![75Parad 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/75Parad_01.jpg)
A combat uniform, also called field uniform, battledress or military fatigues, is a
casual type of
uniform
A uniform is a variety of clothing worn by members of an organization while participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are most often worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency services, ...
used by
military
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
,
police
The police are a Law enforcement organization, constituted body of Law enforcement officer, persons empowered by a State (polity), state, with the aim to law enforcement, enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citize ...
,
fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products.
At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition point, flames ...
and other public
uniformed services for everyday fieldwork and combat duty purposes, as opposed to
dress uniform
Full dress uniform, also known as a ceremonial dress uniform or parade dress uniform, is the most formal type of uniforms used by military, police, fire and other public uniformed services for official parades, ceremonies, and receptions, ...
s worn in functions and parades. It generally consists of a
jacket
A jacket is a garment for the upper body, usually extending below the hips. A jacket typically has sleeves, and fastens in the front or slightly on the side. A jacket is generally lighter, tighter-fitting, and less insulating than a coat, which ...
,
trousers
Trousers (British English), slacks, or pants are an item of clothing worn from the waist to anywhere between the knees and the ankles, covering both legs separately (rather than with cloth extending across both legs as in robes, skirts, and ...
and
shirt
A shirt is a cloth garment for the upper body (from the neck to the waist).
Originally an undergarment worn exclusively by men, it has become, in American English, a catch-all term for a broad variety of upper-body garments and undergarments. ...
or
T-shirt
A T-shirt (also spelled tee shirt), or tee, is a style of fabric shirt named after the T shape of its body and sleeves. Traditionally, it has short sleeves and a round neckline, known as a '' crew neck'', which lacks a collar. T-shirts are genera ...
, all cut more loose and comfortable than more formal uniforms. Design may depend on
regiment
A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation.
In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...
or
service branch
Military branch (also service branch or armed service) is according to common standard a subdivision of the national armed forces of a sovereign nation or state.
Types of branches
Unified armed forces
The Canadian Armed Forces is the unifi ...
, e.g.
army
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
,
navy
A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...
,
air force
An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...
,
marines
Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refl ...
, etc. In the army branches, fabrics tend to come in
camouflage
Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the b ...
,
disruptive pattern
Disruptive coloration (also known as disruptive camouflage or disruptive patterning) is a form of camouflage that works by breaking up the outlines of an animal, soldier or military vehicle with a strongly contrasting pattern. It is often comb ...
or else green, brown or
khaki
The color khaki (, ) is a light shade of tan with a slight yellowish tinge.
Khaki has been used by many armies around the world for uniforms and equipment, particularly in arid or desert regions, where it provides camouflage relative to sandy ...
monochrome
A monochrome or monochromatic image, object or palette is composed of one color (or values of one color). Images using only shades of grey are called grayscale (typically digital) or black-and-white (typically analog). In physics, monochr ...
, in order to approximate the background and make the soldier less visible in nature. In
Western dress codes, field uniform is considered equivalent to
civilian
Civilians under international humanitarian law are "persons who are not members of the armed forces" and they are not " combatants if they carry arms openly and respect the laws and customs of war". It is slightly different from a non-combatant ...
casual wear
Casual wear (or casual attire or clothing) is a Western dress code that is relaxed, occasional, spontaneous and suited for everyday use. Casual wear became popular in the Western world following the counterculture of the 1960s. When emphasisi ...
. As such, field uniform is considered less formal than
service dress uniform
Service dress uniform is the informal type of uniform used by military, police, fire and other public uniformed services for everyday office, barracks and non-field duty purposes and sometimes for ceremonial occasions. It frequently consists of ...
, generally aimed at office or staff use, as well as
mess dress uniform
Mess dress uniform is the most formal (or semi-formal, depending on the country) type of uniforms used by military personnel, police personnel, and other uniformed services members. It frequently consists of a mess jacket, trousers, white d ...
, and
full dress uniform
Full dress uniform, also known as a ceremonial dress uniform or parade dress uniform, is the most formal type of uniforms used by military, police, fire and other public uniformed services for official parades, ceremonies, and receptions, ...
.
The
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which cou ...
in the mid 19th century were the first to use drab cotton uniforms for battle; they were first worn by the
Corps of Guides in 1848 where the colour of drab light-brown uniform was called
khaki
The color khaki (, ) is a light shade of tan with a slight yellowish tinge.
Khaki has been used by many armies around the world for uniforms and equipment, particularly in arid or desert regions, where it provides camouflage relative to sandy ...
by Indian troops. The first purpose-made and widely issued contemporary
military camouflage
Military camouflage is the use of camouflage by an armed force to protect personnel and equipment from observation by enemy forces. In practice, this means applying colour and materials to military equipment of all kinds, including vehicles, ...
fabric was for half-shelters by the
Italian Army
"The safeguard of the republic shall be the supreme law"
, colors =
, colors_labels =
, march = ''Parata d'Eroi'' ("Heroes's parade") by Francesco Pellegrino, ''4 Maggio'' (May 4) ...
after the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
.
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
was the first to use such shelter fabric for uniforms for their
paratroopers
A paratrooper is a military parachutist—someone trained to parachute into a military operation, and usually functioning as part of an airborne force. Military parachutists (troops) and parachutes were first used on a large scale during Worl ...
, and by the war's end both various German as well as the older Italian fabric was widely used for camouflage uniforms. Most nations developed camouflage uniforms during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, initially only to "elite" units and then gradually to all armed forces.
Terminology
In British English, battledress is often the preferred name. In
American English
American English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of varieties of the English language native to the United States. English is the most widely spoken language in the United States and in most circumstances ...
, the term fatigues has often used by the Army, or "utilities" by the Marines, originally being a term for work uniforms. Now, the term BDUs ("battle dress uniforms") is the more often-used term.
Combat uniform by country
Australia
![Australian soldier firing an EF88 assault rifle in 2018](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Australian_soldier_firing_an_EF88_assault_rifle_in_2018.jpg)
Australia generally followed British-style uniforms for its Armed forces, however did not adopt British Battledress during World War II, unlike other Commonwealth countries. Instead Australia continued to use a slightly updated version of the uniform worn during World War I. This uniform was also worn into the Korean War. Following service with the 28th Commonwealth Division in Malaya and Borneo, Australia adopted "Jungle Greens" for all field wear eventually modifying the uniform during the Vietnam War with slanted pockets and with the blouse to be worn outside of the trousers, similar to U.S "Jungle fatigues" (the forerunner of the U.S
Battle Dress Uniform
The Battle Dress Uniform (BDU) is a camouflaged combat uniform that was used by the United States Armed Forces as their standard combat uniform from the early 1980s to the mid-2000s. Since then, it has been replaced or supplanted in every br ...
