Kelly Miller's History of the World War for Human Rights
John Stuart Mill · en
The Belgian helmet is khaki-colored, with the Belgian lion on the front;
the Italian, greenish blue, with no insignia; the Serbian,
khaki-colored, with the Serbian coat of arms; the Russian,
khaki-colored, with the Russian coat of arms, and the Roumanian,
blue-gray, with the Roumanian coat of arms.
The French have made more than 12,000,000 helmets, using about 12,000
tons of steel. In other words, a ton of steel will make 1,000 helmets.
The British also equipped their troops with a steel helmet, which has no
ridge running from front to rear, as has the Adrian, no decorations, and
a rather wide brim, which runs all the way round. It is of a khaki
color.
The Germans issued to a certain number of their men, generally those
most exposed in trench fighting, a steel helmet considerably heavier
than any of the allied helmets. It has a much higher crown, and comes
down more over the eyes and the sides and back of the head.
All these helmets are supported by means of a leather skull cap inside,
which fitting closely to the head, distributes the weight over the whole
of the skull, instead of simply around the edge of it, as is the case
with ordinary headgear.
Of course, these helmets will not protect against high velocity
projectiles. However, as they do protect the wearer from low velocity
projectiles, and as these are, because of infection, often as fatal as
severe wounds, it can easily be seen how much good has been
accomplished.
A French writer in La Nature shows that 332 out of 479 abnormal wounds
were caused by shrapnel and pieces of shell having a low velocity.
In 13 out of 15 cases of lung wounds, the projectiles did not have
velocity enough to completely traverse the body and come out.
In 71 cases of joint wounds, 66 were due to low velocity shrapnel and
only 5 to high velocity bullets. Practically every one of these wounds
could have been prevented by breast and body pieces and knee and elbow
caps of armor.
LOW VELOCITY MOST EFFECTIVE.
As for every man who afterward dies from a wound made by a high velocity
bullet there are about ten who die from wounds made by the low velocity
shrapnel and shell fragments, the importance is seen of protection
against these low velocity wounds if it can be had.
The wearing of armor means the lessening of the mobility of the soldier.
In the open field lessening of mobility means a decrease in efficiency,
which cannot be tolerated. However, in trench warfare the mobility of
the individual does not count for so much, as even during an attack he
does not have to go far, and generally does it at a walk in the rear of
the barrage fire of his own artillery.
Efficiency in warfare, as indicated by the keeping of such records, has
set the brains of the world at work, and armor is used to a limited
degree for the protection of men in greatly exposed fronts or open
positions.