Difference between revisions of "Adder/Adro"
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(Created page with "South African companies produced a large number of varied camouflage patterns during the apartheid era, in part to provide some legitimate hunting designs for commercial purpo...") |
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| − | South African | + | After serving several years with the South African Special Forces, entrepeneur Johan Niemoller founded the Adro (Adder) Company, largely for research and development of load bearing equipment and chest rigs that could be marketed to serving military personnel as well as private contractors and citizens. His Niemoller rigs would eventually earn legendary status and are still copied to this day. In addition to load-bearing gear, however, Niemoller's company also dabbled in developing and/or reproducing camouflage designs, which at the time were strictly controlled by the South African government to the degree that it was illegal to wear or even own camouflage uniforms that had been adopted by any military or paramilitary organization. |
| − | * A commercial copy of the [[Rhodesia|Rhoesian]] [[Brushstroke]] camouflage design was developed in South Africa and originally produced by the Adder/Adro company. Although the design resembles the Rhodesian pattern, it was not copied directly from the original | + | * A commercial copy of the [[Rhodesia|Rhoesian]] [[Brushstroke]] camouflage design was developed in South Africa and originally produced by the Adder/Adro company. Although the design resembles the Rhodesian pattern, it was not copied directly from the original screens and varies considerably in the size and shapes of the brush strokes, as well as the overall coloration. The original screens from this pattern were later sold or licensed outside of South Africa, where they were utilized by companies in both the USA and Asia to produce additional fabrics in poly-cotton twill and ripstop. |
[[File:adder1.jpg|200px]] | [[File:adder1.jpg|200px]] | ||
| − | * Another pattern produced by Adder/Adro specifically for civilian distribution (although often attributed to "special forces" or "special police urban operations") is this two-color pattern derived from British [[DPM]] designs. Consisting of black disruptive shapes on a grey background, this pattern seems to have been produced exclusively in South Africa and does not appear to have been exported like the Rhodesian version. | + | * Another pattern produced by Adder/Adro specifically for civilian distribution (although often attributed to "special forces" or "special police urban operations") is this two-color pattern derived from British [[DPM]] designs. Consisting of black disruptive shapes on a grey background, this pattern seems to have been produced exclusively in South Africa and does not appear to have been exported like the Rhodesian version. Although never officially adopted by any known military or law enforcement organizations, it was obtained privately by members of the Afrikaaner Resistance Movement ''(Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging or AWB)'' and worn alongside the urban pattern attributed to that paramilitary group. |
[[File:adder2.jpg|200px]] | [[File:adder2.jpg|200px]] | ||
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| + | * Niemoller's company also created a distinctive design for the South West African Territorial Forces' (SWATF) 1st Reconnaissance Unit, utilizing a colorway specifically designed to perform well in the southern African savannah. Although never officially adopted by the unit, the pattern was available in a number of uniform items and in Niemoller's signature webbing, all of which were obtained privately and tested by some members of the SWATF unit. Circa 1995, a version of this pattern was recomissioned by a South African textile company and made into uniforms that resembled the American M-1964 pattern slant-pocket jungle uniform. Marketed and sold under the Battle Cry moniker (which used a crossed folding-stock AKM symbol) these uniforms were sold at the 1995 ''Soldier of Fortune'' convention in the United States, which appears to be where the largest number of surviving examples of this uniform were obtained. It is worth noting that, while the original Adro/Adder-labeled colorway had a greenish tint to the tan background, the fabric used for the Battle Cry uniforms was much more yellowish-tan and looks distinctive when placed side-by-side with the original. | ||
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| + | [[File:swa3.jpg|200px]] | ||
Revision as of 15:50, 14 September 2025
After serving several years with the South African Special Forces, entrepeneur Johan Niemoller founded the Adro (Adder) Company, largely for research and development of load bearing equipment and chest rigs that could be marketed to serving military personnel as well as private contractors and citizens. His Niemoller rigs would eventually earn legendary status and are still copied to this day. In addition to load-bearing gear, however, Niemoller's company also dabbled in developing and/or reproducing camouflage designs, which at the time were strictly controlled by the South African government to the degree that it was illegal to wear or even own camouflage uniforms that had been adopted by any military or paramilitary organization.
- A commercial copy of the Rhoesian Brushstroke camouflage design was developed in South Africa and originally produced by the Adder/Adro company. Although the design resembles the Rhodesian pattern, it was not copied directly from the original screens and varies considerably in the size and shapes of the brush strokes, as well as the overall coloration. The original screens from this pattern were later sold or licensed outside of South Africa, where they were utilized by companies in both the USA and Asia to produce additional fabrics in poly-cotton twill and ripstop.
- Another pattern produced by Adder/Adro specifically for civilian distribution (although often attributed to "special forces" or "special police urban operations") is this two-color pattern derived from British DPM designs. Consisting of black disruptive shapes on a grey background, this pattern seems to have been produced exclusively in South Africa and does not appear to have been exported like the Rhodesian version. Although never officially adopted by any known military or law enforcement organizations, it was obtained privately by members of the Afrikaaner Resistance Movement (Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging or AWB) and worn alongside the urban pattern attributed to that paramilitary group.
- Niemoller's company also created a distinctive design for the South West African Territorial Forces' (SWATF) 1st Reconnaissance Unit, utilizing a colorway specifically designed to perform well in the southern African savannah. Although never officially adopted by the unit, the pattern was available in a number of uniform items and in Niemoller's signature webbing, all of which were obtained privately and tested by some members of the SWATF unit. Circa 1995, a version of this pattern was recomissioned by a South African textile company and made into uniforms that resembled the American M-1964 pattern slant-pocket jungle uniform. Marketed and sold under the Battle Cry moniker (which used a crossed folding-stock AKM symbol) these uniforms were sold at the 1995 Soldier of Fortune convention in the United States, which appears to be where the largest number of surviving examples of this uniform were obtained. It is worth noting that, while the original Adro/Adder-labeled colorway had a greenish tint to the tan background, the fabric used for the Battle Cry uniforms was much more yellowish-tan and looks distinctive when placed side-by-side with the original.
