Denison smock
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The Denison smock was a coverall jacket issued to
The smock was initially worn over the paratrooper's webbing equipment, but under his parachute pack and harness, as its primary purpose was to prevent the wearer's equipment from snagging while emplaned or during a jump. It was equally useful for camouflage and as a windproof garment that provided a method of carrying ammunition or equipment. Contemporary photographs show that airborne troops preferred to wear the smocks under their webbing once they had landed.
Development
The smock replaced an expedient first issue khaki-drill
The Denison was a popular garment among officers who could acquire them—
1st Pattern
The smock was made from loose-fitting, yellowish-sand coloured, heavyweight
The smock was most commonly associated with British and Commonwealth
For use by Airborne troops, the Denison was worn over the battledress and under the webbing, with a sleeveless green denim oversmock being worn over the ensemble to prevent rigging lines snagging in the webbing and causing a 'chute malfunction. This sleeveless smock had a long external zip (often removed and used to make the half-zip Denisons full zip), a monkey tail that press studded to the outside front of the oversmock and two elasticated open pockets on the lower front which were to hold grenades for use whilst in the air or immediately upon landing. After a successful parachute landing fall, the oversmock was discarded.
2nd Pattern
The 1st Pattern smock design was replaced in 1944 by a second pattern which had buttoning tabs at the cuffs and brass snap fasteners to stow the tail flap on the back of the jacket when not needed. Other detail differences included reduced length and tube shaped rather than tapered sleeves. In order to make it more wind-proof, the tops of woollen socks were often sewn to the cuffs. The half-length zip fastener on this smock was made of brass. The colours of the 2nd pattern also differed from those of the earlier smocks, the base colour varying from a light to a medium olive combination, with overlying brushstrokes of reddish brown and dark olive green. These colours were thought better suited to the North Western European theatre.
Variations
Denisons of either pattern issued to officers had woollen collar linings. By the time of the
A sniper's variant of the Denison smock is known, in effect an issue smock with a specialized pocket (approximately 10" x 10") added to the left rear in which could be carried food & water, maps, ammunition, and other small equipment. Modifications were done at the unit level and known examples all vary from one sample to the next.
The Royal Marines used a version which had the half zip replaced with buttons and loops for fastening the opening.[6]
A waterproof Denison in waxed dark green material was also very rarely found during the War.[6]
Windproof smock
The 1942 Pattern Smock, Windproof, with matching over-trousers, in lighter-weight denim, had a similar appearance to the Denison but was designed to be worn as an outer windproof layer over Battledress. It was issued to infantry battalions from 1943. Both items were screen printed with colour-fast pigments in a bold Splinter pattern camouflage[7] similar to that of the 'brushstroke' pattern applied to the Denison. The pattern has a base colour of pink with overlying brushstrokes of plum, pale green and dark brown.[8] The Smock, Windproof and trousers were also issued to British troops in Korea during the winter of 1950. It is sometimes incorrectly referred to as the "SAS Windproof". It was not designed much for parachuting, and lacked a crotch flap, having a drawstring hem instead. The most distinctive point of difference between 'Windproofs' and the Denison smock are that the former are hooded. Windproof smocks and trousers were worn by French paratroopers in Indochina, and to a lesser extent in Algeria. The French referred to the pattern as "sausage skin".
Variations of the 'Windproof' have been the basic Special Forces smock until the present, with several alternative colours seen over the years – white (or at least natural cotton) for LRDG's desert use; olive green; black; and, in now very rare later issues of the Smock, Windproof, 1963 Pattern, the DPM introduced in the late 1960s. The current issue Smock, Windproof is in the latest variation of the DPM design.
SOE Jumpsuit
A camouflaged overall garment in a similar camouflage pattern along with a matching cloth helmet were issued to the SOE and allied agents parachuting into occupied Europe and were discarded shortly after descent. SOE jumpsuits were also issued in white for winter/arctic environments.[9]
Post-war
The Denison smock (or Smock, camouflage on later garments) remained on inventories in Commonwealth and other militaries after the Second World War, and was popular with troops in Korea. It remained standard combat dress for the Royal Marines and the Parachute Regiment until the mid-1970s (see below), and changed little from the wartime issue. A full-length brass zip had become standard with no cloth flap to cover it and the knitted cuffs deleted on the 2nd Pattern smock were reintroduced. The base colour of the camouflage pattern was now a lighter khaki shade. The "Newey" press studs changed from brass/copper to nickel-plated versions.
