Leibermuster

Leibermuster was a six-color military camouflage pattern developed by the Third Reich in February 1945. Known in German as Buntfarbenaufdruck (Colorful print) 45 [http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splittertarn] for its year of introduction, Leibermuster (Bodies-pattern) was issued on a very limited basis to combat units before the war ended. It was to be the first pattern issued to both regular military (Wehrmacht), and Waffen-SS units.The pattern consists of black, brown, olive, pale green, white, and, oddly enough, red. Although the idea has been floated in print that "carbon black" was used in the pattern to defeat then nascent infrared night vision devices, it is much more likely that the red in the pattern was used for the same reason, being as how the issue in night vision is how to make camouflage colors reflect more infrared light rather than less.

Wartime photographic evidence shows herringbone twill field blouses (tunics) and trousers made in the Leibermuster camouflage. At least one example of a winter parka in Leibermuster surfaced and opinion by collectors was that the piece was genuine. More often, Leibermuster material shows up as post-war examples of clothing for civilian use.

Leibermuster, examined by US Army researchers, appears to be the direct ancestor of US Army ERDL pattern, developed by the Engineer Research & Development Laboratories in 1948. Both use branching, abstract, horizontal blotches original to Leibermuster. The ERDL pattern, forerunner of the US Woodland pattern, has come to represent a worldwide idea of what "camouflage" looks like.Leibermuster was copied or imported by Switzerland, whose armed forces used it through the 1980's until its replacement by a new print of a very similar pattern using traditional camouflage colors. Belgium also used Leibermuster in very limited issue.

Very recently, reproduction Leibermuster uniforms, created for collectors and reenactors, have become available on the market through European vendors. [Richardson, Francis. (1945). Camouflage Fabrics both Plain and Printed for Military Use by the German SS and German Army. Reprinted in: Borsarello, J.F. (Ed.). (1990?). SS & Wehrmacht Camouflage, ISO Publications; London.]

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