Chemical warfare

[ToughOmbres]

Originally Posted by Raellus

What was standard issue MOPP gear for US troops during the late Cold War? The M42/45 gas mask bag appears to be an integral part of ALICE gear for US troops, so I'm assuming that every front line soldier had at least a gas mask. Were there additional pieces (e.g. gloves) in the bag also? It doesn't look like it could hold a protective suit/boots. If not, where were those pieces kept?

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M17a1 and M17a2 protective masks were almost always on the left hip. Mask carrier bags had a little pouch for anti-fogging kits for lenses.
Depending on the MOPP level the other equipment (charcoal impregnated suits, overboots, gloves) could be pushed out from inventory. Same thing with spare filters which were tricky things to fit in the old M17 series.

The same things with paper testing strips, decontamination kits or for NBC units the chemical "sniffers"-it would depend on the MOPP level.
No idea about the antidote auto injectors-only briefly seen in training for most people and got the impression the real thing would only be issued after the balloon went up.