Information about Battledress

Battle Dress, was the combat uniform worn by British, many Commonwealth and Empire forces and many Free European Forces through the Second World War, mostly but not exclusivly in temperate climates. In some armies it continued in use into the 1970's. During the Second World War and thereafter this uniform was also used for formal parades (incuding mounting the Queens's Guard at Buckingham Palace) until the re-introduction of separate parade uniforms. The Battle Dress Uniform (BDU) was the combat uniform of of United States forces through the late 20th Century.

The term is sometimes used more generally to cover Combat uniforms, as opposed to 'display' dress or formal uniform worn at parades and functions. It may be either monochrome (often a shade of green or brown) or in camouflage colours. The first purpose-made and widely issued camouflage garments were used by the Italian army after the First World War; most nations developed camouflage uniforms during the Second World War, though in many cases they were issued widely only among "elite" units.

Australia

Currently, Australian troops wear a multicolour camouflage called Disruptive Pattern Camouflage Uniform (more commonly called DPCU or Auscam), shades to suit Australia's terrain. It was developed by entering the colours of the Australian landscape into a computer program and the present battle dress was the result.

There are three variations, the original design which is most commonly used, another for use in desert environments and a third for use by OPFOR units in training exercises.

Canada

Canada's battledress developed parallel to that of the British from 1900 to 1950, though always with significant differences, and then increasingly followed the US pattern of separate uniforms for separate functions, becoming distinctively "Canadian" in the process and utilizing CADPAT design.

Service Dress 1907-1940

The first true battledress adopted by Canada for standard issue across the board was the khaki field uniform known as Service Dress, adopted in 1907. This was of a separate pattern from the British Service Dress adopted after the Boer War, and marked a departure in Canadian uniforms in that it was distinct from the scarlet/blue/rifle green uniforms traditionally worn to that point, the latter of which became "ceremonial" dress for parades and other functions apart from field training.

Canadian pattern Service Dress worn by Other Ranks did not stand up to the rigours of campaigning, however, and was widely replaced by British uniforms in France; some samples of Canadian pattern SD were retained in Canada, and after the war, surviving to be issued briefly in 1939.

Officers wore a distinctive pattern of Service Dress (as did Warrant Officers I Class), which was identical to that worn by British officers; they were privately purchased, and of better quality than Other Ranks uniform. In combat in France and Flanders, they were often replaced on an individual basis by Other Ranks' Service Dress, to make them less visible to enemy snipers and soldiers.

Khaki Drill 1900-1949

Khaki Drill was a series of different uniform patterns of light khaki cloth, generally cotton, first worn by Canadian soldiers in the Boer War and reserved for summer training in Canada, or for employment in tropical climates. Canada developed its own pattern after the First World War, and the uniform was commonly worn in Canada, with officers again having the option of finer garments privately purchased. In the Second World War, Canadians serving in Jamaica and Hong Kong wore Canadian pattern KD; the I Canadian Corps troops in Italy wore KD supplied in theatre by the British, generally of British, Indian or US (War Aid) manufacture.

Battle Dress 1939-1970

In 1939, the Battle Dress uniform was adopted as a field uniform; made of wool and patterned after British BD, Canadian uniforms were darker in colour with a distinctive green tinge to the dark khaki colour. Officers had the option of having BD tailored from better material, but in the field most wore "off the rack" BD, perhaps with a modified open collar.

Service Dress was worn in 1939 and into 1940 by soldiers in Canada as field dress, and afterwards was no longer issued except to a select few. While a new pattern of Service Dress was introduced for Other Ranks in this period, it was reserved for dress wear only. Battle Dress completely replaced SD as a field uniform beginning in 1940 as enough of the new uniforms became available.

A new pattern of BD was introduced in 1949, with an open collar matching that of British Pattern 1949 BD. The garment was worn as a field dress throughout the Korean War, and into the 1960s until replaced by the Combat uniform. Some Militia units used BD as a dress uniform until the early 1970s, but field use had probably been phased out by then.

The US Army produced its own version of the BD blouse for issue to soldiers in Europe. Although most of these were produced in England, they were of a dark green colour, rather than khaki. Called the ETO (European Theatre of Operations) jacket, American soldiers dubbed it the Ike Jacket, after General Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Bush Dress 1950-1960

Bush Dress was a series of dark green cotton uniforms, similar to KD clothing, which replaced those uniforms just prior to the Korean War. Like KD, Bush Dress was worn primarily as a field uniform. It was replaced by the Combat uniform in the 1960s.

