SS PLANE TREE CAMOUFLAGE
INTRODUCTION
This compilation of resources, photos, original examples, and other research is published to help give the best understanding possible of the “Plane tree” camouflage pattern. The numbered variants of this pattern are the most commonly confused and most inadequately understood of all of the wartime SS patterns, despite their being the most common wartime examples. In this examination I will cover and detail both the hand screen and overprint variations of the numbered patterns 1-6, the printing process, pattern development, and usage of these patterns.
It must be noted that there are aspects about these patterns that are still not well understood, and that some information that is widely accepted as fact regarding these patterns is still mere speculation.
It must be noted that there are aspects about these patterns that are still not well understood, and that some information that is widely accepted as fact regarding these patterns is still mere speculation.
PRINTING PROCESS
In order to grasp any information about the Plane tree pattern, it is important to first understand the methods in which it was printed. Note that there were two main variations in Plane tree; hand screen and overprint. All of the numbered patterns, 1-6, existed in both a hand screen and an overprint variation. The un-numbered patterns only existed in hand screened versions. Both variations will be addressed, and examples given to show the difference.
HAND SCREEN
The hand screen printing process was the most common process of the entire war. This method involved large mesh screens (silkscreen printing) with a pattern stencil applied to them. This process was done by hand, and was very time consuming. To produce any of the Plane tree patterns required a set of 3 screens, each screen having the stencil cut out for the specific color that it would be used to print. All of the Plane tree patterns had 3 colors per side of fabric, meaning 3 spring colors, and 3 fall colors. To print the pattern, the screens were laid on the fabric and dyes applied, the stencil restricting the dye only to the places where the stencil allowed. The 3 screens, when all combined, creating an 'interlocking' pattern, like a puzzle. This caused the brown and green (or brown and orange/red) screens to overlap creating a 4th color, however this was the result of the two colors of dye overlapping.
When printing using this method, a screen would be placed, the fabric dyed, and so fourth until the spring side was complete. Then, the screens would be inverted and the same pattern printed on the reverse side, in the fall color scheme. There is no conclusive evidence as to which color or side was printed first. A close in-person examination of an original garment can occasionally reveal which screen was placed first, however not which side of the fabric was printed first.
Here is an up- close example of Plane tree that was hand screened. Note the 3 main colors: black, green, and purple-brown. The fourth color, a dark olive found where the green meets the brown is the aforementioned overlap of those two screens.
When printing using this method, a screen would be placed, the fabric dyed, and so fourth until the spring side was complete. Then, the screens would be inverted and the same pattern printed on the reverse side, in the fall color scheme. There is no conclusive evidence as to which color or side was printed first. A close in-person examination of an original garment can occasionally reveal which screen was placed first, however not which side of the fabric was printed first.
Here is an up- close example of Plane tree that was hand screened. Note the 3 main colors: black, green, and purple-brown. The fourth color, a dark olive found where the green meets the brown is the aforementioned overlap of those two screens.
The hand screen printing process was the mo However, it was very slow and st commonly utilized process of the war. outdated. This brings about the overprint process.
OVERPRINT
The overprint pattern is the name associated with the pattern that resulted from the changing of the printing process sometime during 1942-43, it is NOT the name of said process. Overprint is the source of some confusion regarding the Plane tree patterns, as the overprint variation of each hand screen pattern technically constituted a new pattern entirely, however these patterns were still in the numbers 1-6. For the time being, disregard the numbers. This section will attempt to clear the confusion in the printing process itself, not the pattern. However, take a note regarding the numbers, as this will be very important later on.
The overprint process actually refers to a mix of hand screen printing and roller printing. Roller printing is exactly what it sounds. Large mechanical ‘rollers’ with a pattern cut into them print the fabric continuously without manual labor involved, and is exponentially faster than hand screen printing.
The overprint process saw the elimination of the “base” screens. (base screens= Green and brown on the spring side and brown and orange/red on the fall side). These two screens were replaced by rollers that printed the same colors, however at a shorter repeat. Once again, these two colors were part of an ‘interlocking’ pattern, and they did overlap as well, resulting in an off mix of the two base colors. After these two colors were printed, the “shadow” screen (The black on the spring side or dark brown on the fall side) was hand screened OVER the two base screens. Hence the term “OVERprint”. Unlike the hand screen patterns, the overprinted patterns required the inverting of only the shadow screen for printing on the reverse side.
The overprint process never completely replaced the hand screen process for printing camouflage, and even at the height of SS camo production and use, hand screen Plane tree was more common than the overprint.
Below is an example of an overprinted garment. Note the more jagged appearance of the base screens, indicating the changing of the stencils when the overprint pattern was created.
The overprint process actually refers to a mix of hand screen printing and roller printing. Roller printing is exactly what it sounds. Large mechanical ‘rollers’ with a pattern cut into them print the fabric continuously without manual labor involved, and is exponentially faster than hand screen printing.
