Webster

The Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions." --American Statesman Daniel Webster (1782-1852)


Saturday, November 16, 2019

Which WWII Helmet design was better?




My 1980's M-1 pattern Helmet, the same style since WWII.  I have blogged about Helmets before.  It is a very identifying way to show who a soldier belonged to.

The question of how effective helmets were and which were most effective initially arose in World War I. This was one of the first wars to feature airplanes, heavy use of artillery, tanks, and massive trench warfare.
The helmet became particularly important as huge artillery pieces were used to soften positions in rolling barrages before soldiers stormed the trenches.
Artillery could use various types of shells like anti-personnel and fragmentation shells that could rain metal on the heads and shoulders of soldiers in the trenches.


Otto von Bismarck wearing a cuirassier officer’s metal Pickelhaube.
Otto von Bismarck wearing a cuirassier officer’s metal Pickelhaube.
 
The Germans started the war largely using their Pickelhaube or spiked helmets. These were visually impressive, but they were hard boiled leather and did little to stop bullets and shrapnel. The spikes actually made the soldiers easier to identify and target.
The German scientist Dr. Friedrich Schwerd designed the Stahlhelm, a helmet made of heated steel that covered the head and neck much better. It was loosely based on the sallet from the medieval period.
 
.Austro-Hungarian soldiers at the Isonzo front with Stahlhelms.
Austro-Hungarian soldiers at the Isonzo front with Stahlhelms.
 
After the Stahlhelm’s adoption by stormtrooper units and the general army at the Battle of Verdun, casualties due to shrapnel dramatically decreased, some historians estimating by as much as 70%.
Through 1940 and World War II, minor modifications were made to increase the durability and efficiency of the helmet while lowering the cost. The helmet became the distinctive feature of the German army through the war.
                             
German Stahlhelm from World War II. Photo by DavidC88888888 CC BY-SA 4.0
German Stahlhelm from World War II. 
 
 Variations of the helmet are still in use today. It was a simple but effective tool for dealing with the shrapnel of modern warfare and set a high bar for other models.
The French and British both saw the need for a helmet and fielded their own models in 1915. The British inventor John Leopold Brodie produced the most effective helmet.
Illustrated War News Nov 1915, a picture of officers wearing new Brodie helmets.
Illustrated War News Nov 1915, a picture of officers wearing new Brodie helmets.
It was constructed in one piece by pressing one thick sheet of steel. This made it more durable and cheaper to build than both the French and German models. It was loosely based on the medieval kettle hat and has a distinctive wide brim.
This was also used in the interwar period and part of World War II. Improvements included adding a better liner for the helmet and a stretchy chin strap until it was replaced by the M1 during World War II.
M1917 helmet worn by members of the 13th Marine Regiment (United States).
M1917 helmet worn by members of the 13th Marine Regiment (United States).
The M1 consisted of a hard outer shell that removed the wide brim of the Brodie, which soldiers complained was too sharp and light-reflective. It also had inner netting that could be adjusted to fit the helmet. It included two hooks for chin straps.
U.S. Army Infantryman in 1942 wearing a Brodie helmet.
U.S. Army Infantryman in 1942 wearing a Brodie helmet.

There are no direct studies of which helmet was “best” and it often comes down to a matter of taste. The wide-brimmed Brodie tends to lose out to the Stahlhelm’s sleek look. A more definitive factor is how long they were in use.
The British Brodie was phased out in favor of the M1 and models based on it.
The Stahlhelm is still in use today which suggests it still has substantial value. The Stahlhelm has a harder shell as its production used a different process to make it tougher (but also more difficult to produce).
M1956 East German Stahlhelms. Photo Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-N1007-0009 / CC-BY-SA 3.0
M1956 East German Stahlhelms. Photo Bundesarchiv, Bild 
The M1 made a trade-off in that it has a slightly less hard shell than the Stahlhelm but has much better lining and padding inside the helmet. This helped paratroopers or anybody else receiving a concussion from bumping their head or having debris from artillery land on them.
Not only did it reduce head trauma, it also helped to save the soldier from shrapnel wounds.
Air Raid Warden Village at War Weekend 2012, Stoke Bruerne, Northamptonshire. Photo by ozz13x CC BY 2.0
Air Raid Warden Village at War Weekend 2012, Stoke Bruerne,

Given the start of the helmet as a way to avoid shrapnel wounds in World War I, and the tendency of wars after World War II to be more low-intensity counterinsurgencies, the helmet that provides a good balance of protection from artillery as well as bumps seems the more useful.
In the final analysis, the Stahlhelm gets the advantage in World War II due to its harder shell, but ultimately loses out to the M1 which has a more useful balance of features relating to the different needs arising after World War II.

 

7 comments:

  1. I have studied this subject for many years. It seems that most research finds the East German M-56/66 to be the best steel helmet ever made. It is the ONLY steel helmet that can stop multiple large high speed fragments. The US M-1 is almost as good, and would have been a much better helmet if it had fielded a better liner. The shell was, for it's day,(1930's) quite good. The liner was at best ,useable. The only two liners that offered any ballistic protection were the 1966-1976 ballistic Nylon liner, and the 198? to end of production KEVLAR liner. The numbers of Kevlar liners is unknown. But they were made and put into at least limited production. I have two of them. Both made in 1983. Information on them is almost unobtainium. Both are marked "Helmet liner Arimid fiber M-1". They are painted in the same late production light green as the regular M-1 liner, and bright yellow (the fiber) on the inside. With the same clip mounted fabric webbing as all late production M-1 infantry liners. BTW. One of them is an AIRBORNE liner with the webbing permanently attached by "A" clips. Just like the WW2 HP helmet liner. The webbing in both looks like nylon. ---Ray

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    1. I came here to mention the improvements in the liners over the years, but in much less detail.

      Thank you, Ray!

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    2. Ray, can you toss the liners on a scale? I need the weights for a game.

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    3. Hey Ray;

      I was very used to the M-1 pattern, when I first joined the Army, we had the M-1's but transitioned to the "K-pots" or the Kevlar. The old timers were not happy, the M-1's had more utility use than the K-pots or the kevlar helmet. I will look at my 1980's M-1 again. Thanks Ray

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  2. Interesting and I'm glad I never had to wear one for work... Although a flight helmet wasn't exactly light..

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    Replies
    1. Hey Old NFO;

      But the flight helmet was "cooler" than the steel pot, LOL

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    2. I alternated between a CVC and a k-pot. The CVC is not near as cool as a flight helmet, but it IS lighter.

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