Military Clothing
Here we will be looking at the various types of military clothing, camouflage patterns, and what all the names mean.
I have lost count of the number of customers who have asked us exactly what DPM means, or what BDUs are. Hopefully
these pages will answer those questions for you.
The difficulty is knowing where to start!
So, let's start with camouflage patterns. The problem here is that it keeps changing! Research is being done all
the time to find the perfect camouflage pattern.
Camouflage Patterns
When talking about camouflage, most people mean the modern, multi-coloured camouflage patterns you see in
military clothing today, and that's what I'm going to discuss here.
The khaki uniform, first adopted in India, was an early attempt to camouflage military clothing. Casualties
forced the British to dye their red tunics a sort of muddy tan colour. This was called khaki, meaning 'dusty'
in Urdu. Khaki, however, was a camouflage colour, rather than a camouflage pattern.
In 1966 Britain became the first country to universally adopt a camouflage pattern, when the British Army issued
a DPM smock and trousers.
Even in the First World War, camouflage patterns were being tried, but these had to be hand-painted and as such
were restricted to very exposed troops and snipers.
The Italians were the first to mass-produce a camouflage pattern material. Indeed, they were the first to issue
camouflage military clothing and used it during WW2. The British used the Denison Smock, but this was hand-painted
so mainly restricted to paratroopers, scouts and snipers.
Today the number of camouflage patterns in military use is extensive. The following are the more commonly known
ones.
- British DPM - In use by British Forces since 1966 and still in use today
- Flecktarn - Adopted by the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) in 1976
- Choc-Chip - Used by the US Army during the Gulf war
- MARPAT - Used by the US Marine Corps
- CADPAT - Current issue for the Canadian Forces
- AUSCAM - Current issue for the Australian Forces
- Tigerstripe - Developed for close-range use in dense jungles
Recently, digital camouflage patterns have been introduced, such as the new ACU being introduced
to the US Army. MARPAT and CADPAT are both digital camouflage patterns.
Battle Uniforms
Military uniforms have been around a long time, and have changed extensively.
A military uniform is basically a standardised dress worn by the armed forces of a particular nation. An early
example would be the Hannibal's infantry unit. They wore a white tunic edged with crimson.
Military uniforms tended to be very colourful. Also the more senior you were, the more colourful and ornate your
uniform would be. This trend towards ever more colourful uniforms reached it's peak in Europe at about the time of
the Napoleonic wars.
By the start of the 20th century, armies had started to adopt more drab uniforms for active service and were
only using the colourful uniforms for ceremonial occasions.
Now, most armies will have several uniforms.
- Battledress
- Mess Dress
- Full Dress Uniform
The British Army has quite a few, although not all would be issued at any one time, and some would only be
issued to Officers. Examples are:-
Full Dress - The most elaborate, but rarely worn except by the Household Cavalry, Foot Guards,
The King's Troop and military bands at state or ceremonial occasions.
Service Dress (or Number 2s) - Worn by all units for most formal duties.
Mess Dress - Worn by sergeants and above for formal occasions.
Combat Dress - Made in DPM it replaced the Battle Dress in use up until 1966. The latest
issue is Soldier 2000, although most common is Soldier 95.
There are also Tropical versions of these (e.g. Tropical Mess Dress).
The United States Armed Forces have several types of Battle Dress.
BDU refers to Battle Dress Uniform which was the standard military combat
uniform used by the US.
ACU is the new Army Combat Uniform to be worn by the US Army. It is due to
replace the BDU by the end of 2007.
ABU (Airman Battle Uniform) is the combat uniform to be worn by the US Air Force - due to be
issued in 2007.
As you can see, military clothing seems to have a language all of its own. But anyone buying military clothing
for non-military use should not be put off because they don't know what the terms mean. Because it has been made to
withstand the rigours of combat, modern military clothing is an ideal choice for anglers, shooters, hunters and
general outdoor use.