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Uncover your potential', indeed! Once you stop ogling the girl, though, you might notice that this Australian Special Air Service (SAS) recruiting poster shows Australian Disruptive Pattern Camouflage to very good effect. [Image courtesy Brad Turner collection.]

1979 Bulgarian splinter pattern
People's Republic of Bulgaria

After World War II, several nations adopted splinter pattern camouflages similar to those used by the German Wehrmacht. Also known as '1st pattern' camouflage, the 1953 Bulgarian splinter pattern is a case in point. The size of the splinter elements suggests that it was closely copied from the wartime German Luftwaffe-Splittermuster 41 ('1941 Luftwaffe splinter pattern'), although there were also differences, the most significant of which was the wavy appearance of the dashes. Less obvious, but no less distinctive, was the printing of the green splinter elements and dashes with the same roller, which reduced the Bulgarian splinter pattern to a three-colour camouflage.

Through the 1960s and 1970s, the Bulgarian splinter pattern continued to evolve. Eventually the splinter elements were made smaller and spaced more widely, while the dashes came to form a continuous fill in the spaces between. In spite of occassional departures, such as the 'frogskin' (Bulgarian: жабежка кожа, trans. zhabezhka kozha) camouflage pattern of the 1970s, this amended splinter pattern gradually became the 'national' Bulgarian camouflage pattern. Usually the only striking difference between successive designs is the background colour, although there were other differences, too.

Toward the end of 1970s, the next evolution of the Bulgarian splinter pattern came into service. The colours used were very much like those of the 1997 splinter pattern — dark earth and dark green elements printed on a grey-green background. The splinter elements, however are closer together in the 1979 pattern than they are in the 1997 pattern.

The 1979 splinter pattern coincided with the first issue of a two-piece camouflage uniforms. The first of these sets had a waist-length jacket, which was suitable for wear all year round. A later set featured a longer, zippered jacket, which was for wear in winter, only.

Both types of uniform were made in limited quantities, and issued only to officers of the airborne forces, the intelligence corps, and other special forces. The two-piece sets completely superceded the older 1953 splinter pattern coveralls.

kamouflage.net is grateful to Alexander Kolev, for his invaluable contribution to this article. Alexander works for ShopBulgaria.com — please visit their Web site.

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