
Why should you choose to go to East Wind 6?
This one is easy. Since the inception of this event our motto has been “Not because it is easy, but because it is hard.” You should be going to East Wind because you are looking for a challenge, an experience. If you are looking at the full experience, you should be going to East Wind because you are ready to live an event 24/7. You should be going to East Wind because you have asked yourself, “Is East Wind right for me?” (http://www.operationeastwind.com/expectations.html) and said yes.
Why should you NOT go to East Wind?
If you think that it is a hassle to get the correct gear, if you are scared of the rain, if you are too proud to know when you need to learn something or if you are just looking for 9 days of solid “3, 2,1, go” speedball action you had better just stay home and play X-box. East Wind will not be your thing. We frequently say that “East Wind is not for everyone, we made it that way for a reason.” This event is not easy, we don’t want it to be easy and if you are coming then you should not want it to be easy either. We say this not to pass judgment on those who should not attend but to allow everyone out there to pass judgment on East Wind and decide if what we are doing fits with what you, yourself, want to do.
What do I need to know to be successful at East Wind events?
East Wind offers challenges unrelated to most airsoft events. It naturally goes without saying that knowing a little bit about airsoft helps but far beyond that remember that you are living in the field and actually doing a lot more field craft type work at East Wind than you are likely to encounter at an average game. You will likely find yourself adapting a lot better if you spend some time out in the woods in inclement weather since East Wind stays tactical regardless of weather conditions. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28248345@N08/2747743734/#in/set-72157606632159560/) knowledge of your equipment goes a very long way as well since you will be living and working in it 24 hour a day for 9 days. Obviously, there are a variety of technical skills that are helpful to know as well which is why we run training events (http://www.operationeastwind.com/forum/index.php?board=10.0) monthly covering a variety of skills that will make your East Wind experience more enjoyable as well as provide an online library of training materials (http://www.operationeastwind.com/NATO/training/index.shtml) in order to assist you or your group in training up for the event. Apart from that, the most important thing you need to know to be successful and have a good time at East Wind is how mentally tough you are. If you are willing to give something 105% and not quit, this is the event for you. It will blow your socks off and you will love every minute of it.
East Wind isn't just for those in the US either. For several years now, we have had people join the East Wind community from outside of the US with an ever growing team heading down from Canada (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28248345@N08/7514528564/#in/set-72157630449385946) and players even coming across from Europe (http://www.flickr.com/photos/28248345@N08/5575676506/#in/set-72157626260168989) to take part in the experience.
It's probably not as difficult as you'd think and the community will try to assist where at all possible to ensure that those coming from afar can do so as smoothly as possible. If you have any worries or concerns, we should be able to answer all of your questions about coming to the US for East Wind, after all we've got attendees who have done it and can offer you the advice and assistance you need to make it happen. English fluency is not a requirement. We are an event set in Europe, working with different languages is part of what we do already.
If you would like more information about East Wind please feel free to visit our East Wind forums here: http://www.operationeastwind.com/forum/index.php (http://www.operationeastwind.com/forum/index.php)
I hope to see some of you out there!
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Here's a few pics and vids from past events to give you an idea what we do out at East Wind:
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5269/5575674010_39f56f7cda_z.jpg)
Here a US Army soldier pulls security as the FV-701 Ferret that escorted his transport truck up to his drop off point heads back home. There is a lot more to dealing with armor and transports than one might be inclined to think.
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4119/4761725031_ce1e2dfc00_z.jpg)
Here a US Squad leader makes a radio call on a PRC-77 radio. We use period correct comms equipment at East Wind (provided by us). If you've never used a real military radio, prepare to be amazed at all you can do with one of these.
This link (http://www.flickr.com/photos/shoobe01/5544580343/#secretb446bb72c8) takes you to a vid of Soviet troops using their R-159 radio to call their allies the East Germans after a successful assault to take a town. Notice how the guy has a hard time with the map? That's because the maps are not garden variety generic maps, they are exact replicas of the proper Soviet pattern maps and are different than the US maps he worked with in his US Army service.
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5184/5587314194_70083f9f6f_z.jpg)
Members of 7th Company, 5th Independent Recon Battalion, 27th Motor Rifles Division, along with a section of National Volks Armee Chemical Troops move out in a convoy, consisting of a GAZ-69, BTR-40, and UAZ-469 to drop several recon squads off along the East German Border at Operation: East Wind IV. The sections will conduct an over-watch and patrol of the border, on the look out for NATO forces. None of these vehicles are common, all are as cool as the other side of the pillow. You might find one in a museum if you are lucky, here you get to ride one into combat.
