Poland

Republic of Poland

Poland has cultivated one of the most varied and fascinating histories of military camouflage in Europe.

During the Second World War, the Polish 1st Independent Airborne Brigade supported the British 1st Airborne Division during Operation Market Garden. Under the command of Major General Stanislaw Sosabowski, the Brigade were outfitted mostly with British issue uniforms and field equipment, including the hand-painted "brushstroke" camouflage pattern Denison paratrooper smocks. Despite heavy losses during this campaign, Polish airborne troos fought valiantly and delayed a significant number of German troops in Holland, thus preventing complete annihilation of the 1st Airborne Division which was unable to secure the Arnhem bridge and ultimately forced to retreat.

Despite a deep connection to their British wartime allies, Poland fell under Soviet influence in 1944 - becoming the People's Republic of Poland (1944-1990) and did not continue to use the "brushstroke" camouflage design. Yet neither were the Polish armed forces particularly influenced by Soviet models. Instead, the majority of designs seem either to have a nominal connection to German WW2 patterns, or to be completely innovative in origin. From the 1950s into the present era, Poland has always supported the use of camouflage for military personnel, not only airborne and special operations troops but for the common infantry soldier as well. They were the first Warsaw Pact nation to utilize "rain" pattern camouflage (a design that would later appear in at least half the nations within this alliance), but were also quite pioneering in their use of distinctive designs such reptile skin and leopard hide patterns. Finally throwing off its Communist shackles in 1989, Poland became a constitutional Republic in 1990 and enjoys full membership in NATO, the European Union, and the United Nations.

World War Two era Camouflage worn by Polish Forces

• Polish forces in exile during the Second World War fielded several units that served in the European Theater of Operations (ETO). Of these, the only unit known to have worn camouflage was the Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade, famously commanded by General Stanislaw Sosabowski. The unit's most famous action was its participation in the (largely unsuccessful) airborne operation "Market Garden," during which members deployed wearing the camouflage Denison smock like their British counterparts.

• Although often overlooked by historians, Polish troops also fought alongside Soviet military units during the Second World War. The 1st Corps of the Polish Armed Forces in the USSR (1 Korpus Polskich Sił Zbrojnych w ZSRR, aka 1 Korpus Polski) was created in 1943 by Soviet authorities and consisted of two infantry divisions, an armored brigade, an artillery brigade, plus air and support units, as well as independent battalions. Of the latter, the Polish Independent Special Battalion (Polski Samodzielny Batalion Specjalny) of PSBS was formed in October 1943 and modeled on the Soviet parachute battalion. The unit received training from the Russian NKVD, and was primarily employed in covert reconnaissance, strategic sabotage, and supporting partisan forces operating behind German lines on the Eastern Front. Although small in numbers, many of these personnel did receive Soviet-produced camouflage uniforms, namely the MK and MKK oversuits printed in two-color "amoeba" patterns.

• During the Warsaw Uprising in 1944, Polish combatants (comprising civilian volunteers and former Polish military personnel) made frequent use of captured German uniforms and equipment, including camouflage smocks and ponchos. Most commonly documented are Waffen SS Eichenlaubtarnmuster pattern items, but there is some evidence of the use of SS Platanenmuster as well as conventional Wehrmacht splittermuster pattern. Captured German camouflage items were also utilized by the Żołnierze Wyklęci or "cursed soldiers", anti-communist elements of the Polish resistance that became prominent towards the end of the War, and continued to wage an insurgency well into the 1950s.

Polish Camouflage Patterns of the Communist Era (1944-1989)

• The first camouflage design issued to Polish troops dates to around 1952 and was possibly of Soviet origin. Consisting of finely-detailed leaf shapes in foliage green on a yellowish-tan or khaki background, the pattern is often nicknamed Pietruszka or "parsley" camouflage and is most commonly associated with Romania, whom it is believed adopted the pattern after Poland discarded it. The lightweight Soviet-style oversuit and hooded poncho were only provided to special purpose units of the Polish Army, and surviving examples without Romanian markings are very few.

