Greek Lizard Vintage CAMO

The first camouflage pattern produced locally was a copy of the original French tenue leopard or "lizard" design, introduced in the mid-1970s. The design seems to use the original late French lizard pattern drawings and colors, and was printed on a heavy HBT cotton fabric.

Subsequently there was introduced a variation of the original French drawings incorporating a slightly more disruptive element to the stripes in the pattern. Several color variations have been documented, ranging from a very tan to a distinctly olive green background color. All variations utilize the same screens, one unique feature of which is a distinctive pattern of stippling to some of the stripes. Overlapping brushstrokes of dark brown & dark olive green complete the design, and all versions seem to be printed on medium-weight twill fabric. This camouflage pattern - as well as the variations later adopted - is generally the most commonly associated with the Hellenic Armed Forces, being worn at various times by Army, Navy and Air Force personnel. In common parlance it is generally referred to as "Greek lizard" pattern, despite the wide number of variations documented.

A second series of "lizard" camouflage was adopted at some point in the late 1980s or early 1990s. These variations are printed on a lighterweight ripstop cotton fabric, and the design has lost some of the unique stippling features that were evident in the previous design. Nevertheless, a similar variability in coloration can be found depending on when and by what factory the fabric was produced.