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7258/7514353504_ff5ebb6edc.jpg)
A US Squad Leader, exhausted from an all night patrol contemplates the fact he has to push on to assault a key town towards the end of East Wind 5. 6 hours later, he was one of the last troops to die of radiation poisoning, having clung hard to his little toe hold. Here are vids of both Warpac (http://www.flickr.com/photos/shoobe01/6997338947/#secretf07d8cc704in/photostream/) and NATO (http://www.flickr.com/photos/shoobe01/6997423529/#secret4de050a455) troops expiring from radiation:
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3394/3605261983_dd445e8bcf_z.jpg)
A NATO supply convoy traveling along "MSR Steele" at East Wind II. This was a route cut through the forest across a rocky valley that linked the main NATO controlled area with the northern end of the playing field. NATO trucks ran this very tough route both during the daylight hours and at night under black out conditions using night vision.
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3641/3390393701_43cbda8301_z.jpg)
An NVA patrol, just returned from a cross border mission, is debriefed by the Soviet HQ staff. Notice the wierd blue interior of the tent? That's actually a period correct Soviet tent they are in. The map they are pointing at is a near perfect replica Soviet style map of the AO they are working in.
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3608/3391202052_fc7cacee6e_z.jpg)
A Soviet patrol prepares to move out on a night recon mission. East Wind runs 24 hours a day.
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5094/5587322152_a38106000e_z.jpg)
A Soviet soldier looks out into the failing light of the day from the ruined building his section holds. He fought hard for the town he's in right now and he's got a long night ahead of him making sure he keeps it. He know's NATO will come tonight, he know's there will be blood sweat and tears before the night is through, it's just a matter of when. When the next dawn broke over an even more battle scarred town this soldier was one of a pitiful few live Soviet troops that pulled out of town. They had held the line.
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3660/3390549061_3dab8f183d_z.jpg)
A NATO patrol prepares to move out on a night ambush mission. They have checked out night vision units from supply (everybody, on both sides gets, gets to use night vision a LOT at East Wind) and have painted their faces so they will shine less in the moon light. East Wind runs 24 hours a day, we are not kidding.
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7154/6540214273_9eaf03f389_z.jpg)
A West German Jager light infantryman prepares to step off at an East Wind training event. He's carrying not only his ruck with the gear to sustain him for the next 24 hours at this winter event but also a SEM-52a radio (slung across his chest) and a Zeiss Orion 80-1 night vision unit (slung below the radio).
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7120/7514558052_27ca33ae80_z.jpg)
West German Jaeger section discussing the plan for their mission prior to step off. East Wind is not a “go there and shoot the bad man” event nor is it scripted with a set outcome. Missions are meticulously planned by attendees attempting to cover every detail to achieve a successful outcome. This is a thinking event as much as a doing event. Forget a key detail and be prepared to find out why they call it a key detail.
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5224/5586719141_2da6e2c0c3_z.jpg)
East German NVA troops enjoy a hot A-ration meal in their mess hall. Here's another vid of a Soviet section going through the chow line (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkSIPprJ5P4#)
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6118/6307728862_1392cb4d2e_z.jpg)
An NVA (National Volks Army) patrol moves out on a snowy muddy morning during East Wind 3. This was just the start for the days weather, by the end of the day there was an additional 4 inches of the white stuff on the ground. They are cold, they are muddy, they are tired, but they are prepared. We stay tactical 24/7 regardless of weather. When you look at our PCI lists and wonder why we require so many things, this picture shows why...
(http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1252/1448440594_dcfc40182b_z.jpg)
Here a US soldier (who's currently doing this for real in Afghanistan) demines an area infested with the notorious POMZ-2M stick mines. He's digging down next to the stick since it's a common trick to booby trap the stake so that the guy pulling the mine gets a nasty surprise.
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5108/5575515421_9717665a74_z.jpg)
Excited for the new A&K PKM? So's this East German soldat. We've had PKMs for a while that are custom made.
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7120/7518828200_a6e9315408.jpg)
A US soldier takes a moment to brush his teeth after a mission. You’re out there for 9 days… That means eating, sleeping, pooping, washing and shaving in a combat environment.
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8020/7514532854_24eeff549d.jpg)
Canadian Forces patrol moves out on a dark moonless night. 50% of East Wind happens at night so you soon grow used to trying to pick out what the blurry images in your night vision are.
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3008/2801265423_38f0d245ed_z.jpg)
Who says you won’t hear a phone ring for 9 days? Both sides employ field telephone systems at East Wind. This is the NATO SB-22 switchboard in the operations center. It allows calls to be patched through from one caller to another anywhere across the phone network. It also allows a radio call to be patched through to any of the telephones in the network. Basically every tent in the base camps has a telephone and most any of the commonly manned forward outposts is equipped with a phone as well.
(http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1137/5130139901_9177482dd8_z.jpg)
A Soviet made BTR-152 armored personnel carrier. This is one big bad mother… Again, if you got lucky at a museum, you might be able to touch one. At East Wind, you’ll ride into battle in one or face off against one with your LAW-80 anti tank rocket.
Another interesting video. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/shoobe01/5530686022/#secretae48a0b143) A Soviet section leader explains the battle he just participated in. He's speaking Russian because he is Russian.
