All camouflage patterns: an immersion in the world of camouflage

Camouflage is a technique widely used for many years to blend into an environment and thus go unnoticed. There are several types of camouflage patterns, each with their own characteristics and advantages depending on the situations in which they are used. In this article, we invite you to discover the different existing camouflage patterns and their applications.

The origins of camouflage

The first traces of the use of camouflage date back to prehistoric times, when men covered their bodies with paints or natural elements to blend in with their surroundings when hunting. But it was really during the First World War that the technique was developed, mainly to conceal troops and avoid enemy aerial reconnaissance. Since then, camouflage patterns have constantly evolved to adapt to new military needs and technologies.

The different types of camouflage patterns

The choice of a camouflage pattern mainly depends on the environment in which it will be used. Here are some examples of commonly used patterns:

• Woodlands: This pattern is made up of green, brown and black leaves, branches and spots. It is ideal for forest or wooded environments.
• Desert : As the name suggests, this pattern is specially designed for desert areas. It is made up of beige, brown and gray patches to blend in with the sandy landscape.
• Urban: Designed for urban areas, this pattern features geometric shapes and grey, black and white colors reminiscent of concrete buildings and structures.
• Nieve: This camouflage is intended for snowy environments and features mostly white and gray tints to mimic snow and ice.
• Multicam: This versatile pattern was developed for use in a wide variety of environments. It combines several shapes and colors to offer optimal efficiency in different types of terrain.

The camouflage patterns specific to the different armies

Many countries have developed their own camouflage patterns to meet their specific concealment needs. Here are some notable examples:

The French camouflage CCE (Camouflage Center Europe)

The CCE has been the standard camouflage pattern of the French army since 1991. It is inspired by the American Woodland pattern and consists of a set of green, brown and black spots on a beige background. It is particularly suitable for temperate European environments, such as forests, fields or wetlands. It has recently evolved: see our full article .

British DPM (Disruptive Pattern Material) camouflage

The DPM is the historic design of the British Armed Forces. It comes in several variations, the best known of which is the "Woodland DPM", made up of irregular green, brown and black shapes on a beige background. The DPM was replaced by the MTP (Multi-Terrain Pattern) in 2010, which combines Woodland and Desert characteristics.

The Russian Flora camouflage

The Flora pattern has been used by the Russian armed forces since the 90s. It is characterized by green, brown and black spots on a light beige background, similar to those of the French CCE. This motif is also available in a desert version, called "Caillou". New patterns have been developed recently to fit the specific needs of different Russian units.

Civil applications of camouflage patterns

Although camouflage patterns are mainly associated with the military field, they are also popular in the civilian world for various reasons:

• Chase : Hunters use camouflage clothing and accessories to blend in with their surroundings and avoid detection by wild animals.
• Airsoft and paintball: These fun sports based on combat simulations also use camouflage patterns to give a touch of authenticity and reinforce immersion.
• Fashion : Camouflage patterns have also conquered the fashion world and are often used in urban or streetwear outfits. It is not uncommon to see clothing and accessories in the colors of the Woodland, Urban or even Multicam pattern.

When talking about military and tactical equipment, the subject of camouflage comes up sooner or later. We could go through the whole history of humanity, from hunting and daily survival to the long history of wars and conflicts. But when it comes to printed camouflage on uniforms, attention quickly shifts to the 20th and 21st centuries. That's why I want to talk about some milestones in the history of camouflage, focusing on "Western" patterns.

If you are already familiar with the evolution of camouflage patterns and are interested in a specific part, you can access these sections by clicking on the links below.

Camouflage pattern families

Although several armies began to use solid color uniforms in the 19th century due to the changing nature of warfare, only World War I necessitated the use of camouflage on a large scale.

CAMOUFLAGE IN THE 20TH/21ST CENTURY

The reasons are to be found in the conflict and its new technologies.

Aerial reconnaissance made it necessary to conceal installations and equipment, and due to new weapon systems (long-range rifles, machine guns) it was crucial to "hide" soldiers as well.

France had to learn this the hard way during the early stages of World War I, being the only country to still use highly visible uniforms.