) which also first appeared in Vietnam. The modified JGs were colloquially called the "Pixie suit." JGs were worn through the 1970s and until the adoption of Australia's own camouflage pattern called
Disruptive Pattern Combat Uniform (more commonly called DPCU or Auscam) introduced from 1982. The Australian Army is in the process of issuing to its personnel the new
Australian Multicam Camouflage Uniform
The Australian Multicam Camouflage Uniform (AMCU) is the combat uniform camouflage pattern for the Australian Defence Force, general issued from 2014 onwards. The AMCU is replacing the previously used Disruptive Pattern Camouflage Uniform (DPCU) ...
(AMCU), the pattern of which is derived from Crye Precision's widely adopted Multicam pattern and colourway.
There are three variations, the original design which is most commonly used, another for use in desert environments, called Disruptive Pattern Desert Uniform (DPDU) and a third for use by
OPFOR
An opposing force (alternatively enemy force, abbreviated OPFOR) is a military unit tasked with representing an enemy, usually for training purposes in war game scenarios. The related concept of aggressor squadron is used by some air forces. ...
units in training exercises.
Canada
The first true battledress adopted by Canada for standard issue across the board was the khaki field uniform known as Service Dress, adopted in 1907. This was of a separate pattern from the British Service Dress adopted after the Boer War, and marked a departure in Canadian uniforms in that it was distinct from the scarlet/blue/rifle green uniforms traditionally worn to that point, the latter of which became "ceremonial" dress for parades and other functions apart from field training.
Until well into the Cold War era, the Canadian Army had worn battle dress uniforms similar to their British and Commonwealth counterparts, though with different national identifiers and regimental accoutrements (with Khaki Drill uniforms being worn in the summer or in tropical regions). In the early 1950s, battle dress began to be replaced with lightweight uniforms, at first Bush Dress for summer wear, and in the 1960s with a new combat dress, a set of olive drab garments more similar to the American style of combat wear (i.e. made up of layers and solely for wear in the field as opposed to all-purpose wool Battle Dress).
Service Dress (1907–1940)
Canadian pattern Service Dress worn by Other Ranks did not stand up to the rigors of campaigning, however, and was widely replaced by British uniforms in France; some samples of Canadian pattern SD were retained in Canada, and after the war, surviving to be issued briefly in 1939.
Officers wore a distinctive pattern of Service Dress (as did Warrant Officers I Class), which was identical to that worn by British officers; they were privately purchased, and of better quality than Other Ranks uniform. In combat in France and Flanders, they were often replaced on an individual basis by Other Ranks' Service Dress, making the officer less conspicuous to enemy snipers and soldiers.
Khaki Drill (1900–1949)
Khaki Drill
Khaki drill (KD) is the British military term for a type of fabric and the military uniforms made from them.
History
Khaki colour uniforms were first introduced in 1848 in the British Indian Army Corps of Guides. As well as the Corps of Gui ...
was a series of different uniform patterns of light khaki cloth, generally cotton, first worn by Canadian soldiers in the Boer War and reserved for summer training in Canada, or for employment in tropical climates. Canada developed its own pattern after the First World War, and the uniform was commonly worn in Canada, with officers again having the option of finer garments privately purchased. In the Second World War, Canadians serving in Jamaica and Hong Kong wore Canadian pattern KD; the I Canadian Corps troops in Italy wore KD supplied in theatre by the British, generally of British, Indian or US (War Aid) manufacture.
Worn in tropics far beyond 1949. KD was still in issue and worn with either short or long trousers as parade dress. Jacket was replaced with shirt for normal barrack dress wear. Worn by all British units in Kenya until Dec 1964. Also in issue and worn by British Honduras Garrison and attached Infantry Company Group until at least 1968.
Battle Dress (1939–1970)
In 1939, the Battle Dress uniform was adopted as a field uniform; made of wool and patterned after British BD, Canadian uniforms were darker in color with a distinctive green tinge to the dark khaki color. Officers had the option of having BD tailored from better material, but in the field most wore "off the rack" BD, perhaps with a modified open collar.
Service Dress was worn in 1939 and into 1940 by soldiers in Canada as field dress, and afterward was no longer issued except to a select few. While a new pattern of Service Dress was introduced for Other Ranks in this period, it was reserved for dress wear only. Battle Dress completely replaced SD as a field uniform beginning in 1940 as enough of the new uniforms became available.
A new pattern of BD was introduced in 1949, with an open collar matching that of British Pattern 1949 BD. The garment was worn as a field dress throughout the Korean War, and into the 1960s until replaced by the Combat uniform. Some Militia units used BD as a dress uniform until the early 1970s.
The US Army produced its own version of the BD blouse for issue to soldiers in Europe. Although most of these were produced in England, they were of a dark green color, rather than khaki. Called the ETO (''European Theater of Operations'') jacket, American soldiers dubbed it the
''Ike Jacket'', after General
Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Bush Dress (1950–1960)
Bush Dress was a series of dark green cotton uniforms, similar to KD clothing, which replaced those uniforms just prior to the Korean War. Like KD, Bush Dress was worn primarily as a field uniform. It was replaced by the Combat uniform in the 1960s.
Combats (1960–2000)
![Defense](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/Defense.gov_News_Photo_960814-A-8186D-004.jpg)
The green combat uniform became universal battledress in the 1960s, and was designed to be worn in any environment (though a tan coloured "tropical" version was worn during Operation Desert Storm and by the Airborne in Somalia).
The Canadian pattern combat uniform had angled pockets, designed to take magazines from the FN C1A1 battle rifle; a truly poor design of infantry load bearing equipment inspired this design – the 1964 Pattern Web Equipment had no ammunition pouches. The angled pockets are repeated on the new CADPAT uniform, though they are enlarged and not intended for ammunition carriage.
The Canadian combat uniform had a high nylon content, which had the potential for producing significant burns.
