Category Archives: Africa

The Original Camouflage: Khaki Part IV – Colonial Italy’s Khaki Uniforms

Newly arrived Italian soldiers in North Africa circa 1940

The Italians, like the Germans, were late to the colonial empire rush but established colonies in Africa in the 1880s and later began a lengthy war in Libya in 1911 that continued into the 1930s. The Italian empire grew with the conquest of Ethiopia in 1936 – payback for the attempted conquest 40 years earlier.

Throughout its colonial era the Italians adopted khaki, beginning in 1887 with a new tropical uniform made of linen. The Italians deemed this pale shade of khaki to be “light bronze.” This pattern as updated in 1892 and 1893 and it was primarily variations of this that were used in the Adowa Campaign in Ethiopia in 1896, and in the 1911 Libyan Campaign against the Ottoman Empire. Continue reading →

The Original Camouflage: Khaki Part III – German Khaki Through Two World Wars

While late to the race for colonial empire Germany wasted no time trying to catch up, and it soon fitted its armies in khaki uniforms, even as the German presence in her colonies varied widely.

For use in Europe the German army adopted a field gray (“feldgrau”) that proved to be as unsuitable in Africa as the British scarlet had been in India. The Germans thus looked to its own tan-based uniforms. Continue reading →

The Original Camouflage: Khaki Part II – Khaki’s Use Throughout the French Empire of the Third Republic

French soldiers in Madagascar – While officers retained the traditional blue tunics, the ranks wore khaki jackets and shirts

While its origins lay in British India, the use of khaki was not limited to the British Army. By the end of the 19^th century most of the nations of Europe that had colonies overseas had begun to utilize similar colored “tropical” uniforms. One interesting irony is that in many cases European officers and NCOs were outfitted with their “European” style uniforms, while colonial troops wore the khaki colored ones. Many of these colors were never officially deemed “khaki” but the colors were extremely close in practice.

It was Britain’s traditional enemy – and later its closest ally – that soon adopted khaki throughout its global empire.

Continue reading →

The Sun Helmets of the Portuguese Royal Navy, 1894-1910

Officers of the Portuguese Gunship “Diu” photographed in Goa (Portuguese India) circa 1900. Both wear peaked caps with white covers.

By the end of the 19^th Century, officers of the Portuguese “Armada Real” (Royal Navy) were in great need of some sort of tropical headdress. Unlike other ranks, which were supplied with large brim straw hats for tropical climates, officers had nothing to wear but their peaked caps, made hotter and heavier by the regulation white covers. Continue reading →

Sun Helmets on Safari

In my world, the pith is not a sun helmet, but a crown.
And, to the wearers I study, the coronation is justified.

For just over a year I have been a staunch collector of not sun helmets, like my dear friend Stuart – although I dream of graduating to such an assemblage – but antique safari and big game hunting photographs, none of which are complete without firearm, fauna, and of course, the very symbol of adventure, the pith helmet. Continue reading →

Sun Helmets and Comic Books

Comic books today typically feature brooding superheroes and twisted villains bent on world domination. The days of more life-like comics are certainly a thing of the past. However, during the “Golden Age of Comic Books,” which lasted from the late 1930s to the early 1950s there were actually some comics that offered realistic settings. While not actually common, there were books – such as the above The New Two-Fisted Tales – that even featured a sun helmet or two. Continue reading →

Colonial Pattern Helmets of the Force Publique

A studio photograph of an officer of the Force Publique – wearing a French Model 1886 pattern helmet

Belgian Congo was an interesting state, as it was originally the “Congo Free State” and was the private property of King Leopold II of Belgium. As such it was administrated through a quasi-private military force, the Force Publique (Public Force). Continue reading →

Military Sun Helmets

Military sun helmets of the world.