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2594/4474953645_04bba0f555_z.jpg)
A Hunter SHL (Space Heater Large) puttering away heating the NATO supply tent at East Wind III. When the wind is howling and the snow is flying, it is nice to have a place to go warm up and dry off. Both sides have most of their large common area tents heated with period correct wood stoves or oil fired heaters such as the SHL here. If you have never walked into a heated tent after a long, cold, wet patrol and stood by one of these guys to warm up then you have never felt what “warm” really is. It is amazing.
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5172/5531311917_80d8d1e713_z.jpg)
A NATO officer typing up a AAR on a period correct SAIC V2LC computer. He looks frustrated because he is. We strive to get as much right as is humanly possible and the V2 here is a perfect example. It’s silly, it’s hard to use, it cheeps every time you hit a key but it’s the right system for the time and everyone loves it. East Wind is about so much more than just airsofting. It’s an opportunity for everyone to participate in something that collectively is bigger than anything they themselves can create. Whether you are bringing the minimum required gear for the event, are bringing a military truck, or happen to restore something like the V2LC here, it’s all a piece of the puzzle that makes East Wind the event that it is. When you form the environment around you as much as we do here at East Wind, it really makes an event that you feel you are a part of. East Wind creates memories that you will not forget.
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8013/7518818194_c684cd7389_z.jpg)
East Wind 5 saw the introduction of Canadian Forces troops to the NATO mix. This option is exclusively open to attendees who are attending from Canada. (US, UK, and West Germany are open to all). Attendees coming from other NATO allied countries who wish to portray their home country are welcome as well. English language fluency is not a requirement.
Here’s a link to a series of videos (http://www.operationeastwind.com/forum/index.php?topic=2330.0) put together by Coop showing life on the East Bloc side. Say goodbye to the next 3 hours of your life…
I hope that some of you will make the trip out to be part of it.
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Instead of typing everything that was already on the web page why didn't you just post the link in the beginning?
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Easier for everyone to read when you just put it there rather than just posting up a link.
Besides, that not even 1% of what is on the East Wind site. :)
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That's cool you do what you do. I hope you all have fun out there. The miles is what affects me. I can do 2 three day lionclaws game for that one game.
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Oh I know it man.
We, none the less, get people who travel great distances to go to East Wind events. Current record is Saudi Arabia. We've got guys coming from SoCal as well as most every other corner of the states, Canada, and the UK as well so in the grand scheme of things, Arizona is not so bad.
It is also well worth pointing out that what we are doing is far different from a Lion Claws event. We do not focus on trigger time and action so much as on planning, life and the experience.
If you've got the time and patience, read this AAR from our Canadian Contingent last year (https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=446b0b4c39a0ef41&id=446B0B4C39A0EF41%21121) and you'll see what I mean. I'll be honest, 99% of players will have a great deal more fun at a Lion Claws event but that 1% of folks who are looking for a deeper milsim experience will likely prefer East Wind.
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I am not saying its a bad thing. I think everybody should experience military life. But i have been there done that from the first gulf war, reforger 1990, 3 times to the desert at ft Irwin Cali.
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Sweet, you are right from our time frame then!
We do a pretty good rendition of Reforger/ Team Spirit so you'd feel right at home.
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I would probably like it but ny company doesn't give vacation so I would be without a paycheck for that week. Maybe in the future I would be able to make it. But not this year.
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Instead of typing everything that was already on the web page why didn't you just post the link in the beginning?
red devil: you know aswell as i do that most people will only do the bare ammount of searching on something like that. if he had put "hey, come check out our game that we are hosting this year" and then posted a link. most people will find some of the basic info and then just give up because of the shear ammount of stuff on the site about this game (yes, i have been on it. looked it up a couple of weeks ago)
what he did was give as much info possible accrossed a broader spectrum than the average(lazy) person might find all on thier own. it also goes to show the level of comitment that he shows towards doing what he does. he "could" have just gave a basic description and left a link. but instead he gave us alot more.
aswazey: please do not be discouraged about red devil insinuating that your might be to big. and trust me when i say that there are people in az that have probly been to this event or will be attending this event in the future. i have already been talking to a few of my guys about this. there are quite a few guys here in az that these type of events is all they are interested in. im going to try and make it this year, the only thing, besides time/travel, is all the period specific gear that you have to have to participate. but i understand that is to keep the integrity of this event as real as possible. i look forward to attending this event in the future.
thank you for your time and effort in making as informative a post as possible.
edit: i only wish that some of the tech problem posts that i read had that much detail.
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This sounds so sick! too bad I have no money
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I understand on the vacation thing. I just finally got worked up to getting 4 weeks paid a year (After 16 years) and now they are getting ready to shut my place down so I'll be back to no vacation here pretty soon as well.
Spazz, I am not discouraged in the least and I really don't think Red Devil was saying anything bad about East Wind anyhow. When you undertake something like this you have got to come into it with a positive attitude and must be willing to understand that what you are doing is not going to be everyone's cup of tea. That means a lot of talking, a lot of explaining, a lot of pictures, a lot of examples etc to get people to understand why we do what we do. It's been a long road but it has been worth it.
