Chapter 686 Type 1885 Defense Force Steel Helmet
In March, Ernst inspected the Guards Division. The Guards Division's main task is to be responsible for the defense of the Central Province and the first town and city. It is also the East African army that inspects the most.
When we visit the Guards Division this time, we can see that the most intuitive change of the division is that it is equipped with helmets, which is the first time in the East African army.
So Ledlist, the commander of the 101st Guards Division, deliberately introduced the origin and characteristics of this military helmet to Ernst.
“Your Royal Highness, this helmet, also known as the 1885 type, is a national defense military helmet designed to deal with the potential dangers caused by stray bullets and shrapnel to military personnel in battlefield environments during field battles.
The visor adopts a traditional German plan, making the entire helmet body look somewhat similar to the spiked helmet, a traditional military helmet in the German region. ”
Ernst naturally knew what a spiked helmet was. Spiked helmets were a feature of the entire German army. A German Imperial Proclamation in 1871 stipulated that all German troops must wear them, and police and firefighters did not. Exception.
The most important feature of the spiked helmet is the conspicuous "nail" on it. The main explanation for the spike on the spiked helmet is that it was worn by the ancient Teutonic Knights and other European armies to distinguish between arms.
It is also said that cavalry troops can use it as a stand for wearing feathers and horsehair. Secondly, adding a spire can effectively deflect the stabbing aimed at the head, because in cavalry combat at that time, the saber Hacking is a common tactic. German military and political figures such as Wilhelm II, Otto von Bismarck and Paul von Hindenburg all like to pose for photos wearing spiked helmets. >
Let Ernst see it, the aesthetics of the spiked helmet are there. At least when placed in the European army, it greatly improved the "appearance" level of the German army. It looked very gorgeous and majestic.
Of course, some people hold different opinions. For example, the famous German poet Heinrich Heine believed that spiked helmets were very exaggerated and superficial. He wrote a satirical poem comparing spiked helmets to lightning rods: "Yes Yes, I like this helmet, it shows the highest wisdom! The inspiration of the king! I'm just afraid that when the storm hits, that romantic crown will attract lightning!"
Of course, Ernst did not comment on this. Such trivial issues do not need to be discussed. As a pragmatist, Ernst believes that the first role of a helmet is to provide protection for soldiers on the battlefield.
This is something that spiked helmets cannot do. In previous lives, it was not until the outbreak of World War I that German frontline soldiers were horrified to discover that the protection provided by spiked helmets was almost zero.
In the brutal trench warfare, leather helmets were no match for shell splinters and shrapnel, and to make matters worse, the gleaming spikes would make ideal targets for snipers.
So in order to deal with this, in September 1915, the German military had to finally issue an order: the new helmets no longer have spikes!
Then the German army began to officially replace the spike helmet with the new German steel helmet in 1916. Although the new steel helmet did not look impressive, it could provide better head protection from shell fragments. This change reduced the head injury mortality rate of frontline German soldiers by 70%.
So the nail helmet is said to be of little use but not useful. This has something to do with the material it is made of. The early nail helmets used leather as the main raw material, and leather naturally cannot withstand stray bullet fragments. Later, the nail helmet was replaced with a new one due to raw material problems. Tin alloy is used, but the hardness of tin is not ideal as you can imagine.
Sure enough, Lederis made a special explanation on this point: "The biggest difference between our steel helmets and the spiked helmets in Germany is that steel is used as the main raw material, and the hardness is quite high, although it is not as good as the spiked helmet straps. It is comfortable to wear and has an ugly appearance, but it is more practical." However, Ernst held a different view. People in this era like flashy things. After all, they are not as rich in materials as in previous generations. The aesthetics of this era like to be colorful. , bright and bright.
For example, the "flowery clothes" of the Far Eastern Empire are very old-fashioned in the 21st century, but in the old society, they were a means of showing off.
So Ernst said: "Don't be presumptuous. Among military helmets of the same type, I think our 1885 National Defense Military Helmet is the best-looking. Don't compare it with a spiked helmet. The ornamental value of spiked helmets is greater than the actual combat value, and our first goal is to It has real combat value, and the battle is about the results, never decorations.”
Because the shape of the East African 1885 steel helmet uses the shape of a spiked helmet as a reference, the overall shape is not out of shape, and the shape is the same as that of the World War II period. The M35 helmets equipped by the German army are basically the same.
There is naturally the influence of Ernst's aesthetics, so Ledlis's complaints are a denial of Ernst's aesthetics.
Of course Ernst would not give him small shoes because of this trivial matter, and Lederis's words probably represent the views of most East African soldiers in this era.
However, Ernst believes that as time goes by, more and more people will accept the style of the 1885 Wehrmacht helmet. After all, it has been tested in previous lives.
“In order to increase its comfort, we use cotton and linen mixed textiles for the lining, which is durable and more comfortable. The materials are all domestically produced in East Africa, including sisal and cotton plantations in southern East Africa (Matabe Cotton from Lai Province. ”
Sisal has the advantages of durability, good water absorption, and the woven fabric made of cotton combines the characteristics of softness.
However, Lederis said that he was actually very dissatisfied with the comfort of the 1885 National Defense Military Helmet. After all, compared with the spike helmet or the military cap of the previous East African army, the steel helmet was just as heavy. It feels uncomfortable and has very poor breathability.
In the weather in East Africa, wearing a helmet is actually not comfortable, especially in the central province where the defense area is relatively hot and humid. It may be more suitable in the plateau area, where the climate is cooler.
Moreover, the intense wars that the East African National Defense Force has experienced for more than ten years cannot reflect the advantages of steel helmets. After all, the East African Army has basically never experienced trench warfare like World War I. The only actual combat was the last East-Portuguese War, but the Portuguese colonial army at that time The firepower is very weak. Not to mention artillery, even rifles cannot match all the troops, and the number of machine guns is also very rare.
“The design and production of the 1885-type national defense military helmet actually reflects the improvement of our military’s conditions. Without the explosion of steel production capacity in East Africa, our military would not be able to afford this kind of equipment that uses steel as the main raw material. Helmets actually include East African cotton, as does increased sisal production,” Lederis said.
Cotton is okay, but sisal is supplied to the military. This is indeed the result of the continuous expansion of sisal production and cultivation in East Africa over the years.
Because East African sisal is an important export product, or is used in relatively high-end products such as East African currency, commodities, and special ropes, it is a high-quality cash crop that is in short supply even now.
The explosion of steel production capacity is the main reason why the East African army is equipped with steel helmets. If it were placed ten years ago, East Africa would have no foundation for equipping steel helmets. This also includes East Africa’s technological capabilities such as steel smelting technology and forging technology. improvement,
However, the current 1885-type national defense military helmet has many shortcomings, and the reason is that it is technically unqualified, so the yield rate is not high and the output is relatively limited. It is currently only equipped in the Guards Division.
(End of this chapter)