Red dawns the morning

Way back in the 1980s, when the Cold War was at its peak, a low-budget movie called "RED DAWN" became an improbable success that was beloved by some and despised by others. The movie remains a classic must-see 1980s action movie, and cultural icon, to this day. And incidentally, several of the cast members would go on to become major Hollywood stars.

One of the most eye-catching stars of the movie wasn't human though - it was the specially developed and printed camouflage pattern used by the Soviet paratroopers in the movie, made into suits reminiscent of the baggy one and -two-piece overalls used by the real life VDV troops of the era.

With the collapse of the Warsaw Pact and Soviet Union in the 1990s the real suits became easy and cheap to get, but in the mid-80's these (and many other types of Soviet equipment were unobtainable). To get around such restrictions, the movie made use of some clever facsimiles and mods to give an authentic look-and-feel to the film, the most legendary of which is the so-called "RED DAWN CAMO". Working only with fuzzy black and white photos for reference, the wardrobe department came up with a 3-color pattern that resembles a mash up of the patterns worn by Soviet and Hungarian paratroopers and reconnaissance troops during the Cold War. With its white, khaki, and forest green coloration, the Red Dawn camo is also close to the modern Finnish M/05 Frost pattern.

In the late '80's limited numbers of original and reproduction 2-piece suits used in the movie became commercially available for a short time. The camo suits were also worn by on-screen Soviet soldiers in "Rambo III" and "The 4th War" - and then faded away into the land of half-forgotten myths and legends...

Over the past couple of years, interest in "Red Dawn Camo" has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity and interest. Tactical-grade poly-cotton ripstop fabric printed in China has become available, and some small numbers of jackets and hats have been produced by custom gear makers. But now KOMMANDOSTORE has joined the chat - and while others might say "Why?", they say "Why not?"!

The suits are made to KOMMANDOSTORE's exacting standards by a manufacturer of genuine military and tactical clothing and equipment in Uzbekistan under the brand name Strelka (arrow). The KOMMANDO Gorka K2 Red Dawn Mountain suit set consists of a parka-style jacket and cargo trousers. The designs for both also feature numerous modernized features and improvements in quality, performance, fit and comfort that poor old Ivan never would have been able to enjoy. 

Available at the KOMMANDOSTORE from 299.99 USD.