Gear is always a struggle. Good news is that with some lead up time and enough patience, you can round all this stuff up pretty cheap. You don't want to just run into Bills Full Retail Army Surplus shop with checkbook in hand, that will cost you a mint. This stuff is out there in bales much cheaper if you shop smart. What I always tell guys to do is to go seek out the "underground" surplus dealers in their area. Go to Militaria Shows, look on Craig's List, go to flea markets, check antique shops, do an ebay search for "military" and set it to display results within 25 miles of your home etc. You'll find LOADS of other dealers that way who sell actual surplus. Actual surplus is not only orders of magnitude cheaper, it is generally of much higher quality. In a city, you'll be amazed what this will get you but even in a fairly rural area, this will usually yield some decent results, give it a try. Aside from that, the East Wind forums are a great place to check as well since many of the folks who are kitting up for foreign armies tend to sort of bulk order key items from overseas to keep costs low. Kalina from Allequipped.com got us set up on a decent deal for legit Soviet body armor and Han's multiple trips to surplus shops in Beijing has generally got everyone a decent deal of actual Soviet Afghanka uniforms so even when you want to go Gucci and have all the hard to find stuff the kit is out there when you've got the right people hunting for it. US stuff we've got in droves, the UK guys have pretty much all of their sources mapped out as do both of the Germanies. It's all out there, and we can help you find it.
As far as the informative post thing goes, you sort of have to learn to do this sort of thing well if you need to convey a lot of information otherwise you just end up with a case of too long, did not read.
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Gear is always a struggle. Good news is that with some lead up time and enough patience, you can round all this stuff up pretty cheap. You don't want to just run into Bills Full Retail Army Surplus shop with checkbook in hand, that will cost you a mint. This stuff is out there in bales much cheaper if you shop smart. What I always tell guys to do is to go seek out the "underground" surplus dealers in their area. Go to Militaria Shows, look on Craig's List, go to flea markets, check antique shops, do an ebay search for "military" and set it to display results within 25 miles of your home etc. You'll find LOADS of other dealers that way who sell actual surplus. Actual surplus is not only orders of magnitude cheaper, it is generally of much higher quality. In a city, you'll be amazed what this will get you but even in a fairly rural area, this will usually yield some decent results, give it a try.
On that note, at least for the NATO stuff, I'd like to plug the good guy running Hassayampa Surplus (http://www.hassayampasurplus.com/Products.html). He's always done right by me, has very reasonable (and sometimes downright cheap) prices, and carries some things you may find hard to locate elsewhere.
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I understand on the vacation thing. I just finally got worked up to getting 4 weeks paid a year (After 16 years) and now they are getting ready to shut my place down so I'll be back to no vacation here pretty soon as well.
Spazz, I am not discouraged in the least and I really don't think Red Devil was saying anything bad about East Wind anyhow.
I am glad that you understand what I was saying. Some people just read something and the post jiberish not really reading and comprehending what is being said. But isn't Broken Arrow being held at the same place for memorial day weekend?
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There are a lot of events that use D-Day. It’s a really stellar AO and the guys that run the place are particularly good folks to work with.
Broken Home put on by American Milsim is about the biggest Airsoft event that runs out there. They generally run over the Memorial Day weekend although they do not yet have dates up for next year as far as I know. Obviously, the place sees its greatest use during the Oklahoma D-Day Paintball event when the place is loaded with thousands and thousands of paintball players and legions of support staff, vendors etc.
East Wind by comparison is pretty reserved. Other than the cars all parked in neat rows by the Admin shack, you wouldn’t even know that anything is even happening out there from the staging area. We pretty much go to the field and stay there…
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Myself and a few DC Ops guys are seriously contemplating going. Any other AZ'ers thinking about making the investment?
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I am actually contemplating this!! Sounds like a awesome experience, myself and one other steelworks guy are thinking of going
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Hey guys, I am tracking all of this so if there are any questions I can answer for you here in the relative comfort of your own forums do not hesitate to ask.
Right now, I know we've got two guys coming from SoCal and I think 2 coming from New Mexico so there may be some useful convoy/carpool options that might make life a little easier. If there are only a few of you, flying in may be a better option, look at flights into Joplin, Mo airport code JLN landing fees are cheap there and it is often surprising how inexpensive flights are into that field.
If you are looking for the whole Mr. Cool experience, consider Amtrak. Nothing says going to war in Europe like taking a train to war. Southwest Chief is the train that gets you up to Kansas City. Train is typically not all that cost effective but occasionally you can catch a decent special.
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AN EVENT WHERE I CAN NOT ONLY USE MY GERMAN GEAR, BUT WOULD BE ENCOURAGED TO DO SO?
(http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/x423/Terreus/bundeswehr/_DSC0083.jpg)
SIGN ME THE F*** UP!
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Quite so.
http://www.operationeastwind.com/NATO/FRG-B.shtml (http://www.operationeastwind.com/NATO/FRG-B.shtml)
Gives you the kit list for the Germans. Looking at your pics, you've got a lot of it nailed already. I don't even have to give you the "Get a G3, not a G36" speech. (This is the last event for the G36, we're standardizing on the G3 in 2014)
German troops have got a lot of good kit to run around with and their stuff is pretty affordable as well. They are a solid choice.
