German World War II camouflage patterns
disruptively patterned
Erbsenmuster patterned jacket.German World War II camouflage patterns formed a family of
Johann Georg Otto Schick, evolved into more leaf-like forms with rounded dots or irregular shapes. Camouflage smocks were designed to be reversible, providing camouflage for two seasons, whether summer and autumn, or summer and winter (snow). Distribution was limited to the Waffen-SS, ostensibly because of a patent, though variants were used by other units, including the Luftwaffe. Production was limited by shortage of materials, especially of high quality waterproof cotton duck.[1]
The
Fallschirmjäger (paratroops), and the Waffen-SS.[4][5][6] The 1945 Leibermuster was planned to be issued to both the SS and the Wehrmacht, but it appeared too late to be widely distributed.[3]
Production of groundsheets, helmet covers and smocks by the Warei, Forster and Joring companies began in November 1938. They were initially hand-printed, limiting deliveries by January 1939 to only 8,400 groundsheets and 6,800 helmet covers and a small number of smocks. By June 1940, machine printing had taken over, and 33,000 smocks were made for the Waffen-SS. Supplies of high quality cotton duck, however, remained critically short throughout the war, and essentially ran out in January 1943. It was replaced by non-waterproof cotton drill cloth.[7][8]
Patterns
The German names used for the plane tree, palm and oak leaf patterns are not those that were used in the German armed forces, but were invented by postwar collectors of militaria.[4]
| German name | English name | Date | Image | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Splittertarnmuster (Buntfarbenmuster) |
Splinter pattern ("Colourful pattern") |
1931 | _(cropped).jpg) |
Being the first German camouflage pattern, it was initially used in Zeltbahn groundsheets for the Wehrmacht branches. The pattern is also known as Splinter A.
|
| Luftwaffen- Splittertarnmuster |
Luftwaffe splinter pattern |
1941 | .jpg) |
German Air Force variant of Splittertarnmuster;[3] also known as Splinter B. |
| Platanenmuster | Plane tree pattern | 1937–1944 |   |
Used by the Waffen-SS. Spring and autumn variations, first dotted camouflage pattern[1] |
| Rauchtarnmuster | Blurred Edge pattern | 1942–1945 |  |
Used by the Waffen-SS. Photo shows the outer (left) and inner (right) patterns. There were two variants, Autumn/Winter (top) and Spring/Summer (bottom). |
| Palmenmuster | Palm tree pattern |
1941–? | Spring and autumn variations, used by Waffen-SS[1][4] | |
| Beringtes Eichenlaubmuster |
Oak leaf pattern B | 1942–1945 | [1][4] | |
| Eichenlaubmuster | Oak leaf A | 1942–1945 | Spring and autumn variations, reversible Waffen-SS smocks Also for | |
| Sumpftarnmuster | Swamp pattern | 1943 |  |
Blurred and more saturated form of Splittertarnmuster, with splinter color dominance switching to green; Smocks reversible to snow camouflage[1][4] |
| Erbsenmuster | Pea dot pattern | 1944–1945 |  |
Used by the Waffen-SS. Based on Eichenlaubmuster[1][4] |
| Leibermuster | (named after the Leiber brothers) |
1945 |  |
Bold irregular pattern. Designed to absorb infra-red. Designed to replace all previous patterns. Saw only limited usage.[1][4] Inspired postwar US ERDL pattern[9] |
See also
- Digital camouflage
- Flecktarn – post-World War II camouflage pattern used by the Bundeswehr
Notes
- ^ Almost nothing is known about Schick beyond these bare facts. The film director Michael Madsen planned to make a film, The Black Forest, about Schick's shadowy life, but it has not appeared.[2]
- ^ The methodology behind this claim is not known.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Beaver & Borsarello 1995, p. 202.
- ^ DFI 2003.
- ^ a b c Dougherty 2017, pp. 45–47.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Newark 2007, pp. 133–137.
- ^ Davis 1998.
- ^ Wilkinson-Latham 2011.
- ^ Mann 2014, p. 103.
- ^ Ferguson & Lumsden 2009, p. 310.
- ^ Richardson 1945.
Sources
- Beaver, Michael D.; Borsarello, J. F. (1995). Camouflage Uniforms of the Waffen-SS. Schiffer. ISBN 1-84176-854-5.
- Davis, Brian L. (1998). German Army uniforms and insignia : 1933 - 1945. Brockhampton Press. ISBN 978-1-86019-869-4.
- DFI (2003). "Michael Madsen born 1971 Documentaries". Danish Film Institute.
... 2003 ... IN DEVELOPMENT: ... The Black Forest. A film on dead angles & Modern Identity. The life's and disappearances of Professor Otto Schick, key German master camouflage inventor, WWII
- Dougherty, Martin J. (2017). Camouflage At War: An Illustrated Guide from 1914 to the Present Day. Amber Books. ISBN 978-1-78274-498-6.
- Ferguson, Robert; Lumsden, Robin (2009). Himmler's SS: Loyal to the Death's Head. History Press. ISBN 978-0-7524-9722-8.
- Mann, Chris (2014). SS Totenkopf: The History of the 'Death's Head' Division 1940–45. Amber Books. ISBN 978-1-907446-87-0.
- Newark, Tim (2007). Camouflage. Thames and Hudson. ISBN 978-0-500-51347-7.
- Richardson, Francis (1945). Camouflage Fabrics both Plain and Printed for Military Use by the German SS and German Army. Reprinted in: Borsarello, J.F. (Ed.) (1990). SS & Wehrmacht Camouflage, ISO Publications.
- Wilkinson-Latham, Ed (2011). "A Short History of Camouflage". Toronto Standard.
Further reading
- Mollo, Andrew (1987). The Armed Forces of World War 2: Uniforms, Insignia and Organization. Little, Brown.
- Palinckx, Werner; Borsarello, J.F. (2002). Camouflage Uniforms of the German Wehrmacht. Schiffer.
- Peterson, Daniel (1998). Europa Militaria No 17: Wehrmacht Camouflage Uniforms and Post-War Derivatives. Crowood Press.
- Peterson, Daniel (2001). Europa Militaria No 18: Waffen SS Camouflage Uniforms and Post-War Derivatives. Crowood Press.
- Steven, Andrew; Amodio, Peter (1998). Europa Militaria No. 6: Waffen SS Uniforms in Colour Photographs. Crowood Press.
External links
- Germany - pre-1945 on Camopedia, illustrated
- Introduction to German World War 2 Patterns by Michael Farnworth, illustrated with photographs of patterns and equipment
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