Perhaps the biggest hardship for U.S. troops will be the approaching Bosnian winter. The army will issue soldiers these standard items to keep them warm and safe:

vinyl overshoes

leather work gloves

wet-weather poncho

M-40 protective mask

wet-weather pants

wool sweater

night-vision goggles

body armor

barracks bag

cold-weather liner

entrenching tool

first-aid dressing

shelter

sleeping bag

mattress pad

wool blanket

ammo pouch

duffel bag or kit bag

waterproof bag

The warring sides in Bosnia planted an estimated 6 million mines during their 43-month struggle, posing one of the biggest threats to peacekeepers.

1 Most mines are TMA series antitank mines, which are hard to detect. Others include PMA anti-personnel mines.

2 U.S. troops will use specially trained dogs and PSS-12 Schiebel mine detectors, which can locate mines with minimal metal content.

3 On footpaths, an anti-mine foam will be used to cover the area. It hardens within minutes and encapsulates any mine-trigger device. Mine-clearing plows will be used in more open areas.

4 Other areas will be cordoned off for demining by blowing up the mines with TNT or C-4 explosives.

Potential areas of conflict Roads Railroads

In planning the peacekeeping operation, army officials are preparing U.S. troops for Bosnia’s many dangers:

1 As many as 1,000 Islamic fundamentalists, called mujahedin, are operating independently in Bosnia and could harm U.S. troops. Under the agreement, all foreign forces must leave the region.

2 Local militia operate in many Bosnian towns. They may not be willing to give up their arms.

3 Gen. Ratko Mladic is still popular with Bosnian Serbs, and could find ways to cause problems with NATO forces. If U.S. troops encounter him, they can apprehend him as a war criminal.

4 There are 2 million refugees in Bosnia, and NATO troops may have to deal with civil disobedience by refugees trying to retake their homes.

5 Up to 6 million land mines have been planted (below left).

20,000 U.S. troops will be equipped with about 150 M1-A1 Abrams tanks and about 250 of the lighter Bradley Fighting Vehicles.

U-2 spy planes will transmit surveillance info directly to bases while the giant C-5 transports will bring over the first troops and equipment.

More than 70 Apache and Kiowa helicopters will be used, some with heat sensors and video cameras to photograph infantry and terrain.

The naval group America, on its way to the Adriatic, includes the aircraft carrier USS America, the guided-missile cruisers Normandy and Monterey, and the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp.

SOURCE: DEFENSE DEPARTMENT, JANES’S. RESEARCH BAY BRAD STONE. ILLUSTRATION BY CHRISTOPH BLUMRICH

Three quarters of the U.S. forces, along with nearly all the wquipment and supplies, will travel by rail from bases in Germany to towns in Hungary. From there, they’ll go by highway into the U.S. sector

6,000 U.N. troops from the U.K. will change over to NATO authority. An additonal 7,000 will arrive through the port towns of Split and Rijeka, and then travel by road and rail into the British sector.

The 7,000 French troops already stationed in Bosnia will become part of the NATO force. Another 3,000, along with heavy equipment and supplies, will arrive by ferry to the Croatian town of Ploce, and then travel by road and rail up to the French sector.