Combats 1960-2000

The green combat uniform became universal battledress in the 1960s, and was designed to be worn in any environment (though a tan coloured "tropical" version was worn during Operation Desert Storm and by the Airborne in Somalia).

The Canadian pattern combat uniform had angled pockets, designed to take magazines from the FN C1A1 assault rifle; a truly poor design of infantry load bearing equipment inspired this design - the 1964 Pattern Web Equipment had no ammunition pouches. The angled pockets are repeated on the new CADPAT uniform, though they are enlarged and not intended for ammunition carriage.

The Canadian combat uniform had a high nylon content, which had the potential for producing significant burns.

CADPAT 2000-present

In Canada, battledress is referred to officially as "No. 5 Operational Dress", and in general parlance as "combat uniform" or "combats".

Currently, the Canadian Forces use the four-colour CADPAT design, a computer-generated pixelated pattern issued in TW (temperate woodland) and AR (arid region) colours. Camouflage cloth of CADPAT pattern was created and adopted in 1995, used for issue helmet covers in 1997 and trousers and blouses in CADPAT began to replace the olive green combat uniform from 2001 when Canadian forces joined the UN peacekeepers in Bosnia-Hercegovina. The AR version was introduced when Canadian troops were deployed to Afghanistan. Previously, a tan version of the olive combats had been used for tropical wear by soldiers deployed to the Middle East, particularly during Operation Desert Storm and the deployment to Somalia.

Until well into the post-World War II era, the Canadian Army had worn battle dress uniforms similar to their British and Commonwealth counterparts, though with different national identifiers and regimental accoutrements (with Khaki Drill uniforms being worn in the summer or in tropical regions). In the early 1950s, battle dress began to be replaced with lightweight uniforms, at first Bush Dress for summer wear, and in the 1960s with Combat Dress, a set of olive drab garments more similar to the American style of combat wear (ie made up of layers and solely for wear in the field as opposed to all-purpose wool Battle Dress).

Specialist Clothing

Specialist battledress was developed primarily during the Second World War, including the Denison smock - originally for parachutists but also adopted by snipers. Specialized jump clothing was perpetuated by the Canadian Airborne Regiment who wore distinctive disruptive-pattern jump smocks from 1975 until disbandment in 1995.

Special patterns of AFV uniform were also worn beginning in the Second World War, initially black coveralls, later khaki coveralls as well as the padded "Pixie suit". Olive drab tanker's uniforms were adopted with the Combat uniform in the 1960s, including a distinctive padded jacket with angled front zip.

Coveralls

The Canadian Army has made extensive use of plain coveralls as a field uniform, commonly using khaki coveralls in the Second World War to save wear and tear on wool BD. In the 1950s and 1960, the cash-poor Canadian military adopted black coveralls which were often worn as combat dress, replacing them in the 1970s with rifle green coveralls. These were worn in the field in Canada by units in training but are also evident in photos of men deployed to West Germany during the Cold War, as armoured and mechanized units sometimes preferred to wear coveralls when carrying out maintenance.

France

France adopted low visibility field uniforms well after other European armies had already done so. During the early months of World War I a conspicuous blue and red uniform continued to be worn, only being replaced with horizon blue in early 1915. The Section de camouflage, established the same year, was hugely influential.

The first widely used camouflage pattern was the 1951 three-colour over-printed tenue de léopard, usually called "lizard" it was issued in many colour variants (colourways) and saw war service in Africa and Indochina. The last official issue was in 1958, but use continued for some years. The "lizard" was a symbol of elitism and was issued only to French Foreign Legion and French airborne units (the conscript army, on the other hand, wore plain olive green). This elitism went very far with the Foreign Legion, who would regularly have its members march in this uniform with medals, green beret, the blue sash, and rarely, the green and red epaulettes.

The colonial associations of camouflage kept the French in monochrome olive green until 1990, although a number of African and Asian nations used variants on the "lizard."

Research results in the 1980s were rejected, one because of the similarity to German flecktarn. With the Gulf War, a hurried effort produced the 1990 three-colour "Daguet" desert pattern. A four-colour Euro pattern was issued from 1991.

