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A German soldier wearing 1938 M sátorlap-esögallér. The design featured on the Hungarian M38 shelter half was a three-colour pattern, comprising hard-edged green and red-brown shapes on a pale green background. [Image: Daniel Peterson/The Crowood Press Ltd.]

1938 M sátorlap-esögallér camouflage
Kingdom of Hungary

The 1938 M sátorlap-esögallér (M38 shelter half) was the first standard camouflage garment to be widely issued to soldiers of the Royal Hungarian Army. Like the Zeltbahn 31, the 1938 M sátorlap-esögallér was a a multipurpose camouflage item that could be worn as an individual camouflage poncho or used to construct a shelter.

Based on the 1929 Telo Mimetico ('camouflage cloth') pattern, the design featured on the Hungarian M38 shelter half was a three-colour pattern, comprising hard-edged green and maroon shapes on a light tan background.

Shelter halves were the only official camouflage garments used by the Royal Hungarian Army during World War II. Notwithstanding the scarcity of regulation camouflage uniforms, Hungarian soldiers, in the field, contrived to manufacture numerous non-regulation uniform items from M38 camouflage material. These field-improvised garments included helmet covers, camouflage smocks modelled on the German Tarnhemd, camouflaged paratrooper jump-smocks modelled on the German Knochensack ('bone-sack'), and hooded jackets.

Since Hungarian and German soldiers fought side-by-side as allies, it seems probable that fabric from the 1938 M sátorlap-esögallér was also used for German field-made garments.

kamouflage.net is grateful to Tamás Baczoni, for his invaluable contributions to this article.

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