CADPAT (2000–present)
![Canadian soldiers participate in RIMPAC 2008 -a](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Canadian_soldiers_participate_in_RIMPAC_2008_-a.jpg)
In Canada, battledress is referred to officially as "No. 5 Operational Dress", and in general parlance as "combat uniform" or "combats". The new Canadian Disruptive Pattern uniform is commonly called "CADPAT" to diffentiate it from the previous uniform called "combat". The term combat now refers to the old monochrome (single color) combat uniform.
Currently, the
Canadian Forces
}
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force.
...
use the four-colour
CADPAT
Canadian Disruptive Pattern (CADPAT; french: links=no, dessin de camouflage canadien, DcamC) is the computer-generated digital camouflage pattern developed for use by the Canadian Armed Forces. Four operational variations of CADPAT have been use ...
design, a computer-generated pixelated pattern issued in TW (temperate woodland) and AR (arid region) colours. Camouflage cloth of CADPAT pattern was created and adopted in 1995, used for issue helmet covers in 1997 and trousers and blouses in CADPAT began to replace the olive green combat uniform from 2001 when Canadian forces joined the
UN peacekeepers in
Bosnia-Hercegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...
. The AR version was introduced when Canadian troops were deployed to
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is borde ...
. Previously, a tan version of the olive combats had been used for tropical wear by soldiers deployed to the Middle East, particularly during
Operation Desert Storm
Operation or Operations may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity
* Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory
* ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Ma ...
and were to be worn by the Canadian Airborne Regiment (Cdn Ab Regt) for the (subsequently canceled) deployment the Western Sahara in 1991. They were later worn by the Cdn Ab Regt during their deployment to
Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constitut ...
. The TAN colored combat uniform was also issued to Canadian troops serving in the Western Sahara with the UN Mission (MINURSO) during 1992–1993.
Specialised clothing
![Sergeant H](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/Sergeant_H.A._Marshall_of_the_Sniper_Section%2C_The_Calgary_Highlanders.jpg)
Specialised battledress was developed primarily during the Second World War, including the
Denison smock
The Denison smock was a coverall jacket issued to Special Operations Executive (SOE) agents, the Parachute Regiment, the Glider Pilot Regiment, Air Landing Regiments, Air Observation Post Squadrons, Commando units, and other Commonwealth air ...
– originally for parachutists but also adopted by snipers. Specialized jump clothing was perpetuated by the
Canadian Airborne Regiment
The Canadian Airborne Regiment (french: links=, Régiment aéroporté canadien) was a Canadian Forces formation created on April 8, 1968. It was not an administrative regiment in the commonly accepted British Commonwealth sense, but rather a tactic ...
who wore distinctive disruptive-pattern jump smocks from 1975 until disbandment in 1995.
The Canadian Army has made extensive use of plain coveralls as a field uniform, commonly using khaki coveralls in the Second World War to save wear and tear on wool BD. In the 1950s and 1960s, the Canadian military adopted black coveralls which were often worn as combat dress, replacing them in the 1970s with rifle green coveralls. These were worn in the field in Canada by units in training but are also evident in photos of men deployed to West Germany during the Cold War, as armoured and mechanized units sometimes preferred to wear coveralls when carrying out maintenance.
Special patterns of AFV uniform were also worn beginning in the Second World War, initially black coveralls, later khaki coveralls as well as the padded "Pixie suit". Olive drab tanker's uniforms were adopted with the combat uniform in the 1960s, including a distinctive padded jacket with angled front zip.
France
From the middle of the 19th century until the end of the Second World War, French field uniforms for dismounted troops were based on a kind of universal long coat called the ''capote'' and breeches, both made of woollen serge. For
line infantry
Line infantry was the type of infantry that composed the basis of European land armies from the late 17th century to the mid-19th century. Maurice of Nassau and Gustavus Adolphus are generally regarded as its pioneers, while Turenne and Mon ...
this greatcoat was worn buttoned back from the legs when on the march. Until the end of 1914 the ''capote'' was produced in dark blue cloth and the breeches were red. These highly visible uniforms were replaced in early 1915 by light blue/grey (''bleu horizon'') uniforms for metropolitan troops and khaki for colonial troops.
![The Battle of the Somme, July-november 1916 Q4530](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/The_Battle_of_the_Somme%2C_July-november_1916_Q4530.jpg)
In 1921, the French army decided to replace the ''bleu horizon'' with khaki. Because of large surplus stocks built up during the war, this measure was not fully effective until 1937. However, during the
Phoney War
The Phoney War (french: Drôle de guerre; german: Sitzkrieg) was an eight-month period at the start of World War II, during which there was only one limited military land operation on the Western Front, when French troops invaded Germa ...
of 1939-40 some third-line troops were still equipped with ''bleu horizon'' uniforms.
After the defeat, the French army went on wearing 1940 uniforms, in particular in the ''
armée d'Afrique'' (Army of Africa). Some new equipment was introduced by Vichy for the "armistice army" limited to 100,000 soldiers on French soil. The old French uniforms were progressively replaced in the Free French forces by much more modern British or American uniforms, which were progressively withdrawn but still in use until the end of the fifties.
Cold War era
![Lleopard](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Lleopard.jpg)
The first French battledress was introduced in 1945 and was made of a heavy cotton duck, sometimes taken from old German stocks and based on the same design as the British 1937 pattern.
The French army introduced a new woolen serge model in 1946 looking like the British 1937 pattern but with exposed buttons. Although it was intended to be a field uniform, it was mainly used as a winter walking-out uniform until the late 1950s. However, the ''armée de l'air'' used it in its dark blue version, until 2010.
A proper cotton combat uniform was introduced in 1947 (Modèle 47) based on a jacket inspired by the US 1943 pattern and loose trousers with two big cargo pockets on each side of the thighs. The same year, a special uniform, also called Modèle 47 was issued to airborne units composed of a large jacket with two breast and two hip cargo pockets. Originally, both "Modèle 47"s were issued in khaki. From 1951 on, the paratroopers' uniform and, in a lesser proportion, the standard Modèle 47 were issued in a three-colour camouflage pattern which gave the uniform the nickname ''tenue léopard'' (leopard uniform), but became better known as the
TAP47 lizard pattern. It was issued in many colour variants (colourways), saw war service in
Indochina
Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west an ...
and in
North-Africa
North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in t ...
, and was frequently copied by nations in those areas.
