Frog Skin

Frog Skin, also called “Duck Hunter”, is a battledress camouflage pattern[1] with mottle and disruptive coloration to blend into the environment similar to a frog's crypsis skin.[2]

Frog Skin pattern

M1942 Frog Skin

M1942 Frog Skin[3]

WW2 camouflage wore by United States marines

The M1942 Frog Skin pattern was the United States military's first attempt at disruptive coloration camouflage.[1] In 1942, the Marine Raiders were the first issued the Frog Skin uniform, which was reversible with a five-color jungle pattern on a green background on one side and a three-color beach pattern with a tan background on the other side.[3][1][4]

Variations of Frog Skin

The United States supplied the Frog Skin pattern to France who issued it to their 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment and 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment during the First Indochina War.[5] In 1961, the Cuban exiles Brigade 2506 were issued the Frog Skin pattern by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for the Bay of Pigs Invasion.[5] During the Vietnam War, the United States Special Forces issued Frog Skin to the Montagnard for their guerrilla warfare activities.[5]

Similar battledress patterns

Over the years, many battledress mottle patterns have been developed by militaries around the world that are similar to the Frog Skin. The German created Flecktarn is a multi-colored mottled pattern, which creates a dithering effect by eliminating hard color boundaries and has been adopted by many countries. The Australian Defence Force Disruptive Pattern Camouflage Uniform is a five-color mottle pattern, which utilizes disruptive coloration to break up a soldiers outline with a strongly contrasting design. The camouflage pattern, duck hunter marketed as hunting apparel for sportsmen was designed by a civilian, Norvell Gillespie and printed as a green and tan dominant version.[6]

Users

•  Afghanistan: Known to be used by the DRA's 26th Airborne Battalion.[7]
•  Biafra: Acquired USM1942 camos in 1968 for Biafran soldiers.[8] Pro-Biafran mercenaries recruited also use the same camos.[9]
•  South Vietnam: Used by Vietnamese Rangers.[10]

References

1. Eastman: Frog Skin pattern Archived July 14, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
2. "Exploratorium: Frogs Disappearing Act". Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2014-06-09.
3. The Complex Guide to Camo
4. US Camouflage: Frog Skin Archived November 26, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
5. Toronto Standard: A Short History of Camouflage
6. Camopedia: Duck Hunter
7. Isby 1986, p. 45.
8. Jowett 2016, p. 40.
9. Jowett 2016, p. 46.
10. Rottman 2010, p. 44.

Bibliography

• Isby, David C. (1986). Russia's War in Afghanistan. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-0850456912.
• Jowett, Philip (2016). Modern African Wars (5): The Nigerian-Biafran War 1967–70. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1472816092.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Rottman, Philip (2010). Army of the Republic of Vietnam 1954-75. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1849081818.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)