Luxembourg Army recce platoon troops assigned to the NATO Response Force wore M2011 Temperate Pattern during NOBLE JUMP 2023, writes Bob Morrison.
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When I last mentioned Luxembourg Army M2011 Temperate Pattern, which I photographed for the first time at the SOFINS 2023 Special Forces expo in France in late March, I mentioned I had never seen it in the field and could not comment on its effectiveness. That situation, like all good things that come to those who wait, has now resolved itself.
As you will see from the accompanying photos, the reconnaissance drone team from the Luxembourg Army, or Lëtzebuerger Arméi, were not wearing camo pattern combat jackets but both the trousers and load carriage vests they were wearing on the Teulada Training Area in southern Sardinia were tailored from M2011 Temperate pattern. As it was a warm and dusty day, with the thermometer well above 25°C once the Mediterranean sun had warmed the land, the guys were wearing tan under body armour combat shirts (UBACS) under their load vests, but as a senior Luxembourg officer attending the NOJU23 JAPDD (Joint Allied Powers Demonstration Day) dynamic display was wearing his camo jacket I was able to persuade him to pose for the back panel photo.
As previously noted (see Camo Spotted At SOFINS 2023 In France) the four-colour palette of this pattern does not look too dissimilar to the new Netherlands Fractal Pattern, although less colours are used. That said, the lightest of the M2011 colours is considerably lighter than that used for NFP. There were also Dutch troops on the exercise wearing their new camo pattern, but regrettably there was insufficient time during the static phase of the JAPDD for me to get soldiers from the neighbouring armies to stand side-by-side for a comparison shot. I did, however, grab the opportunity to do a Dutch NFP four-view and this will be the basis my next K&C article.
In simple terms, the primary Luxembourgish shades are forest green and earth brown primary on a light stone background with near black providing depth to the pattern. The combat helmet worn in the photos has a standard MultiCam cover and in my opinion does not look at all out of place worn with M2011 Temperate pattern. Incidentally, there is also an arid theatre version of this camo, which is predominantly sand with brown, but this is only issued for operations in very hot climates. Combat boots appear to be HAIX Black Eagle.
It is always difficult to assess how effective a camo pattern might be against the background it was conceived for when it is seen out of context, as previously at a military expo for example, but my impressions from Sardinia are that this pattern will probably be okay against most non-urban European backdrops. It was not designed primarily for a dusty Mediterranean firing range at the start of summer, but even here it did not look at all out of place. Unfortunately a big grey cloud overhead was blocking out the sun when I had the fleeting opportunity to shoot the accompanying four-view sequence (note lack of shadows) so the shots are a little on the dark and desaturated side, but the trousers still blend in quite well with the ground and foliage colours behind. Hopefully my third opportunity to photograph will be against the type of terrain it was conceived for… fingers crossed!
[images © Bob Morrison]
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