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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Camouflage Uniforms, in the Field....


206thCEF

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A group of soldiers dressed in heavy coloured robes to camouflage them from airplanes. They are said to appear as tree stumps and lichens to the overhead observer.

Taken from Popular Science Monthly,September 1918.

And, you wonder,yes you can, why it did not catch on with the troops.... :rolleyes:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...I_camoflage.jpg

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Well possibly because while you may look like a log, the big metal pointy thing with wheels your standing by is a bit of a give away. Also Woodpeckers can be a bit nasty :D

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  • 2 weeks later...

Look more like mushrooms to me :D Also tends to blow a tree's cover when it picks up the shell to load B)

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Camouflage nets did the job properly - actually I wonder if the caption is correct those look like early gas hoods.

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  • 11 months later...
Here's another one.The caption says "successfully hid", yes, I suppose but....

camo.jpg

I love that picture, it's so very 'Cholmondley-Warner'. He went to all that trouble with the reeds and then put his cap on and stood to attention with his rifle to make himself blend in. :)

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I think the original photo is of men in the anti gas suit issued to medical personnel and artillery who might have to work in conditions of persistent mustard or nerve gas (as sort of WW1 NBC suit)

post-9885-1277244665.jpg

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I love that picture, it's so very 'Cholmondley-Warner'. He went to all that trouble with the reeds and then put his cap on and stood to attention with his rifle to make himself blend in. :)

I just cant get the thought out of mind, that the poor bloke is standing there with all his mates behind the camera snickering away....

On a more serious note - Does anyone have examples of sniper camo? - Was there anything official?

Cheers

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I would suggest this book for all your sniping answers.

Cheers - Bit pricey for me though.

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Camouflage nets did the job properly - actually I wonder if the caption is correct those look like early gas hoods.

There is one of these coats on display in the IWM IIRC and in the visual history book, noted as a home made snipers outfit, from the real picture the robe is roughly hand cut and splattered with paint as camouflage, the mask portion has a pointed flappy bit and would not look out of place in a cheesy b movie horror show :D

ATB,

Tom

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There is one of these coats on display in the IWM IIRC and in the visual history book, noted as a home made snipers outfit, from the real picture the robe is roughly hand cut and splattered with paint as camouflage, the mask portion has a pointed flappy bit and would not look out of place in a cheesy b movie horror show :D

ATB,

Tom

So why would artillery men be wearing home made snipers outfit? Off to a fancy dress party?

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On a more serious note - Does anyone have examples of sniper camo? - Was there anything official?

American sniper using a paper mashie bloated cow corpse as camo. Obviously not something he could knock up in a dug out. He was part of one of the units of American black soldiers. I believe that there was some angst in part of the USA over encouraging black Americans to snipe white Germans ("they might get unsuitable ideas" - probably already had them I know I would in their position).

post-9885-1277316900.jpg

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There are references to German snipers wearing "earth-coloured" suits, and I have seen photos of men with improvised capes.

Remember too that khaki, field-grey and horizon-blue were all conceived as providing a measure of camouflage anyway.

Steel cylinders done up to represent tree trunks were also used to hive forward observers a reasonably high vantage point.

Those old enough to remember Monty Python may also remember the sketch "How not to be seen."

Number 1: Don't stand up.

Ron

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So why would artillery men be wearing home made snipers outfit? Off to a fancy dress party?

No idea, perhaps they were also spotting? Or they didn't want to be seen dashing between guns?

Tom

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No idea, perhaps they were also spotting? Or they didn't want to be seen dashing between guns?

Tom

Much more likely they are wearing gas suits - we know that these were issued to artillery to allow them to keep manning the guns in the event of a mustard gas attack

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There are references to German snipers wearing "earth-coloured" suits, and I have seen photos of men with improvised capes.

Remember too that khaki, field-grey and horizon-blue were all conceived as providing a measure of camouflage anyway.

Steel cylinders done up to represent tree trunks were also used to hive forward observers a reasonably high vantage point.

Those old enough to remember Monty Python may also remember the sketch "How not to be seen."

Number 1: Don't stand up.

Ron

I would think that after any significant time in a trench, everyone would be earth couloured?

Re: Monty Python: :)

-Daniel

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Daniel

Yes, but the German uniform was predominantly grey. Having a kind of "working overall" would also allow them to keep their proper uniforms reasonably clean.

Centurion (post 17): Yes, just like that, although are you sure that your picture isn't a still from "Allo Allo"? The Colonel and the Captain used them in one episode.

Ron

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Daniel

Yes, but the German uniform was predominantly grey. Having a kind of "working overall" would also allow them to keep their proper uniforms reasonably clean.

Centurion (post 17): Yes, just like that, although are you sure that your picture isn't a still from "Allo Allo"? The Colonel and the Captain used them in one episode.

Ron

Do you mean the German one or the Italian one? "Watta mistaka to makea"

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Do you mean the German one or the Italian one? "Watta mistaka to makea"

The German one - Hans Geering.

Captain Bertorelli always wore a chicken on his head, which would have been a bit conspicuous at the top of a tree-trunk!

Ron

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