After a period of rather dull uniform offerings from everyone’s (save France) favorite military, the Bundeswehr developed probably the most stylish yet effective camouflage for mainland Europe. A testament to this is its continued use in the Ukraine conflict today.

Tracing its development history, the origins of Flecktarn can be found in the "Erbsenmuster" and "Platanenmuster" camouflage patterns originally developed back in the 1940’s. The “pea-dot” style of camouflage developed some controversy around it when it was first being introduced to the Bundeswehr due its rather… Historical origins. But effectiveness is effectiveness — don’t ask the US where ERDL originated from either.

Not only are these field shirts stylish, they are also incredibly functional. The two front breast pockets can hold a variety of small admin supplies or a love letter to the cute Fräulein next door. The ventilated armpits can help keep you cool during the hottest days out hiking or on the flat range. And with some velcro wrist fasteners and storm flap and you got yourself a versatile field shirt for a variety of conditions...

 

Condition & Date Guide

Specs

• Tough poly/cotton water-resistant fabric
• High waist zipper closure with snap-secured storm flap enabling the wearer to bend and crouch without restriction
• Two snap-secured front breast pockets
• Velcro® wrist fasteners
• Straps for shoulder marks, rank tabs, etc.
• Ventilated armpits
• Shoulder pocket on left arm

Varying Specs

• Color tint/color hue bias can vary on a very small scale (examples of variance pictured)
• Some jackets include inside pocket
• Some jackets include a Velcro® fastener on the right arm
• Some jackets include a Velcro® fastener above the left front pocket for name tape
• Some jackets have had the German flags removed from the shoulders

Condition & Date Guide

 

Flecktarn comes in two, slightly different color variants.

• Pre-2005: The classic five color pattern everyone thinks about when they hear Flecktarn: vibrant and robust.
• Pre-2005 variants: Sometime during the 90s, Germany was in high demand for BDUs. So it contracted a handful of different companies for manufacture. Because of this construction is identical, but color is not. With the amount of different batches being produced by different printing equipment, the tone of the five colors varies from company to company. 
• Post-2005: In 2005, the five colors of Flecktarn were altered into more muted tones. Since then, the colors have stayed free of variation. Every parka made since 2005 features this muted version of Flecktarn.