Talk:ERDL pattern/Archives/2021/April

Proposed title change: ERDL Leaf pattern
This is the proper nomenclature. In contemporary accounts it is just called "leaf pattern". Dom Damian (talk) 22:11, 5 December 2007 (UTC)
 * Can you provide a link to something that shows this nomenclature?Tmaull (talk) 22:11, 5 December 2007 (UTC)

Photo is incorrect
Photo listed as example is NOT ERDL. As somebody else mentioned also. Vietnam era ERDL has TWO green colors, four colors total. Two greens, a brown, and black. I read about a "mystical" brown dominant ERDL, but have yet to see a posted image. A quick search of eBay for ERDL, will list countless examples of true ERDL. Note the two greens. It took me a little while to "see" and decode the difference. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.126.116.62 (talk) 07:31, 30 November 2010 (UTC)

Photo
This page needs an example! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Jschager (talk • contribs) 17:56, 22 January 2008 (UTC)

There is an example now, but it appears to just be the thumbnail of the M81 Woodland pattern, which I understand was a later design.--Raguleader (talk) 21:39, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

There are several errors in the final two paragraphs of the ERDL pattern article, which read

"Following the withdrawal of the U.S. Army from the Southeast Asian Theater in 1973, camouflage clothing was no longer routinely issued in that arm. The 1st Battalion, 13th Infantry Regiment wore the ERDL-leaf pattern as an experiment in the early 1970s in Baumholder, Germany. The USMC continued wearing the transitional ‘Delta’ ERDL pattern, which became general issue in the mid 1970s. It was to be used to equip the Rapid Deployment Force (RDF) whilst on tropical missions.

It was not until 1981 that the U.S. Quartermaster Dept. approved another camouflaged uniform. In October it officially introduced the battle dress uniform (BDU) in M81 Woodland pattern,[9] an enlarged and slightly altered version of ERDL Leaf, to supply all arms of the US Forces.[10] The last batches of the ERDL fatigues saw service during Operation Eagle Claw, Beirut and the Grenada Invasion."

As to the U.S. Army no longer routinely issuing ERDL pattern camouflage jungle fatigues after 1973, I can personally vouch that those fatigues were routinely issued to personnel of the 82nd Airborne Division; smaller-sized Airborne units in Panama and Italy; all Special Forces groups; and all Ranger battalions through the mid-1970's right up until the time the BDU uniform was issued (in about 1981?). Simply stated, all the paratroopers in the U.S. Army wore the ERDL pattern camouflage jungle fatigue uniform in the 1970's. After the BDU uniform was introduced, the O.D. (olive drab) camouflage jungle fatigues were frequently worn in hot weather by some of the U.S. Army organizations I mentioned above.

Further, the statement that "[camouflage clothing] was to be used to equip the Rapid Deployment Force (RDF) whilst on tropical missions" is not quite accurate. It is a true statement, but ignores the fact that the Army units I mentioned above also wore the uniform in quite cold weather, sometimes in weather below zero degrees Fahrenheit. In such instances, warmer clothing was worn beneath (and sometimes over, in the case of field jackets) the loose-fitting camouflage jungle fatigues.

For clarification, I should also mention that the 101st Airborne Division was by the 1970's an "Airborne" division in name only. It had become an "airmobile" division (and is now an "air assault" division. For historical reasons, it has kept the name "Airborne" just as the 1st Cavalry division, while no longer attacking on horseback, is still called a cavalry division. The point of this digression is that the 101st Airborne Division did not wear the ERDL pattern uniform in the 1970's.

One further clarification: Neither any of the Army units above, nor the Marine Corps (as mentioned in the article) wore the uniform on a routine basis. They wore the old olive drab cotton sateen uniform, then later the olive drab permanent press uniform. The ERDL pattern camouflage jungle fatigues were for field wear. There are two exceptions: The Ranger battalions, and for a time the Pathfinder platoon of the 82nd Airborne Division routinely wore the "cammies".

Standing in The Door (talk) 04:53, 7 June 2010 (UTC)Standing in The Door

US Army started issuing Woodland BDUs in 1981. OG107 jungle fatigues were an authorized alternate hot weather uniform from about 1983 until about 1990 due to numerous heat-related casualties in Grenada and elsewhere, caused by the heavy nylon-cotton blend fabric of the original BDUs. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 63.228.162.7 (talk) 18:41, 3 July 2011 (UTC)