New Zealand camo WW II uniforms

[helmhunter]

Hi Barry,
Thank you for the link. Very informative.
I still did not find pictures of camo uniforms but found interesting info on NZ troops in New Caledonia.
CHeers
Phil

[nbroadarrowz]

Phil,
As I said, photos of the camo clothing are hard to find. Even in the official history.
If you do a 'Find Word'search on the site this is what comes up.
NZ troops acutualy moved to the forward areas in American made cotton uniforms(chino).

Barry

Title: The Pacific
Author: Lieutenant Colonel Oliver A. Gillespie
Historical Publications Branch, Wellington
Part of: The Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939–1945


1 After arriving at Guadalcanal, Barrowclough on 9 Sep 1943 despatched a signal to Army Headquarters pointing out the inadequacy of arrangements New Zealand had made in supplying the division with jungle clothing. In June 1943 the Quartermaster-General accepted without question Barrowclough's request that 30,000 sets of jungle clothing should be delivered to the division in New Caledonia by 31 July. Supplies of camouflaged clothing for immediate use were obtained from American sources.

It concluded: ‘Shoot calmly, shoot fast, and shoot straight’. The men each carried two days' rations, and in their equipment was half a ‘pup’ tent, to be joined with another and set up as one in the bivouac area ashore. They wore steel helmets but carried soft jungle hats in their haversacks. Gas respirators were discarded. The assault troops wore camouflaged jungle uniforms of drill to make them less distinguishable in the jungle; some daubed their hands and faces with stain. The journey to the Treasuries was uneventful. Some men slept on deck in the hot night, for there was no moon.

[helmhunter]

Very interesting Barry.
Phil

[pickled frog]

More information.

I have one photograph of this camo being worn on Nissan Island. Sorry unable to load the photograph. Information shown below came from records held in Wellington NZ. Cheers Roy


The 3rd NZ Division developed its own camouflage uniform while in the Pacific. The New Zealand khaki drill shirt and trousers were sprayed in three fast colour stain paints; dark brown, dark green and lime green. The dark green and brown were applied in irregular patches 3-6 inches long, allowing some of he khaki drill to show through and on top of these were over sprayed 2 inch diameter spots of lime green 9-12 inches apart. Each was allowed to dry so that no mixing occurred. Only the top surface was affected so that when the sleeves were rolled up the original khaki drill was evident. Under continual use the colours gave way to an overall blue-green shade and ended up lighter than the webbing. Headgear consisted of the US herringbone twill field cap or wide brimmed hat of New Zealand manufacture which could also be camouflaged.

[nbroadarrowz]

Dear All,
This scale of clothing actually saw very little 'combat'. The camo was issuied to the 8th Brigade on Guadalcanal for missions to Mono and Stirling Islands in October 1943. The 14th Brigade was issuied the uniform on Vella Lavella Island(after the Island had been taken. For this mission they wore USA HBT) for missions to Nissian Island in February 1944. Shortly after this is was all over for the 3rd Division.

Barry

[90th Light]

Dear All,
This scale of clothing actually saw very little 'combat'. The camo was issuied to the 8th Brigade on Guadalcanal for missions to Mono and Stirling Islands in October 1943. The 14th Brigade was issuied the uniform on Vella Lavella Island(after the Island had been taken. For this mission they wore USA HBT) for missions to Nissian Island in February 1944. Shortly after this is was all over for the 3rd Division.

Barry

Hi Barry, very interesting. The question begging to be asked from all of this, are these items the rarest camo items in World War Two ? and may be in the history of camo uniforms ? A theory worth putting forward perhaps ?

Best rgards, Chris

[nbroadarrowz]

Chris,
I don't know about other countries camo clothing, but I doubt that camo collectors overseas would have it in their collections or know about the NZ camo.
Any NZ camo that was left at the end of the war was sold of at public auctions and used for deers stalking and hunting etc. I even saw it being worn in a TV documentry about the rediscovery of the Takahe in the 1950's. There are items of NZ camo clothing in Museums thoughout NZ and a number of peices in private collections. The camo clothing sometimes turns up in collectors shops and militaria auctions at a rate of about 1 peice per year. Unfornantly ,like the
3rd Division itself, the NZ camo is under appericated, often forgotten and overlooked. I really like it, and have done the research behind it.
Barry

[BrentNunns]

The photo is taken from Malcom Thomas and Cliff Lord's superb book "New Zealand Army Distinguishing Patches 1911 - 1991"

Officers training on treasury Island. They are wearing the NZ camouflaged combat uniform. Left to right:
Lts W.Tricklebank, A. Siddall, Major J.R.Marshall, and Capt H. Mckechnic.

[helmhunter]

Wow BrentNunns !
Thank you for posting this picture.
Phil

[Lone Pine]

Great information, didn't know the Kiwi's had cam uniforms in ww2. I have heard of experimental camo uniforms being tried in Australia during the war. I was even told by another collector that he had some samples of it in their collection, but I never saw them?. Has anyone out there seen or heard the same?.
Bruce

[HAF]

fantastic thread

[NARVIK1940]

Fantastic find!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[kammo man]

Great stuff.

The allies were so far behind in this dept that it hurts.


owen

[nbroadarrowz]

Production numbers include (ref. QM Generals Branch report for the period Sept 1939 to March 1944)
Camouflage Bush shirts 32,879
Camouflage Shirts 9,759
Camouflage BD trousers 43,566

Survival rate (approximately)
Camouflage Bush Shirts 45
Camouflage Shirts 3
Camouflage BD trousers 10

Also available (approximate survival rate)
USMC camouflage trousers, over dyed (3)
Canvas gaiters (1 pair)
Bottle Green gloves (1 pair)
Bottle Green Bush shirt (1)
Bottle Green BD trousers (O)
Jungle boots (0)
Jungle hat (5)

Barry

[90th Light]

Production numbers include (ref. QM Generals Branch report for the period Sept 1939 to March 1944)
Camouflage Bush shirts 32,879
Camouflage Shirts 9,759
Camouflage BD trousers 43,566

Survival rate (approximately)
Camouflage Bush Shirts 45
Camouflage Shirts 3
Camouflage BD trousers 10

Also available (approximate survival rate)
USMC camouflage trousers, over dyed (3)
Canvas gaiters (1 pair)
Bottle Green gloves (1 pair)
Bottle Green Bush shirt (1)
Bottle Green BD trousers (O)
Jungle boots (0)
Jungle hat (5)

Barry

Hi Barry,

have you included the NZ camo items that are in a collection of NZ uniforms in the deep south of NZ ?

Also have a look at these threads for the Germans climbing in on the act;

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...highlight=camo

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...d.php?t=896337

No one on these Kreigsmarine threads seems to think it is possible to have german camouflage uniforms made this way so I posted a link to this thread to show it did happen when needed. Probably why this thread got some traffic today. Given the number of KM tropical jackets that the New Zealand soldiers got their hands on when the war ended in Italy 1945. It looks like the sort of thing one of units that had spent some time in the pacific then finished up in Italy at the end might have done to a German jacket to bring home for duck shooting

The Kiwis always loved souvenirs with a practical purpose to them like belts, Zeiss binoculars and mauser rifles. Make you wonder

Best regards,

Chris