Humanity has always been interested in camouflage issues. Increased attention to this topic was caused by the instinct of self-preservation. The ability to merge with the area with the help of twigs and grass attached to the body guaranteed a successful hunt, as a result, a person could feed himself. Over time, the art of camouflage has become very popular in the military. The ability to dissolve, not stand out now saved the life of a soldier.
Army camouflage. Start
The history of the development of camouflage patterns totals only several decades. This was quite enough so that after a short period of time, thanks to the intensive work of military developers, a huge variety of camouflage suits could appear that could hide a person in any area.
The very first camouflage colors appeared in the nineteenth century. The soldiers of England during the Boer War wore uniforms of bright red color. For Boers who already had camouflage experience, they were too visible on the ground. Consequently, England suffered heavy casualties. Therefore, the leadership of the country replaced the red uniforms with special clothes of swamp color - “khaki”.
The second state, the army of which began to use camouflage, became Germany. The colors of the camouflage of the German personnel totaled thirty options. Preference was given to the very first, “fragmentation” sample. Camouflage received this name because its pattern was randomly scattered colored geometric shapes of various sizes. The “fragmentation” version of camouflage was first used by the German army in World War I. Since the debut of such a camouflage suit was successful, the Wehrmacht soldiers used it in the Second World War. Then began to camouflage and helmets with armored vehicles.
Soviet developments of army camouflage suits
In Soviet times, all issues related to camouflage patterns and colors were dealt with by the Higher School of Military Masking formed in 1919 and the State Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences. Outstanding scientists — S. M. Vavilov, V. V. Sharonov, and others — were involved in this work. Thanks to fundamental scientific research, camouflage colors were developed to visually disperse the silhouette of a person. This effect of a camouflage suit was achieved by combining a unified deforming pattern, which was a set of large amoeba-shaped spots with a baggy form of camouflage clothing. Such a combination “broke” the silhouette of a man, scattered the contours of his figure. A similar effect is characteristic of Soviet- era military camouflage suits . The ability to disperse the silhouette distinguished these patterns from hunting options, for which the main goal is to "merge" the object with the surrounding terrain.
Special attention was paid by Soviet developers to the correct selection of colors for the design of amoeba-shaped spots. In this case, the seasons and the characteristic features of the environment were taken into account. So, for the inherent in the summer season coloring of the area (grassy-green), spots of dark and black colors are ideal. A yellow or dirty brown background is characteristic of the autumn season. For him, Soviet technologists picked up dark brown deforming spots.
Both personnel and military equipment were subject to camouflage.
In 1927, the Soviet developers of camouflage clothing provided the military with camouflage of domestic production. This is a winter suit of white and a summer hoodie of brown color.
Post-war developments of army camouflage
After the end of World War II, the development of camouflage suits went at an accelerated pace. Military developers of camouflage drawings, having considerable experience, realized that camouflage colors for the army needed to be selected taking into account the terrain, since they could not be universal and suitable for any environment. Disguise is much more effective in those cases if it is selected both for a certain type of terrain on which the fighting is being conducted, and for the season.
What are the colors of camouflage? The photos presented in the article will allow you to navigate this issue. The options, as you can see, are really massive.
The Karbyshev Central Research and Testing Institute has developed the world's best military camouflage. The colors of these camouflage suits, despite their not very attractive appearance, are ideal for our geographical latitude.
Camouflage during the Cold War
Developers of different countries approach the choice of camouflage patterns in their own way. This is due to different types of terrain. Military technologists who develop camouflage suits for the army of a country take into account the fact that each branch of the army needs its own camouflage. Over time, it can be modified and improved. The years of the Cold War are considered to be one of the most fruitful periods in the history of the development of the art of disguise. At this time, camouflage attracted particularly close attention of the developers.
Types and colors of the countries of the world
- Europe and America. During the Cold War, camouflage “forest” was created here. It is ideal for working in forest and deciduous types of terrain.
- Central Asia and North Africa. The army of these states uses the “desert” camouflage suit.
- Southeast Asia. The military uses jungle camouflage. It is ideal for tropical latitudes.
- South Africa. The country's army has very few options for camouflage suits. This is due to the uniformity of the terrain on which the “bush” camouflage hoodie is very effective.
Camouflage colors of Russia
KZM – P - until recently, the most common camouflage in Russia. The coloring “birch” is its second name, better known than the official one. The pattern has several more names: “gold” and “silver leaf”, “sun bunny”, “border guard”. The principle of the pattern is the dispersion of the contour of a person by simulating the play of light in the picture. Initially developed back in Soviet times, it was widely used by KGB special forces, paratroopers, and border guards.
It was a classic Russian version of camouflage, since it was ideally suited for the latitudes of the USSR. But over time, after discoveries in the field of camouflage art, the color of Russian camouflage has changed and in its original version is no longer found. The “clones” that have appeared refer to commercial options and have their own circle of admirers among hunters, fishermen and airsoft fans.