The unit kit is good stuff as well:
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4089/5183215815_38f834000d_z.jpg)
This is the SEM-35, it's the West German unit's manpack radio. It's big, it's heavy, but it's reliable. This one dials down in frequency enough that you can get into the 10 meter HAM band with it and talk looney distances with it. From my front porch in Kansas City, on the ribbon antenna, I talked to a guy just north of Los Angeles. We've also got smaller SEM-52a and SEM-52S radios as well but the long haul comms usually go on the SEM-35.
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7149/6508508753_f3b72b5d29_z.jpg)
This is the Orion 80-1 scope mounted on a real steel HK-91 clone. Don't have many pics of this at the event since... well... it's usually dark out when we use it... Decent sight, easy to use, mounts right to the G3 as well as the MG-3. We've also got an Eltro B8V that we should be taking delivery of at the end of the week and we are working on a Fero-51 as well to complete the set.
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8453/7890934832_305c618389_c.jpg)
Did I mention the MG3? Yup, complete with the tripod with the peek over the parapet periscope sight.
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I've been looking over that list all day lol.
If you're the guy to direct questions to, can my backup boots be my tan ones? I really dont feel like buying two pairs of black boots, and are the model 2000 boots acceptable? http://www.flecktarn.co.uk/flccb1aa.html (http://www.flecktarn.co.uk/flccb1aa.html)
Thanks
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Nope... tan stands out a LOT. Good news is, we are the kings at finding great deals on black boots so we can help you find an outstanding deal on a second set of black boots.
Model 2000 boots are fine, just watch the shipping costs from Flectarn.co.uk, they can be a little out of this world sometimes. Hit up Master Chef on the East Wind forum and ask him where he got his, he is a born again cheapskate and the super shopper extraordinaire when it comes to finding West German kit, he'll point you the right way for sure.
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Best guess, how many people are you expecting in total this year?
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Low as possible. Unfettered growth is the enemy of quality.
We are not trying to be big. Plenty of other people do that very well. We have to temper our growth so that we can keep pace with our equipment. No sense having 200 NATO troops and 5 sets of NVG, then almost nobody would get to use them. Again, 200 troops and 5 trucks means little vehicle support.
Last year, we were just at 80 participants. This year, we’ve hit a bit of a growth spurt and we’ll probably hit 110-130.
At these numbers, I can still move everyone in the event via trucks in one lift. At these numbers, anyone who wants NVG on a night mission will still be able to check it out from supply. At these numbers, I can stick everyone in nice tents. Etc etc etc.
That’s where our priorities lay. Quality over quantity in everything.
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Absolutely, I agree entirely. I wasn't expecting anything big, actually my friend and I thought that ideally there would be around 100 people. enough to make it feel busy, but still manageable, and like you said, everyone who wants to use some sweet gear has the chance to check it out
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Precisely. When you are putting folks in the field and actually supporting them, you really do not want to overstretch resources, that just sucks the fun right out of things.
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Keep in mind that East Wind is VERY different from both of the events you’re mentioning here.
To be perfectly honest. 99.9% of players are going to have a much better time at a Lion Claws event than they will at East Wind. You know where the enemy is and your mission is to go kick their butts, what’s not to like? You get a fun game, in a great AO, with lots of trigger time with your buds.
0.1% of players are looking for something different. That’s where East Wind comes in. At East Wind, your airsoft weapon is not nearly as important. Odds are, you already won or lost the fight you are getting into long before you quietly flip the selector from SAFE over to AUTO.
It is far easier to explain the difference with a story:
Night raid on Colleville from the perspective of a single US private:
13:00 hours. With unit sitting on border in peacetime. High Soviet activity level on opposite side of border. Command does not have effective comms with higher.
13:07 hours. Soviets push across border en masse. Your unit, backed up by British armored infantry are holding the line but just barely.
13:15 hours. Local commander decides to commit his armored scout car to the fight. Knowing that by doing so he's potentially loosing his only effective runner to higher HQ.
13:20 Hours. Ratelo finally gets through to higher. Word is reinforcements are coming.
13:35 hours. Your unit is down to 40% You've lost contact with the Brits but things don't sound so good over there. An RPG just took out the Ferret so you're only wheels are now a burning wreck. Ammo is getting critical.
13:37 hours. You hear the familiar roar of a deuce rolling up behind town. Troops dismount and begin to sweep forward.
13:40 hours. The situation is not advantageous, Reinforcements push up to the Brits and get them then everyone hastily withdraws from town. It was a bad fight but managed to break contact pretty well and at least you're not leaving anyone behind.
14:00. You're back at camp and after grabbing a pile of ammo and making good your reloading, you grab some lunch. All the leaders are in the TOC, something is up.
15:00 Two other squads push off to probe the enemies defenses and look things over. Your squad, who's been up since 0:200 hits the rack for some sleep.
