Weapon/Individual Equipment Container

[173rdfan]

Hi, I'm a Vietnam War Re-enactor and I bought a Weapon/Individual Equipment Container (WIEC) for a 173rd Airborne impression. I have an H harness holding my lightweight rucksack and aviator kitbag under my reserve chute and where the WIEC would go.

My question is would the WIEC be attached to my right side as it's the only open area? (my M1950 para weapon case is on my left side). Should I just cram everything that's in my WIEC (Medic items) into my aviator kitbag? As I'm a civy the only way I can find these little questions out is by asking you guys who have used it. You guys are the experts so I'll let you guys chime in. Thanks.

[CB]

Assuming you are referring to a "Container, Weapons/Individual Equipment" aka "CWIE" aka "Red Ball Bag," it is attached to the reserve D rings under the troop reserve parachute container.
There are two suspension straps, one for each D ring.
The "Red Ball" release should be front and center, reachable by leaning forward and looking over the front of the reserve container.
On the few occasions that I jumped a CWIE, my rucksack went in it, not in addition to it. I'm not sure the old style D rings even had enough area for the reserve snap fasteners, the snap fasteners for the CWIE, and snap fasteners from the 18 inch attaching straps.

The newer oversized "superstructure" D rings on the MC1-1B harness probably have the additional area to put three snap fasteners on it, but at least from 1970 - 1984 it was either the rucksack rigged with an H-Harness, 2 x 18 inch attaching straps, with a 20 foot lowering line; or else it was the CWIE, but not both.

Conventional units jumped the M1950 padded weapon container, but SF always jumped weapon exposed (reversed, with the reserve belly band through the carrying handle of the M-16). The only time I jumped the M1950 in Special Forces was with the barrel of a 60mm mortar and an M16A1 packed inside.

By the way, for reasons unknown, I've regularly heard the "Container, Weapons/Individual Equipment" acronym CWIE, pronounced "Wee Cee," when I supposed the "correct" pronouncation chould be "Cee Wee."

[Sinister Dave]

When jumping the WIEC bag EVERYTHING goes in -- your ruck, your weapon (usually a machinegun), the works -- it cleans up everything.

One of the heaviest static-line jumps I made was with an M60, 400 rounds, and ruck with my NVGs inside. The only good thing about jumping the WIEC was you were first in the door because of the weight.

[The Fat Guy]

When jumping the WIEC bag EVERYTHING goes in -- your ruck, your weapon (usually a machinegun), the works -- it cleans up everything.

One of the heaviest static-line jumps I made was with an M60, 400 rounds, and ruck with my NVGs inside. The only good thing about jumping the WIEC was you were first in the door because of the weight.

SD,

Brother you would need 300 lbs of lightweight gear to make a 400 lb jump!

We made some test jumps for the abn board at Bragg whereby half the team jumped Wee Cee's with all the kit and then others jumped new LOW packs with 125 lbs in them. OK, tell the truth, who has had one side release and the other "hang" on the D ring?

I believe we jumped them in the Rgr Bn with our 60's as well.

CB,

Please tell me you google fu'd that post and didn't type it from memory. I think we get Wee Cee because it sounds cool. In Key West we called th place (SWUFO) even though the acronym was SFUWO.

Go Figure.

[bstag1/75]

FG, that is Lowe not Low of course if you had it hanging from your D-Rings it was low. It sucks when they hang-up on your D-Rings. Young guys would get hurt, because they would fixate on trying to get it loose and forget to look for the ground. Since we usually jumped below 1000ft (750+/-) you hit pretty fast. It was great when we started jumping weapons exposed/ M60s in M1950s it was so much faster and easier.

Ed, hope to see you in Key West at the Reunion.

[173rdfan]

CB - Yea I have the red ball bag, you're right on the money. I have a T-10B with the old school harness and the D rings space is cramped with my reserve, my H Harness and fitting the M1950 case on my left D ring making it a real bitch to get off. I've been trying different load outs and with 3 snap hooks on the tiny D ring I'm struggling haha.

My red ball bag is missing the two suspension straps and have a lowering line in the mail. Would it be too crazy if I put my CWIE in my H-harness and use the lowering line on the CWIE? haha

The Fat Guy - My civy mind is wondering why you'd have one side release and the other hang on the D ring? Is it because of the lack of room on the old D ring?

bstag1/75 - Other than your D rings where would you hang it?

Thanks a lot guys, these little bits are the things you can't find in books.

[CDRODA396]

My squad leader made me jump a WIEC for my Cherry Blast back in '82, they had to search hi and low to find one. I had my Sqaud Leader's PRC-77, my Platoon Leader's PRC-77, my PRC-77 and M16A1. They very cleverly wired the red ball in place without my knowledge. They told me no matter what, dont land without pulling that ball!!! Needless to say, I hit as soft as a feather comforter! You can still go out to Holland DZ about 200 yards beyond the code letter and see my imprint! Ahhh, the memories!:biggrin:

[The Fat Guy]

FG, that is Lowe not Low of course if you had it hanging from your D-Rings it was low. It sucks when they hang-up on your D-Rings. Young guys would get hurt, because they would fixate on trying to get it loose and forget to look for the ground. Since we usually jumped below 1000ft (750+/-) you hit pretty fast. It was great when we started jumping weapons exposed/ M60s in M1950s it was so much faster and easier.

Ed, hope to see you in Key West at the Reunion.

Roger, working on it. Lowe was not in my new high speed lowe drag spell checker.