NATO option
One of the most common camouflages used by the European armies is Woodland (American-made). Since 1980, when this camouflage was released, and to date in Europe and the USA it is considered the best. Its popularity led to the emergence of "clones" and their distribution throughout the world. Woodland is a pattern in the form of blurry spots in two colors: brown and black. They are located on a light and dark green background. The disadvantage of this camouflage appears after it gets wet. When wet, it blackens and becomes noticeable. Recently, the original classic version of Woodland camouflage is obsolete. This was the reason for its improvement. So his variations appeared:
- Basic - General.
- Woodland-lowland camouflage (for lowlands) - it is characterized by a predominance of green.
- Woodland-highland - an option used for activities in the mountains (it is dominated by a brown tint, the color of the mountains).
- An intermediate sample is Woodland-delta. Used by NATO forces. Countries belonging to the Alliance adopted the main idea of this camouflage pattern and apply similar variations in their country. This is because the armed forces of each state must have their own distinctive camouflage.
The principle of selection of a camouflage pattern
The main criterion in the design of the color scheme and its saturation is human vision. In the process of creating colors, the property of the brain to distinguish the contours of objects and recognize them is taken into account. The identification process is taking place. The smallest ideas about the contours are enough for the information about the seen object to enter the human brain. Using offset corners of the picture and their corresponding coloring, perception and identification are distorted - this is the main task that a camouflage suit performs. This principle applies to the manufacture of all types of camouflage clothing - military and hunting. At the same time, camouflage designers are designing patterns of patterns specific to each camouflage, their shapes, sizes, and the degree of contrast of nearby picture elements. They can be large or small. Stains or stripes are applied at an angle of 30 or 60 degrees relative to the visual contours of the object.
Commercial camouflage
Camouflage clothing is applicable not only in military affairs. When hunting or fishing, properly selected camouflage is also indispensable. Camouflage color variations that are not used for sewing army camouflage suits have been used in the manufacture of commercial camouflage products. Costumes, which for some reason were not put into service with the country's army, are actively used by private paramilitary structures - security companies, hunters and lovers of tactical games. Camouflages for this category of consumers are produced by private companies in individual factories. Their products are costumes, the colors of which are very similar to the army options. But they have one difference - the colors in such products may be less or, conversely, more (a few additional ones are added).
Coloring camouflage “moss”
Hunting is carried out in forest and field conditions. If hunting is planned in the forest, then the choice of a camouflage suit depends on whether it is a deciduous or coniferous forest. The solution will be the purchase of moss camouflage. His drawing contains green and sandy-brown colors that perfectly replicate this plant. This suit has two options:
- Summer It is used in the warm season. Light natural fabric of the suit is well ventilated.
- Winter. Designed to be worn during cold periods. Unlike the summer model, the shades on this camouflage are much darker. This is achieved through additional gray. Available in the summer version, the brown color here is much darker. The costume is made on the principle of two-layer clothing and is considered good protection against moisture and strong wind. The winter kit includes a hood, which is mounted with a zipper. This makes it possible to quickly remove it if necessary. The "Velcro" on the hood allows you to tightly close your neck and head. Pockets are also equipped with special "Velcro", which prevents the loss of contents when performing vigorous movements. There are ties at the bottom of the legs. This makes it easy to fill trousers in berets, protects against dust. Moss camouflage is used by fishermen, hunters and tourists.
Pixel art
The armies of many countries use digital camouflage. These camouflage suits got their name because of the presence of individual pixels that occur during digital computer processing. The basis of the work on the digital version was taken into account the feature of the human eye to perceive the surrounding objects as a continuous whole. Since there are no discontinuous lines in nature, one small fragment is enough for the human brain, from which he subsequently builds the entire image. Pixel patterns, having unnatural and unusual shapes, are used to reduce this brain’s ability to “complete” missing fragments.
To interrupt lines and contours, pixel camouflage was invented. The names of the colors of the "digital" camouflage suits are as follows:
- ACUPAT. Used for military operations in urban environments or rocky deserts.
- CADPAT. Good for forest belt.
- “Digital flora”. It is applied in woodland. Especially effective if a person moves quickly. In this case, the eye is not able to focus on the object.
Disguise for armored vehicles and aviation
In addition to protecting personnel, armored vehicles that are military or strategically important for the army building and aviation are also masked. The camouflage masking procedure is not time consuming. A few hours is enough for this. The main thing is to adhere to the instructions: you need to maintain the ratio of spots (their sizes and shades) inherent in each pattern. A pattern is only considered camouflage if it contains at least five stripes or spots. However, they must be at least two colors.
In the army of the Russian Federation, camouflage is practiced. For this purpose, pixel two-color patterns are used. Unlike Russian aviation, the US Air Force does not carry out such a practice. US aircraft are predominantly neutral gray. This, according to US military analysts, helps aviation dissolve, especially over long distances, while camouflage colors against the sky are more likely to attract attention.
Digital patterns are used in coloring strategically important military installations by both the US and Russian Armed Forces.
The art of disguise is especially important at this time. In the current state of armament development, the lack of camouflage or its defect can lead to serious personnel losses.