A Royal Marine’s 8 tips to survive in the Jungle
As one of the toughest environments our troops can find themselves operating in, there is no place for failure. You simply have to survive
There can be few fighting environments that are more austere, challenging and unforgiving than the jungle. The humidity, the heat, the insects — everything works against you.
It’s not an easy feat to survive in one of the planet’s toughest environments. But our armed forces have been doing it long before now…
Experiences during the Burma campaign and subsequent campaigns in Malaya and Borneo during the Second World War taught many lessons and it is no surprise that many of the world’s elite Special Forces include a jungle phase in their training to this day.
Finding and fighting the enemy in the jungle requires specialised jungle warfare skills that UK Armed Forces personnel still practice on training exercises in the tropical jungles of Brunei and Belize.
It is often said that if you can operate for extended periods in the jungle, you will find other challenging environments easy.
Here are our 8 top tips for operating in the jungle
Based on the lessons of the Burma, Malaya and Borneo campaigns, a great deal of importance is attached to the basics of jungle survival — water, food, fire and shelter.
1. Drink water, plenty of it!
Hot and humid conditions in the jungle pose one of the greatest threats in the form of heat illness so it is crucial to drink water as often as possible and this should be sterilised to ensure that it is safe to drink.
2. Choosing shelter wisely
Heavy rain in the jungle can lead to flash flooding so choosing where to assemble a shelter is vital — it should never be positioned next to a creek or stream.
3. An enemy behind every rock 👀
The threats from flora and fauna are constant in the jungle with mosquitos, sandflies, spiders, scorpions, snakes, crocodiles and wildcats, as well as tree sap that can blind you and frogs that will make your skin burn. It is vital to respect these threats by leaving them well alone.
4. Prepare for the worst
The undergrowth of the jungle is too thick to use wheeled or tracked vehicles. Instead movement is conducted by foot and troops may have to use machetes to cut through the thick vegetation. All movement becomes greatly slowed down due to the combination of mud, the thickness of jungle and extreme temperatures — covering just a short distance may take hours.
5. Stay green and keep quiet
Understanding the challenges this environment poses are essential when operating against and tracking a determined enemy, whilst simultaneously making it as difficult as possible to be tracked and attacked.
Camouflage cream, or cam cream as it’s known in the trade, should be worn at all times to blend into the green landscape and it is important to keep all noise to a minimum.
6. Stay aware
The thickness of the jungle floor’s vegetation means that it is difficult for personnel to see each other, making it difficult to coordinate movement and directing fire on targets that are likely to be hidden by thick foliage.
7. Keep your eyes peeled
Weapons, which in other circumstances can fire accurately for hundreds of metres, are much less useful when constrained to only seeing a few metres.
When operating in mountainous areas of the jungle, visibility is further restricted by frequent mist and heavy rain.
8. Learn to communicate
Conventional communications are abandoned in the jungle in favour of high-frequency communication systems. These require high levels of training and skill in order to command and control and manoeuvre forces.
As we approach the 75th Anniversary of Victory over Japan Day (VJ Day), lessons from fighting in the Far East are as relevant today for the training of UK Armed Forces personnel as they were in 1945. They have helped set the conditions for success on operations in the future.