20:00 You get up from bed and grab a quick meal. An oporder is being issued at 22:00 and you are told to prepare for a night raid. You check your rig for jingly things and tape over anything that shines then wait...
22:00 Oporder is issued. It will be a full company raid on the town we left earlier today. Recon says that the enemy is set up primarily in two main buildings. Estimated 2 full sections of Soviet troops, no vehicles present. One squad's got near security to make sure the doors open to get back out, the Brits have got far security to make sure that no help gets to the towns garrison once we hit. Another squad's got the church, your squad gets the larger of the buildings. You'll be going in hard and fast. Zip in, kill some Ruskies, pick up priority intel, grab any important prisoners and zip out. Mission will kick off at 02:00.
23:00 You draw a set of nods, camo up your face and go through your rehersals with your squad. Who's on our left? Who's on our right? What's the recognition signal when we head back out through our near side security? How far can we advance? What buildings are ours and which ones do the other squads have? What's our rally point if things go haywire? Information is pouring at you and you are working hard to digest it all.
24:00 the entire company gathers for a rehearsal. Mini glow sticks show the layout of the town and you run through each step so you understand how it's all supposed to go down. You're squad leader is concerned about the 75 meters of open ground you'll be crossing to get to your building. If the Soviet's are up and lively that's going to be pure murder. The CO hopes that you'll be across that ground before the Soviets can react. You dearly hope so...
01:00 final checks. Nod batteries are good. Mount is straight right? Have you shot with nods before? No? Crap get with Gallion over there and have him walk you through the basics! You double check your mags, double check your gear, double check your everything. Everything is dark dark dark now, the whole unit is lights out right now so eyes can adjust. Tension is really high. The single German blurts out a quote from the movie Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. "Master Blaster rules bordertown" Morale is high.
01:15 3rd squad pushes out to sweep the road ahead and link up with the recon team that's been keeping eyes on the Soviets for the last 6 hours. You are jamming as much coffee down your throat as you can stand. You're beat, you did not get enough rest and you know you've got a hard night ahead.
02:00 everyones on the trucks for the movement forward. Slowly, the trucks grind their way into the blackness, the moon is not yet up and it is seriously dark out.
02:25 the truck slows to a halt at your drop off point. A member of 3rd squad is there to act as your guide to get your squad up to your assault position. The units break up and disappear into the inky blackness. You move forward adjusting yourself to the green glow of the nods and the feeling that every stick that snaps, every stumble, every breath sounds like the loudest rock concert. How are we supposed to sneak up on this place?
02:50 You're guide got you lost and you're coming up on show time but your unit is not to your assault position yet. If they kick off the attack with us not there, we're screwed! There's no way we'll cover that ground!
02:59 You reach assault position with little to no time to spare. Your SL waits for the signal to move out...
03:07 No signal but you hear a volley of fire from another squad and see in your nods as the race forward. SHIT! You know you're screwed now but your squad leader yells "let's go!" and over the berm you go running forward with all your might watching the distance close to your objective. Almost immediately, you find yourself running into an enemy position. Silhouettes move in the blackness, waking and stirring, grabbing weapons, reloading. You fire as you move killing several but knowing that you cannot afford to get bogged down here. A machine gun opens up from the upper floor of the building you're headed for. Rounds zip through the night you hear some of your squad mates go down. Forward... Forward you run, nothing but death here, you've got to get to that building.
03:08 grenades flash in the night (pea grenades) there's a lot of yelling and violence. You make it to the building and race in finding yourself face to face with a room full of guys. You rifle cracks and you clear them out one by one. About the time you've got the last one down you notice the familiar shadow of a PASGT helmet and realize you just wiped out a good portion of the US squad that was supposed to be taking the church across the street. They had heard the fighting over here and had raced over to help disregarding the plan. You're pissed that this happened but the flash and boom of a grenade just outside the door reminds you that you've not got time to focus on that crap now. The machine gun upstairs starts hammering away again. The one guy left that you did not kill screams in your ear that we need to get up there and get that machine gun or we'll never get out of here. You nod and the pair of you round the corner heading towards the stairs. Suddenly, almost in slow motion a grenade arches down the stair well. You grab the lead guys Y harness and pull him hard back towards the door but just end up pivoting him into the doorway where the grenade detonates right in front of him. In a flash he is gone and you are alone.
Alone... There is firing everywhere rounds are impacting the building and zinging through the windows, the machine gun upstairs hammers away again and some unseen target and all you can think of is two words that seemed so foreign to you when the operations officer mentioned them in training just a few days ago. Combat Isolation....
03:10. This is a mess. You're whole squad is gone, you killed the squad that's supposed to be holding the church across the street and you can see that the squad that supposed to be covering your way out is engaged in a fierce firefight with the guys who are upstairs. It's time to get the F out of here while hopefully everyone is looking another direction. You crouch and peek out the door eyeing the woods that long 75 yards away. You take a breath and sprint for all your worth. Running, running, running... The machine gun hammers and you’re just waiting for the rounds to stitch you the back but they don't come. You bust into the wood line and dive over a low berm.
