If you were like me, you learned about the April 24, 1980 US raid into Iran to rescue American hostages on the news the next morning. Commentators spoke of a secretive US military force and an aircraft accident. While the raid itself was unsuccessful, the units involved only became better and more determined.
My introduction to what was worn by the rescuers on this mysterious raid was from a plate in an Osprey Elite book on Special Forces.
The Black Field Jacket with taped US Flag and Watch Cap became an image burnt into my head. Turns out, like most things, it wasn’t quite that simple. A series of photographs released years later, which were taken at the intermediate staging base in Oman prior to infil, depict a wide variety of clothing and jacket mods being worn.
Dave Hall, President of the Silent Warrior Foundation charity had recently contacted me about a fundraiser in conjunction with their upcoming Whiskey and War Stories event honoring Operation Eagle Claw which will focus on the participants and the hostages they were intent to rescue.
One of the Unit members had offered to allow Dave and team access to his modified M65 and Alpha Industries had donated some Field Jackets to be modified in a similar fashion so that they could be auctioned off to benefit the charity. Knowing how much I love kit and SOF history, he asked if I was interested in helping. I jumped at the chance and put him in touch with Kory Brown of Berspitze Customs to discuss doing the actual modification.
Last Friday, I was lucky to be asked to participate in an unboxing video at S&S Precision for the project, along with Dave and Kory. The box contained quite a few surprises including some sand from Desert One.
The jacket reproductions and many other items will be available for auction on www.auctionfrogs.org during the event.
On July 1, 2021, the 123rd anniversary of the epic battle of San Juan Hill, Cuba. FirstSpear pays tribute the Rough Riders and the gallant charge made that day to secure the critical heights. This charge ultimately led to freeing the oppressed peoples of Cuba to pursue their own destiny.
This iconic photo was taken that day after the successful charge. Legendary famous Law Man and Troop CO “Buckey” O’Neil once said, “War is argument, best way to settle it is to kill the other fella.” This emboldened the Rough Riders to continue forward to victory even though he was killed in the assault.
FirstSpear has created an iconic, limited edition commemorative T-shirt with this photo and quote.
For more information, check out: www.first-spear.com/rough-rider.
This is the upcoming Windcheater from LBT. It’s Berry compliant and made from a DWR treated nylon. It’s highly stuffable and will be offered in MultiCam Black and Woodland camouflage. This anorak features a hood, elasticized cuffs, and kangaroo pocket.
LBT products are available for unit and agency orders from ADS, Inc.
Here’s a sneak peek of the upcoming Berry compliant version of OR’s most popular commercial rainshell, the Tactical Foray Jacket USA.
This is a prototype so the trims aren’t color matched yet. Initially, they plan to offer it in Coyote with OCP and Black coming later. The Foray Jacket features fully seam sealed Gore-Tex construction with their torso flow venting with dual pull pit zips on either side extending all the way to the hem.
OR products are available for unit and agency orders from ADS, Inc.
In addition to a whole slew of other products Alpha OneSource offers a line of Made in USA Merino Wool socks.
Their Crew height socks are available in Lite and Temperate weights. The Boot height socks are available in Arctic and Extreme weights.
The benefits of Merino are that it is naturally FR and anti-microbial and continues to insulate, even when wet.
Alpha OneSource’s products are available for unit and agency orders from TSSi.
GET IT HERE: www.ftactical.co.uk/collections/tiger
Flimmuur Tactical and TRC Outdoors are VERY excited to announce a product collaboration!
In parallel to Flimmuur’s current project of developing modern equipment and nylon goods in Tiger Stripe Camouflage, Flimmuur is collaborating with other brands to bring modern clothing products to market. To kick things off, we present the Tiger Stripe Cierzo Suit.
Flimmuur Tactical has long been a leader in innovative design for load bearing equipment particularly the use of laser-cut laminates. Ed from Flimmuur is also well known for his encyclopaedic knowledge on all things camo. TRC Outdoors are therefore very pleased to have been recognised by Flimmuur for our Cierzo Suit design, and invited to join in this collaboration.
Tiger Stripe Camouflage
The Tiger Stripe family of camouflage patterns has always been fascinating for Ed, since its phylogeny perfectly encapsulates the tumultuous period of world history that immediately followed the end of the Second War. During the First Indochina War of the 1950s, French forces and notably paratroopers were issued with TAP 47/52 uniforms in the tenue du leopard or Lizard pattern.
Emblematic of the winds of change, the failure of this French attempt to reassert their dominion gave way to the rise in geopolitical tensions of the Cold War. By the early 60s, the Republic of Vietnam had started creating derivative camouflage patterns, re-using and adapting many brushstroke motifs that resulted in a marked familial resemblance to the earlier Lizard patterns.
Fearing the fall of successive countries to Communism (Domino Theory), increasing American intervention drove a demand for uniforms that were suitable for jungle warfare in humid climes. Many advisors sought out locally produced S?c R?n or striped uniforms of their local counterparts, which resulted in a flourishing cottage industry within Vietnam. In fact, Mom-and-Pop shops from nearby Thailand and Okinawa retooled to capitalise on such insatiable demand, reflecting the significant and oft-forgotten contributions of the wider South East Asia region to the war effort. Mirroring the evolutionary processes of the natural world, slight changes were incorporated into the Tiger Stripe family, resulting in the diversity of camouflage patterns, dyes and fabrics that we observe today.
With the passage of time, Tiger stripe continues to evolve and variants remain in service within Thai and Filipino forces, as a mark of elite status among their special units. Within Western units, Tiger Stripe and its desert variants have re-emerged in Afghanistan; its legacy lives on, with operators from the US 5th Special Forces Group pictured in such uniforms on a recent exercise.
Whilst fabric and manufacturing technologies have come leaps and bounds, it is his intention that the spirit, sacrifices and history of our forefathers can be preserved. To this end, Ed of Flimmuur Tactical has dedicated a lot of time and effort in recreating a classic Tiger Stripe pattern, based on a period artifact. Who knows, Gold Tiger Stripe and French Lizard may be in the works for future projects.
Cierzo Products
Cierzo Shirts are born out of a garment staple used by British SF and Airborne Forces throughout the BCE (before Crye existed) era, falling out of fashion during the GWOT.
The first mention of them we have found was as garments made by SAS Troopers from their parachutes after they had dropped into France prior to D-Day.
TRC Outdoors resurrected them and bought them up to date with modern fabric, a few design tweaks and modern construction techniques.
The garment is meant to be used as a windproof outer layer or as an intermediate layer. They can even be worn under a damp outer layer while it dries out. Cierzos punch well above their weight in terms of the warmth they offer, especially in windy conditions and mountainous terrain. They also excel for use in the Jungle in Wet/Dry drills due to the compact size of the garment and waterproof bag.
Offered here as an individual Shirt or Suit set, which consists of Shirt and Trousers. The Dry Bag can be purchased separately, but is offered as a discount, when purchased with the Suit.
Shirt: www.ftactical.co.uk/collections/tiger/products/cierzo-shirt
Suit: www.ftactical.co.uk/collections/tiger/products/cierzo-suits
Dry Bag: www.ftactical.co.uk/collections/tiger/products/tigerstripe-dry-bags
