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Cold Weather Innovations
Thu Apr 10, 2003
Listen in RealAudio 
Wars tend to spur research and development, often resulting in new technologies. For
example,
World War II produced breakthroughs such as radar and the jeep. Hi, I'm Bryan Yeaton
for The
Weather Notebook. Today, Assistant Producer Doug Sanborn tells us how new
designs in that war
helped U.S. soldiers in cold weather.
The U.S. Army's 10th Mountain Division was specially trained to fight in
cold weather and mountainous terrain. It is only right that its equipment
was designed for the same purpose. Alan "Breezy" Brintzenhoff has been
collecting items relating to the 10th Mountain Division for the past 15
years and he explained about some of his more unique pieces at the World War
II Weekend in Reading, Pennsylvania.
AB: The Army had a fierce learning curve to do in that area because they
really didn't know, they only had these rudimentary sleeping bags, I mean
most guys were using blankets before and that just wouldn't do it in that
kind of climate.
So, items such as the down sleeping bag were created as a result of the need
for warmer gear and a new tent was developed.
AB: It's basically about the size of a small pup tent and has short walls
on the sides and it has a tunnel entrance in the front so that you can crawl
in and out and close it up easily without exposing the whole inside.
But Brintzenhoff adds that the fabric of the tent was so moisture- and wind-proof that it
created other inconveniences.
AB: the problem is that whenever you woke up in the morning the ceiling of the tent
was
always covered in dew from your perspiration and your breathing and if you bumped it
on your
way out you got a cold shower of ice cold water and they always hated that. Everybody
I've
talked to. One guy said he'd rather use it as a dropcloth rather than a tent.
Other inventions such as the ski lift and the snow tractor also had early
connections with the 10th Mountain Division. For The Weather Notebook, I'm
Doug Sanborn.
The Weather Notebook is supported by Subaru of America and The National
Science Foundation.
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