03:15. You catch your breath and peer over the berm across the battlefield. The firing from the near side security team has ceased and you hear Russians yelling back and forth to each other. The woods crunch and pop with movement and you know you are in serious trouble. You slowly begin to make your way south to the rally point.
03:22. You stop suddenly when you hear the familar "Click-pop" of squelch breaking on a PRC-68 radio. You scan and spot a shadow in the darkness. You challenge the shadow and get the correct reply. It's your squads ratelo. He's working his way back as well. He tells you he thinks there's a sizable Soviet force moving through the woods just north of here and you guys need to make tracks.
03:45. Slowly you ease your way into the rally point. Nothing much to see... Creeping forward slowly, looking. Suddenly a quiet voice with a British accent comes out from the darkness. "Over here mate" You close up meet with the supply sgt who hearing the fracas on the radio decided to move a truck up to help evacuate everyone. He sets you off on the perimeter to pull security for a while till we get everyone gathered up.
04:15. Nobody else comes... The supply sgt gathers up all who are present and loads everyone in the truck. The engine cranks and the truck creeps back home.
04:45. You are back. Tired and dejected. You know that raid was a disaster. The Brit guy next to you in the truck referred to it as a "dick dance".
05:15 More units return on foot. Many tell stories just like yours, darkness, violence, confusion. You are exhausted. You meet up with some other members of your squad including your squad leader who finally tells you to go get some sleep.
05:20 you are fast asleep.
The next morning, a recon team clears the town. The Soviets obviously cleared out in a hurry just before dawn, mags are strewn about here and there as well as the odd bits of East German and Soviet equipment.
Once the event is over you learn the whole story of the disastrous raid. Turns out that most of the NATO force got out ok. In fact your friendly fire rampage killed almost as many NATO guys as enemy action. The guys that were just up that stairwell turned out to be the last remaining Soviet troops in the town. All that crunching and scary noises you heard in the woods was just other NATO troops heading back. All the Russian yelling was just the Soviet guys calling out to see if any of their other positions had survived the attack. (they hadn't). The guy upstairs, a combat veteran of the Russian Army who was wounded in Chechnya says of that battle: "McClane and I were ready to fight to the last BB! That was one of the most memorable moments at EW for me."
Ok, so we tracked 16.3 hours here. 40 minutes involved fighting. How much fighting do you usually do in a standard airsoft game? Probably a great deal more than 40 minutes. In point of fact, almost without exception all of us would be pissed if we spent 16.3 hours sitting around to do 40 minutes worth of shooting. The difference of course is that in this case, our protagonist was not sitting around at all. He was planning, he was eating, he prepping, he was rehearsing, and he even got to sleep for a whole 5 hours. I am 100% sure that if you asked him, he would say that he was busy the entire time, he just was not fighting. There are some people for whom this is a very intriguing way to go about things. Those people love East Wind and will travel immense distances to attend (750 miles is chicken feed, try flying in from Saudi Arabia or the UK) Others, just are not into this sort of thing and do not attend even though East Wind is happening right in their back yards.
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Just a last minute reminder, we are one month out from the sign up deadline for East Wind 6. If you are planning to attend, you need to have a deposit in by the end of Feb and your full balance paid by March 1.
Day Player sign ups also close at the end of Feb so if you intend to attend as a day player you’ll need to be signed up by then as well. We do not allow any walk ons to East Wind so pre-registration is your only way into the event.
If you were hoping to get to East Wind and are not yet completely kitted up with your required gear you’d better get hopping. Last minute gear chases are part of every years festivities so if you are running into a wall on one piece of kit or another make sure you hop on over to the East Wind forums and ask around to see if anyone can point you in the correct direction.
If you are bringing a military vehicle to East Wind make certain that you have done all your maintenance tasks and that your vehicle is ready to go. Change axle oil, change oil in transfer cases, change engine oil, if you have a manual transmission, change the oil in it, if you have an automatic check you oil out and if it’s suspicious, change it AND the trans filter. Grease all your zerks according to the correct lube order for your vehicle (don’t skip the hard ones like the throw out bearing, if you’re thinking about skipping it, the last guy probably did the same) Check all your tires including your spare. Make sure you have a complete pioneer kit, make sure you have chains or a recovery strap, check your first aid kit, make sure you fire extinguisher is charged and double check all your black out light systems. If you are self deploying a CUCV, check your harmonic balancer, make sure both your alternators are charging well and carry a spare fuel filter with you. If you are self deploying an M880 series vehicle check and grease your front drive shaft double cardin joint, make sure that you grease both of your front wheel bearings, make sure your transfer case lock is correctly adjusted, and feel around on the top of your fuel tank for cracks. If you are bringing an M151, DO NOT EVEN THINK about bringing it out without changing your transmission oil, checking both your inner and outer shifter boots and greasing every one of your universal joints. You do not want to end up with water intrusion into your transmission or a busted U-joint. Also make sure you review the M151 training videos for either the M151A1 or the M151A2. If you are bringing a gasoline powered vehicle bring a spare fuel pump as well as at least 2 spare fuel filters. Do not skimp on ANY of the above, East Wind is a tough environment and your vehicle needs to be in top shape to operate successfully out there.
