Camouflage uniforms of the Vietnam Wars Part 1: French Indochina.

[kammo man]

J-Mi .
Your boonie is outstanding .
I have NEVER even seen one for sale ever , its super rare , thanks for showing it .
owen

[troopschat]

Originally Posted by Patrick Dempsey

Another superb shot to show the print.

Note too that modified and unmodified sets can be seen in wear in this photgraph.

Also to be seen is another modern classic camo print and garment the French jumpsmock.

As can be discerned from the print, it is the direct ancestral grandfather to the iconic tiger patterns of the second Indochina war.

French camouflage of this period is just sublime.






I hope you enjoyed the historical interlude.



Patrick.

Hi,
I think is reverend father LECHEVALIER with GAP N°1in Dien bien Phu. ON Right side of photo, Ithink man is général GILLES

Regards
Emmanuel

[kammo man]

Any one got any thing NEW to add ?


owen

[paul.j]

Thought I would add this one,French made copy of the German zeltbahn. I'm not totally sure if this was used in Indochina or not,does anyone have any more info?
It could be that a lot of the black and white photos of splinter pattern zelts being used are this type?
Cheers
Paul

[camo master]

Hi Paul,

I am absolutely certain these were produced by the Germans during the war but I cannot say if that ceased after hostilities ended.

I do not know where the idea came from that these were of French origin - I know Borsarello believed this and stated so in Werner's book on WH Camo. Perhaps there are pics of this pattern in use in Indochina but I have not seen any.

4 out of 5 of these zelts in my collection have with RBNr's - 3 being very clear and from 2 different factories. I also know of several others with RBNr's in other collections. In fact, I just sold one with a beautiful RBNr on it that was identicle and in the same strange position as a WH Splinter zelt I have. Werner and I have look continuously for period photos of this pattern in use, unfortunately without success. Im sure this variant was late war produced and photos from that period are uncommon especially with zelts in them. Akin to finding a needle in a hay stack.

I hope that helps Paul - check your zelt throughly - you might be lucky and see the remains of an RBNr there. Let me know if you do.
Cheers
Mark

[paul.j]

Hello,
Thanks for the reply.That makes sense as the construction was so typically of the German style I was amazed to read they were French. This one has no markings at all, buttons are all the German style. You might think the opposite but its a bit of a shame its not French,I had bought it for my Indochina uniforms,I have seen splinter zelts used in Indochina and had thought that this was the case.I know Borsarello had served in Indochina and had believed he had seen it first hand in use.
Cheers
Paul

[camo master]

It was at our first photo shoot for the book at Werner's that I saw this pattern zelt and I had the exact same thought about the construction. It was produced exactly the same as the standard Zelt with all the same trims and eyelets. The collectors there had 3, one having a very faint stamp that looked like an RBNr but it was impossible to tell. I was really unconvinced was a post war produced but needed the proof.

From that point on, I bought every one of these I could find and finally several surfaced with RBNr's. For me, the final nail in the coffin came when I found the zelt I mentioned above.

Have dubbed this pattern the Reduced Splinter Pattern because it lacks the "Island" from the Regular Splinter pattern and the head is very squashed. The head is the most recognizable form in photos and will immediately tell you which pattern it is. One day I hope at least one period photo will surface showing it in use.

Just spent a few minutes reading this thread and it is very informative. Thanks Owen for starting it - you have a super camo collection from that period. My Father gave me one of those British Wind proof pullover jackets dated from 1942. He aquirred it in Korea when he was serving there with the Canadian 1st RCR's. Told me he traded a load of shovels with a British quartermaster for 12 smocks to out fit his sniper section. I could never figure out what the fabric was made from - thought it might have been some form of high grade silk because it has such a soft, silky hand but very strong.
Cheers
Mark

[ziomek]

Hi
This is photo from saigon 71-72
looks like ROK marines

I will post more later
regards
Ziomek