Germany

The German army adopted feldgrau ("field grey") in 1910.

Nazi era

The Nazi regime funded a great deal of research on camouflage uniforms, investigating many patterns including NIR camouflage. After much trial the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht, in 1938, issued the basic four-colour "plane tree" pattern (Platanenmuster) of Schick and Schmid in the form of camouflage smocks to units of the Waffen SS. The three-colour disruptive Splittermuster, more commonly known in English as 'splinter pattern', was issued to the army beginning before the war, in the form of camouflaged tent quarters (zeltbahn) which was reversible, with a splinter pattern in dark colours on one side, and light coloured on the other. From 1942, a year after the Luftwaffe started producing uniforms in this pattern, a variety of helmet covers and camouflage smocks were adopted by the Heer (Army). A distinctive variant of splinter pattern camouflage was introduced midway through the war, a blurry marsh pattern (Sumpfmuster) referred to as "tan water pattern" in English by collectors. During the war, additional SS variants including "palm", "smoke", and "oak leaf" were introduced, in spring and autumn colours, and by 1944 the complex "peas" pattern (Erbsenmuster) was also used by the Waffen SS and being issued as standard, in both camouflage pullover smocks as well as shirt and trouser combinations. Initially, camouflage had been a sign of elite troops and the SS continued this differentiation by using its own distinctive patterns.

In 1941, during the winter on the Eastern Front, German troops were at a considerable disadvantage because they were lacking winter camouflage, expecting a quick summer victory.

In 1945, a five-colour Leibermuster design was introduced. Intended to be used by all the armed forces, it was layered to improve effectiveness at distance, used a new print method to reduce obvious repetition, and included NIR protection. Due to the economic situation, it was hardly used.

Post-war

In the 1950s, West Germany used two versions of the wartime "splinter", a four-colour pattern called BV-Splittermuster. Thereaft, from 1961 until 1990 they used the so called olive-green battle dress. Following various trials the dots-and-blotches five-colour Flecktarn pattern was chosen in 1976 and issued from the 1980s.

East Germany's first pattern was the 1956 Russisches Tarnmuster based, as the name suggests, on the Soviet "amoeba" designs. It was soon replaced by the four-colour Flächentarnmuster pattern (sometimes called "potato" or "splotch"). In 1965, the dense straight-line two-colour Strichmuster pattern was introduced, sometimes called "ein Strich - kein Strich", it remained in use until reunification.

Flecktarn was made the pattern for the unified country.

Italy

The Italian army used grigio-verde in the Alps from 1906 and across the army from 1909. In 1929, the country was the first to mass-produce camouflage fabric, the three-colour telo mimetico. It was not issued as uniform until 1942.

The pattern remained in use after the war, moving through several colour variations. The marines adopted a complex five-colour "Mediterranean spray" pattern in the 1980s. In 1990, a new army pattern was introduced, a four-colour design inspired by the popular U.S. "woodland" pattern; a desert version was also issued from 1992.

Japan

The Japanese tried monochrome green during the 1905 conflict with Russia, but entered World War II with a monochrome mustard khaki uniform. Some were fitted with special loops to aid the attachment of natural vegetation.

The Japan Self-Defense Forces did not issue a pattern until the 1980s, choosing a four-colour green-and-brown design, sometimes called "fang". It was succeeded in 1991 by a dot pattern close to flecktarn, while during the Gulf War a six-colour pattern similar to the U.S. choc-chip was used.

Russia and the Soviet Union

The Imperial Russian Army fought mostly in white or in dark green colours (introduced by Peter the Great in 1700), even if several regiments (Life Guards regiments, Cavalry Guards, Dragoons and Uhlans regiments) dressed in distinctive and colourful attire. Cossack regiments were reported to use basic camouflage patterns and techniques during the Crimean War. Duller colours were used unofficially in the 1880s and again in 1905. The whole army began using khaki from 1908 on.

In the early 1930s, the Soviet Union developed two-piece suits with a disruptive pattern of big amoeba-like spots, which, in conjunction with the baggy shape of the suit itself, were very effective in breaking the outline of the human silhouette. The two-piece suits were made to be worn over the uniform and gear, which could be accessed through the special slots (a design feature later employed by the Germans). The limited use of a two-colour disruptive "amoeba" pattern began in 1938. The "amoeba" remained in use until the 1950s.

