British DPM Combat Smock with Liner | Issued

Origin of Camouflage

British Woodland DPM

British Woodland DPM was developed in the 1960s, inspired by WWII brushstroke and Denison smocks. It features four colors—black, dark brown, mid-green, and tan—arranged in irregular organic blotches with small black twig-like overlays to break up outlines in temperate woodland terrain. The pattern was first trialed on special forces smocks before being issued army-wide in the 1968 Pattern Combat Dress.

DPM became the standard uniform across the British Army, Royal Marines, and RAF Regiment, used in combat, jungle, and cold-weather variants. It was widely adopted or copied by Commonwealth and allied nations, including New Zealand, Australia, and various NATO forces. DPM saw action in Northern Ireland, the Falklands, Gulf War, and peacekeeping missions, remaining largely unchanged until its gradual replacement by MTP in the 2010s.