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M1942 'Frog skin'
In between 1940 and 1941, the US Army began experimenting with the idea of camouflage after seeing its usefulness by the Axis powers in Europe.
At the request of the US military, horticulturist and editor of the magazine 'Better Homes & Gardens' Norvell Gillespie designed the now iconic 'frog skin' pattern, with 150,000 units ordered.
From the Pacific...
Officially designated M1942 Frog Skin uniforms were first issued to the US Marine Corps Raiders.
With the success of the pattern, it would then be issued to other Marine Corps units in the Pacific theatre, most commonly as helmet covers, with uniforms being issued or 'acquired' where possible.
The uniforms and helmet covers were made to be reversible, a five colour 'green' jungle pattern on one side and a three colour 'tan' beach pattern on the other, making it highly versatile across the Pacific, from the hellish jungles of Cape Gloucester to the arid coral atoll of Peleliu.
...to Normandy
Following the Invasion of Frace, Frog Skin saw limited use by the 41st Armoured Infantry Regiment during the breakout from the beachhead, Operation Cobra.
The uniform had great success in the Bocage hedgerows that criss-crossed that area of Normandy. The thick earthen banks topped with dense vegetation that soared up to 16 feet high were a nightmare to negotiate.
Unfortunately, the introduction of the pattern and its limited use led to many friendly fire incidents that summer; however, the pattern was never officially ordered to be removed from service.
Post War
By January 1944, the production of the pattern was stopped, with much of it being sold as surplus after the war. The pattern was common among hunters, which led to it getting the nickname 'duck hunter'.
The pattern saw limited use in the Korean War with the US Marines as helmet covers due to a lack of other alternatives, and later with French paratroopers in the First Indochina War.
the pattern was also used in 1961 by the Cuban exile brigade during the failed Bay of Pigs invasion. The pattern was also used by Navy Seals and US Army Rangers in Vietnam due to a lack of standardised camo before tiger stripe was introduced.