Post by crazydima on May 15, 2006 22:20:18 GMT -5
Tovarischi,
Ah yes the wonderful world of Camouflage.
For the Soviet Scout and Sniper, camouflage was a vital part of his or her survival.
The Soviets had quite a love affair with camouflage during the war. Of course "Maskirovka" was the total package of deception but camouflage was a part of this package.
Unfortunately relatively little detailed information has been published on this subject so a lot of details are still a bit fuzzy.
The camouflage patterns below were incorporated into one piece suits(maskirovochnyi kombinezon(MK)) and two piece suits(maskirovochnyi kamuflirovannyi Kostium(MKK)) during the war. As a general rule the Soviets started out focusing on disruptive styles of patterns but did venture into some patterns which mimic actual plants.
MK uniforms(two piece) were issued with an attached hood and sewn in face veil.
MKK uniforms(coveralls) were issued with a face mask and small carrying sack.
The first pattern in use during the GPW was the infamous ameoba pattern. According to Desmond the year of issue was 1937 - 38. You will see this pattern quite a bit in period photos and is believed to be the most common style worn during the War. It looks primitive and no frills but it really does the trick.
Ameoba:
i8.photobucket.com/albums/a50/crazydima/Splotch.jpg
The next pattern is known as the leaf pattern. Its year of issue was 1941 - 42 according to Desmond. Interestingly this type is a departure from the common Soviet approach to disruptive and mimics actual leaf shapes.
Leaf:
i8.photobucket.com/albums/a50/crazydima/LeafPattern.jpg
The next pattern is the Tritsvetnyi Kamuflirovannyi Maskirovochnyi Kostium(TKMK) also known as the Tri-Color pattern. According to Desmond this pattern was issued in 1944-45. Interestingly it looks a lot like we we now refer to as "Digital" pattern yet this style is over 60 years old.
Tri-Color:
i8.photobucket.com/albums/a50/crazydima/Tri-Color.jpg
This next pattern has sparked some debate as to its date of issue as well as how it was developed. It is the Tri-Color stair step pattern pattern with an ameoba splotches as an over print. According to Desmond he places this as a late 1945 issue item and is a trial pattern.
Tri-Color with Ameoba:
i8.photobucket.com/albums/a50/crazydima/tricolorameoba.jpg
This next pattern is known as the grass suit and captured my attention the first time I saw it. Desmond does not really address this style in his book since he focuses more on the post war patterns in his book. This pattern is known as Mochal’Nyi Letnii Maskirovochnyi Kostium(MLMK) .It was issued begining in 1927. This style appears in a German wartime sniper training film as well as in some German training information so the Germans had seen enough Russians wearing this to put it on their watch list.
Grass Suit:
i8.photobucket.com/albums/a50/crazydima/GrassSuit.jpg
Of course no collection would be complete without the fashionable winter camouflage. Known as Zimnoi Maskirovochnyi Kostium (ZMK). It came in a one as well as two piece variants and even a smock style. You just can't go wrong with white when your in Russia in the winter.
Snow:
tridentmilitary.com/New-Photos9/winter-camo-b.jpg
Sources:
CAMOUFLAGE UNIFORMS OF THE SOVIET UNION AND RUSSIA 1937 TO THE PRESENT: by Dennis Desmond - ISBN 0764304623
&
Kamouflage.net
www.kamouflage.net/country/00156.php
I will update this as I get it put together. Check back to see what else I have added.
Sincerely,
Dima
Ah yes the wonderful world of Camouflage.
For the Soviet Scout and Sniper, camouflage was a vital part of his or her survival.
The Soviets had quite a love affair with camouflage during the war. Of course "Maskirovka" was the total package of deception but camouflage was a part of this package.
Unfortunately relatively little detailed information has been published on this subject so a lot of details are still a bit fuzzy.
The camouflage patterns below were incorporated into one piece suits(maskirovochnyi kombinezon(MK)) and two piece suits(maskirovochnyi kamuflirovannyi Kostium(MKK)) during the war. As a general rule the Soviets started out focusing on disruptive styles of patterns but did venture into some patterns which mimic actual plants.
MK uniforms(two piece) were issued with an attached hood and sewn in face veil.
MKK uniforms(coveralls) were issued with a face mask and small carrying sack.
The first pattern in use during the GPW was the infamous ameoba pattern. According to Desmond the year of issue was 1937 - 38. You will see this pattern quite a bit in period photos and is believed to be the most common style worn during the War. It looks primitive and no frills but it really does the trick.
Ameoba:
i8.photobucket.com/albums/a50/crazydima/Splotch.jpg
The next pattern is known as the leaf pattern. Its year of issue was 1941 - 42 according to Desmond. Interestingly this type is a departure from the common Soviet approach to disruptive and mimics actual leaf shapes.
Leaf:
i8.photobucket.com/albums/a50/crazydima/LeafPattern.jpg
The next pattern is the Tritsvetnyi Kamuflirovannyi Maskirovochnyi Kostium(TKMK) also known as the Tri-Color pattern. According to Desmond this pattern was issued in 1944-45. Interestingly it looks a lot like we we now refer to as "Digital" pattern yet this style is over 60 years old.
Tri-Color:
i8.photobucket.com/albums/a50/crazydima/Tri-Color.jpg
This next pattern has sparked some debate as to its date of issue as well as how it was developed. It is the Tri-Color stair step pattern pattern with an ameoba splotches as an over print. According to Desmond he places this as a late 1945 issue item and is a trial pattern.
Tri-Color with Ameoba:
i8.photobucket.com/albums/a50/crazydima/tricolorameoba.jpg
This next pattern is known as the grass suit and captured my attention the first time I saw it. Desmond does not really address this style in his book since he focuses more on the post war patterns in his book. This pattern is known as Mochal’Nyi Letnii Maskirovochnyi Kostium(MLMK) .It was issued begining in 1927. This style appears in a German wartime sniper training film as well as in some German training information so the Germans had seen enough Russians wearing this to put it on their watch list.
Grass Suit:
i8.photobucket.com/albums/a50/crazydima/GrassSuit.jpg
Of course no collection would be complete without the fashionable winter camouflage. Known as Zimnoi Maskirovochnyi Kostium (ZMK). It came in a one as well as two piece variants and even a smock style. You just can't go wrong with white when your in Russia in the winter.
Snow:
tridentmilitary.com/New-Photos9/winter-camo-b.jpg
Sources:
CAMOUFLAGE UNIFORMS OF THE SOVIET UNION AND RUSSIA 1937 TO THE PRESENT: by Dennis Desmond - ISBN 0764304623
&
Kamouflage.net
www.kamouflage.net/country/00156.php
I will update this as I get it put together. Check back to see what else I have added.
Sincerely,
Dima