The overprint process saw the elimination of the “base” screens. (base screens= Green and brown on the spring side and brown and orange/red on the fall side). These two screens were replaced by rollers that printed the same colors, however at a shorter repeat. Once again, these two colors were part of an ‘interlocking’ pattern, and they did overlap as well, resulting in an off mix of the two base colors. After these two colors were printed, the “shadow” screen (The black on the spring side or dark brown on the fall side) was hand screened OVER the two base screens. Hence the term “OVERprint”. Unlike the hand screen patterns, the overprinted patterns required the inverting of only the shadow screen for printing on the reverse side.
The overprint process never completely replaced the hand screen process for printing camouflage, and even at the height of SS camo production and use, hand screen Plane tree was more common than the overprint.
Below is an example of an overprinted garment. Note the more jagged appearance of the base screens, indicating the changing of the stencils when the overprint pattern was created.
With a basic understanding of the printing processes used to create camo items, we can now get into studying the individual patterns themselves. However, this is where the bulk of the confusion regarding Plane tree comes from. I will attempt to break it down into a way that makes the easiest understanding.
BASE PATTERN
The size of the Plane tree patterns makes for some confusion regarding the difference in overprint and hand screen prints. Both overprint and hand screen Plane tree are 55 inches wide and 72 inches long. The reason behind this being their usage in the
construction of zeltbahns, however this will be addressed later. In the hand screen patterns of Plane tree, there is no “repeat” of any aspect of the pattern in that printing, meaning that the pattern is continuous, no two places will match. However, on overprint patterns, there is a repeat of the base colors. This is due to the size of the rollers used in the printing of these colors. These rollers repeated the pattern that they printed every 18 inches, though they were still 55 inches wide. This means that looking at the overprint pattern from top to bottom, the base pattern will repeat 4-5 times, while the shadow screen will remain the same as it is in the hand screen patterns, since it was not modified for use in the overprint patterns. Unfortunately, there are no photos of the “full” hand screen or Plane tree patterns, since when the fabric was made into garments certain parts are lost and obstructed, however using zeltbahns, one can see a fair amount of the patterns.
To add further confusion to the patterns, each hand screen number variant (1/2, 3/4, and 5/6) are all different, each pattern has its own shapes and artwork, and no two are the same. However, in the overprint variations of these patterns, the two base patterns will be identical, with only the shadow screen varying from pattern to pattern. Exactly why the SS chose not to make individual rollers for each pattern is mere speculation, however the most logical explanations include time constraints and available resources.
Above is a beautiful example of a zeltbahn in the 5/6 overprint style. (Photo credit to Fredrik at FJM44!) Close examination of the base screens shows a repeat of the pattern, indicated by the red arrows. Note that when regarding the black shadow pattern, there are no repeats.
Another example shown below of a zeltbahn in the ½ overprint style. (Photo credit to Fredrik at FJM44!) Indicated by the red arrows are the repeats of the base pattern, however the shadow pattern does not repeat. Also of note is the drastic difference in the shadow patterns of the previous example and this one, the only variation between the two pattern wise.
Another example shown below of a zeltbahn in the ½ overprint style. (Photo credit to Fredrik at FJM44!) Indicated by the red arrows are the repeats of the base pattern, however the shadow pattern does not repeat. Also of note is the drastic difference in the shadow patterns of the previous example and this one, the only variation between the two pattern wise.
SHADOW PATTERN
The last piece of the puzzle regarding Plane tree and the pattern itself is the intricate and confusing details of the black shadow screen. There are two major details to note on this screen; the numbers, and the cut blocks. I will first examine the cut blocks, since the numbers are a complex nightmare that requires a good understanding of the cut blocks first, to understand the purpose of having the numbers included in the pattern.
The cut blocks can be seen on any garment made from Plane tree fabric, whether it be overprint or hand screen. The cut blocks serve as guidelines for where the fabric should be cut in order to get the pieces to assemble a zeltbahn; as the pattern was designed with the zeltbahn specifically in mind. The cut blocks are at the bottom and top edges of the pattern, and also run diagonally either left to right or right to left. (This is a source of lots of confusion regarding these patterns as well)
The cut blocks can be seen on any garment made from Plane tree fabric, whether it be overprint or hand screen. The cut blocks serve as guidelines for where the fabric should be cut in order to get the pieces to assemble a zeltbahn; as the pattern was designed with the zeltbahn specifically in mind. The cut blocks are at the bottom and top edges of the pattern, and also run diagonally either left to right or right to left. (This is a source of lots of confusion regarding these patterns as well)
Above can be seen a good example of the cut blocks on a 5/6 overprint style zelt. It is important to note that whenever both sides of the cut block are visible on the panel of a zelt, it was cut improperly. In this example, the left panel was cut from a piece of right side fabric, exposing the cut blocks. Visible are both the base and diagonal cut blocks. (Credit to LUX military antiques for the photo!)
