kamouflage.net camouflage data

5 May 2007: Croatian Army 2nd Lt Marina Jurcic, of the Zagreb-based 40th Signal Brigade, keeps the servers and Web pages functioning for her delegation during the 'Combined Endeavor 2007' training exercises. More than 1200 military and civilian personnel from 42 countries and two multinational organisations took part in the event. [Image: United States Navy.]

Croatian woodland pattern
Republic of Croatia

The Croatian War of Independence () was fought from 1991 to 1995. Initially, the war was waged between Croatian police forces and the Serbs living in the Socialist Republic of Croatia, who opposed its secession from Yugoslavia, and proclaimed an autonomous 'Republic of Serb Krajina' (Serbian: Република Српска Крајина, Republika Srpska Krajina, RSK).

Over time, the Yugoslav People's Army (Serbian: Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija, JNA), began to assist the Krajina Serbs, openly attacking Croatian military forces and civil objects.

On paper, the JNA looked like a mighty force with 2000 tanks and 300 jet aircraft. However, by 1991 the majority of this equipment was more than 30 years old.

Still, the Croatian Army was in much worse state. The Croatian police force bore the brunt of fighting until 20 April 1991, upon which date the Croatian National Guard (Croatian: Zbor narodne garde, ZNG) — Croatia's first modern military force — was established. On 3 November 1991, the ZNG was officially renamed Hrvatska vojska ('Croatian Army', HV); but it was not fully developed until 1993.

Initially, Croatian soldiers wore American M82 camouflage uniforms patterned in U.S. woodland pattern camouflage. By 1995, however, the Croatian Army was well-equipped and most of its personnel wore locally produced camouflage uniforms, patterned in the four-colour camouflage pattern shown here.

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