The Soviet Union issued all-white winter camouflage in 1938. During World War II, other designs were tried, including "leaf" (1940) and the jagged three-colour "TTsMKK" (1944). Most troops remained in a monochrome brown.

Post-war Soviet camouflage remained a sign of elite units. A two-colour "sun-ray" pattern was used by paratroopers from 1969 and two- or three-colour versions were issued to Spetsnaz, KGB and MVD troops into the 1980s. The KLMK pattern was the first "digital" camouflage and it was issued to Spetsnaz troops and some Border guards units.

After the collapse of the Soviet regime, a new pattern was developed as the standard field uniform. Issued from 1993, the three-colour green-brown-tan design in a vertical orientation was called VSR, or "Schofield" in the West. This was quickly superseded by the same basic pattern in a horizontal orientation, called "flora", in 1998. Other widely used patterns in the 1990s were inspired by Western designs, notably the British DPM and U.S. "woodland" patterns. The elite forces maintain different patterns; MVD troops began using the four-colour "SMK" pattern in 1992 and other units wear a distinctive "reed" pattern. Versions of the "woodland" pattern also remain in use.

United Kingdom

From the late 17th century to the late 19th century, most British soldiers fought in scarlet tunics. The adoption of scarlet was mainly for economic reasons. When Oliver Cromwell initially started forming the New Model Army, red was the cheapest dye available. Toward the end of the 19th century, however, as the nature of warfare moved away from close formation fighting to more individual fighting, it began to be recognised that this colour stood out too much.

The move towards camouflage began in India, and khaki was used during the Indian Mutiny (or First War of Independence). It became standard in India in 1885, for all foreign postings in 1896, and was adopted throughout the army in 1902 during the Second Boer War.

World War II

Battle Dress (BD) was the official name for the standard working and fighting uniform worn by the British Army and the armies of other Imperial and Commonwealth countries in temperate climes from 1937 to the late 1960s. It was a pair of trousers and a close fitting short jacket Blouse made of khaki-coloured woollen cloth. Blue battledress was worn by the Royal Air Force, and Royal Navy shore parties wore a navy blue version. Camouflage dress was hand-painted for some specialists.

The Battle Dress design at the start of the war was the (19)37 Pattern. In 1940 it was replaced with the simpler made (19)40 Utility Pattern. This omitted finer details such as pleating on pockets. In both cases the blouse came in two forms, the ordinary ranks with closed neck and the officers open neck which exposed their shirt and tie. From 1942, the camouflaged Denison smock, originally issued for the Parachute Regiment to be worn over the BD, was issued more widely.

Post-war

The khaki Battle Dress was used until the late 1960s. Following work at the APRE, uniforms in the four-colour camouflaged "Pattern 1960 DPM" ("Disruptive Pattern Material") were issued from 1969. This was followed by a DPM jungle combat uniform which, due to its different (polycotton), material had a slightly different colourway.

The underlying pattern has remained through various different patterns of clothing but has differed in detail of the pattern and the coulourway depending on the material and manufacturer. The most recent major overhall of the combat uniform was the introduction of the Combat Soldier 95 system in the mid 90s this system is still in use (with changes to some items) for Nos 8 and 9 Dress, in 2007^[1] .

Prior to the Gulf War, the stock of uniform in four-colour desert DPM of browns and tans had been sold to Iraq therefore a two-colour DPM version (light brown on tan) was issued to UK forces.

United States

See Battle dress uniform, Airman Battle Uniform, Army combat uniform & Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform.

See also

• Military uniform

References

• DPM: Disruptive Pattern Material by Hardy Blechman and Alex Newman, DPM Ltd. (2004) ISBN 0-9543404-0-X
• Behrens, Roy R. (2002). FALSE COLORS: Art, Design and Modern Camouflage. Bobolink Books. ISBN 0-9713244-0-9. 
• Khaki: Uniforms of the CEF by Clive M. Law (Service Publications, 1998).
• Dressed to Kill: Canadian Army Uniforms in World War Two by Michael Dorosh (Service Publications, 2001). ISBN 1-894581-07-5

External links

• www.canadiansoldiers.com: extensive discussion of Canadian Army uniforms, insignia, and traditions from 1900-2000