The Bizarre Knight looking US Armor of WW1, the Brewster Body Shield

[-]

FeedbackOther5215@reddit

It directs all the splash into your arms…That doesn’t seem well planned. Very Ned Kelly though!

[-]

SongFeisty8759@reddit

looks like the same problem as the Kelly armour when it comes to aiming a rifle.

[-]

Pyrophagist@reddit

Exactly what I was thinking. With no material to help capture the spall, the first time you catch a round on that angled surface, your arms are getting turned into ground beef!

[-]

LongWalksAtSunrise@reddit

no one think it's weird they're using muskets (or maybe trapdoor guns) in these pics?

[-]

I think those are Trapdoor Springfields M1873. Pretty much every army involved during this era dug up old black powder rifled for rear garrison usage and for training, e.g. the Austrian Werndl-Holub M1867, German Gewehr 71, British Martini-Henry etc.

[-]

tr3mbl3r_v2@reddit

can confirm that’s a springfield trapdoor

[-]

AKMike99@reddit

Looks like a training exercise it was common to use black powder single shot rifles for training during WW1. Older black powder rifles like the Martini Henry and Vetterli were still used in combat during WW1 mostly just out of necessity.

[-]

Franticalmond2@reddit

Do want to point out that the Vetterlis were smokeless in WW1.

[-]

LongWalksAtSunrise@reddit

Makes sense

[-]

AdeptusKapekus2025@reddit

Any reports on how effective these were?

I would imagine a lot of troops experienced blood lost because of ricochets to the major blood vessels in the arms and logs.

[-]

cor1912@reddit

He looks like a trench mascot, especially with the trapdoor Springfield

[-]

aleksndr@reddit

Trench crusade levels of madness

How was someone expected to use this? Kneel down and waddle towards the enemy with your arms tucked in? Or was this supposed to be walking around gear? How would you even sight your rifle?

I want one

[-]

Donatter@reddit

Most likely was intended to be given to/worn by guys with B.A.R’s and other automatic rifles.

In line with the walking/marching fire doctrine, where soldiers would steadily advance while firing their weapons without stopping to aim, (meaning hipfired)in an attempt to pin down enemy defenders. The intended/assumed outcome would be an infantry charge to engage the enemy in close combat.

(This is also the specific doctrine/battlefield scenario the B.A.R was designed to fill/be used in.)

So the thought was probably to give the guys who’d be walking across no man’s land without cover, or attempting to take cover, and in full view of enemy fortifications/forces, some form of protection/defense from shrapnel/long and midrange small arms fire.

[-]

fusillade762@reddit

I think the soldier wearing this would end up de armed and legged trying to cross. Tanks were ultimately the answer to the riddle of crossing no man's land.

[-]

Consistent-Row2294@reddit

Tis only a flesh wound

[-]

The_Best_Yak_Ever@reddit

Thank you for illustrating the BARs actual design purpose! It’s such a cumbersome weapon for how we ended up using it, but as designed, it was pretty dang good. We just didn’t really end up using it like that, lol

[-]

Kagenlim@reddit

I'll like to introduce to a lil Aussie called Ned kelly

[-]

letsburn00@reddit

I believe this kind of armour was most initially designed for trench defence and guard duty.

[-]

Nisos_333@reddit

Is this the third band member of "Angine de Poitrine"? (Third picture ignored)

[-]

leicanthrope@reddit

This looks like Ned Kelly as imagined by Southpark.

[-]

Dudicus445@reddit

This looks like something the BBC would make for Doctor Who in the 60s

[-]

abledart@reddit

What’s with the trap door muskets?

[-]

75149@reddit

At first, I thought the opening was the mouth and the two shields were the eyes 👀

[-]

wasted-degrees@reddit

Stephen Root’s banker character in The Ballad of Buster Scruggs be like:

[-]

GenericUsername817@reddit

Pan shot!

[-]

sabrefencer9@reddit

Only 40lbs? That's actually surprisingly light. Full plate for hema is usually 90+

[-]

mrp1ttens@reddit

A full plate harness will typically weigh in the 45-65 pound range depending on design and period. Specialty jousting harness can get closer to like 80 lbs.

[-]

sabrefencer9@reddit

I'm looking at the plate I just fought my teammate in. It's 90lbs

[-]

Crazy-Red-Fox@reddit

Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni!

[-]

CyberSoldat21@reddit

Though highly impractical and silly I’d imagine seeing a group of these guys walking across no man’s land with BARs would be quite a scary sight

[-]

maciejinho@reddit

Few of them could also have the shotgun. They'd eventually get close ;)

[-]

Mysterious-Plan93@reddit

Would be interesting seeing this incorporated into a Bulletproof EOD suit using lighter stronger alloy material

[-]

RetardKnight@reddit

Knight-looking?

[-]

thezerech@reddit

We should have copied bullet proof armor from the early modern period, and had our boys dressed like Roundheads and cavaliers.

[-]

The_Best_Yak_Ever@reddit

“Of course I know what a knight looks like!”

~OP

[-]

Young_Bu11@reddit

Right? Lol like it's interesting and all but it doesn't look anything at all like common forms of medieval European armor. Just let it be its own thing no need for weird comparisons.

[-]

Terminal_Lancelot@reddit

40 pounds? That's it?

Gurl, I walked around with my kids in baby holsters all the time clear up until they were about that weight, and the only reason I stopped is because my brother had a baby, so he needed the baby holster more. Otherwise I'd still be doing it at their 40+ pounds.

[-]

Not everyone is an expert such as yourself; be considerate.

No Spam. No Memes.

No political posts. Save that for /r/progun or /r/politics.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.