The last official issue was the 1956 variant, but its use continued until the end of the war in Algeria. The ''tenue léopard'' was a symbol of elite units and was issued only to Foreign Legion and French airborne units. Therefore, it was withdrawn in 1962officially, to give a standard uniform to the whole of the French army but, less officially, to
punish those elite troops which had not behaved well during the conflict. The Modèle 1947 paratroopers uniform continued to be produced in grey-green material (water repellent and herringbone) until 1969, when it was replaced by the Modèle 1964. On another side, the camouflaged uniform was still in use by the French forces in overseas territories until the end of the 1980s; a huge quantity of them was then handed over to Portugal and Israel.
The French army received a new standard battle dress in 1964, roughly based on the principles of the 1947 pattern, but much closer to the body, with zipped breast pockets and made of water repellent grey-green infrared proof material called Satin 300 to protect soldiers against nuclear and chemical agents. Because of a budget shortage at the beginning of the 1980s, this uniform was made of much lighter but much more fragile herringbone material under the name F1. A new variant under the name F2 was introduced at the end of the eighties made of a much stronger material. F1 uniforms were mainly sent to overseas territories.
1990s to present
![Exercise Wessex Storm 2020 MOD 45167356](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/Exercise_Wessex_Storm_2020_MOD_45167356.jpg)
In the 1980s, research results were rejected, because of the similarity to German ''
flecktarn
''Flecktarn'' (; "mottled camouflage"; also known as ''Flecktarnmuster'' or ''Fleckentarn'') is a family of 3-, 4-, 5- or 6-color disruptive camouflage patterns, the most common being the five-color pattern, consisting of dark green, light green, ...
''. In 1994, a new four colour camouflage called "
Camouflage Central-Europe" and close to the American woodland pattern was adopted and progressively introduced for troops in ex-Yugoslavia. F2 battle dress were produced in camouflaged water repellent or herringbone material from this instant on.
In 1990, desert camouflage was introduced during the Gulf War and F2 battle dress were produced in a hurried effort in a three-colour "
Daguet" desert pattern.
In 2012 a redesigned Centre Europe version called ''T4 Serie 2'' is slowly replacing the original ''F2'' cut style. it keeps the same pattern and colors but has a wider cut for more comfort and ease of movements, it has improved pockets placement for body armor use and a more resistant fabric (Rip-Stop).The new uniform is planned in 2 different pattern : Centre Europe (Woodland) and Arid (Desert 'Daguet' style)
Germany
The ''
feldgrau
''Feldgrau'' (English: field-grey) is a grayish green color. It was the official basic color of military uniforms of the German armed forces from the early 20th century until 1945 (West Germany) or 1989 (East Germany). Armed forces of other co ...
'' ("
field grey
''Feldgrau'' (English: field-grey) is a grayish green color. It was the official basic color of military uniforms of the German armed forces from the early 20th century until 1945 (West Germany) or 1989 (East Germany). Armed forces of other co ...
") colouring was adopted by the
German Empire
The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...
in 1910.
World War II
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
funded a great deal of research on camouflage uniforms, investigating many patterns including NIR camouflage. After much trial the
Oberkommando der Wehrmacht, in 1938, issued the basic four-colour "plane tree" pattern (''Platanenmuster'') of Schick and Schmid in the form of camouflage smocks to units of the
Waffen SS
The (, "Armed SS") was the combat branch of the Nazi Party's ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with volunteers and conscripts from both occupied and unoccupied lands.
The grew from th ...
. The three-colour disruptive ''
Splittermuster
Splittertarnmuster, Splittertarn or Splittermuster ( splinter-pattern) is a four-colour military camouflage pattern developed by Germany in the late 1920s, first issued to the Reichswehr in 1931.
Development
Splittertarnmuster was first printe ...
'', more commonly known in English as 'splinter pattern', was issued to the
army
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
beginning before the war, in the form of camouflaged tent quarters (''zeltbahn'') which was reversible, with a splinter pattern in dark colours on one side, and light coloured on the other.
From 1942, a year after the
Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German '' Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the '' Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabt ...
started producing
jump smock
Jumping is a form of locomotion or movement in which an organism or non-living (e.g., robotic) mechanical system propels itself through the air along a ballistic trajectory.
Jump or Jumping also may refer to:
Places
* Jump, Kentucky or Jump S ...
s in this pattern, a variety of helmet covers and camouflage smocks were adopted for the army. A distinctive variant of splinter pattern camouflage was introduced midway through the war, a blurry (''Sumpfmuster'') referred to as "tan water pattern" in English by collectors. During the war, additional SS variants including "palm", "smoke", and "oak leaf" were introduced, in spring and autumn colours. By 1944 the complex "peas" pattern (''Erbsenmuster'') was also used by the Waffen SS issued as standard, in tunic and trouser combinations, but never in smocks or caps. Initially, camouflage had been a sign of elite troops and the SS continued this differentiation by using its own distinctive patterns.
In 1941, during the winter on the
Eastern Front, German troops were at a considerable disadvantage because they lacked winter camouflage. In 1945, a five-colour ''
Leibermuster'' design was introduced. Intended to be used by all the armed forces, it was layered to improve effectiveness at distance, used a new print method to reduce obvious repetition, and included NIR protection. Due to the distribution situation, it was issued to eastern units only. After WW2, this became the standard camouflage pattern for the Swiss armed forces.
Post-war
![Bundeswehr G36](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/Bundeswehr_G36.jpg)
In the 1950s,
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
's
Bundeswehr
The ''Bundeswehr'' (, meaning literally: ''Federal Defence'') is the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The ''Bundeswehr'' is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part con ...
used two versions of the wartime "splinter", a four-colour pattern called ''BV-
Splittermuster
Splittertarnmuster, Splittertarn or Splittermuster ( splinter-pattern) is a four-colour military camouflage pattern developed by Germany in the late 1920s, first issued to the Reichswehr in 1931.
Development
Splittertarnmuster was first printe ...
''. Thereaft, from 1961 until 1990 they used the so-called olive-green battle dress. Following various trials the dots-and-blotches five-colour ''
Flecktarn
''Flecktarn'' (; "mottled camouflage"; also known as ''Flecktarnmuster'' or ''Fleckentarn'') is a family of 3-, 4-, 5- or 6-color disruptive camouflage patterns, the most common being the five-color pattern, consisting of dark green, light green, ...
'' pattern was chosen in 1976 and issued from the mid-1980s. Reserve forces' unit remained in old olive-green battle dress as late as 1994.
East Germany
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
's
Nationale Volksarmee
The National People's Army (german: Nationale Volksarmee, ; NVA ) were the armed forces of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1956 to 1990.
