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18 August 1966: Australian soldiers in Việt Nam wait to return to base after the Battle of Long Tần. The action occurred when D Company of the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, encountered the Việt cộng 275 Regiment and elements of the D445 Local Forces Battalion. [Image: Australian War Memorial (AWM negative CUN/66/704/VN).]

Australian two-colour camouflage
Commonwealth of Australia

Australian support for the Republic of Viet Nam (also known as South Vietnam) in the early 1960s echoed the policies of other Western nations — particularly the United States — to stem the spread of Communism in Europe and Asia. Repeated requests for assistance from the United States and its allies, made by the leader of the South Vietnamese government in 1961 and 1962, eventually saw the dispatch of 30 Australian military advisers — the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam (AATTV, also known as 'the Team'). The advent of the AATTV marked the beginning of Australia's involvement in the war in Vietnam.

The Australian Army Training Team Vietnam typically wore the 'tiger stripe' camouflage uniform that had been adopted by the Army of the Republic of Viet Nam (ARVN). However, other units — such as 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1 RAR), which was dispatched in June 1965, to serve alongside the U.S. 173rd Airborne Brigade in Bien Hoa province — made do with solid 'jungle green', which was their standard issue.

By 1966, the Australian government's concern grew to the point where it felt that, if Australia were to be involved in the conflict, its presence should be both strong and identifiable. It may have been around this time that the idea of an Australian camouflage pattern was first considered.

The Australian two-colour camouflage is a simple design, typically of dark smudges on a green background. There is, however, considerable variation in the colours used; the example shown on this page is from a raincoat, which was made by the Oxford Clothing Co. in 1971 and features bronze green smudges on an olive drab background.

Dubbed 'smock, psychological' by some Australian soldiers, general issue of the two-colour camouflage garments had ceased by 1975, although limited numbers were still issued to some reservists as late as 1986. Remaining stocks of Australian two-colour camouflage material are still used for waterproof linings.

kamouflage.net is grateful to Glen Northey, for his invaluable contribution to this article.

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