Telo mimetico
| M1929 Telo Mimetico | |
|---|---|
  Two TM variants. The top image is the pattern made in 1940 and the bottom image is the pattern made in 1960. | |
| Type | Military camouflagepattern |
| Place of origin | Italy |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1929-1990s |
| Used by | SeeDistributionfor more details. |
| Wars | |
| Production history | |
| Produced | 1929-1990s |
M1929 Telo mimetico(Italian:camouflage cloth) was amilitary camouflagepattern used by theItalian Armyforshelter-halves(telo tenda) and later for uniforms for much of the 20th century. Being first issued in 1929 and only fully discontinued in the early 1990s, it has the distinction of being the first printed camouflage pattern for general issue, and the camouflage pattern in longest continuous use in the world.[1]
History
[edit]Originally only printed onshelter halves,the pattern was not intended to be worn by soldiers though the shelter halves could be used as rain-ponchoes. From 1942, the printed fabric was also used for smocks for theItalian paratroopers.At some point before the outbreak of theSecond World War,the pattern was changed, possibly to accommodate printing with smaller rolls. It was scaled down and compressed slightly lengthwise, but otherwise kept the shapes and colours of the first production. The pattern varied with time, the colours becoming brighter while the print became less crisp.[1]
The pattern was continued into the 1990s, when it was replaced by a pattern based onUS Woodland.[2]
Distribution
[edit]In 1944,telo mimeticowas adopted by the Germans and distributed toWaffen-SSunits operating in Italy andNormandyduring the spring and summer of 1944. Most frequently published photos show members of the 1st and 12th SS Panzer Divisions wearing the Italian attire along with a mix of standard issue Waffen-SS uniforms and equipment. After the Italian surrender, stocks of the Italian pattern were captured and used on other fronts.[3]Some of it appears to have ended up in the hands ofCzechoslovakianandSovietunits.[4]In 1974, under theRepublic of Afghanistan,commandos and paratroopers of theAfghan Armywould adopt the pattern and continue its use during the 1980s,[5]with fabric being printed in-country and produced locally.[6]
It is possible that the whole production machinery was moved by the Germans to Czechoslovakia, laying the foundation for the country's post-war production.[7][better source needed]
In art
[edit]The pattern also has the honour of having been deemed a work of art in itself. In 1966, the Italian artistAlighiero Boettistretched sections of the fabric on frames under the title "Mimetico" (camouflage) as part of an exhibition on theArte Poveramovement.
It was a challenge to the abstracttachisttradition of painting large, flat sections of colour.[8][9]
References
[edit]- ^abVerny, Eric; Bocek, Jonathan."Italian Camouflage".Der Erste Zug.Retrieved14 September2016.
- ^Brayley, Martin J. (2009).Camouflage uniforms: international combat dress 1940-2010.Ramsbury: Crowood.ISBN978-1847971371.
- ^Borsarello, J.F. (1999).Camouflage uniforms of European and NATO armies: 1945 to the present(1st ed.). Atglen, PA: Schiffer.ISBN0764310186.
- ^Andrew, Stephen; Williamson, Gorden (illus.) (2005).The Waffen-SS(2nd ed.). Oxford: Osprey.ISBN978-1841765891.
- ^Isby, David (2013-02-20).Russia's War in Afghanistan.Bloomsbury Publishing.ISBN978-1-4728-0179-1.
- ^"Afghanistan - Camopedia".www.camopedia.org.Retrieved2024-02-21.
- ^"Czechoslovakia".Camopedia.net.Retrieved9 October2012.
- ^"Alighiero Boetti," Mimetico ", 1967".Museo Madre. Archived fromthe originalon November 23, 2012.Retrieved9 October2012.
- ^"Alighiero Boetti: Game Plan. 6th Floor, Special Exhibitions, North. July 01, 2012-October 01, 2012"(PDF).Museum of Modern Art. p. 2.Retrieved4 June2015.
External links
[edit]
- The 1966 artwork "Mimetico"among other of Alighiero Boetti's works, also showing the repeats of the fabric.