The NVA was organized into four branches: the (Ground Forces), the (Navy), the (Air Force) an ...
first pattern was the 1956 ''Russisches Tarnmuster'' based, as the name suggests, on the Soviet "amoeba" designs. It was soon replaced by the four-colour ''Flächentarnmuster'' pattern (sometimes called "potato" or "splotch"). In 1965, the dense straight-line two-colour ''Strichmuster'' pattern was introduced, sometimes called "''ein Strich – kein Strich''", it remained in use until reunification.
''
Flecktarn
''Flecktarn'' (; "mottled camouflage"; also known as ''Flecktarnmuster'' or ''Fleckentarn'') is a family of 3-, 4-, 5- or 6-color disruptive camouflage patterns, the most common being the five-color pattern, consisting of dark green, light green, ...
'' was made the pattern for the unified country.
Indonesia
![Upacara_pemberangkatan_satgas_Kizi_Monusco_XX](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/Upacara_pemberangkatan_satgas_Kizi_Monusco_XX.Q_di_Mabes_TNI.jpg)
In the
Indonesian National Armed Forces, the combat uniform is known as "PDL" (; translated as Field uniform), and is categorized into five types, PDL I (No. 1), PDL II (No. 2), PDL II A (No. 2A), PDL III (No. 3), and PDL IV (No. 4).
The general combat uniform of the Indonesian National Armed Forces uses the
Disruptive Pattern Material
Disruptive Pattern Material (DPM) is the commonly used name of a camouflage pattern used by the British Armed Forces as well as many other armed forces worldwide, particularly in former British colonies.
The main variants of DPM are a four-colo ...
(DPM) pattern, which is adopted in 1984. This pattern sometimes called "Loreng
Malvinas". Aside from general combat uniform of the national armed forces, each branches also have their own specific camouflage pattern. Around the middle of 2011, the Navy adopted a new camouflage design for ship crews. The design is known locally as , or "sailing camouflage". The Air Force officially adopted a pixelated camouflage design utilizing black, grey, off-white, blue-grey and medium blue, on 5 October 2015, to mark the service's anniversary. It also incorporates (non-pixelated) images of aircraft into the pattern. On 2 March 2022, the Army unveiled their combat uniform with new camo pattern, called as (Army camo pattern).
Units and formations within the armed forces such as the
Kopassus
The Kopassus ( id, Komando Pasukan Khusus, Special Forces Command) is an Indonesian Army (TNI-AD) special forces group that conducts special operations missions for the Indonesian government, such as direct action, unconventional warfare, sabot ...
,
Raider Infantry,
Kostrad
The Army Strategic Reserves Command ( id, Komando Cadangan Strategis Angkatan Darat; abbreviated ) is a combined-arms formation of the Indonesian Army. Kostrad is a Corps level command which has up to 35,000 troops. It also supervises operati ...
,
Marine Corps
Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refl ...
,
Kopaska and
Paskhas
The Kopasgat ( id, Komando Pasukan Gerak Cepat, Quick Reaction Forces Command) is the air force infantry and special forces corps of the Indonesian Air Force. The corps is also known as the Orange Berets ( in Indonesian) from the colour of the ...
have their own distinctive camouflage pattern designs for their field uniform which resembles their identity, but it is only worn during special occasions such as during
military parade
A military parade is a formation of soldiers whose movement is restricted by close-order manoeuvering known as drilling or marching. The military parade is now almost entirely ceremonial, though soldiers from time immemorial up until the la ...
s. Members of the armed forces who are assigned to the
Garuda Contingent wear a
desert DPM camouflage pattern.
Iran
There’s an arctic blue camo for the Army air force, and a green and brown forest camo with splotches of electric blue for the Army Air Defence Force.
Italy
The
Italian Army
"The safeguard of the republic shall be the supreme law"
, colors =
, colors_labels =
, march = ''Parata d'Eroi'' ("Heroes's parade") by Francesco Pellegrino, ''4 Maggio'' (May 4) ...
used ''grigio-verde'' in the
Alps
The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Swi ...
from 1906 and across the army from 1909. In 1929, the country was the first to mass-produce camouflage fabric, the three-colour ''
telo mimetico
M1929 Telo mimetico ( Italian: ''camouflage cloth'') was a military camouflage pattern used by the Italian Army for shelter-halves (''telo tenda'') and later for uniforms for much of the 20th century. Being first issued in 1929 and only fully dis ...
'' pattern. It was initially used as shelter halves, and not issued as uniform until 1942.
The pattern remained in use after the war, moving through several colour variations. The marines adopted a complex five-colour "Mediterranean spray" pattern in the 1980s. In 1990, a new army pattern was introduced, a four-colour named "Vegetata"; a desert version was also issued from 1992.
Japan
The
Japanese tried monochrome green during the 1905 conflict with Russia, but entered
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
with
monochrome mustard khaki uniforms. Some were fitted with special loops to aid the attachment of natural vegetation.
The
Japan Self-Defense Forces did not issue a pattern until the 1980s, choosing a four-colour green-and-brown design, sometimes called "fang". It was succeeded in 1991 by a dot pattern close to ''flecktarn'', while during the Gulf War a six-colour pattern similar to the United States
Desert Battle Dress Uniform
The Desert Battle Dress Uniform (DBDU) is a U.S. arid-environment camouflage battle uniform that was used by the United States Armed Forces from the early 1980s to the early to mid 1990s, most notably during the Persian Gulf War. Although the U.S ...
was used.
New Zealand
Being of a Commonwealth country
New Zealand's armed forces generally followed British-style uniforms for most of the 20th century, with New Zealanders adopting British
Battledress
A combat uniform, also called field uniform, battledress or military fatigues, is a casual type of uniform used by military, police, fire and other public uniformed services for everyday fieldwork and combat duty purposes, as opposed to dress ...
during World War II and Korea, and British "Jungle Greens" in Malaya and Borneo while serving in the
28th Commonwealth Infantry Brigade. During the Vietnam War New Zealand forces wore Australian Jungle Greens. NZ Special Air Service (NZSAS) troopers wore U.S-issue BDUs in
ERDL
The United States Army Engineer Research and Development Laboratory (ERDL) was a United States Army Corps of Engineers research facility located at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
History
The ERDL was formed in 1947 when the Army's Engineer Board was re ...
camouflage during Vietnam and thereafter until the adoption of camouflage for all branches of service in 1980.