The cut blocks in the pattern usually always fall across the body of a smock. This being because the smock was cut from the same bolt of fabric that a zelt would have been cut from. As stated before, the reason for the cut blocks was to serve as a cutting line for the assembly of zelts. When viewing any complete pattern, hand screen or overprint, the cut blocks will make the following shapes:
The cut blocks in the pattern usually always fall across the body of a smock. This being because the smock was cut from the same bolt of fabric that a zelt would have been cut from. As stated before, the reason for the cut blocks was to serve as a cutting line for the assembly of zelts. When viewing any complete pattern, hand screen or overprint, the cut blocks will make the following shapes:
The red blocks on the diagram above reference where the number would fall on both sides of the diagonal cut block. Each pattern came in a pair of numbers, Ex. 1/2, 3/4, and 5/6. However, there were also 2 of each pattern, a left and a right. This was also due to the need of this fabric for the making of zeltbahns.
Referring back to the diagram above, when cut along the lines made by the cut blocks, one bolt of fabric makes two triangles. A right side bolt of fabric makes 2 right side panels for a zeltbahn, and a left side bolt of fabric makes two left side panels of a zeltbahn. This is where the numbers get involved, and where things get even more complicated. The numbers, like the cut blocks, were included with the zeltbahn in mind. The numbers, however, were merely a tool for easy matching of the sides of a zeltbahn. (A zeltbahn is made from two panels of fabric, a left and right with a seam in the center.) Thus, a properly constructed zeltbahn would consist of two matching numbers in their left and right configurations. Ex. 1-1, 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, 5-5, and 6-6.
Referring back to the diagram above, when cut along the lines made by the cut blocks, one bolt of fabric makes two triangles. A right side bolt of fabric makes 2 right side panels for a zeltbahn, and a left side bolt of fabric makes two left side panels of a zeltbahn. This is where the numbers get involved, and where things get even more complicated. The numbers, like the cut blocks, were included with the zeltbahn in mind. The numbers, however, were merely a tool for easy matching of the sides of a zeltbahn. (A zeltbahn is made from two panels of fabric, a left and right with a seam in the center.) Thus, a properly constructed zeltbahn would consist of two matching numbers in their left and right configurations. Ex. 1-1, 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, 5-5, and 6-6.
NUMBER PLACEMENT
As shown in the above diagram, the numbers on each Plane tree pattern fall at the very edges of the pattern. They are on opposite sides of a 72 inch long bolt of fabric.
On a properly assembled zeltbahn, the two numbers will fall right next to each other by the center seam of a zelt.
On a properly assembled zeltbahn, the two numbers will fall right next to each other by the center seam of a zelt.
An example of a properly assembled zeltbahn, in the 4-4 configuration. Note that none of the diagonal cut blocks are visible on either panel and that the numbers fall in almost the exact same place on either side of the seam. This is also a good example to note that the left and right patterns were entirely different from one another. This was done in order to prevent any repeat of the pattern, the reasoning for this will be explained later. (Credit to Fredrik at FJM44 for this image.)
It is important to remember, however, that very few wartime zeltbahns were assembled correctly. It was not uncommon for a zeltbahn to be cut from two lefts or two rights, or even to be cut from two separate patterns entirely. This results in cut lines across the panels, and numbers falling in odd places.
It is important to remember, however, that very few wartime zeltbahns were assembled correctly. It was not uncommon for a zeltbahn to be cut from two lefts or two rights, or even to be cut from two separate patterns entirely. This results in cut lines across the panels, and numbers falling in odd places.
NUMBER PLACEMENT & THE SMOCK
The number placement on smocks is one of the most debated parts of the Plane tree pattern among collectors. The truth is that the Plane tree patterns weren’t even designed with smocks in mind. The smock was cut from the same bolt of fabric that a zelt would be cut from, meaning that the cut blocks would run diagonally across the body of the smock. Since smocks have no center seam, there is no need for numbers to indicate what to sew where, and the cut blocks are irrelevant as they do not match the cuts needed to make a smock. Below is a diagram indicating how a smock would be cut from a bolt of fabric.
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In this diagram, the red line down the center indicates the diagonal cut blocks, and the red squares at the edges indicate the locations of the number blocks. The green shaded areas indicate areas that are cut out of the fabric, and the white area represents the body of the smock. Please note that this diagram is not professionally made, nor is it to scale, it is merely meant to aid visually and act as a limited reference.
