Tigerstripe is the name of a group of camouflage patterns developed for close-range use in dense jungle during jungle warfare. It derives its name from its resemblance to a tiger's stripes. It features narrow stripes that look like brush-strokes of green and brown, and broader brush-strokes of black printed over a lighter shade of olive or khaki. The brush-strokes interlock rather than overlapping, as in French Lizard pattern from which it apparently derives. There are many variations: R.D. Johnson counted at least 19 different versions in early drafts of Tiger Patterns, his definitive work on the subject, although it is unclear if these are all different print patterns, or if they include color variations of a few different print patterns. History
It is unclear who developed the first tigerstripe pattern, consisting of sixty-four (64) stripes. The French used a similar pattern in their war in Vietnam [1], while simultaneously, the British used a similar pattern in Burma [2](Possibly the-then SAS Smock/Dennison Smock). After the French left Vietnam, the Republic of Vietnam Marine Corps continued using the pattern. When the United States began sending advisors to South Vietnam, the USMAAG advisors attached to the ARVN, adopted the pattern. Soon, many American special operations forces in the Vietnamese theaters of operations wore the pattern, despite not always being attached to ARVN 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 ARVN forces, Australian and New Zealand military forces also used tigerstripe camouflage combat uniforms while on advisory duty in Vietnam, with Australian and New Zealand advisors to the ARVN, and Australian and New Zealand Special Air Service soldiers being the principal wearers of tigerstripe uniforms, while regular Australian and New Zealand ground forces continued wearing standard olive drab green combat uniforms.[b]
