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. This eye-catching yet effective Russian camo is a cult classic among combloc/eastern kit enjoyers for its dashing looks in the fall and its history of being deployed in Chechnya, Dagestan, and worn by the FSB during the infamous Beslan school siege.

Introduced in the early 2000s, it was Russia's edgy reply to Nato digitalization — originally made as a reversible garment with a "Summer" and "Autumn" pattern. It thrives in dense, mixed woodlands across Eurasia. Most commonly cited as the Partizan by fans is the majority Green & Tan summer pattern. We love that one too.

But what about that shared history we talked about earlier? Controversially to many, a large amount of modern camouflages can trace their lineage back to the twilight hours of Nazi Germany, where experimental patterns were fielded on Waffen SS units.

Swiss Alpenflage? see Leibermuster. Swedish splinter? It even gets it's name from Splittermuster, and the "rain" element was used later on for East german "Strichtarn". Even German Flecktarn? Looks a lot like Platanenmuster and Erbsenmuster "pea pattern" had a baby. It was first trialed in the 1970s, and the Germans declared it "Too soon", delaying its deployment until the 90s when the psychological scars of the war had more time to heal.

And finally, the camo in question, "Partizan" as we call it, is also referred to as "SS Leto", which is a very close clone of Waffen-SS "Oak Leaf" pattern. 

Russia, for the uninitiated, has copied and adapted dozens of camos from dozens of countries with no distinct favoritism - from flecktarn to a cheap copy of M81 US Woodland & even a knock off of multicam or three, they must not be afraid to experiment when linked up to a rich supply chain of fabrics from China and other former soviet states.

So is it scandalous to wear camos from such a controversial unit in History? The same might need to be asked of Germany right now, who still run flecktarn. For most of us gear nerds, we separate the "Art" from the "Artist" for this one. 

Over the years, Partizan/SS-Leto spread from special forces in the Russian military to being more generally issued, and eventually genuine surplus slipped in to the United States. If you weren't smart enough to grab it years ago when it was plentiful, it's hard to get your hands on now. Still, the camo has become a mainstay for surplus collectors, airsofters, and now a smash-hit on our Gorka K2.