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The purple line running through the center indicates where the fabric would be folded in half in order to create the body of the smock. Notice that on a correctly cut smock, the number blocks would not fall anywhere on the body. The shaded green areas would be used to construct the small parts such as the lower sleeves, placket, and camo loops. This means that the numbers would fall either below the sleeve seam or on some other small part. There are a few rare exceptions to this, when the smock is cut incorrectly
The smock pictured above shows one of the smocks that was cut in a way that the number block fell on the main body of the smock, and on the lower sleeve. Also visible are both the diagonal and horizontal cut blocks on the main body of the smock. (Credit to LUX Military Antiques for the photo!)
OTHER PLANE TREE PATTERNS
Aside from the 12 numbered Plane tree patterns, there were also 4 Plane tree patterns that lacked numbers and cut blocks. These patterns also had a much shorter repeat, while retaining the width of 55 inches, their repeat went from 72 inches to
approximately 33 inches. These patterns existed only in the hand screen style, and retained the 3 color interlocking screens. These patterns evolved from one another as they were developed, so the analysis will follow the order of their development
approximately 33 inches. These patterns existed only in the hand screen style, and retained the 3 color interlocking screens. These patterns evolved from one another as they were developed, so the analysis will follow the order of their development
BLOCK PATTERN
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The first of the un-numbered planetree style patterns is commonly referred to ask “block” camo. This pattern is characterized by its very jagged appearance, almost looking like a digital pattern.
Pictured here is one of the very few surviving smocks in this pattern. As previously stated, this pattern was fully hand screened in 3 different colors. As the development of this pattern progressed, it was changed into what is now referred to as “Lateral Plane tree”. |
LATERAL PLANE TREE
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Lateral Plane Tree
While this image does not show much of the pattern, the familiar shapes between this pattern and the previous block pattern are apparent. Note the softer, less jagged edges of the lateral pattern as compared to the block pattern. Once again, this pattern existed only in handscreen variation and was printed using 3 interlocking screens. (Credit to LUX Military Antiques for the photo.) |
UN-NUMBERED PLANE TREE
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This pattern was once again changed, and became the pattern that is now called “Unnumbered planetree”. This pattern was a further simplification of the lateral pattern, with a much more ‘puffy’ or ‘cloudlike’ appearance. Once more, the artwork and the repeat stayed the same, only the edges of the shapes were softened even further.
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POLYSPOT PLANE TREE
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The last unnumbered planetree pattern was quite a jump from the previous patterns, and was not directly derived from the early block pattern. This pattern, known as “Polyspot planetree”, was no different from the 3 aforementioned patterns except that it lacked the larger, connected shapes that the other patterns had. Hence the name, “poly”= many, “spot”= spot.
The center panel of the above helmet cover shows the polyspot pattern well. There is almost no familiar artwork between this pattern and the earlier variants of block, lateral, and unnumbered. (Credit to LUX Military Antiques for the photo.) |
These 4 unnumbered patterns were intended for smocks and helmet covers only it seems, as they lack the long repeat and cut blocks of the larger and more common planetree patterns.
VARIEGATED PLANE TREE
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The last of the Plane tree patterns that will be discussed here is the variegated leaf pattern. This pattern is fully handscreened, and no overprint variation existed. Like the other numbered patterns, it had cut blocks and existed in a left and right pattern, numbered 1/2. This was the only number variation of this pattern that is known. This pattern was 55 inches wide and 72 inches long, however photos only exist of this pattern in smocks and helmet covers. In addition, to date, there is only evidence of the 1 left and 1 right portions of this pattern, and no surviving examples. What makes this pattern interesting is its’ artwork. Unlike the other numbered Plane tree patterns that were based on the bark of the sycamore tree, pictured below, the variegated leaf pattern was in essence, a precursor to the palm pattern.
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The artwork of the variegated Plane tree pattern included many more leaf and twig shapes, webs, and grass shapes in the artwork, blending in more with natural shrubbery. The intricacies of this pattern likely made it very hard to hand screen, and thus when the roller printed palm pattern was introduced, variegated was abandoned. Unfortunately, due to the extreme rareness of this pattern, few good original pictures exist of it. The next best thing is this amazing rendering of a small portion of the 1 right side of the pattern done by Chris Dillon. This rendering is exact in every detail, and is a very good depiction of the oddity of this pattern.
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With this final pattern addressed, I conclude this compilation of information regarding the Plane tree pattern. Many thanks to FJM44 and LUX Military Antiques for the amazing photos of these patterns on their website, as well as Chris Dillon for the outstanding render of the variegated pattern.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Please remember that this information is not to be regarded as the sacred truth about SS Plane tree, but merely a reference and basic guide into more specific research. This article was researched and prepared by 2. Kompanie member, Adam Chunn for public use and research purposes. Adam has been a member of 2. Kompanie since 2018, and is known as Ottoklar Zwilingi. |
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DISCLAIMER: 2. Kompanie is a non-political organization We do not support naziism, or fascism. We are not associated with nor do we condone the actions of the Third Reich or the actual 3.SS Division.
