GEAR: Fifty Shades of Grey

Gray has not only been a successful color since the sex novel for women claimed that the world consists of 50 shades of gray. In recent years, the tactical sector has rediscovered the color, especially since Arc'teryx LEAF greatly boosted it with the introduction of Urban Wolf. This doesn't reinvent the wheel, but simply builds on what has worked before. SPARTANAT takes a tour through the world of old and new uniforms.

Gray in the gray of the American Civil War was the Confederate States: the color was not so clear-cut. The regular units had blue uniforms before the war (also in the war against Mexico), and presumably there were fights of blue against blue at the beginning. Other colors could be found in militia units, which simply made up the majority in the South. Gray was more of an exception, with most wearing various shades of brown (from beige to dark brown), and occasionally there were also red jackets, light blue, and white uniforms. Brown tones actually had a logistical reason, it was simply the fabric that was easiest to obtain and could withstand a lot. White and red tones were popular in Louisiana in imitation of French uniforms but apparently disappeared fairly quickly in use.

"Feldgrau" (field gray) was the color description of the uniforms of the German Army from the early 20th century until 1945 or 1989. This shade was chosen for the 1907 introduced new German field uniform, in which German troops also marched to the First World War in 1914.

In September 1915, in Prussia, the introduction of a "field gray peace uniform" (with colored cuffs, epaulettes, and collars) was decreed; the other German states quickly followed suit, with Bavaria being the last in April 1916. Thus, in the Imperial German Army, the end of colorful military uniforming had arrived.

It should be noted that the colors commonly referred to as "field gray" have varied significantly in the past and present. During the First World War, German field gray nuanced towards a matte gray-green, corresponding to the RAL color 7009. In the late Reichswehr and even more so in the Wehrmacht, the green hue dominated, and field gray became a light gray-green. The field gray of the NVA again corresponded more to the field gray of the Empire and was referred to as "Stone Gray."

One might say that the whole world is not gray. Five different uniforms of the Austro-Hungarian Army at the outbreak of the First World War: the colorful uniforms of the 19th century were also replaced by gray ones.

Colloquially, today "field gray" stands for the color of German uniforms in particular, especially for the time of the First and Second World Wars, but also for the National People's Army (here under the name Steingrau) and partly also for the Bundeswehr. However, in 1923, the Swedish Armed Forces also introduced a field gray uniform based on the German model. The Austrian federal army opted for RAL7013 - Brown Gray - see image above.

Gray is not only prevalent in Germany. Among Americans, it has a modern history that begins beyond the classic Olive Drab and Woodland styles. Between 2005 and 2007, the Army Combat Uniform introduced a "universal" pattern that includes massive gray elements in pixelation but overall does not camouflage at all (unless the background matches the pattern, e.g., in rocky terrain). The Ranger here on duty in Iraq wears the gray PCU jacket with his ACU pants, which was introduced as mountain equipment after the start of the Afghan War. And his gear is Ranger Green, reminiscent of the imperial coats in the First World War.

Gray also looks good with maritime special forces because, contrary to the opinion of the US Navy, the sea is not blue-pixeled but sometimes rather gray. The men in the picture are boat crews assigned to the Navy SEALs, known as SWCC, and they wear a Maritime Assault Suit System (MASS), which is simply a "dry suit" for amphibious landings. The gear could be Ranger Green or OD.

Because specially coordinated gear was introduced later. Here is the entire range from London Bridge Trading in MASS Grey.

And while the whole world is delighted with gray, just before gray explodes as a tactical color commercially, basalt gray is worn in Germany once again. And not even by Hugo Boss.

But before Flecktarn came, the world was gray for the Bundeswehr too. Image here from the 1970s.

SPARTANAT is the online magazine for Military News, Tactical Life, Gear & Reviews.
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