British
Disruptive Pattern Material
Disruptive Pattern Material (DPM) is the commonly used name of a camouflage pattern used by the British Armed Forces as well as many other armed forces worldwide, particularly in former British colonies.
The main variants of DPM are a four-colo ...
camouflage was the basis of what eventually evolved into
New Zealand disruptive pattern material which became the standard camouflage pattern for the New Zealand Defence Force from 1980 until 2013 when it was replaced by a New Zealand-only digital camouflage called New Zealand Multi Terrain Camouflage (NZMTP) by Canadian company Hyperstealth Biotechnology Corp. The pattern has since been officially replaced with
Multi-Terrain Pattern
The Multi-Terrain Pattern (MTP) is the standard camouflage pattern of the British Armed Forces.
As part of the British Ministry of Defence's (MOD) Personal Equipment and Common Operational Clothing (PECOC) programme, three new camouflage patter ...
by Crye Precision. Crye Precision's off-the-shelf Multicam pattern from which MTP is derived was used by NZ SAS forces in Afghanistan.
The cut of the New Zealand combat uniforms is similar to the modern U.S
Army Combat Uniform
The Army Combat Uniform (ACU) is the current combat uniform worn by the United States Army, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Space Force. Within U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force, it is referred to as the OCP (Operational Camouflage Pattern) Uniform ...
which entered into service in 2008.
Russia
Imperial era
![Russian Empire Soldiers 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Russian_Empire_Soldiers_01.jpg)
The
Imperial Russian Army fought mostly in dark green colours (introduced by
Peter the Great in 1700), even if several branches (
Life Guards regiments,
dragoons,
hussars
A hussar ( , ; hu, huszár, pl, husarz, sh, husar / ) was a member of a class of light cavalry, originating in Central Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely a ...
and
uhlans
Uhlans (; ; ; ; ) were a type of light cavalry, primarily armed with a lance. While first appearing in the cavalry of Lithuania and then Poland, Uhlans were quickly adopted by the mounted forces of other countries, including France, Russia, P ...
) dressed in distinctive and colourful attire.
Cossack regiments were reported to use basic camouflage patterns and techniques during the
Crimean War
The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia.
Geopolitical causes of the war included the ...
. Duller colours were used unofficially in the 1880s and again in 1905. The whole army began using khaki for field dress from 1908 on.
Soviet era
![RIAN archive 2415 Before the defense of Smolensk](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/RIAN_archive_2415_Before_the_defense_of_Smolensk.jpg)
In the early 1930s, the Soviet Union developed one-piece coveralls and two-piece suits with a disruptive pattern of big amoeba-like spots, which, in conjunction with the baggy shape of the suit itself, were very effective in breaking the outline of the human silhouette. The two-piece suits were made to be worn over the uniform and gear, which could be accessed through the special slots (a design feature later employed by the Germans). The limited use of a two-colour disruptive "amoeba" pattern began in 1938. The "amoeba" remained in use until the 1950s.
The
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
issued all-white winter camouflage in 1938. During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, other designs were tried, including "leaf" (1940) and the jagged three-colour "TTsMKK" (1944). Most troops remained in a monochrome brown.
Post-war Soviet camouflage remained a sign of elite units. A two-colour "sun-ray" pattern was used by paratroopers from 1969 and two- or three-colour versions were issued to
Spetsnaz
Spetsnaz are special forces in numerous post-Soviet states. (The term is borrowed from rus, спецназ, p=spʲɪtsˈnas; abbreviation for or 'Special Purpose Military Units'; or .)
Historically, the term ''spetsnaz'' referred to the S ...
,
KGB
The KGB (russian: links=no, lit=Committee for State Security, Комитет государственной безопасности (КГБ), a=ru-KGB.ogg, p=kəmʲɪˈtʲet ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)əj bʲɪzɐˈpasnəsʲtʲɪ, Komitet gosud ...
and
MVD
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation (MVD; russian: Министерство внутренних дел (МВД), ''Ministerstvo vnutrennikh del'') is the interior ministry of Russia.
The MVD is responsible for law enfor ...
troops into the 1980s. The KLMK pattern was the first "digital" camouflage and it was issued to Spetsnaz troops and some
Border guards
A border guard of a country is a national security agency that performs border security. Some of the national border guard agencies also perform coast guard (as in Germany, Italy or Ukraine) and rescue service duties.
Name and uniform
In ...
units.
In the early 1980s a new brown and green pattern was introduced, the 3-TsV series, more commonly referred to as TTsKO. It was intended for the Soviet airborne and land forces, and remained in service until after the end of the Soviet Union. It was not seen by the west until 1985 during a military parade.
Modern Russia era
After the
collapse of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...
, a new pattern was developed as the standard field uniform. Issued from 1993, the three-colour green-brown-tan design in a vertical orientation was called VSR, or "Schofield" in the West. This was quickly superseded by the same basic pattern in a horizontal orientation, called 'flora', in 1998. Other widely used patterns in the 1990s were inspired by Western designs, notably the British
DPM influenced the 'Smog' pattern, and U.S. Woodland pattern influenced the 'les' pattern. The elite forces maintain different patterns; MVD troops began using the four-colour "SMK" pattern in 1992 and other units wear a distinctive "reed" pattern. Versions of the "woodland" pattern also remain in use.
![FinalCheck2018-13](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/FinalCheck2018-13.jpg)
In 2008, the
Russian Armed Forces introduced a pixelated camouflage design intended to replace the VSR and Flora patterns. Officially called ''единая маскировочная расцветка'' ''(Edinaya maskirovochnaya rascvetka)'' or
EMR, translating roughly as Unified Camouflage Coloration (in this sense the word "unified" refers to the fact that it is common to all the armed forces of Russia). The pattern is often referred to as ''Tsifra, Tetris'' or "digital flora." Several variations of this pattern have been produced, the most common of which is the ''leto'' (summer) variant incorporating tiny pixels of black, reddish-brown and foliage green on a pale green background. Other versions include ''sever'' (northern regions), ''zima'' (winter), and ''gorod'' (urban). Full-scale adoption began in 2011.
United Kingdom
From the late 17th century to the late 19th century, most British soldiers (
red coats) fought in
scarlet tunic
A tunic is a garment for the body, usually simple in style, reaching from the shoulders to a length somewhere between the hips and the knees. The name derives from the Latin ''tunica'', the basic garment worn by both men and women in Ancient Rome ...
s. The adoption of scarlet was mainly for economic reasons. When Oliver Cromwell initially started forming the
New Model Army, red was the cheapest dye available. Toward the end of the 19th century, however, as the nature of warfare moved away from close formation fighting to more individual fighting, it began to be recognised that this colour stood out too much.