• A solid-white "snow" pattern is known to have been issued to Polish mountain units and military personnel operating in snowy conditions. Consisting of hooded poncho, smock, trousers, and overmittens, the uniforms saw service well into the 1990s.

• Circa 1954, Poland adopted a camouflage design based on the German Wehrmacht Splittermuster (splinter) design. Although referred to for many years as the wz56 pattern, surviving examples have been documented with dates as early as 1953. Featuring violet-brown & olive green splinter shapes with dark green rain straits on a yellow-tan background, there was some variability between production runs. Comparisons of this pattern with original German examples have revealed that the splinter shapes on the Polish version are reversed, suggesting that original drawings were probably copied during the development stages of this pattern. This design was again fielded as Soviet-style two piece oversuit and only issued to airborne and reconnaissance units into the 1960s.

• Although unquestionably influenced by WW2 German camouflage designs such as Splittermuster (splinter pattern) and Sumpfmuster (marsh pattern), it was Poland that fielded the first design that has come to be known as "rain" pattern. This design series is known officially as the wz58 Deszczyk (raindrop). Distinguished from the WW2 designs by the simplicity of incorporating only densely concentrated lines or "rain straits" over a solid-colored field, the design actually has limited functionality as camouflage and from a distance probably serves no greater purpose than would a solid-colored uniform. Nevertheless, several other countries in the Warsaw Pact developed their own versions of the rain pattern, (most notably East Germany), and a number of insurgent movements are known to have utilized the patterns over the years. The original Polish design is a heavy pattern of dark brown rain straits on a brownish-green or blue-grey background (two variants are documented, often referred to as "brown" and "grey" variations). Although the rain straits are generally thinner than those found in patterns from other Warsaw Pact nations, some versions with thick rain straits have also been documented.

• A slightly different variation of the wz58 Deszczyk (raindrop) can be seen here. The primary difference is in the shape of the rain "straight" itself. Whereas in previous versions the line has tapered to a slight "point" at one end (as though each was painted with a very fine brush and the point shows where the tip of the brush is slowly lifted off the surface), the later version lacks this distinction. Both ends of each rain straight have equal thickness.

• A variation of the "Petals" pattern was printed on unique items issued to Polish special operations troops, including an inflatable one-man watercraft and a poncho. The raft was designed to be carried in the field gear and inflated as needed for special missions. The colors on this waterproof material came out much darker than on the experimental uniforms, but the use of these items was more widespread and continued into the 1980s.

• Polish military parachute shrouds for special operations (vice standard airborne operations, which have always been white) have been printed with a unique spot pattern (also nicknamed Żaba or "frog") since the 1960s. This pattern, its design incorporating black and orange spots on a pale green background, became popular with Polish airborne and special operations personnel, who cannibalized the parachutes and had one and two-piece customs uniforms created out of them. Although not officially produced by the government, these privately obtained uniforms remain in use well into the present era. A variation of the Żaba pattern has darker colors and rain straits incorporated as a micro pattern.

• Officially the wz68 Moro Ludowe Wojsko Polskie (LWP) pattern, the Polish Army "worm" pattern was introduced in 1968 and saw service well into the 1980s as a general-purpose pattern. Also known as "green Moro," this was an Army pattern consisting of dense dark grey "worm" shapes over a grey-green field. Several styles of uniform were produced, including a winter version and a special purpose uniform for airborne and reconnaissance personnel. The pattern was later revived (circa late 1980s) and worn by elements of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (Ministerstwo Spraw Wewnętrznych or MSW) such as the Border Guards (Wojska Ochrony Pogranicza) and the Motorized Riot Police (Zmotoryzowane Odwody Milicji Obywatelskiej). Reputedly, Polish military documents actually refer to the pattern as Mora (vice Moro), although this has yet to be substantiated by our research team.

