German World War II camouflage patterns

Later patterns, all said to have been designed for the Waffen-SS by Johann Georg Otto Schick, evolved into more leaf-like forms with rounded dots or irregular shapes.

In 1937, the patterns were field tested by the SS-VT Deutschland regiment, resulting in an estimate that they would cut casualties by fifteen percent.

[b] In 1938, a reversible spring/autumn helmet cover, smock, and sniper's face mask in Schick's forest patterns on waterproof cotton duck were patented for the Waffen-SS.

However, patterned uniforms were worn by some other units, including from 1941 the Luftwaffe, which had its own version of Splittertarnmuster,[3] as well as the Kriegsmarine (navy), the Fallschirmjäger (paratroops), and the Waffen-SS.

Supplies of high quality cotton duck, however, remained critically short throughout the war, and essentially ran out in January 1943.