But the French soon learned and began employing artists and stage designers to develop techniques to conceal everything from vehicles to buildings.

These people were called "camouflagers", hence the now widely used term "camouflage".

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They developed disruptive patterns and trained military units to use these approaches to conceal their equipment. This is how the paint jobs and the first camouflage nets appeared.

The objects were not only hidden: the concept of mimicry (to pass something off as something else) also made it possible to deceive people. Examples are papier-mâché heads, used to attract enemy fire, or hollowed-out shafts, to hide snipers.

Several scientists and artists are considered key figures in the history of camouflage and should be cited.

British zoologist Hugh Cott and Sir Edward Poulton studied camouflage in nature.
American painter Abbott Thayer brought the concepts of countershading and disruptive coloring into discourse.
Another name worth mentioning is Roland Penrose, a British painter who was very influential during World War II (WW2).
And if any of these names ring a bell, Penrose and Cott are the origin of the name of the current PenCott family of Hyde Definition. But back to our original timeline.

PenCott's GreenZone camouflage pattern.

The interwar period was marked by the production of camouflage prints on fabric.

First it is the Italian "M1929 Telo Mimetico", then the German "Buntfarbenmuster 31", also called "Splittertarn". These fabrics were actually printed on shelter halves and provided basic camouflage when worn as a poncho.

It was not until World War II that the industrial printing of camouflage fabrics and the manufacture of widely distributed uniforms became the norm.

At first, these uniforms were reserved for elite troops, such as paratroopers, and later for the rest of the military branches. The Waffen-SS, in particular, was equipped with several different designs, all designed by Johann Georg Otto Schick, an art teacher based in Munich.

American forces used camouflage primarily in the Pacific theater, as their Frogskin/Duck Hunter pattern was mistaken for enemy SS forces on European battlefields.

World War II also laid the foundation for many camouflage patterns to come. The British Brushstroke pattern, used on the famous Denison blouse, can still be found in many variations today.

And the name says it all: the initial design was literally painted on the blouses with paintbrushes, creating a variety of unique jackets.

Reason enough to take a look at the family trees of camouflage history.

THE FAMILIES OF CAMOUFLAGE PATTERNS

There are more than 10 families of camouflage patterns. "Basically", because it's a matter of discussion, perspective and region.

These days, a slew of designers are creating hundreds of designs right now that most of us have probably never heard of.

BRUSHSTROKE

One of the grandfathers of camouflage.

First used by the UK, it quickly influenced other countries like Belgium and France (the lizard pattern) to make their own versions of this pattern in the 1950s and 1960s.

It is still used in countries like Pakistan or Zimbabwe (which inherited it from Rhodesia).

CHOCOLATE CHIP

Officially called "Six Color Desert", it became widely known thanks to the first American Gulf War, as did the more subtle "Three Color Desert" version.

It has become so popular that it is still used by various Middle Eastern countries in different variations.

DPM

The British Disruptive Pattern Material.

Much like the M81 Woodland, it has become one of the most widely used camouflage patterns in a variety of prints and color schemes.

DIGITAL PATTERNS

Digital patterns are not necessarily pixel camouflage patterns - a common misconception! In fact, digital patterns are those that are based on computers and algorithms.

Pixelated designs existed long before Canada began distributing pixelated uniforms in the late 1990s.

The USMC followed this example and created MARPAT in 2001. But if CADPAT or MARPAT can be designed digitally, so can Vegetato, Multicam, etc.

DUCK HUNTER

One of the lesser known patterns in Europe, it has its origins in the American M1942 camouflage from World War II. Used mainly during the Pacific War, we find its descendants in Asia, but also in Latin America and South America. The Australian DPCU is also considered a "relative".

FLECKTARN

A product of the Bundeswehr's Truppenversuch 76, this design is not only a registered trademark of Germany, but has also spawned several similar designs in Belgium, China, Denmark and Poland.

SHEET

In 1948, the US Army's Engineering Research and Development Laboratory created the ERDL pattern, which is not only synonymous with the Vietnam War, but has also influenced several other patterns.

