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Posted: 1/19/2007 6:46:09 PM EDT
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Does anyone know why so much new, unissued Flecktar cammo is available here in the US? I just got a parka from Cheaper Than Dirt for $20 and there does not seem to be anything wrong with it. |
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If I'm not mistaken, Germany switched to another camo pattern. I picked up a bunch of the used stuff from CTD and Sportsman's Guide for cheap. Most of it is in very good shape. The only thing I had a hard time finding was a cover (hat). I was looking for just a boonie hat but couldn't find one. Finally, I saw an auction on Ebay for a couple of different types. I opted for the German issue type which is a little fuller than the standard US boonie. I had to go to the UK to get it though...that's where the auction was listed. |
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Scroll down to the two German hats on this page, said to be a new pattern. kalashnikov.guns.ru/~bunten4/Camo%20Page.htm |
Oh, OK. I have never seen those before. I can't find any reference to a new German camo at all. |
Jewish Groups in Germany don't like Flecktarn they think it looks like World War II NAZI camo patterns for some reason.  I mean I don't see it, but if they want to change their camo pattern just because it looks like something from World War II it will be their lose. The Austrians had a great camo pattern and they ditched theirs in favor of OD green because Jewish Groups in Austria were complaining that the camo looked like NAZI camo. |
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According to kamouflage.net, fleck is still the standard cammo for Germany, Austria, and Belarus. If someone had a problem with a pattern that was derived from Waffen SS cammo, Belarus would be a good candidate. It also says some Russian army units use a knock-off fleck. Since the new German field gear (Infantrist der Zukunft) uses fleck, I'd say it's here to stay. The parka I got has the nicer Brown in the pattern, not the brighter Rust-Red you see sometimes, and the reason I did not like the stuff I've seen before. Damn though...for $20, we could kit our homeless out with these parkas. |
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Well rumors do proliferate, but I'm just glad that the Flecktarn has become available, and at such ridiculous prices at that. When I picked mine up, I made sure that I got two of the good winter jackets too. They're a little shorter than the parka, and the surplus German mil. liners I picked up fit them correctly...no overhang on the jacket over the liner. If people were upset about the Flecktarn looking too much like the Nazi WWII camo, they should have had a stroke over the first generation US kevlar covers. They didn't get the nickname "Fritz" for nothing. |
Whaaaat? Do you have any proof of this? |
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1. It is "Flecktarn" and not "Flecktar". 2.
No, but 'cause we are not just defending Germany against the Russion hordes anymore we have got also a pattern called "Wuestentarn" (Desertcamo) for places like Astan, Africa, etc. 3.
Correct 4.
Belarus? hinking.gif Never heared about this, but I don't know. It is definitly not the standard camo of Austria. If you see pics of Austrian soldiers wearing Flecktarn helmet covers or other stuff it is not officially issued. During the 80's US Woodland helmet covers were popular in the German army (the gras is always greener on the other side...) but it was never the standard helmet cover. 5.
I never heared about Jewish groups, but some commies complained about the pattern. Don't take this too serious. These people complain about everything (similar to your folks in Berkeley,CA Fenris |
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About the coolest cammo I have ever seen is of some Polish police commandos wearing an Urban Flecktarn uniform of greys and black. Hot damn. Unfortunatly, I've been unable to dig up any info on who produced it. Here is a Chinese Fleck rip-off, in Arid Areas colors: 
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This it? LINK  Here's some more pics of SPAP from HKPRO:  
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I bought a crap load (used) a couple years ago from CTD. The pants and shirts were like $1.97 each. The parka was like $14. I love the parka but the uniforms are kinda stiff and seem to be a bit short. At the same time I bought 2 sets of DPM. They were $4 each. I already had 1 'test' set in 'small' which was a little tight so I ordered 2 pair of 'medium'. They are my favorite pants of all time. I wear them every chance I get because they are so comfortable. I wish I would have bought a ton of them instead of the German. CTD or SG hasn't had them since. 
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Well, the SS had camo smocks that looked very similar to Fleck. It's kind of stupid though to attack equipment just because of what it resembles, particularly if said equipment happens to be good and useful. SS Smock:  Flecktarn:  The current issue Kevlar helmet resembles the German Stahlhelm of WWII - because that helmet shape was found to be more effective than the US "steel pot". Naturally, there were individuals who made issue of this back in the '80's when the K-pot was first introduced, but no one paid them much mind. Concepts from WWII German equipment continue to be incorporated into modern designs because the old German stuff was the best of its' breed. It makes logical sense to take ideas from good, but obsolete equipment when designing new equipment. Of course, political activists with an agenda don't see this. |
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Yeah, if you talk to the German and Austrian guys over at militaryphotos.net they'll tell ya that flecktarn has been attacked because of its NAZI like camo pattern. The old Austrian camo looked A LOT like the NAZI SS smocks and that was a major factor in why it got ditched according to the guy on militaryphotos.net. The Press just went nuts in Germany not long ago because a German unit put a Palm Tree on a flag that was too similiar to the NAZI African Corps symbol. Another KSK unit did a skull and cross bones painted on a vehicle (like Navy SEALs have been known to use) and the Press flipped out again about that. Hell, half the reason the Germans in Afghanistan are kept way up north and restricted is because the press seems to think the moment they see heavy combat they'll turn into some kind of NAZI storm troopers or something...just plain silly.
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Check out Cheaper Than Dirt, Sportsmansguide.com, and flecktarn.uk. Ebay also has a lot of it. Some websites even sell the stuff used for cheap. The ARID stuff is a little harder to come by than woodland. Dollar for dollar its one of the best camo patterns out there. |
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