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WW1 Experimental Body Armor and associated gear


Gildwiller1918

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Here is what the US military envisioned their forces equipped with state of the art personal body armor and unique model number 5 helmet. The chest and back armor had plates that were linked together to allow for decent movement. The arms were completed enveloped on the outside, and there was also a knee and shin version as well. The helmet was from a series of experimental models starting at number 1 and going to 15. The Liberty bell version (there were 3 variants of this as well) was the only one that was produced in decent numbers, but was not liked by the troops and it was withdrawn from service. second image shows the armor minus the gear.

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Here are the shin guards, the M1917 model. Records show that about 35,000 sets of these were made for the troops, these sets weighed 12 ounces. The protection offered was deemed insufficient to the extra weight carried by the troops and no real field trials were conducted. Most if not all of these were made overseas, mainly in France. 

(photo source, internet)

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Here is the US model number 7 sentinel helmet. It was designed to be worn in areas where heavy activity was to be expected and for short periods only. It was designed from 15th century helmets, and very much looked the part. A few were sent to France for trials and they proved successful in stopping rifle fire, but were considered too heavy. I can't imagine the headache one would have after a bullet striking that. 

(photo source, internet)

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US model 8 experimental helmet, made by the Ford motor company, which produced about 1,300 specimens. It weighed 3 pounds, 10 ounces and offered good protection while allowed good visibility and movement. These helmets were made towards the end of the war and never saw service. 

(photo source, internet)

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US experimental model number 6, this model was designed to be tilted forward as needed to protect the face, however this caused balancing issues. No in depth testing was done and the project was scrapped. 

(photo source, internet)

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Here is the US model 9 experimental helmet, designed for machine gunners. No ballistics tests were done, however a second model was theorized to make it impenetrable to bullets, however the weight was expected to be over 20 pounds!

(photo source, internet)

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Here is the US model 2 experimental helmet, designed in the summer of 1917. The crest had a ridge that was thought to better deflect incoming fire and was based upon classical Greek and Italian designs. It was very comfortable to wear and well balanced, the only downside it seems was that it was difficult to manufacture.  Several companies tried to make these helmets, but the dies and metal used produced many defects. Only a few thousand were produced in the fall of 1918. 

(photo source, internet)

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One of the first types of armor available to British forces was the so called Franco-British pattern as it was made in France and sold to the British. It was a flexible pattern of plates linked together and was made to worn under the tunic. It was relatively lightweight and offered protection from low velocity shrapnel and splinters. Against rifle and pistol fire, it was next to useless. It had one third the strength of the standard British steel helmet. Although it offered little real protection, it sold fairly well among the ranks. 

(photo source, internet)

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The British also had the Dayfield Shields, of which several variants were made. They mainly consisted of manganese alloy plates linked together, wrapped in a canvas carrying sheath. The first picture shows the armor without the sheath. The second photo shows the khaki colored cloth sheath. From what I could find, over 20,000 sets were in use as of October 1917 in France. 

(photo source, internet)

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Here is a early pattern Dayfield, from 1916, the so-called heavy model. It included a neck guard as well. 

(photo source, internet)

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Some of the helmets are reminiscent of the Swiss 1918 helmet, still worn till recently.

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Yes Fritz, you are correct, it is almost identical to the US model 5 helmet, as it easily mistaken for it as well. The US was looking at all designs to see what worked and what did not and tried to incorporate that into its designs. The Swiss also experimented with helmets. They were trying to make helmets with attached visors to protect the wearers vision. Below is an example of this, the Le Platenier helmet. This model was tested from 1917-1918, however these were not adequately evaluated as they were not made of steel that would stand up to ballistics testing. Below is a rare image of the Swiss model 1918 helmet being made, sorry for the low resolution, but this is hard picture to find. 

(helmet photo source, internet)

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Here is an interesting model, one that I have not seen an image of or in person, but is described in the period book titled: Helmets and body armor in Modern Warfare, and excellent reference book by the way. It describes a German helmet that was found in the Verdun region and called the Siege Helmet. It had sides that sloped down and weighed 14 pounds! If the report on this is true, I image it was a prototype being field tested, but with so much steel going into one helmet, I can understand why this was not mass produced or put into service. 

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Here is an interesting photo, of a US soldier wearing a dazzle pattern camouflage suit. I don't know how effective this may have been unless he was posted to Africa to blend in with the Zebras. Dazzle pattern was used mainly on ships in an attempt to confuse enemy submarines. Camouflage was another area that was undergoing a lot of experimentation during the great war. 

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Here are some examples of the Dazzle Pattern on ships. Quite a bit of time and money went into this, the British painted over 2,000 ships in such patterns during the war. The data shows that ships painted in this fashion were sunk or damaged about 10% less than those without the paint. 

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Another interesting idea that most likely sounded better on paper than in practice. Here is the the "mobile" shield. The French and British both made these models, the idea was for a single soldier to push this cart with their legs, while protected to reach the enemy wire and make holes for future attacks. Needless to say, in the realities of no-man's land, this would be next to useless. This shield was made from chrome-nickel steel and its plates were angled to aid the deflection of incoming fire. The British also worked on a model that could hold five riflemen. Push shields became an area that most of the fighting nations experimented on in some fashion or another.

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  • 1 year later...

Early war U.S. trials of a "portable" body armor unit. The soldier is using the Springfield model 1888 rifle with a rod bayonet. 

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