FRY Cartoons by Tap27
Cartooning life, love, and laughter in peacekeeping in the Former Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) throughout the winter of 1993 to 1994.
UN service
In the 1990s, the United Nations (UN) and NATO stepped in stop a genocide. They did that in those days. This was Operation Grapple 1992 to 1995, and later, the Stabilization Force (SFOR) 1995 to 2004.
These toons record moments experienced or recalled by friends before AI or Internet memes. They include anthropomorphic vehicles of British Army's Royal Engineer (RE) Mountain Troop surviving mud, snow, and high doses of plastic explosive to keep the bumpy Route Triangle supply route open through the winter of '93 to '94. Without them, vital frozen gateaux couldn't get from Tomislavgrad to the UN outposts in Gornji Vacuf, Bugojno, Vitez, and more.
Mountain Troop was stationed on a mountain top in a former logging camp, Redoubt, and the oddly damp Orasac.
Toons
Readoubt showers
This cartoon strip is awarded 3-stars of 5.
This is a true story. A hot shower will raise morale. Italian Corimec-supplied modular ISO-container-sized accommodation, kitchen, and ablution units saved UN troops from staying in canvas tents for longer than needed. Mountain Troop's collection included the best shower unit in theatre.
Our brave sapper, wearing basic shorts, t-shirt, and gun slung over their shoulder, walks across Fort Redoubt's frozen mud with their wash kit. It's a beautiful sunny morning. They head for the Corimec shower unit where they enjoy a lovely hot shower. After drying, and slipping back into their sports kit, they head back to their accommodation through a shitty heavy rain shower. The name Redoubt is decorated to separate out the Royal Engineer's "RE" and "Doubt".
Injuns comming?
This cartoon strip is awarded 4-stars of 5.
The conditions were unforgiving on Route Triangle in the winter of '93 to '94. The RE and REME stationed at the high-altitude outpost Fort Redoubt recovered over 250 vehicles. Among them were the jackknifed, ditched, rolled, and frozen trucks and heavy vehicles: often their own.
There are two large white UN Iveco tipper trucks from Mountain Troop in the snow. One is upset on its side with its load of dirt spilled. Another tipper truck parks alongside, looks at the sad scene and asks, "What's up? Injuns coming?"
Time zones
This cartoon strip is awarded 3-stars of 5.
The British military overcome confusion between resources in different timezones using the Zulu standard time. Many say it added confusion as BRITFOR in FRY also used Alpha (local) and Bravo (Cyprus) timezones.
Two Tornado F3 jet fighters are flying toward us in formation. The lead navigator is giving his rookie wingman a rollocking over the radio: "Fox one, I said seven o'clock bandits. You don't need a bloody timezone!"
Great moments in grading #1,098
This cartoon strip is awarded 4-stars of 5.
Sappers had to manage — and occasionally messed up their graders in the harshest environment. Ice could adjust the blade height and angles, dark blizzard conditions could hide obstructions, and fatigue during 18-plus hour shifts could dislodge judgement from a plant operator's proud brain.
A caricature of a UN grader — a machine used to scrape roads flat — is operating on a remote and bumpy macadam track. Behind it lies its blade jammed into the road surface. "Shit!" Exclaims the grader.
Great moments in grading #1,099
This cartoon strip is awarded 3-stars of 5.
Sometimes, against all odds and having overcome challenging high-altitude snow and ice storms, a sapper could just fuck up.
A caricature of a UN grader — a machine used to scrape roads flat — is operating on a remote and bumpy macadam track. As it extends its unsecured blade out to its left, the blade flies off.
Return fire
This cartoon strip is awarded 3-stars of 5.
The UN's rules of engagement (ROE) allowed peacekeepers to supress incomming fire with return fire when protecting UN humanitarian movements. The BRITBAT Warrior infantry fighting vehicle was pretty good at it.
Two caricature UN Warrior infantry fighting vehicles are blatting away at something to their right. The subordinate asks, "So, what are we firing at?" The lead vehicle replies, "Dunno; a few more bursts and we'll find out."
Move!
This cartoon strip is awarded 3-stars of 5.
In 1993, local fighting forces moved logistics up Route Triangle and bodies back down it. The UN had a strict rule on convoy movements which, of course and rightly, the locals would ignore so their movement was unpredictable.
On Route Triangle in the snow and among the pine trees, a caricature UN Warrior infantry fighting vehicle looks angry as it points its weapon threateningly at a beligerent militant's box waggon, which is getting in the way. The Warrior is done with arguing: "Simple really; you move as a whole or with a hole!"
The Saxon Raider
This cartoon strip is awarded 3-stars of 5.
The AT105 Saxon (named after a bunch of over-eager Germanic warriors) was driven with a swagger because the Bedford "4-tonner" truck chassis wasn't up to much. Used like a troop taxi and offering little protection to its gunner, the Cheshires preferred having an actual Warrior IFV around. Dumb as it was, even before it proved to take a mine for the boys near Rama Lake in '94, anyone in a soft 'Rover was glad of a ride in one through town.
A UN-liveried Saxon drives fast toward us, kicking up an earthern dust cloud, and sporting a wide gurny smile fixed across its face. Printed beneath the sketch is its ego-lead thought: "Saxon Raider". (This was ironic after the tracked and heavily armoured Warrior arrived and the "Saxon Warrior" status needed a prune.)
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Like clockwork
This cartoon strip is awarded 3-stars of 5.
Local forces used aged and over-worn Soviet-era T-55 main battle tanks. (The 55 is the year they were designed). These quite tiny cans of worms could pack a punch from their 100mm gun. Their low sillohette was designed to give an edge crawling invisibly through the battle field, and their huge choking smoke plumes only gave the game away.
The V12 diesel engines were notoriously stubborn, and if the crews didn't mix gasoline or special additives into the fuel, it would jelly up in the cold. They were vulnerable to RPG-7 attack, so crews bolted metal screens to them like modern anti-drone add-ons found in Ukraine now.
Slow, noisy, and smokey as they were, the Cold War-era tank posed a real threat to anything the UN BRITFOR brought to the party. Reliable sources claimed they, "ran like clockwork".
A crud-encrusted, fume encircled, vaguely up-armoured T-55 is coached on by a soldier crouched by the driver capola. A huge clockwork mechanism winding key juts out from its rear. Beneath is printed, "Running like clockwork".
Fort Redoubt stinks
This cartoon strip is awarded 3-stars of 5.
Fort Redoubt was built on a bare-earth logging track. With all the heavy plant and heavier weather, it turned quickly into a quagmire. That's when it wasn't under 3 feet of snow or overlaid with icicles. Opinions varied.
A squat brown steaming pile of dirt or poo that's roughly shaped like the mountain Fort Redoubt was built on. The text reads, "Redoubt: a small brown squidgy thing that's often white".
Redundancy letters
This cartoon strip is awarded 3-stars of 5.
In '93, voluntary redundancy confirmation letters were delivered to British troops by the MOD while they were actively deployed on the dangerous front lines in Bosnia. It was reported as a major political scandal. Indeed, the soldiers receiving the letters were noticably…distracted. (Compulsory notices followed shortly after, which caused quite a stir).
The toon caption is, "One of these men has just been made redundant. Can you guess which one?" Four squaddies are in a line. Three are stood all neutral while one is on their knee, celebrating loudly with their can of beer, and shouting, "Wa-hey the lads!"
