The P58 was designed in the 1950s the idea being it would be more suitable for mechanised infantry than p37 and p44 which was to cause problems later in the Falklands war which was not a mechanised war, it was issued in 1960 but it was to take some years before it totally replaced all the p37 and p44, the designers of p58 assumed that the troops would not have to march long distances with full marching order, they concentrated on making a set of equipment that would contain a fighting load well and above which a field pack could be perched for short marches. The two orders for wear are called combat equipment fighting order [CEFO] and combat equipment marching order [CEMO], the items to be carried in CEFO included 4 ammunition pouches 4 full SLR magazines [80 rounds] 1 belt of 50 rounds g.p.m.g ammo 2 grenades bayonet and scabbard weapon cleaning kit, kidney pouches,mess tin, combat ration, knife/fork/spoon, washing and shaving kit, foot powder, spare socks, housewife, towel, spare laces, poncho in roll, full waterbottle and mug, lightweight pick or shovel, sandbag, respirator and NBC gear. Carried in the field pack when CEMO was ordered were beret, cap comforter, drawers, parka, shirt, socks,towel gloves, boot cleaning kit, pt shoes, boots dms, sleeping bag. The main feature of p58 is the yoke a padded shoulder harness that distributes weight comfortably. This attaches to a waistbelt supporting ammo pouches a water bottle and NBC gear on the sides, and a pair of kidney pouches at the rear. Below these is a poncho roll. The bayonet is held in loops on the inner face of the left ammo pouch. The webbing from which the p58 equipment is made is stronger and more durable than that of the p44 also it has steel furniture. Its main drawback is the design fault which does not permit the carriage of a rucksack, pack, radio etc on the back with comfort, plus in arctic conditions when wet it froze, these drawbacks showed up starkly in the Falklands war, resulting in its eventual replacement by the pattern 90.
[ 本帖最後由 B20_hk 於 22-1-2007 23:26 編輯 ]
