Tiger Stripe Camouflage (Part 1)

Tiger Stripe Camouflage

Tiger stripe is the name of a group of camouflage patterns developed for close-range use in dense jungle during jungle warfare by the South Vietnamese Armed Forces and adopted in late 1962 to early 1963 by US Special Forces during the Vietnam War.

The term tiger stripe refers to the family of camouflage designs orignially manufactured for use in Southeast Asia (particularly the Republic of Vietnam) during the 1960s, and which were heavily influenced by the earlier French tenue du leopard or lizard design of the 1950s. The term additionally refers to the multitude of derivatives produced by a wide number of nations well into the present period. French camouflage uniforms were in fact supplied to Colonial Vietnamese personnel during the First Indochina War, particularly to airborne and commando units. The Vietnamese referred to these different designs as Sọc Răn (striped uniform). The term tiger stripe (or tiger pattern) no doubt refers to the rudimentary similarity between the narrow brush strokes of the camouflage design and the naturally occurring hide design of the genus Panthera tigris. Although the original, Vietnam War era uniforms were primarily worn by elite units of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, Republic of Vietnam Navy, the Republic of Vietnam Air Force, and a number of allied units, nearly all of the fabrics and many of the uniforms themselves were, in fact, produced in neighboring Asian countries, such as Japan (including Okinawa), South Korea, the Republic of China (Taiwan), and Thailand.

South Vietnamese Tiger Stripe Camouflage Patterns

The very first tiger stripe design was a locally-made copy of the French lizard pattern produced for the Vietnamese Marine Corps (Thữy Quân Lục-Chiến), first produced in 1957. The pattern incorporates bold black stripes over lesser brownish-drab stripes & light green trace elements, with an olive green base color. Production of this design ended in 1967, although units continued to wear the pattern until 1970. Illustrated below are the original pattern (far left), followed by two variants designated "Vietnamese Marines sparse" (first produced in 1959 and often mistakenly referred to as VNMC First Pattern) and "Vietnamese Marines dense" (first produced in 1968), also referred to by collectors as "sea wave" or VNMC Second Pattern. Consensus suggests both textiles and uniforms were all produced in South Vietnam, but that 2nd pattern uniforms may also have been produced in the Republic of Korea. The tiger pattern example seen here emerged in 1962 or possibly 1963 and continued in production until 1975. Johnson has named this John Wayne Sparse (JWS) pattern, owing to its specific use in the film The Green Berets starring John Wayne himself. The pattern features bold black stripes over a background comprising dark green & dull brown with tan trace elements. This pattern and the uniforms produced with it appear to have been exclusively manufactured in Japan.

The tiger pattern example seen here emerged in 1962 or possibly 1963 and continued in production until 1975. Johnson has named this John Wayne Sparse (JWS) pattern, owing to its specific use in the film The Green Berets starring John Wayne himself. The pattern features bold black stripes over a background comprising dark green & dull brown with tan trace elements. This pattern and the uniforms produced with it appear to have been exclusively manufactured in Japan.

Another variation in the John Wayne series of tiger patterns has been nicknamed John Wayne Compact, and has a shorter pattern length than its predecessor or successor, the "John Wayne Dense" pattern. This design was probably produced in limited quantity circa 1962-1963, most of which ended up being made into private purchase aviation suits. Leftover quantities of the fabric appear to have made it to South Vietnamese tailor shops where it was used to custom-tailor a variety of private purchase items such as shirts, trousers, caps, and garment bags.

Closely related to the above are these designs, named John Wayne Dense (JWD) by Johnson, or sometimes "Okinawan" or "Classic" by collectors. Introduced around 1964, like the sparse variant these designs are believed to have been exclusively produced in Japan, possibly only in Okinawa.

The tiger pattern illustrated below has been named Tadpole Sparse (TDS) pattern in Johnson's book, although it is often simply called "silver" by many collectors. It was introduced circa 1964 and saw production until the end of the war. The pattern features bold black (or dark blue) stripes over a background comprising dark green & brown with pea green trace elements. Evidence suggests the majority of these uniforms and the fabric itself was produced in Japan.

A variation of the above is seen here, which Johnson calls Tadpole Dense (TDD) pattern, and appears to have been introduced around 1970. The pattern features bold black stripes over a background comprising bright green & light brown with dull pea green trace elements. Evidence suggests the majority of these uniforms and the fabric itself was produced in Japan.

Another distinctive tiger pattern to emerge towards the middle of the war (circa 1968) has been named Advisor's Type Dense, (ADD) also called "Advisor's Classic," or "Purple" by collectors. This pattern saw service primarily with CIDG units, ARVN Rangers & Special Forces, and featured bold black stripes over a background comprising bold black stripes over a background comprising dark green & dull brown with dull tan trace elements. A key feature that can be found in this pattern (although also present in other tiger patterns) is the "bunny" shape, which has a vague resemblence to the silhouette of a rabbit (in black).

The Advisor's Type Sparse (ADS) aka "Gold tiger" variant of the above pattern is seen below, also introduced circa 1968.

The distinctive patterns seen below have been named Late War Lightweight Sparse (LLS) in Johnson's book, with "lightweight" referring to the ultralight quality of the fabric. As the nickname implies, the designs with this distinction appear to post date most of the other designs. Introduced in 1969, the design features bold black stripes over a background comprising bright green & light brown with dull pea green trace elements, although in fact there are a multitude of color variations once you factor in fading, the effects of laundering, and the variety of dyes employed.

The Late War Lightweight Dense (LLD) version of this pattern can be recognized by the shorter print, leaving out a section of shapes featured in the longer "sparse" version.