(See what I mean)

[RGR.Montcalm]

CB - Yea I have the red ball bag, you're right on the money. I have a T-10B with the old school harness and the D rings space is cramped with my reserve, my H Harness and fitting the M1950 case on my left D ring making it a real bitch to get off. I've been trying different load outs and with 3 snap hooks on the tiny D ring I'm struggling haha.

My red ball bag is missing the two suspension straps and have a lowering line in the mail. Would it be too crazy if I put my CWIE in my H-harness and use the lowering line on the CWIE? haha

The Fat Guy - My civy mind is wondering why you'd have one side release and the other hang on the D ring? Is it because of the lack of room on the old D ring?

bstag1/75 - Other than your D rings where would you hang it?

Thanks a lot guys, these little bits are the things you can't find in books.

You're mis-riggin your gear if you kit bag is in the H-Harness.

If you have the "Dial of Death" harness, the kit bag is folded, with one carrying handle exposed, and then placed length wise, running from just behind the "Dial of death" with the left chest strap (with attached DoD) routed through the carrying handle of the kit bag. This gives the jumper additonal padding when the weight of the jumper, parachute and rucksack/weapon/CWIE bag suddenly tighten up when slowing from 150 mph to 18 feet per second...

If you have the 'improved harness' with quick ejector snaps, then the kit bag is folded with one handle exposed, placed across the hips and the jumper's left leg strap is routed through the carrying handled then attached to the expanded 'D' ring.

If you are jumping an 'authentic' period lowering line for the CWIE, then it is a 2" wide, 18 foot long lowering line made with Type 25 cotton webbing, with a bungee cord and a sliding bar friction adapter one one end and a loop in the other. The original lowering line was attached to the right side of the parachute harness by routing the 'working end' of the lowering line- the part with the friction adapter- under the main left web, then configured with a quick release. it was NOT attached to the 'D' ring.

The came the Hook-Pile-Tape ((HPT) or Dragon Missile Jump Pack) lowering line, with the quick ejector snap and lanyard. It made rigging for ajump much faster and jettison of the ruck a much more likely occurence. It was originally attached to the jumper's left side expanded 'D' ring in the 'middle position' between the reserve parachute ejector snap and the M1950 rotating claw attachment.

Then came the MC1-1B harness with the lowering line attachment point which had a 'L' bar connector witha 4" strap ending with a flattened 'D' ring. The HPT lowering line was attached to this attachment point to reduce the amount of gear attached to the expanded 'D' ring.

If you want to really get high speed, you can route the HPT lowering line through the sleeve on the M1950 Weapons container and then to the lowering line attachment point; then after you lower your ruck/CWIE bag, you can lower your weapon. It will slide down the HPT lowering line and stop on top of your ruck/CWIE bag. the advantage to this is that it makes left side PLFs more tolerable...

I know your brain is probably full now, so I will shut up...

[B 2/75]

Spot on, Sarn't Major

My memory of the different lowering lines is tracking with yours exactly.

Regarding the CWIE bags... never ever did I see someone with a ruck rigged in addition to a CWIE. It went in the bag, along with the rest of the crap you had gotten tagged to hump. The only thing that didn't go in a CWIE was either a Dragon or a 90, the former being a left-side pack with your individual weapon strapped to the side of the Dragon Pak, and the 90s were door bundle items.

You had to be tallish to jump a CWIE... a short Ranger would have the bag on the ground and his reserve on top of the CWIE... he'd have to literally drag it along the aircraft floor to get to the door.

[RGR.Montcalm]

Questions like this keep my brain from rotting...;):biggrin:

[Just Another Guy]

I felt it was more like falling out the door.

[B 2/75]

Never had to jump a CWIE, but had the Dragon with an M-14 or M-21 all the damn time because I was the tallest in my squad. With the bottom of the Dragon's foam rubber crash pad flush with my calf, and then add the TWO layers of 4" cardboard honeycomb crash pad to that, and the damn thing was nearly dragging the ground, and I'm 6' 2". What sucked was when they started handing out the Dragon with the 33(?) pound steel sleeve inside the thing. That really sucked. BTW, you didn't want to ride in a Dragon. That would be a certain ticket to the aid station. I'd imagine that a CWIE would do a number on ya, too.

[173rdfan]

Thanks for the info everyone. RGR.Montcalm, my civy head is spinning but it is getting through. I do have the "Dial of Death". I have a 1974 dated CWIE and it does have the sliding bar friction adaptor and the loop but the loop has a snap hook attached. I just assumed the snap hook went on the D ring but unsure which one haha. I do have it set up so I can drop my ruck, hit the quick release and my rifle case slides down which is just slick haha.

I did recently get an HPT after hunting for weeks. That quick ejector snap makes it so much easier. Have that attached to my H Harness which is attached to my lightweight rucksack.

B 2/75 - I'm 5' 8" so I have a lot of bag dragging to do haha. Thanks again guys.

[RGR.Montcalm]

Thanks for the info everyone. RGR.Montcalm, my civy head is spinning but it is getting through. I do have the "Dial of Death". I have a 1974 dated CWIE and it does have the sliding bar friction adaptor and the loop but the loop has a snap hook attached. I just assumed the snap hook went on the D ring but unsure which one haha. I do have it set up so I can drop my ruck, hit the quick release and my rifle case slides down which is just slick haha.

I did recently get an HPT after hunting for weeks. That quick ejector snap makes it so much easier. Have that attached to my H Harness which is attached to my lightweight rucksack.

B 2/75 - I'm 5' 8" so I have a lot of bag dragging to do haha. Thanks again guys.

The snap hook DOES go to the D ring and the HPT lowering line is attached to the H-harness with a clove hitch running from top to bottom, so it locks the H-harness and ensures the ruck lands 'face (pockets) down...