![Scene from recreation of Battle of Naseby](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/Scene_from_recreation_of_Battle_of_Naseby.jpg)
The move towards camouflage began in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, and
khaki
The color khaki (, ) is a light shade of tan with a slight yellowish tinge.
Khaki has been used by many armies around the world for uniforms and equipment, particularly in arid or desert regions, where it provides camouflage relative to sandy ...
was used during the
Indian rebellion of 1857
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the fo ...
. It became standard in India in 1885, for all foreign postings in 1896, and was adopted throughout the army in 1902 during the
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...
.
World War II
Battle Dress
A combat uniform, also called field uniform, battledress or military fatigues, is a casual type of uniform used by military, police, fire and other public uniformed services for everyday fieldwork and combat duty purposes, as opposed to dress ...
(BD), later called "No.5 Dress", was the official name for the standard working and fighting uniform worn by the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
and the armies of other
Imperial and
Commonwealth countries in
temperate
In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout ...
climes from 1937 to the late 1960s. It was a pair of trousers and a close fitting short jacket ''Blouse'' made of
khaki
The color khaki (, ) is a light shade of tan with a slight yellowish tinge.
Khaki has been used by many armies around the world for uniforms and equipment, particularly in arid or desert regions, where it provides camouflage relative to sandy ...
-coloured
woollen cloth.
Air force blue battledress was worn by the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
, and
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
shore parties wore a
navy blue
Navy blue is a very dark shade of the color blue.
Navy blue got its name from the dark blue (contrasted with naval white) worn by officers in the Royal Navy since 1748 and subsequently adopted by other navies around the world. When this color ...
version. Camouflage dress was hand-painted for some specialists.
The Battle Dress design at the start of the war was the ''(19)37 Pattern''. In 1942 it was replaced with the simpler made ''(19)40 Utility Pattern''. This omitted finer details such as pleating on pockets. In both cases the blouse came in two forms, the ordinary ranks with closed neck and the officers open neck which exposed their shirt and tie. From 1942, the camouflaged
Denison smock
The Denison smock was a coverall jacket issued to Special Operations Executive (SOE) agents, the Parachute Regiment, the Glider Pilot Regiment, Air Landing Regiments, Air Observation Post Squadrons, Commando units, and other Commonwealth air ...
, originally issued to the
Airborne forces to be worn over the BD, was issued more widely.
=Tropical uniforms
=
In the early campaigns in
North Africa
North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...
and the
Mediterranean theatre, British troops wore
khaki drill
Khaki drill (KD) is the British military term for a type of fabric and the military uniforms made from them.
History
Khaki colour uniforms were first introduced in 1848 in the British Indian Army Corps of Guides. As well as the Corps of Gui ...
(
KD) shorts or slacks with long sleeved
Aertex shirts. The paler shade of KD was more suited to desert or semi-desert regions than the dark khaki serge used in Battle dress. When the Allies moved up through Italy, however, two-piece khaki denim battledress overalls were increasingly preferred. By 1943, the KD shirt began to be replaced by a more durable cotton KD
bush jacket.
![The British Army in Burma 1945 SE2055](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/The_British_Army_in_Burma_1945_SE2055.jpg)
In the
Far East
The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.
The ter ...
, the British found themselves at war with the
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
while equipped with the impractical KD uniform. Shirts and trousers had to be dyed green as a temporary expedient until more suitable jungle clothing became available. A new tropical uniform in Jungle Green (JG) was quickly developed – a JG
Aertex battledress blouse, a JG Aertex bush jacket (as an alternative to the blouse) and battledress trousers in JG cotton drill. In the hot and humid conditions of
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...
, JG darkened with sweat almost immediately.
Post-war
When the
war in Europe was over, a new jungle uniform began to be produced for troops posted to the
Far East
The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.
The ter ...
. It was based on the U.S. Army
Pacific theatre field uniform, with Aertex being rejected in favour of cotton drill. Although the jacket was similar to the U.S. design, the trousers maintained the battledress design, but with some features copied from American olive drab (OD) herringbone twill trousers. Newly available synthetic materials were utilised in one version of the new Olive Green (OG) uniform, as it was called.
The khaki Battledress was used until the late 1960s, and various uniform items in KD, JG and OG remained on issue to soldiers serving in the Mediterranean, Middle East or tropics after the war. By the end of the 1940s, however, stocks were becoming depleted, and a new 1950-pattern tropical uniform was made available in both KD. Shorts were worn with a bush jacket. Eventually the much more practical Gurkha regiments’ JG shirt was copied, replacing the 1950-pattern bush jacket. All the same, troops still sought out the older, wartime, issues of the better KD, JG and OG kit.
![1st Battalion, The Black Watch - Hook, Korea](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1d/1st_Battalion%2C_The_Black_Watch_-_Hook%2C_Korea.jpg)
While serving during the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
(1950–53), troops had found the existing combat uniform inadequate: It was too hot in the summertime, and not warm enough during the harsh Korean winters. Soldiers were at first issued JG for hot weather, and battledress in the wintertime, but this had to be augmented with additional warm clothing (often from the U.S. Army) as well as caps with ear flaps and fur
linings. A solution was rapidly pursued, and towards the end of the Korean War a windproof and water-repellent
gabardine combat uniform was issued. The trousers followed the tried and tested battledress design, while the bush jacket had several pockets inside and out, closing with zips and buttons, a hip length skirt with draw-strings to keep out the wind, and a similar arrangement at the waist. The uniform was produced in a greyish green colour (OG), similar to the U.S. Army OD.
With the end of
National Service
National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939.
The ...
conscription in 1961, the Army looked for a new uniform: Something that was smarter than battledress, but also more comfortable, while still having a military air about it. Using the Korean War combat clothing as a basis, various new items of field wear were developed for the 1960-pattern Combat Dress, including the so-called Canadian pattern combat jacket, which was well made, with a lining above the waist and reinforced elbows. The 1960s was a period of transition for the Army, and this was reflected in the changes that were taking place in soldier's uniform.
