Jay McCullough - The Complete U.S. Army Survival Guide to Shelter Skills, Tactics, and Techniques

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Tom Lau

Print ISBN: 978-1-5107-0742-9

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5107-0747-4

Printed in the United States of America

CONTENTS

Foreword

Survival is in many ways a matter of degree. An individual or group of people can survive the scarcity, or even complete removal, of many life-critical necessities, for a short time. But the more drastic the circumstances, over time, the chances for survival go down until the bitter end.

Shelter is critical to survival for a number of reasons. In acute circumstances, it can provide concealment, or effective protection from small-arms fire and explosives. Over the long run, it can augment survival probability by protecting against the loss of body heat, wind chill, bone-chilling precipitation and dew, the unrelenting rays of the sun, and by providing a comfortable place to sleep. Without effective shelter, a person is subject to radiant heat loss, convective wind chill, bullets, the discomfort and additional conductive heat loss from being wet, detection, sunburn, hunger from exposure, and to being harried by loss of life-sustaining sleep. Drip by drip, the chances for survival go down: survival, a matter of degrees.

In The Complete Guide to U.S. Army Shelter Skills, Tactics, and Techniques, we have a variety of U.S. Army-inspired shelter examples, from the most rudimentary and easily-constructed lean-to, to foxholes and Fhrerbunkers. In my estimation, the simplest examples are timelessand are the most useful to the outdoor sportsman or lost hiker. One would be well-advised to commit these to memory. Foxholes, trenches, and makeshift protection from bombs may also prove useful in unusual circumstances.

At the date of this writing, for a North American audience, it may seem to most readers that the construction of a Maginot Line-style defensive structure for a Mad Maxstyle hellscape would seem wholly unnecessary. Or, that if you need to build a bombproof bunker, a bug-out and rapid redeployment strategy may increase the odds of survival. But different readers have different necessities, and necessities for large populations can change with time. The especially vicious drug war in Mexico has driven many people to a bunker mentality; narcotraffickers, law enforcement, and innocent bystanders alike. It is not inconceivable that in an escalating bid for dominancesurvivalevenceviolence and social disorder of that type may eventually spill across the border. Reading the headlines, it is similarly conceivable that a financial disruption, or food or energy scarcity, or world events could drastically change our outlook. Laugh as we may at the nuclear bomb shelters of the 1950s, the armaments still remain. And recall that as recently as the 1940s, many Londoners relied on backyard bomb shelters during the blitz. The ordinary citizens of the 1930s could be forgiven for building backyard bomb shelters, when contemplating the folly of their betters leading up to World War II.

Despite this, some facts, as I see them, appear to be irrefutable for the foreseeable future. A thermonuclear world war does not appear to me to be survivable, or worth surviving. And preparing for an all-out assault, for any reason, against law enforcement or the military, is sure to be a losing proposition. The best and wisest shelter in such circumstances, would to be a dependable and tolerant neighbor, an advocate for justice, and to eschew war.

J AY M C C ULLOUGH

N ORTH H AVEN , C ONNECTICUT

F EBRUARY 2016

Introduction

A shelter can protect you from the sun, insects, wind, rain, snow, hot or cold temperatures, and enemy observation. It can give you a feeling of well-being. It can help you maintain your will to survive. In some areas, your need for shelter may take precedence over your need for food and possibly even your need for water. For example, prolonged exposure to cold can cause excessive fatigue and weakness (exhaustion). An exhausted person may develop a passive outlook, thereby losing the will to survive. The most common error in making a shelter is to make it too large. A shelter must be large enough to protect you. It must also be small enough to contain your body heat, especially in cold climates.

SHELTER SITE SELECTION

When you are in a survival situation and realize that shelter is a high priority, start looking for shelter as soon as possible. As you do so, remember what you will need at the site. Two requisites are

It must contain material to make the type of shelter you need.

It must be large enough and level enough for you to lie down comfortably.

When you consider these requisites, however, you cannot ignore your tactical situation or your safety. You must also consider whether the site

Provides concealment from enemy observation.

Has camouflaged escape routes.

Is suitable for signaling, if necessary.

Provides protection against wild animals and rocks and dead trees that might fall.

Is free from insects, reptiles, and poisonous plants.

You must also remember the problems that could arise in your environment.

For instance

Avoid flash flood areas in foothills.

Avoid avalanche or rockslide areas in mountainous terrain.

Avoid sites near bodies of water that are below the high water mark.

In some areas, the season of the year has a strong bearing on the site you select. Ideal sites for a shelter differ in winter and summer. During cold winter months you will want a site that will protect you from the cold and wind, but will have a source of fuel and water. During summer months in the same area you will want a source of water, but you will want the site to be almost insect free.

When considering shelter site selection, use the word BLISS as a guide.

B - Blend in with the surroundings.

L - Low silhouette.

I - Irregular shape.

S - Small.

S - Secluded location.

TYPES OF SHELTERS

When looking for a shelter site, keep in mind the type of shelter (protection) you need. However, you must also consider

How much time and effort you need to build the shelter.

If the shelter will adequately protect you from the elements

(sun, wind, rain, snow).

If you have the tools to build it. If not, can you make improvised tools?

If you have the type and amount of materials needed to build it.

To answer these questions, you need to know how to make various types of shelters and what materials you need to make them.

Poncho Lean-To

It takes only a short time and minimal equipment to build this lean-to (). You need a poncho, 2 to 3 meters of rope or parachute suspension line, three stakes about 30 centimeters long, and two trees or two poles 2 to 3 meters apart. Before selecting the trees you will use or the location of your poles, check the wind direction. Ensure that the back of your lean-to will be into the wind.