M84 camouflage pattern

The M/84 camouflage pattern (Danish: M/84 Pletsløring, lit.'M/84 spot camouflage'), is the former camouflage pattern of the Danish military. The M/84 is a derivative of the Flecktarn B pattern produced by the German firm Marquardt & Schulz.[1] Using the same shapes and pattern, the number of colours was changed from 5 to 3 – choosing olive green, light green and black to better match the colouration of the Danish woodland environment.[2]

M84 camouflage pattern
M/84 Pletsløring
Camo pattern of the M84
TypeMilitary camouflage pattern
Place of originDenmark
Service history
In service1984–present
Used byDanish Defence
See Other users for non-Danish users
WarsBosnian War (1992–1995)
Afghanistan War (2001–2021)
Iraq War
War in Ukraine (2014–present)
Production history
DesignerMarquardt & Schulz[a]
Designed1978 (T/78 first presented, but not used)
VariantsSee Variants for details on the camo patterns used
M/11 (left) M/84 (right)
M84 pattern

The use of spots creates a "dithering" effect, which eliminates hard boundaries between the different colors in much the same way the squares in the newest digital camouflage patterns do. The pattern is designed for use in temperate woodland terrain.

It has been adapted with a desert camouflage variant by varying the colors. It has since been replaced by M/11.[3]

History

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In the early 1970s the Danish Defence was looking for a replacement for the olive-grey M/58 combat uniform, with the German Flecktarn chosen as basis for the new camouflage.[4] In 1978, the T/78 was presented, though it was never adopted but it eventually evolved into the M/84 pattern in 1984, hence the name — Model 1984.[4] The name was also adopted for the uniform system which utilized the camouflage. The M/84 saw wider use, when given to the Baltic countries as military support.[5][6][7]

In 1999, members of the SHIRBRIG were issued a desert version M/84, during the UN mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea.[8] The desert was further improved into the M/01 in 2001 for Danish troops in Afghanistan.[1][9] In 2012, Danish Defence announced it would replace the M/84 and M/01 with MultiCam, dubbed M/11.[3]

Modern use

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The M/84 has been replaced by the M/11 in the Danish Defence in 2018,[10] is only used limited in the Home Guard. It is very sought after by collectors and enthusiasts, due to the quality and rarity.[1] Furthermore, both an Urban and Snow version have been produced for commercial use.[1]

The adoption of the M/11 allowed for the phasing out of the M/01,[11] which took place during a command transition between the 14th and 15th ISAF contingents.[12]

Other users

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Soldiers from the Danish SSR using the M/84 camouflage

Variants

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Notes

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  1. ^ Based on the Flecktarn B camo pattern

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Danish M/84 "Pletsløring" camouflage pattern". STRIKE - HOLD!. Archived from the original on 11 March 2015. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  2. ^ Morrison, Bob (1 June 2020). "Danish M84 Kampuniform Pattern". joint-forces.com. Joint Forces News. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  3. ^ a b "First Official Look at the New Danish Uniform". Krigeren (in Danish). 21 December 2012. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  4. ^ a b "Flecktarn-d". TheSovietRussia.com. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  5. ^ a b c d Larsen & Nielsen 2000.
  6. ^ a b c d /ritzau/ 2001.
  7. ^ a b c d Larsen & Nielsen 2003.
  8. ^ "Danish T/99 Ørken camouflage". kamouflage.net. 2010. Archived from the original on 22 March 2014.
  9. ^ "Kampuniform M/01, ørken". kamouflage.net. 2010. Archived from the original on 22 March 2014.
  10. ^ Hærchefsergent 2018, p. 7.
  11. ^ Knudsen 2011, pp. 10–11.
  12. ^ Forsvarskommandoen (6 February 2019). "Enkeltmandsudrustning". forsvaret.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  13. ^ "13e Régiment de Dragons Parachutistes". le.cos.free.fr/ (in French). Archived from the original on 1 March 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  14. ^ "Swedish National Task Force (Nationella insatsstyrkan) during the hunt for cop killer Tony Olsson and other convicts after an escape at the Hall institution". military66.com. Archived from the original on 8 April 2016. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
  15. ^ "SAT komandolarından güç gösterisi" (in Turkish). Retrieved 26 March 2020.

Sources

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