Formally classified as "No. 5 Dress", the 1949 pattern battledress began to be withdrawn from British Army use from 1961 on. With the general issue of the new service dress uniform for parade and off-duty ('walking out") wear, battledress was relegated to barracks wear from about 1962 and thereafter disappeared within individual units as stocks were used up. One final appearance was in Northern Ireland as a cold weather dress by the
Gloucestershire Regiment in the winter of 1970.
=DPM
=
![British_Army_No_8s](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/British_Army_No_8s.jpg)
The new, smaller, all-volunteer Army could also now afford to equip every soldier with his own camouflaged uniform, and following work at the
Army Personnel Research Establishment (APRE) a four-colour camouflage pattern was designed in 1960. From 1969 it was issued in limited quantities on 1960-pattern jackets and trousers. Known as “Pattern 1960
DPM” (
Disruptive Pattern Material
Disruptive Pattern Material (DPM) is the commonly used name of a camouflage pattern used by the British Armed Forces as well as many other armed forces worldwide, particularly in former British colonies.
The main variants of DPM are a four-colo ...
), these items were soon superseded by the '68-Pattern, which had a very slightly revised camouflage design on a new uniform, featuring minor changes over the preceding 1960/66-Pattern kit, most notably: a full lining for jacket and trousers. It became official issue only in 1972.
The temperate clothing was followed by a DPM jungle combat uniform which, due to the use of different (i.e. polycotton) material, had a slightly different colourway.
The underlying pattern has remained through various different patterns of clothing but has differed in detail of the pattern and the colourway depending on the material and manufacturer. The DPM uniform was overhauled with the introduction of the Combat Soldier 95 system in the mid 90s, which combined lightweight polycotton shirts and trousers similar to the old jungle uniforms with a combat jacket and breathable waterproof clothing.
Prior to the
Gulf War
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...
, the stock of uniform in four-colour desert DPM of browns and tans had been sold to
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
therefore a two-colour DPM version (light brown on tan) was issued to UK forces.
=MultiCam
=
Since 2010 the British armed forces began phasing out DPM in favour of MTP (
Multi-Terrain Pattern
The Multi-Terrain Pattern (MTP) is the standard camouflage pattern of the British Armed Forces.
As part of the British Ministry of Defence's (MOD) Personal Equipment and Common Operational Clothing (PECOC) programme, three new camouflage patter ...
). This Pattern is based on the technology developed by Crye called Multicam, which was rejected by the US Army in favour of the controversial ACU, but kept elements of the DPM pattern to create a more British army look. MTP was brought in as a response to the Green Zone in Helmad, Afghanistan, where troops could move between typical desert conditions like those found in Iraq to lush green countryside during a routine patrol. The initial run of MTP was produced in S95 cut and material, but the second run was produced in the new Personal Clothing System (PCS), closer to that used in the American ACU.
![Uniforms_with_four_camouflage_patterns_-_Fort_Devens_Museum_-_DSC07206](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Uniforms_with_four_camouflage_patterns_-_Fort_Devens_Museum_-_DSC07206.JPG)
United States
The United States Armed Forces have adopted a variety of combat uniforms throughout their history, including the plain olive green
OG-107
The OG-107 was the basic work utility uniform (fatigues) of all branches of the United States Armed Forces from 1952 until its discontinuation in 1989. The designation came from the U.S. Army's coloring code "Olive Green 107" and "Olive Green 50 ...
and the camouflaged Battle Dress Uniform.
Pixelated camouflage uniforms were introduced in the 2000s, including
Airman Battle Uniform,
Army Combat Uniform
The Army Combat Uniform (ACU) is the current combat uniform worn by the United States Army, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Space Force. Within U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force, it is referred to as the OCP (Operational Camouflage Pattern) Uniform ...
,
Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform
The Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform (MCCUU) is the current battledress uniform of the United States Marine Corps. It is also worn by Navy personnel (mostly corpsmen, Seabees, chaplains, and their bodyguards) assigned to Marine Corps un ...
and the
Navy Working Uniform
The Navy Working Uniform (NWU) is a series of military uniforms that are currently used by the United States Navy (and some elements of the U.S. Coast Guard) for wear by its members. The NWU is a "working" uniform, which means that it is made to ...
.
See also
*
Military uniform
A military uniform is a standardised dress worn by members of the armed forces and paramilitaries of various nations.
Military dress and styles have gone through significant changes over the centuries, from colourful and elaborate, ornamented ...
**
Boonie hat
A boonie hat or booney hat is a type of wide-brim sun hat commonly used by military forces in hot tropical climates. Its design is similar to a bucket hat but with a stiffer brim.
The Australian giggle hat has a thinner brim. Often a fabric ta ...
**
Patrol cap
A patrol hat, also known as a field cap, is a soft kepi constructed similarly to a baseball cap, with a stiff, rounded visor but featuring a flat top, worn by military personnel of some countries in the field when a combat helmet is not required.
...
**
Helmet cover
The helmet cover was first used by French soldiers during World War I.
Helmet covers are usually made out of canvas or cotton and come in many camouflage designs, for example: woodland, desert or urban, and different camouflage patterns like MA ...
**
Combat boot
Combat boots are military boots designed to be worn by soldiers during combat or combat training, as opposed to during parades and other ceremonial duties. Modern combat boots are designed to provide a combination of grip, ankle stability, an ...
**
Snow camouflage#Military usage
**
Type 07#Combat uniforms and armor
References
Further reading
* ''DPM: Disruptive Pattern Material'' by Hardy Blechman and Alex Newman, DPM Ltd. (2004)
*
* ''Khaki: Uniforms of the CEF'' by
Clive M. Law (
Service Publications Service Publications was established in 1995 by Clive M. Law (1954-2017), an author and historian as well as former officer of the Governor General's Foot Guards. The company is devoted to the publication of books and periodicals regarding Canadian ...
, 1998).
* ''Dressed to Kill: Canadian Army Uniforms in World War Two'' by Michael Dorosh (
Service Publications Service Publications was established in 1995 by Clive M. Law (1954-2017), an author and historian as well as former officer of the Governor General's Foot Guards. The company is devoted to the publication of books and periodicals regarding Canadian ...
, 2001).
Official Government Recognized Export House Army Uniforms Military Uniforms India Berets
External links
www.canadiansoldiers.com extensive discussion of Canadian Army uniforms, insignia, and traditions from 1900 to 2000
Pesan Seragam Kerja Bandung - Konveksi Seragam Kerja Kantor, Pabrik Kaos Polo Shirt, Jaket:Pakaian Dinas Lapangan
{{Clothing
Military uniforms
Casual wear