Germans developed world first digital camo schemes?

[sabredriver]

Im a debating - the germans developed the world first DIGITAL camoflauge in WW1 on biplanes etc thru the use of many colours on the hexogonal shaped fabric patterns and interestly this digital idea wasnt reused until the late 1990s by the US military uses on clothing and later aircraft.

Wonder why the germans saw this as a first yet rest of the world lagged?

[Tulio]

How could the Germans have invented a "digital" cammo when all that existed then, was what we know as an "analog" concept?

Their 'lozenge' cammo [if this is what you are talking about] was unique, granted.

There were other cammo patterns employed, that if you wanted to stretch the definition of "digital" would look a lot like some of those in use nowadays, but created only without any computers.

There are -literally- tens and tens (possibly hundreds) of different patterns documented in this book:

Please see: Camouflage Uniforms of the Waffen-SS, by Michael D Beaver (with J.F. Borsarello) ISBN 0-88740-803-6, published and distributed by Schiffer Military History Books.

Saludos,


Tulio

[Randy Wilson]

I think that Albatros first used the pre-printed camo fabric and that Fokker and some others followed later. It seems that the fabric was a way to speed production by avoiding time spent in painting the camo designs.

Die Marklerungen der deutschen Flugzeuge 1914-1918 (Markings of German Aircraft in WWI 1914-1918) by Heinz J. Nowarra, 1967, in both German and English has some information on this plus a lot of B&W photos and a few color plates and might be a useful reference.

As Tulio noted, I think that any resemblance to a modern "digital" camo is somethat accidental but certainly interesting.

Randy

[Randy Wilson]

For those not familiar with the look of the German WWI "lozenge" camo, here is a plate from page 159 of the book noted above, showing a Fokker D VII of Lt. Stark of Jasta 35. In this case the fabric is used not only on the wings but also the fuselage and even wheel covers. On aircraft with plywood fuselages, for example Albatros and Pfalz, the fabric was usually on just wings and horizontal tail surfaces.



Randy

[B29Gunner]

Speaking of...does anyone know what Lozenge fabric is going for these days?

[gregv]

Im a debating - the germans developed the world first DIGITAL camoflauge in WW1 on biplanes etc thru the use of many colours on the hexogonal shaped fabric patterns and interestly this digital idea wasnt reused until the late 1990s by the US military uses on clothing and later aircraft.

Wonder why the germans saw this as a first yet rest of the world lagged?

A small note: while there is some debate over who invented it, there seems to be little doubt that the Canadians had digital camo first:

http://www.hyperstealth.com/CADPAT-MARPAT.htm

I managed to track down a scrap of lozenge material from Roger Freeman from, iirc, the Fokker DVII they did for the NMUSAF. When I called and asked if he had any leftover, he asked what I wanted to use it for, to which I responded that I wanted to make a jacket; there was a long pause and a short chuckle, and he told me that his wife had beat me to it and made a bedspread... I still have that small piece, about 36" x 24", and someday I'll put it to good use.

greg v