They call it a 'bladder tank'.
Posted on 07/18/2021 10:03:50 AM PDT by DUMBGRUNT
Trying to recall the name of the plastic tubes of freshwater we occasionally received while in the bush.
We had a very good C.O. who tried to get us a hot meal when possible. With the food, we received plastic tubes of water that were DROPPED on or near to our location. IIRC They were about 8 inches in diameter and maybe 5 feet long? Usually orange or yellow, sometimes O.D. green and white?
My son, USMC Infantry 3x sandbox, was unfamiliar with them.
Bag Water Sterile, 1 EA, NSN 4610-00-268-9890
—”Lug-a-lugs?”
GOT TO BE IT!!!
!THAT WAS MY UNIT!
1st Brigade, 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized)
B Company 1-11, Fifth Infantry Division
I was a small cog in REMAGEN.
IIRC it was the largest armored assault since WWII??
GOT TO BE IT!!!
But I have zero recognition of the name?
And recover more than a few of them.
But do not recall any cardboard, perhaps that had run short?
Definitely, some were one inside of another.
THANK YOU!
Also found this: A third problem with water resupply to troops in the field was that if frequent resupply was required as was sometimes the case in the dry season, then water sometimes needed to be free-dropped to troops on the ground. Returning regularly to LZs where water could be air landed could limit patrol coverage of a target area. But free-dropping led to loss and also created the problem of backloading the delivery container.
Experiments conducted with jerry cans showed that few survived being dropped through a high jungle canopy. Those that did survive presented the problem of what to do with the empty jerry can. The solution to this problem was eventually found with the use of a US 3 gallon [13.6 litre] water container specially designed for free-dropping without rupturing. Once empty it could be folded and carried.[7] This device could be free dropped full of water from a height of 150 feet, through jungle canopy, with an 80 per cent success rate.[8] An infantry company taking 100 per cent water resupply required 50 of these containers per resupply [680 litres in total]. They were folded and carried out of operations for later re-use although they had been designed as a single use item.
Looks like you are on the right track here. Can’t find a pic though.
They call it a 'bladder tank'.
Just found this article from 2011 where the Army was testing a new ‘water and fuel container system’ for airdrops.
They’re calling the bladder a ‘water blivet’.
https://www.army.mil/article/69457/army_tests_new_water_fuel_bladders_for_airdrop
Sorry Buddy - never heard of these - but they would have been a great thing to have. We got our water from the water trailer (”Water Buffalo”) which was highly chlorinated or from rivers or wells while in the field. We would add the purification tablets, but not always and we’d get the sh_ts soon after.
Mortar crews would uses pieces of discarded C-4 from the mortar round charges to heat canteen cups
I think you are looking for the word BLIVET...or it may be spelled BLIVIT
Iwas thinking this was mabey not an Army issue thing and the AF blivett came to mind.
Lister Bags? Looked like a duffle bag but had a liner that kept water from leaking out.
It could be branch specific. Could even be a slang term that was unit specific. Being an ex-trucker, my mind first thought that a term that incorporated ‘camel’ would be a possibility. Like ‘camel bag’.
I did find a website that states ‘blivet’ is allegedly from traditional U.S. Army slang dating back to WW2, but no actual evidence was given.
👍👍👍👍👍
later
Yes, they were called, “donkey dicks”. When I was pinned down for six days, nothing in nothing out; two helicopters shot down trying to medivac wounded they tried using them for water. Didn’t work, they were going so fast and so high that the few that made it into our Company area, exploded on impact. Then they tried artillery cannisters, they didn’t burst but less than half hit within our area."
—”Yes, they were called, “donkey dicks”.”
The name clearly fits.
Like a very large/long water balloon.
Thanks.
—”Lister Bags? “
We had those when I was in the Boy Scouts in, 1950s!
Everything we had was government surplus.
No liner! they were made from tightly woven cotton that would swell when wet and self-seal.
The idea was to maintain a thin film of water on the surface and provide some evaporative cooling.
Thank you!
My old unit had a webpage with photos and links to more photos...
The free web hosts went by the wayside and we went through a couple, now there are none.
The last link, now dead.
http://communities.msn.com/veteransofbravo11115thmechvietnam
—”The solution to this problem was eventually found with the use of a US 3 gallon [13.6 litre] water container specially designed for free-dropping without rupturing. Once empty it could be folded and carried.[7] This device could be free dropped full of water from a height of 150 feet, through jungle canopy, with an 80 per cent success rate.[8] “
Certainly sounds like it.
We rolled them up and returned as soon as a bird landed in the area.
Thanks.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.