• Differing from the green or Army version is the "black Moro" pattern, originally issued as the wz68 Moro Wojsk Lotniczych i Marynarki Wojennej, (Polish Air Force & Marines Moro pattern). This variant uses the same screens as the Army version but incorporates black "worm" shapes on a grey-green field. The black Moro pattern was originally introduced in the early 1970s, but saw service well into the 1990s by the Komenda Główna Policji (Chief Police Command).

• Yet another variation of the Moro pattern was issued to the Polish Police (Milicja Obywatelska) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (Ministerstwo Spraw Wewnętrznych or MSW). Officially the wz68 Moro MO (Milicja Obywatelska) this is often called "blue Moro" by collectors as it has dark blue "worm" shapes instead of grey or black. As with the Air Force and Marine version, the Police Moro was introduced in the 1970s and saw service into the 1990s.

• The Polish Prison Service was also issued their own version of the Moro pattern, the wz68 Moro SW (Sluzba Wiezienna). This variant features dark black "worm" shapes on a purple-blue field and is considerably more distinctive due to the background color. Also introduced in the 1970s, this pattern continued in service until 2019, making it the longest-used camouflage design in Polish history.

• The last of the officially-issued Moro variants saw service with the Straż Pożarna or Polish Fire Service. Officially the Moro SP (Straz Pożarna) this design featured larger-sized black "worms" on a grey-green background. This version of Moro was also introduced in the 1970s and continues in service today.

• The last of the Polish camouflage designs to appear during the Communist era was the wz89 Żaba or "frog" pattern. The pattern is also known as Puma in Polish, and has been nicknamed "reptile" pattern in English by many collectors. Featuring a dark green reptile skin design on a light green field, it would appear like the wz68 that this design has limited practicality as a camouflage pattern. Tested as early as 1987, it was adopted into service for the Polish Army, Marines, and Air Force in 1989 and saw general service until around 1993 (limited service until 1999). As with the Army Moro pattern, several styles of uniform were produced including a winter version and a special purpose uniform for airborne and reconnaissance personnel.

Camouflage Patterns of the Third Polish Republic (1990-present)

• The first camouflage design to emerge from the new Polish Republic was the wz93 Pantera, sometimes called "presidential woodland." Incorporating similar shapes to the experimental "petals" design of the 1970s, the wz93 has black, reddish-brown and olive green amoebic shapes on a khaki background and circa 1993 became the standard issue camouflage pattern for all branches of the Polish Armed Forces (Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej), as well as the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Straż Graniczna (Border Guards). In addition to a standardized combat uniform, various hats, vests, tropical clothing and field equipment were produced in the pattern; the design has been produced in both heavy cotton and ripstop fabrics. It remains in general service but may be replaced by a pixelated pattern at some point in the future.

• An urban patterns based on the German flecktarn design was adopted by a special unit of the Polish Police in the mid-1990s. Called Metro colloquially and offically wz AT 1 PLAMIAK, the pattern features black, dark grey, mid-grey and light grey spots on a pale grey field. This camouflage pattern has been issued exclusively to the National Police Samodzielny Pododdzial Antyterrorystyczny Policji (SPAP), and anti-terrorist unit with functions similar to the German GSG-9 and the CRW of the British SAS.

• Two additional flecktarn-based designs were adopted by the Agencja Bezpieczenstwa Wewnetrznego (ABW) - the Polish Internal Security Agency. The first of these, a woodland type design referred to in some references as Gepard or Łąka, has black, brown, dark green & light green spots on a pale green background. A desert version features dark green, dark brown, khaki & tan spots on a sandy background.

• An "urban" camouflage design, loosely based on US m81 woodland camouflage drawings, emerged in the late 1990s and has been in service with several Polish government agencies, including the Oddział Wart Cywilnych (Department of Civil Guards) and the Straż Ochrony Kolei (Railway Guards).