If you are flying in or taking any other sort of public transit, make sure you get with us about your arrival times so we can see about getting you picked up and dropped off. If you are driving from some distance away, again coordinate on the East Wind forum so that you can take full advantage of carpooling or convoying to make your trip easier and safer..
This is shaping up to be the best East Wind yet and we look forward to seeing everyone soon!
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Anyone from Az end up going?
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they could still be there. soviets may of prolonged the war. 8)
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I don’t think we had anyone from Az. We had some guys from New Mexico and as usual guys from SoCal but no Arizona this time around.
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There are several of us from DCOPS planning for next year for sure. Already starting to gear up, just takes a lot of planning to get 9 days off of work and life.
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Don't I know it buddy!
Start early, read up and shop smart on gear. Cost is pretty reasonable for everything if you look for it slowly and nab deals but can be a bear if you have to do the last minute run to the butt pumping retail store for everything.
Make sure you make your way over to the East Wind forums if you have any specific questions or are having a tough time sourcing anything.
I am STILL getting gear moved back from the field... Should basically be done by the end of next weekend I hope then I'm off to a flurry of work trying to get everything scrubbed up and ready for next year before taking a whack at the wave of new stuff that has shown up to work on.
Example:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8395/8609147629_91b16355bb_z.jpg)
We had 2 M151 trucks this last year. They proved to be unbelievable in the field. Truck 6001 logged over 350 miles out there doing support stuff, motor recon, carting small units here and there etc. Everyone loved them. We now have 4 more of these in the pipe to get fixed up before next year including one dedicated front line ambulance version.
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Hey if ya got a 60 grand ya can get a Mock Abrams http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/British-Centurion-Main-Battle-Tank-Armor-Tracked-Military-Vehicle-/271191055650?pt=Military_Vehicles&hash=item3f243f1d22 or ya can get a m548 for only 30 grand. Though i gotta admit there a some of 5 tons on Ebay for Decent prices.
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nuke, id be interested in rolling with you guys to this next year.
aswayze, what are the rules on cameras ie: contour,gopro cameras? i like to film my stuff.
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Heavy armor does not lend itself well to airsoft, particularly in a place with as rough of terrain as we have at our East Wind AO. Pretty easy to ignore a tank out there if you're infantry, just go on the 50% of the field that is WAY to steep and tough for tanks to go. The little stuff is really where it is at. 5 tons are ok as well but the deuces seem to get around a lot better offroad.
@Spazz cameras are all good. Just try to make it blend in as much as you can.
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If you go with us, we're still trying to decide german or us forces at the moment.
We all like flecktarn, but finding full-metal g3's these days is pretty hard and the plastic ones flex quite a bit in the middle, especially when firing prone, and two of my guys need to buy rifles for the event either way.
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The plastic G3s have all actually held up quite well. I personally still prefer the Classic Army metal ones but we've not seen a major failure out of a TM or a JG plastic body on a G3 out there.
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dont suppose a g3-sd would count a period correct? well since i dont believe they actualy make a real one.
nuke: if i go it would probly be with usa forces. i have to figure out what kind of rifle i need for that.
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Nope, just the standard as issued G3 versions.
Besides out there, less is more.
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We're not 100% we want to do German, but half of our team so far who has commited to go want to go as german. Partially because we have G3's already and partially because flecktarn is such a good camo pattern and its a good excuse to buy some.
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We've now basically committed to going Bundeswehr. The two of us have G3's now, and a third from my team is probably going to run a G36.
Starting the collection of flecktarn and other associated stuff.
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The big one to look for in all of this, believe it or not, is a compass.
You CAN use any military compass that reads in 6400 mils and/or degrees but for cool factor a genuine German compass takes it.
Watch slowly and carefully and be ready to strike when one comes up.
Watch out for:
East German or Russian compasses being sold as West German. East of the iron curtain, they believe that there are 6000 mils in a complete circle where as we in the west know that there are 6400. Grab a compass that does not match your friends and watch what happens when someone gives you an azimuth!
Replica or civvy compasses. They are NOT acceptable at all. Almost all are complete and utter crap. It will not pass PCI. Back before we started hardening up on this we used to see a lot of missions blown by crap nav that all too frequently had cheap Chinese compasses at the root of the problem. You are coming to East Wind for the feeling you get when you succeed at a mission, make sure you're giving yourself all the tools you need to do that.
BGS (Bundesgrenschultz or border guards) Bezard compasses. These are VERY nice compasses but since the BGS never deployed and always operated in the same area, they have "fixed" the true north vs magnetic north issue by adjusting the scale on these to match the inter-German border. In short, while quite nice, they are not accurate in our area of the world.
It seems like a weird thing to worry about or look for right now, but I have sure seen a lot of West German guys running around with their hair on fire over compasses in February.