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The widespread use of Telo Mimetico cloth by soldiers of the German Reich coincided with the 1943 disarmament of the Italian forces. Waffen-SS units were the most conspicuous users of Italian camouflage material, although it was also worn by Wehrmacht units in Italy and the Balkans. [Image: Almark Publishing Co. Ltd.]

Italian three-colour camouflage (3rd pattern)
Italian Republic

Although wartime German camouflage patterns have been extensively documented, wartime Italian camouflage patterns remain largely overlooked. It is frequently claimed that only one camouflage pattern — usually designated M29 telo mimetico ('camouflage cloth') — was used by Italy during World War 2. Nonetheless, the evidence to hand suggests that at least three quite different camouflage patterns were used by Italian forces during the Second World War.

Some authors have noted at least six distinct colour variations for wartime telo mimetico. However, the Italian three-colour camouflage pattern shown here probably should not be numbered among them. For all that it is essentially the same design as one that is thought to have been used during World War 2, it is distinguished by the depth of its colours. The moderate yellowish brown elements are worthy of particular notice, inasmuch as they are underprinted in white, which colour remains visible at the edges, in some places. This production method is not evident in earlier Italian three-colour camouflage patterns.

I have been unable to find photographic evidence for the distinctive moderate yellowish brown, greyish olive and moderate reddish brown colouration that can be dated earlier than 1978. The tentative dating of this particular variation to the mid-1970s is supported by the observation that the breast pocket of a 1971-dated 2nd pattern camouflage shirt, which is also in my collection, has been conspicuously patched with 3rd pattern fabric very much like the sample shown here.

kamouflage.net is grateful to Henrik Clausen and Lorenzo Russo, for their invaluable contributions to this article.

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