Taiwan

Republic of China (Taiwan)

Once a name for the government of mainland China (est. 1911), the Republic of China (中華民國) was re-established in 1949 on the island of Taiwan (previously known as Formosa) after the government of Chiang Kai-shek was defeated by the Communists and his supporters forced to evacuate the mainland. The political status of the nation is contentious due to the fact that the People's Republic of China insist the island is a historical part of their nation, and that the government of Taiwan is illegal. The ROC considers itself a sovereign nation, but it is unrecognized by the United Nations.

The Republic of China (ROC) Armed Forces encompasses the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Military Police Force of Taiwan.

Camouflage Patterns of the Republic of China

• One of the earliest camouflage design of the ROC Army was a simple, three color helmet cover. Rather than printing the fabric, the covers are individually sewn together from patterned pieces of fabric in blue, olive green & khaki colors. This helmet cover is known colloquially as the "Buddha Ji Gong," and was worn with the US style M1 paratrooper helmet beginning in the 1970s.

• Another early camouflage M1 helmet cover design was based on the US Second World War era "frogskin" or duck hunter pattern camouflage design. No doubt locally produced, the ROC version has considerably brighter green shades. Period photographs also show a camouflage design with larger spots, which may in fact be painted onto the helmet itself, rather than a cloth cover.

• Also introduced during the 1970s, an insulated one-piece all-white camouflage smock was worn by personnel operating in heavy snow conditions.

• Sources suggest that some companies in Taiwan were producing tiger stripe camouflage during the Vietnam War, although fabrics and uniforms seem to have been exclusively exported to South Vietnam or obtained privately by US military personnel serving there. Yet, tiger stripe camouflage designs have been worn by some members of the ROC Armed Forces since 1979, and by members of the Army by the mid-1980s. The earliest fully-documented tiger pattern was created for the ROC Marine Corps (中華民國海軍陸戰隊). Printed initially on very stiff fabric that tended to fade very quickly, over time numerous improvements were made both to the dyes, fabric and style of uniform issued.

• Variations of the ROC Marine Corps tiger stripe design would be issued from the mid-1980s onwards, some having slight color differences depending on the manufacture and type of fabric. Uniform styles changed considerably as well.

• Introduced in the mid-1980s, the ROC Airborne & Special Forces Command were issued with a tiger pattern camouflage having black, brown & dark green on a pale green background. This is the "green tiger pattern," intended for wear in lowlands or jungles.

• A second tiger stripe design for the Special Forces was issued between 1989 and 1991, called the "red tiger pattern." This version featured horizontal stripes of black, reddish-brown & green on a khaki background, and was intended for use in highlands or mountainous areas.

• Still another Taiwan-produced tiger stripe variation is seen here, but of uncertain origin. This design has very prominent black stripes, with a pale green base color and seems to be copied from one of the original Vietnamese designs. Nevertheless, it may have been worn at one time by members of the 862nd Special Operations Brigade.

• Another tiger stripe variation pattern from the 1980s is seen here, utilizing a completely different set of drawings and a different color scheme. Incorporating black (fading to blue), dark olive and medium green stripes on a khaki background, this pattern also saw extremely limited use with airborne and special forces units.

• Until 1991, the standard uniform of most units in the ROC Armed Forces was olive green or khaki. A copy of the US m1948 ERDL design was issued in the 1991-92 time frame, however, having black, brown & green leaf shapes on a mustard yellow background. When compared with the US design, the early pattern appears to be aligned vertically rather than horizontally. At least two production runs were issued before the alignment was changed.

• An updated version of the all-white snow camouflage was also introduced around the same time as the ERDL camouflage. The updated uniform consisted of a one-piece coverall with matching cover for the ballistic helmet.

• By 1994, the ROC Armed Forces leaf pattern had been standardized for all intents and purposes, having a much more similar appearance to the original US design. Although fibre content and uniform styling would change over the years, the pattern has remained fairly consistent and continued to be the standard uniform of the ROC Armed Forces until the adoption of the pixelated design worn today.

• A slight variation of the ROC ERDL camouflage design appeared circa 2000. Produced now in a ripstop fabric, the colors changed somewhat with the background color being much more yellow. This pattern is issued to ROC Air Force personnel, and possibly other.

• Probably dating to the late 1990s, an "urban woodland" camouflage pattern was utilized by elements of the Army Special Forces Command, presumably for training purposes, demonstration appearances, and possibly when serving as "enemy forces" during military exercises. Some sources identify the unit as a "Special Service Company" or "Special Service Unit," the implication being that it has a specialized, anti-terrorist/SWAT role.

• In 2007, the ROC tested a pixelated camouflage design with the Special Operations Command. The design incorporated black, brown & lime green on a dark olive green field.

• Influenced by the the Universal Camouflage Pattern (UCP) developed in the USA, a pixelated "urban" camouflage pattern was adopted by 862 Airborne Special Operations Group, first appearing during the National Defense Performance in 2007 but probably not being officially rolled out in service until some time in 2011. Based on photographic evidence, the "urban" pattern is primarily worn by airborne troops serving in an Enemy Forces or OPFOR role, although it may also have been intended to work as a combat uniform in urban terrain. The camouflage itself blends dark grey, medium grey and light grey together. Although it resembles UCP from a distance, the size and shape of the pixels is actually markedly different, as are the colors that comprise the camouflage scheme.

• Circa 2013, the Ministry of National Defense adopted the Digital Camouflage Combat Uniform (DCCU) for the Army and Air Force. Designed by the Military Armaments Bureau, the adopted pattern was chosen following a series of trials that began in April 2010; the finalized choice was made in 2011. The pixels in the DCCU design are smaller and much denser than the version tested by the SOC, and the coloration is also significantly different.

• The Defense Ministry unveiled a new pixelated version of the old tiger stripe pattern camouflage for the ROC Marine Corps in May 2017. Improved uniforms will replace the older issue style by January 2018.

• Although DCCU patterned hats and helmet covers are issued, many Army personnel have been documented wearing both types of headdress in a camouflage design having larger pixels but essentially the same color palette. It is unknown whether these are officially-sanctioned by the government, or are private purchase items.

• Camouflaged field equipment, including plate-carrier vests, rucksacks and other types of individual load-bearing equipment are being worn by Marine Corps and some Army personnel in a design different to the standard pattern of either service. Incorporating black, brown and light khaki on a foliage green background, the pattern is a pixelated design and does bear some color similarities to the standard Marine issue battledress uniform. As the majority of users are Marines, it is suggested this pattern may have been developed for that branch of service.

• Members of the Army's Airborne and Special Operations Command have appeared in public wearing Multicam pattern camouflage uniforms, which may also be used operationally.