Mitchell , Tigerstripe and the ERDL.

Good day.

Today we've got a very special topic going out for you all people with similar interests as I do. Since , today I am going to be talking about my very bizarre hobby. And , what wouldn't be the best way to start it than telling you about the various camouflage patterns used by the ARVN (Army of the republic of Vietnam , or South-Vietnam) and the American forces during this conflict spanning from the mid-sixties to the the mid-seventies.

Alright , so let's start with the most basic , and the most widely-known pattern of them all.

Tigerstripe



Here's "Tigerstripe". This one is probably the most widely-known pattern from the era of the Vietnam war and it is still used even today with some modifications.

To sum up the design and the production of this pattern , let me begin by saying that this is a Vietnamese pattern , above anything else. I believe that this particular "Tigerstripe" - pattern was influenced by a certain French pattern used during the Indochina war in the 1950's. Now let me remind you , that this pattern was exclusively used by the South-Vietnamese special forces at first , so it would be logical to assume that sets of the French camouflage that influenced this one somehow got into their hands at one point or the other.

American special forces , the "green berets" , started flowing into the country (South-Vietnam) in small numbers (perhaps even earlier) over the years of 1962 to 1964. This pattern was also adopted by the green berets among other US special forces outfits that arrived into South-Vietnam during the conflict. Among these outfits that used the tigerstripe - pattern , were the aforementioned green berets , then the LRRP's (long-range recon patrols) , some marine units , MACV-SOG personnel and any other generic "special forces" - types (even merceneries) that could be spotted in the operational areas over the years..

Now what's interesting to note , is that many of the Tigerstripe - fatigues were produced using the so-called "in-country" - method. The "in-country" - method meant , that the fatigues were specifically tailored and sewn by hand in South-Vietnam by a skilled individual. This practise was highly peculiar , since as many of you do know , the army isn't exactly an organization that would be willing to use unique workmanship like this to produce uniforms for their personnel. More like , mass production would've had to be , and was (for the normal troops anyway) , the order of the day. Also , what made "in-country" - production much more economical to various US special forces personnel while serving their tours of duty in South-east Asia , was that it was alot cheaper to produce these in South-Vietnam than to have them made at home. Just think about how much one would have to pay for a custom-made set of jungle fatigues like that.. So it was cheaper to pay for a local tailor to produce the fatigues in Vietnam than in the US. "In-country" - way of production became pretty popular
during the Vietnam war , when soldiers from various service branches manufactured berets , jackets , fatigues , shoulder patches (sometimes with custom embroidery) , trousers , etc. in Vietnam instead of relying on their own suppliers.

One of the most bizarre looking clothing articles I've seen , has had to be the tigerstripe - suit jacket that I saw in a book once. Apparently it had been manufactured in Thailand for a general or something during the 70's or so.

After the Vietnam war , the Tigerstripe - pattern was "adopted" once again by other armies such as the armed forces of both Thailand and Philippines. I've also seen pictures of some South-American armies having a variation of this pattern in use. One of the most popular variations of the original 60's and 70's "advisor" , or "Vietnam" tigerstripe - pattern has been the so-called "American tigerstripe" that has actually overthrown the original one in the market.

As you can see here , the "American tigerstripe" that is very abundant in the markets these days has a new color , brown , on it. Many of the various tigerstripe - patterns used these days actually resemble the American one more than the original. I would like to call the American version the "commercial tigerstripe".

Like I said , Tigerstripe was the fashion style in South-east Asia those days . Here's a Cambodian mercenary wearing Tigerstripe.

Here's a picture of a LRRP team from the 101st airborne division in Vietnam sometimes during 68' or 69'

Another one with a clear picture of the tigerstripe - fatigues.

Now , that was the Tigerstripe , let's move forward to the next choice;

The Mitchell pattern

Mitchell - helmet cover for the M1 metal helmet.

The "Mitchell " is also a pattern that was widely seen in Vietnam. It was mainly seen in the form of helmet covers for the M1 steel helmets along with shelter-halfes and equipment straps along with "in-country" - made M/65 style - jackets and trousers.

I have no idea on who developed it , but it's safe to say that it was originally indeed American , and someone with the name "Mitchell" had something to do with it's creation. Now , as you can see , the Mitchell pattern is of the rather interesting looking "leafs and wines" - construction along with the fact , that the pattern is actually reversible. So , yes , the pattern actually has another side when you turn it inside out. The other side , which could just as well be suited for desert - conditions has a much more lighter pattern in it.

Unfortunately , I can't post a direct picture of these two patterns , since the only page having a clear enough of a view about them is messed up somehow..



Here's a probably "in-country" - produced custom Mitchell - jacket. They probably had BDU trousers made as well for this jacket. Other custom-made Mitchell - products included berets (among other things) and (apparently) some utility caps.

Here's a Mitchell shelter-half (half-Man Pup Tent) from Vietnamdatabase.com

The other side (since it's also reversible).

Another view of a soldier. Note the M1 helmet that has the Mitchell - helmet cover.


And now , we've got the next big one coming down on you , and that's the famous ERDL.


The ERDL - pattern.

The ERDL pattern stands for " Engineering, Research and Development Laboratories" (I've heard someone refer "Easton" instead of engineering ?). This particular pattern also had a pretty wide spectrum of users ranging from Marines to LRRP's and various SF groups. However , it came into use rather late during the conflict , so the SF - personnel pretty much operated with the Tigerstripe before this. Boonie hats, helmet covers and Poncho liners were also manufactured out of the ERDL - pattern. Several other custom items were also manufactured out of the ERDL , yet again , using the "in-country" - method of production. Such items included ERDL jackets and berets.

Now , what's important to note , is that there were actually two (!) different ERDL - patterns in use , despite the fact that many quartermasters apparently didn't feel a need to distinguish between the two when they were issued.

Here's "lime ERDL" (known also as "lime ERDL " or "lime dominant ERDL").

And here's the "brown ERDL" (also known as "brown ERDL" or "brown dominant ERDL").

These patterns are known to have been referred to as "highlands ERDL" and "lowlands ERDL" as well.

Here's a brown dominant ERDL helmet cover for a M1 helmet from my personal collection.

ERDL - Boonie-hat.

ERDL - pattern Poncho liner.

"In-country" - made ERDL jacket (It says in the page that this one has been made out of a poncho-liner).

ERDL beret.

A 101st airborne division LRRP member wearing ERDL (hard to say if it's brown or lime ?!).

A whole group of 101st soldiers wearing ERDL.

And finally , here's a pattern that "saw use" in Vietnam at first , although it certainly wasn't something that was originally thought up those days.

The Duck hunter - pattern.

The "Duck hunter" - pattern was originally a pattern used by hunters. In other words , it was a commercial camouflage pattern that was adopted by the US armed forces during the second world war. There were fatigue - suits made out of it , mainly to the marines serving out in the pacific. If you get a chance to dig into some really detailed photo archives concerning the battles in the pacific during world war two , and spefically Iwo Jima , you will see many marines having "duck hunter" - helmet cover back in those days (1944). Apparently , the "Duck hunter" - fatigues were also reversible , having a "brown/green" - side that could be turned inside out depending on the terrain.

The jacket on the left is of the "duck hunter" - pattern.

"Duck hunter" - beret from the Vietnam era (in-country produced).

"Duck hunter" used in WWII.

Marine "raiders" equipped with the Duck-hunter in Bougainville , the Solomon islands in 1944.