Flecktarn (German: "pattern camouflage"; also known as Flecktarnmuster, Fleckentarn or simply Fleck) is a 3-, 4-, 5- or 6-colour disruptive camouflage pattern. The use of spots creates a "dithering" effect, which eliminates hard boundaries between the different colours in much the same way the squares in the newest digital camouflage patterns do. The pattern is designed for use in temperate woodland terrain. It has been adapted as desert camouflage by varying the colours. This article is about protective camouflage used to disguise people, animals, or military targets. ... This article is about protective camouflage used to disguise people, animals, or military targets. ... This article or section should be merged with Dither An illustration of dithering. ... An example of common camouflage The Bronze Horseman camouflaged from the German aircraft during the Siege of Leningrad (August 8, 1941) Camouflage became an essential part of modern military tactics after the increase in accuracy and rate of fire of weapons at the end of the 19th century. ...

History

The plane tree pattern (summer side) in an early version from 1937

The plane tree pattern (autumn side) in an early version from 1937

The Germans had experimented before World War II, and some army units used "splinter" pattern camouflage. Waffen-SS combat units experimented since 1935 with various patterns. The first and a lot of other SS-camouflages was designed by Prof. Johann Georg Otto Schick. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 357 × 599 pixelsFull resolution‎ (787 × 1,320 pixels, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 357 × 599 pixelsFull resolution‎ (787 × 1,320 pixels, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 357 × 598 pixelsFull resolution (787 × 1319 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 357 × 598 pixelsFull resolution (787 × 1319 pixel, file size: 1. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Waffen-SS recruitment poster; Volunteer to the Waffen-SS The Waffen-SS was the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel. ...

• Platanenmuster – "plane-tree pattern" (1937 to 1942) – spring/summer- and autumn/winter variations
• Rauchtarnmuster – "blurred edge" (1939 to 1944) – spring/summer- and autumn/winter variations
• Palmenmuster – "palm pattern" (ca. 1941 – ?) – spring/autumn variations
• Beringtes Eichenlaubmuster – "oak leaf B" (1942 to 1945)
• Eichenlaubmuster – "oak leaf A" (1943 to 1945) – spring/summer- and autumn/winter variations
• Erbsenmuster – "44 dot" (1944 to 1945)– Originally meant to replace all other SS camouflage patterns
• Leibermuster (1945)

All names of the German camouflages are not authentic, an exception is the word "Leibermuster".

Modern Flecktarn

In 1976, the Bundeswehr in Germany developed a number of prototype camouflage patterns, to be trialled as replacements for the solid olive-grey "moleskin" combat uniform. At least four distinct camouflage patterns were tested during Bundeswehr Truppenversuch 76 ("Bundeswehr Troop Trial 76"). One was called "Dots" or "Points", and one was called "Ragged Leaf" or "Saw Tooth Edge". The Bundeswehr (German for Federal Defence Force;  ) is the name of the unified armed forces of Germany. ...

Modern German Flecktarn introduced 1990

Of the patterns tested, that which is today known as Flecktarn was selected for adoption. The word is a composite formed from the German words Fleck (spot, blot, or pattern) and Tarnung (camouflage). The Bundeswehr kept its green combat dress throughout the 1980s, however. Flecktarn was only widely introduced in 1990, after trials beginning in 1988. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...

In Germany, the Flecktarn camouflage pattern is used by all Bundeswehr service branches, the Heer ("army"), the Luftwaffe ("air force"), some Marine (navy) units and even the Sanitätsdienst ("medical service"). It is also used by snipers of the Österreichisches Bundesheer ("Federal Army of Austria") and Belgian Air Force ground personnel and airborne infantry. France tested Flecktarn for use but rejected it; the Dutch army also tested and rejected it, allegedly because it was "too aggressive". Flecktarn was seen as controversial because of its (vague) resemblance to the Waffen-SS "peas" and "oak leaves" patterns, which also used dots in various colours. The German Army (German: [1], [IPA: heɐ]  ) is the land component of the Bundeswehr (Federal Defence Forces) of the Federal Republic of Germany. ... The Deutsche Luftwaffe or   (German: air force, literally Air Weapon, pronounced lufft-va-fa, IPA: ) is the commonly used term for the German air force. ... German frigate Karlsruhe rescuing shipwrecked people off the coast of Somalia while participating in the international anti-terror operation ENDURING FREEDOM, April 2005 The Laboe Naval Memorial for sailors who lost their lives at sea during the World Wars and while on duty at sea and U 995 Modern air... For other uses, see Sniper (disambiguation). ... The name of the Military of Austria is Bundesheer (Federal Army). Between 1918 and 1921, the Austrian semi-regular army was called Volkswehr (Peoples Defence), and fought against Yugoslavian army units occupying parts of Carinthia. ... The Air Component, formerly the Belgian Air Force, is the air arm of the Belgian Armed Forces. ... Airborne Military parachuting form of insertion. ... Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I Infantry or footmen are very highly disciplined and trained soldiers who fight primarily with small arms(rifles), but are trained to use everything from their bare hands to missle systems in order to neutralize... The Royal Netherlands Army (Koninklijke Landmacht) is the land forces element of the Military of the Netherlands. ... Waffen-SS recruitment poster; Volunteer to the Waffen-SS The Waffen-SS was the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel. ...

Flecktarn is the basis for Bundeswehr Wüstentarn ("desert camouflage"), Danish T/78 camouflage and Danish M/84 camouflage, including a desert variation of the Danish pattern. A variation of the Flecktarn camouflage is also used by the Russian Army called Flectar-d, Japan's Type II Camouflage, and is used by the Chinese military in Tibet and some police units in Poland. It is rumoured it even inspired the later CADPAT (Canada), MARPAT (U.S. Marines) and ACUPAT (U.S. Army) patterns.^{[citation needed]} Peoples Liberation Army redirects here. ... This article is about historical/cultural Tibet. ... A sample of the temperate woodland CADPAT design. ... General Hagee (CMC) in MARPAT combat utilities Marines wearing woodland MARPAT during Exercise Talisman Saber 2007 at Shoalwater Bay, Australia. ... The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is a branch of the United States military responsible for providing power projection from the sea,[1] utilizing the mobility of the U.S. Navy to rapidly deliver combined-arms task forces. ... Two soldiers wearing the ACU, as well as ACU-patterned patrol cap (left) and boonie hat (right). ... The United States Army is the largest and oldest branch of the armed forces of the United States. ...

See also

• Battle dress uniform
• Camouflage
• List of camouflage patterns

Battle Dress Uniform (BDU) in the United States was the standard military uniform worn into combat, battledress as opposed to display dress uniforms worn at parades and functions. ... This article is about protective camouflage used to disguise people, animals, or military targets. ... Example of camouflage pattern This is a list of (some) military camouflage patterns used in battledress. ...

External links

• Images of German Flecktarn patterns
• kamouflage.net > Europe > Germany, Federal Republic of > Bundeswehr Flecktarn
• kamouflage.net > Europe > Austria, Republic of > Fleckerlteppich