• Circa 2002, the Polish Armed Forces introduced a desert version of the standard wz93 Pantera pattern, called wz2000, and sometimes referred to as Snajper (sniper) or Pantera Pustynna (desert Panther). The design consists of beige, tan and olive green amoebic shapes on a sandy background, and has seen service with Polish military personnel serving in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere. The desert pattern has also been worn by Polish Police serving abroad with the United Nations. Later production runs (from 2003 onwards) show a darkening of the overall color scheme, reputedly an attempt to compensate for the less effective light coloration in operational theaters such as Iraq.

• Polish Army Special Forces began using a Multicam-derivative design called Suez in 2008. This mottled camouflage pattern incorporates dark brown, olive green, light olive, beige & pinkish-tan shapes on a sandy background, but it is not a direct copy of the Crye Multicam design. It has seen service in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some uniforms are labeled Biuro Ochrony Rządu (Bureau of Government Protection).

• Circa 2007-2008, Poland began testing two new pixelated camouflage patterns as possible replacements for the wz93 and wz00. These cyfrowa Pantera (digital Pantera) patterns appear to be digitized versions of the issue design, and thus far have remained in the trial stage.

• Originally tested by the Polish Navy in 2009, a flecktarn camouflage variation produced by Kama was adopted by the Wydział Realizacyjny, Komenda Stołeczna Policji (WR KSP) or Implementation Department, Metropolitan Police Command of the Warsaw Police in 2012. Known colloquially as Szkwał, the design may also be in use with other special law enforcement units.

• The Służba Leśna or Forest Service, has a paramilitary role in conducting forest management, preserving natural resources, and preventing property crimes on national land. Since at least 2013, the agency has worn a woodland-type camouflage design, known as mundur terenowy, for field work.

• At least one Polish unit within the Polish Special Forces Component Command (Dowództwo Komponentu Wojsk Specjalnych), the Jednostka Wojskowa Komandosów (JWK), has adopted the ATACS series of camouflage designs for operational deployment (although some components still use the Suez design as well). The unit traces its lineage back to the 26th Sabotage-Reconnaissance Battalion (formed in 1961), but has been known as JWK since all special operations units were combined under a single command in 2007.

• The Straż Graniczna (Border Guards) adopted a new camouflage pattern in 2015, based on the Multicam design, but incorporating a color palette found on the wz93 Pantera design. It is presumed this will replace the latter pattern entirely. The term for this design is SG-14, referring to the year 2014 when the pattern was developed.

• Straż Marszałkowska (Marshall's Guard), a special security unit established to protect Polish parliament and the Marshall of the Sejm, adopted the ATACS-LE camouflage design for operational uniforms.

• Circa 2016-17, the Polish Special Operations Forces introduced a new design for winter/snow operations consisting of greyish brown shapes with sand pixels and brown outline on a white background. The issue uniforms are completely reversible, with camouflage printed on one side, and solid white on the other.

• In 2017, the Armed Forces contracted with the Polish firm P Miranda (part of the Lubawa Group) to produce large, camouflage patterned tarpaulins for masking equipment in the optical, thermal and radiolocation range in snowy areas. Known as Berberys-S, the pattern consists of large, dark-colored amoeba shapes surrounded by smaller spots, all on a white background. The full contract was scheduled to be completed by October 2018.

• The Special Operations Section (Wydział Zabezpieczania Działań) of the Maritime Border Guard Department (Morski Oddział Straży Granicznej) have worn the newest ATACS-iX pattern since approximately 2017.

• A new camouflage design was introduced in 2020 for the Oddział Wart Cywilnych (OWC) or Civil Defense Department, to replace the previously issued grey woodland pattern. The new design has a more conventional woodland appearance, essentially replacing the old color palette with a new, green-dominant one.