A 60% enlarged version became the M81 Woodland and other countries use it in one way or another.

PUZZLE

These patterns are quite unique, especially considering that several of them emerged independently during the 20th century. Starting with Belgium, but also the Philippines and Yugoslavia.

RAIN

The graphic element of "rain" was originally inherent in the German patterns of the Second World War, imitating grass.

Later, Warsaw Pact countries used vertical lines on solid colors, creating visual noise that was very effective against night vision devices.

SPLITTER

Although the Splittertarn pattern is closely associated with World War II, it is still widely used.

Switzerland used it until 1955, but it was also the initial camouflage for the German Bundeswehr and Bundesgrenzschutz. There are several variants in Bulgaria and the Swedish M90 is the most modern variant today.

TIGERSTRIPE

A cousin of the Brushstroke, it is inspired by the French Lizard pattern. Quickly becoming a motif in its own right, it can be found in various jungle environments.

REASONS DEVELOPED AT THE NATIONAL AND CIVIL LEVEL

In the early 2000s, a new phase of camouflage development began, not only in terms of pixel patterns, but also in terms of the camouflage approach itself.

US Army Natick Laboratories partnered with Crye Precision (CP) to develop a universal pattern suitable for different environments and vegetation zones.

The result of this cooperation was the "Scorpion" pattern. Trials of US Army uniforms in 2004, however, resulted in a different pattern: a recolored version of the MARPAT pixel pattern, called the Universal Camouflage Pattern (UCP).

Crye Precision has decided to continue developing Scorpion and marketing it under the Multicam name.

In conservative military circles, the Multicam was initially derided as "airsoft camouflage", but U.S. Army soldiers quickly came to appreciate it when it was used in Afghanistan, where the UCP pattern gave such poor results that it was even considered dangerous.

As a result of this feedback, the US Army initiated the Camouflage Enhancement Effort (CIE), so in the initial phases the Multicam was used exclusively in the Afghanistan campaign.

The last phase of the CIE changed everything.

It has opened a tender for a new camouflage family, designed for arid, transient and woodland/jungle environments.

Needless to say, this sparked a "gold rush" for designers. All of a sudden, several companies started bidding on or taking advantage of the new camouflage market.

Ultimately, four companies were chosen to supply fabric for further testing: Crye Precision, ADS/Hyperstealth, Brookwood, and Kryptek.

Crye was retained (no pun intended), but the finalization of the contract was halted due to license fees for printing.

As a result, the US military reverted to the original Scorpion design and did the same thing Crye did: modify it just enough to avoid legal repercussions. The Scorpion W2 was born.





CURRENT STATUS QUO

The gold rush mentioned above is now over.

And while new camouflage patterns with different approaches are still coming to market, the current dominance of Multicam and its derivatives is unbroken.

In fact, just in terms of popularity and widespread use, it could be compared to the M81 Woodland.

The color scheme and overall look of the Multicam has become the new standard within NATO forces. Even the Russian special forces community embraces the motif.

The future holds different and technology-based challenges.

Ground-based radars and hyper-spectral technologies like infrared are forcing modern armies to rethink camouflage. In the long term, smart materials will become easier to produce and widely available.

For example, Guy Cramer finally opened up on the subject: Guy Cramer finally opened up on his Quantum Stealth technology, which uses layers of differently shaped lenses to bend light around objects.

While this technology is primarily intended to conceal infrastructure and larger objects, other scientists are working on smart fabrics that use optical, electrical and magnetic properties to change color, while being able to evade hyper- spectral.

Ground-based radars and hyper-spectral technologies like infrared are forcing modern armies to rethink camouflage.

CONCLUSION

The last hundred years have been very eventful when it comes to camouflage. Some patterns are emblematic of certain wars and are deeply rooted in our cultural memory.

Furthermore, new developments are often the result of changes in the nature of warfare or in technology itself.

The current development of hyper-spectral devices testifies to this.

Operations evolved into highly specialized night missions and asymmetric threats. The wide availability of low-cost drones does not make things any easier.

Camouflage enthusiasts will not be disappointed in the years to come, as there are many exciting developments to come.