Bite-Size History With Ivan

Content like this lives on the site, but it can also live in your inbox... Be sure to Sign up for Kommando Pro!

The Green Zone Solution: A History of Field Dyed DPM

This is the story of how soldiers, faced with a deadly problem, created an iconic and unofficial camouflage adaptation: the field-dyed Desert DPM.

Santa Colonel: The Story of the NORAD Santa-Tracker

Santa-deniers aren't going to like this one... If you live in the United States and you tune into the news during the holiday season, you're probably familiar with the famous NORAD Santa Tracker. While Jolly St. Nick flies around the...

From Peacekeepers to Peace-Enforcers — The Dutch in ISAF & Uruzgan

After nearly a half-century of nearly exclusively LARPing against the Soviet Union, the 9/11 attacks and subsequent invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq opened the armies of Europe to actual (though asymmetrical) combat. Nations like the Netherlands finally got the chance to test their equipment in the field.

K-27: The Nuclear Ghost Sub

Hopefully everyone knows the tragic tale of the Chernobyl disaster or at least watched the excellent show about it from HBO. Russia already had an awful track record with nuclear energy during the cold war. It wasn't only because they...

The US and USSR going "Band for Band"

We talk about the Cold War on our store so often, it's become one of our defining aesthetics. But the grand armies and weapons are arguably less than half of the story. Many of the battles from the 50s through...

Operation Wandering Soul: A Bone-Chilling Tale

One of the most active and fascinating periods of time with notable use of psychological warfare tactics was the Vietnam War. We could go on for hours about the conflict's affinity for producing stories stranger than fiction, but we want...

How DPM Ended Up On P83

Over the years we've collected a lot of images and samples of rare and one-off kit from the Border War. Like the forbidden "Oops! ALL 40mm grenade!" P83 Chest Rig, or rare high-speed-low-drag versions of the Battle Jacket designed just...

Read moreabout How DPM Ended Up On P83

The Story of "Versengtarn"

The "Hows & Whys" of our most poplular small-batch dyed surplus garments, called "Versengtarn". Learn the difference between traditional DIY dyeing and our not-so-secret formula.

Enter The 'Green Zone': The Lore Behind The Dye

How "Green Zone" DPM got it's name, and the story of the pattern from WW2 to GWOT...

SS-Leto: You Did Nazi It Coming...

Russian "Partizan" is a camo with a backstory shared with the likes of flecktarn, US m81/ERDL, Swedish splinter, Czech "rain" pattern, and a plethora of others from around the world. But how? Well, let's backtrack to Partizan for one moment....

Exotic Gas Masks: How an Italian Scuba Company Made a Breakthrough in Respirators

How "Mestel Safety", a subsidiary of celebrated Scuba Company "Ocean Reef" Got its start with one badass military scuba diver...

Memorial Day: A Decorated History

Being in the business of selling military surplus for over a decade, we have a close connection to military holidays.

Memorial Day is certainly special here in the states — it marks the beginning of summer, spending time outdoors with family, and for some, just a well-deserved day off.

We talk about the origin of Memorial Day, its traditional meanings, and what it means to remember all of those who died to protect our way of life.

Red Dawn: A Legacy

Red Dawn is an incredibly enduring film from the 1980s that still holds relevance for its Second Amendment advocacy with context that sways even non-gun owners. We think the film is misunderstood, but with a dash of historical context, can give new viewers a very valuable insight on America's founding values.