• Following several years of development by the Military Institute of Engineering Technology (beginning as far back as 2015), the Polish Ministry of Defense announced in September 2022 that field testing of a new camouflage design had started with the goal to be implemented on a new combat uniform and field equipment system. Referred to colloquially as Bigos (a kind of hunter's stew), the design has been referred to officially as Lampart (leopard). This camouflage pattern is a four-color scheme incorporating irregular blob-like shapes in black, forest green, lichen or moss green, and medium brown, and has a much more disruptive apperance than its predecessor wz. 93 Pantera. Two versions of the pattern were originally developed, one for use in spring and summer, and another for use in autumn and winter. Although the hues of each color were changed for each seasonal design, both patterns retain the same shapes and basic black, brown, light and dark green color combination. Photographs of field testing by the 21st Podhale Rifle Brigade in late 2023 indicated the pattern would be shortly approved for official integration into the Armed Forces of the Polish Republic.

Experimental and Trial Polish Camouflage Patterns

• Probably developed in the 1960s and often referred to as "Petals" or "Fingers" in English - the official Polish designation being Libijczyk, (Libyan) - the pattern seen here was likely influenced by Soviet WW2 era MKK pattern. This Polish design features dark brown, orange and olive green "petal" shapes on a pale green field. The shapes of this pattern would later be reduced and the color palette modified, resulting in the wz. 93 Pantera pattern. Few original examples seem to have survived, and all evidence suggests it was simply a trial design, although personal anecdotes from Polish veterans suggest there were uniforms in the same pattern tested by 1st BZS (a mechanized battalion) in 1981.

• An interesting camouflage design emerged in the 1970s for testing by Polish special purpose troops. Referred to as the Gepard (cheetah) design, this pattern incorporated black & reddish brown leopard spots on a field grey background. It is believed only the special purpose uniform was produced in this pattern, and probably just for testing, as the uniform does not appear to have been adopted. A similar design, however, emerged in use with special units of the Zaire Armed Forces in the late 1970s.

• An unique hybrid pattern was considered in the 1970s, using the standard Army Moro pattern with a vertical tiger stripe overprint in black. The pattern was never officially adopted.

• A unique "frogskin" type camouflage pattern was briefly tested by the 56 Kompania Specjalna (56th Special Company) of the Polish Army around 1991. Consisting of very large black, olive green, and brown spot shapes on a grey-green background, the design was reputedly developed by a private company and never made it past the trial stage.

• The pattern seen below, referred to as wzór krzyżykowy (cross pattern) by some Polish sources, appears to have been an experimental one. Extant samples can be dated 1979 and 1984, so perhaps there were two periods of testing, although the design was not officially adopted.

• Similar to the above pattern and utilizing a "crosshatch" design with a primarily grey colorway, the pattern seen here on a modified rogatywka cap of the Państwowa Straż Pożarna (Polish Fire Service), it is believed this was tested for use by the PSP but never fully adopted.

• Circa 2015, the Polish Armed began to conduct a search for a new camouflage design to replace the wz93. Two patterns known as Lampart were submitted for consideration by the Wojskowy Instytut Techniki Inżynieryjnej (Military Institute of the Engineering Technology) as part of the "Future Warrior" program. These variations were intended for use in spring/summer and autumn/snowless winter respectively. Although tested by some Polish Army units, neither pattern was chosen for adoption by the Polish Ministry of Defence.

• Another family of camouflage designs considered by the Polish Armed Forces was developed by then PhD student Maciej Dojlitko, and is collectively referred to as MAPA (Multi-environmental Adaptive PAttern). The design consists of layers of macro and micro patterns that create a kind of three-dimensional effect to the observer. These designs have also been tested by Polish Defence Force units, but thus far have not been adopted.

• The second generation of MAPA (MAPA V2), introduced in 2018, is seen below in three color variations, for woodland, transitional, and desert environments. The new versions "were developed on the basis of a graphic design different from the original one, consisting of fuzzy elements (points of variable density) and sharp (spots and strokes). This treatment creates the impression of three-dimensionality and color penetration that misleads the eye of the observer."

Notes

We wish to gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Mr. Bartłomiej Bogdan for his assistance in providing documentation for this article.