1959 Pattern
The Denison was significantly modified in the 1959 Pattern. This had a higher hem line, and was much less baggy. This was because wearing it over the personal carrying equipment (but under the parachute harness) while parachuting was no longer the practice. The '59 Pattern retained the full length zip and knitted wool cuffs, but the flannel lining of the collar was changed from khaki to light green. The most obvious difference to the eye, however, was the change in pattern and colours of the camouflage. The pattern became less random, more defined, with broad, vertical brush-strokes, and greater contrast between the base light khaki and the overprinted tones. The green was much darker than previous versions, and the brown was now chocolate, rather than brick. Where green and brown overlapped, they formed a fourth, darker, olive brown colour.
Replacement
The British Army had officially adopted a
"Although a status symbol in the British Army, the Denison," wrote ex-SAS officer, Barry Gregory, "was windproof but not waterproof and stank after use like a coal-miner's sweat shirt. I used it in extremis as a pillow when sleeping out with sleeping-bag and poncho to keep my head above ground level."[10]
In the UK, the
The Canadian Airborne Regiment was first issued an olive green replacement for the Denison in the 1950s, and in 1975 a Disruptive Pattern parachute smock entered service, remaining in the inventory until the regiment disbanded in 1995.
Legacy
Belgian special forces units serving with the British during the Second World War included the Belgian Special Air Service (SAS). On their return to Belgium after the war, the unit (and its successors) continued to wear the Denison Smock, with the design following a separate evolutionary path there (M54 in Moon and Balls pattern, M56 in Belgian brushstroke pattern, and M58 in jigsaw pattern).[11]
The British Denison smock also heavily influenced the design of the French jump smock models 1947/51 and 1947/52.[13]
The characteristic "brushstroke" camouflage pattern used on the Denison Smock has had a notable influence on the development of camouflage clothing worldwide. As well as being the design antecedent of its replacement, the four colour Disruptive Pattern, the Denison clearly inspired camouflage patterns used by Belgium, France, Rhodesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, and India.[3]
The most important development based on Denison pattern was the French Lizard pattern, in which the green and brown brush-strokes were more frequent, but much smaller, on a light greyish green base. Lizard evolved into two main styles: vertical, and horizontal (indicating the general direction of the brushstrokes). Other developments changed the shape of the brushstrokes, using intricate grass-like patterns in the Rhodesian pattern, or palm frond-like sprays in the Indian pattern. South African Denison Smocks (later replaced by the Slangvel) were plain sand coloured.
See also
- British Army Uniform
- DPM Parachute Smock—Replacement of Denison Smock for British Army
- Knochensack
- Smock Windproof DPM
- Rhodesian Brushstroke
References
- ISBN 0-563-20099-5.
- ^ ISBN 0-85045-573-1.
- ^ ISBN 0-9543404-0-X.
- ISBN 978-1-55002-214-8.
- ^ a b British Airborne Specialist Clothing from WW2 to the Present Day by Bruce Wilson
- ^ a b "SAS figure". Archived from the original on 2004-06-20. Retrieved 2007-11-30.
- ^ "Silvermans Ltd. – Military, Police, Motorcycle, Outdoors, Tactical". Silvermans.co.uk. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
- ^ "OSW: One Sixth Warrior Forum". Archived from the original on 2014-01-01. Retrieved 2012-11-17.
- ^ "US, British and Allied Reenactment • View topic – SOE Jumpsuit". Archived from the original on 2011-07-23. Retrieved 2009-04-23.
- ISBN 0-85368-984-9.
- ^ "Para smock 1950s". Iacmc.forumotion.com. Retrieved 2017-06-13.
- ^ Lassus, Denis. Dien Bien Phu: Uniforms of the Parachute Battalions. Military Illustrated Past and Present, No. 20 (August–September 1989). Military Illustrated Ltd. 38-39.
- ^ Lassus, Denis. Dien Bien Phu: Uniforms of the Parachute Battalions. Military Illustrated Past and Present, No. 20 (August–September 1989). Military Illustrated Ltd. 39-40, 44-45.
External links
- Media related to Denison smock at Wikimedia Commons
- Larson, Eric H. "History of the British Airborne Camouflage Denison Smock", Camopedia.org.
- Petit, P. "SAS B Ponchardier Uniforms", "Codo Ponchardier".
- South Vietnamese SAS Camouflage Fatigues