Ever wondered where camouflage patterns come from? Many Navy and Army uniforms wear these designs with the intention of blending into the environment like a chameleon and hiding their presence from enemies. However, what many might not know about visual camouflage is its fascinating origins and background. Let's take a quick look at the history of military camouflage and the changes and developments it has had over the years.
The Beginnings of Camouflage
Camouflage, as a concept, is much more than just the green patterns on clothing you're likely familiar with — it has been used to disguise the appearance not just of soldiers but of vehicles and other important resources during the war so that enemies have a harder time spotting them from a distance. The term camouflage itself is derived from the French word Camoufler, which means "to disguise."
As you might expect, camouflage also originated in France. French artist Lucien-Victor Guirand de Scévola, in collaboration with painter Louis Guingot, Eugène Corbin, and others, pioneered military camouflage during the first World War in 1914. De Scévola began by camouflaging not a uniform, but a gun emplacement using a painted canvas. This eventually led to him becoming the commander of the Camouflage Corps in the French Army by the end of the next year, utilizing cubism in camouflage designs.
America Adopts Camouflage
After the French, the British started using camouflage, too, in order to hide trenches. Naturally, this would lead to the United States Military adopting it as well. This means that, before World War I, the United States didn't have camouflage uniforms and instead used more standard uniforms. In some cases, this was to their disadvantage — their blue uniforms were easily spotted by enemy soldiers during the Spanish-American war. The need for lower-visibility uniforms during World War 1 led to the US hiring designers who would become known as camoufluers. America's camoufluers made uniform designs that helped the country's soldiers blend in with natural materials like rocks and leaves.
American Camouflage Evolves
As war changed, so too did camouflage. The American Military continued to experiment with camo and develop new designs, which led to US Marines in World War II wearing the famous green and brown frog pattern while on the Solomon Islands. This well-known pattern was designed by an editor of a gardening magazine and horticulturist, Norvell Gillespie, who was asked to create camouflage for use in a jungle environment.
Also known as the frog skin and M1942, the year it was first issued, this camo uniform had multiple applications thanks to its other side — rather than several jungle greens, the other side had a pattern more appropriate for beaches. Some of these uniforms were sold to France for use in the First Indochina War. However, by the Vietnam War, it was mostly replaced with a leaf-like camo pattern.
Modern Military Camouflage
While previous camouflage designs were made with European forests and Pacific islands in mind, they wouldn't be nearly as effective in desert environments. The Persian Gulf, Iraq, and Afghanistan Wars all warranted a new camo design, which resulted in the light green, brown, and tan patterns that are known and worn today. These camo designs went through several iterations and varieties over the years, including the Operational Camouflage Pattern (OCP), and the Scorpion W2.
Modern technology also influenced the direction of modern camouflage. In addition to their desert-hued tan camo, soldiers also wore a uniform designed for nighttime operations — these had small black squares with checks of black and white, which are meant to impair the enemy's night-vision technology.
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