Tigerstripe
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tigerstripe is the name of a group of camouflage patterns developed for close-range use in dense jungle environments (jungle warfare). It features small stripes of varying shades of green and brown, and large areas of black. It is from these black areas, which resemble the black stripes on a tiger, that the pattern got its name. There are two variations: Dark vertical and Light vertical.
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[edit] History
It is not clear who developed the first tigerstripe pattern, consisting of 64 stripes. The French were using a variation of the pattern in Vietnam [1] at the same time as the British were using a similar pattern in Burma [2]. After the French left Vietnam, the ARVN continued to use the pattern. When the United States began sending advisors to South Vietnam, the advisors, who were attached to ARVN units, adopted the pattern. Soon, many American special operations forces in the Vietnamese theater of operations wore the pattern, even though many of them were not attached to South Vietnamese units. During the latter stages of the war, tigerstripe was gradually replaced by the then new ERDL pattern, a predecessor of the woodland BDU pattern. [3]
Besides American and South Vietnamese forces, Australian and New Zealand military forces also used Tiger Stripe camouflage uniforms while serving in Vietnam with Australian and New Zealand soldiers serving as military advisors to ARVN forces and Australian and New Zealand Special Air Service troops being the major users of Tiger Stripe uniforms while regular Australian and New Zealand ground forces continued to use the standard olive drab green combat uniforms.
[edit] Current use
The militaries of Russia, [4] and many of the former Soviet states use variations of the tigerstripe pattern. The United States Air Force experimented with a uniform based on the Vietnamese version of tigerstripe, but the program was cancelled [5]. The Tamil Tigers are also a prominent user of the tiger stripes camouflage pattern in their uniforms. Some private companies manufacture variants of tigerstripe for the civilian market.
[edit] In Movies, Television, and Video Games
Tigerstripe clothing is often seen in films and TV shows set during the Vietnam War, but the Russian and Cuban variations can also be seen. The following is a list of films, television shows, and video games in which characters are seen wearing tigerstripe.
- Red Dawn - Cuban soldiers (The "tiger stripe" uniforms that the Cuban soldiers were wearing were in fact the French "lizard"-pattern camouflage uniforms)
- The Deer Hunter - Mike (Robert DeNiro), as a Special Forces operative can be seen wearing tigerstripe camo throughout the Vietnam War scenes of the movie.
- Apocalypse Now - Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) can be seen wearing tigerstripe in most scenes. In others, he is wearing the standard solid green jungle fatigues.
- Flight of the Intruder - The tigerstripe pattern is used on the flight suit worn by Lt. Cmdr. Virgil 'Tiger' Cole (Willem Dafoe)
- The Green Berets - Once they arrive in Vietnam, all of the main characters except for the young orphan, Hamchunk.
- Harsh Realm - Republican Guard special forces troops wore Tiger Stripe camouflage uniforms while regular Republican Guard troops wore olive-drab uniforms.
- Tour of Duty - Tiger Stripe camouflage uniforms were worn by both US and South Vietnamese soldiers in the TV series.
- Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater - The main character, Naked Snake, can choose to wear Tiger Stripe camouflage if he is in a situation that calls for it.
- ShellShock: Nam '67 - The main player character wears Tiger Stripe uniform after he becomes a Special Forces operative.
- Magnum PI - In the TV Series Magnum PI Thomas Sullivan Magnum (Tom Selleck) repeatedly wears the Tiger Stripe pattern BDUs as a Navy SEAL/ Naval Intelligence Officer in Vietnam and as a Private Investigator in Hawaii.
- We Were Soldiers - In the scene where a helicopter flies over a group of soldiers playing cards, the ARVN soldier can be seen wearing tigerstripe.
