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Post Info TOPIC: Italian Body Armour?


Legend

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Italian Body Armour?
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The pic below left is not from Doctor Who but from a 1970 film about the Italian Front, Uomini Contro.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5FPHZmmN9I

1970s war films could be a bit dodgy in many respects, and I have never seen this type of armour described anywhere (although it has a slight resemblance to the U.S. experimental Brewster body armour shown on the right)

Anyone know if the armour has any historical basis, or is it just a director's flight of fancy?

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Anonymous

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I've seen Uomini Contro and as I far as I can tell that armor has no historical basis.  I suspect it was inspired by images of the Brewster armor that you mentioned.  In the movie they call it "Fassini"(?) armor, but I can find no evidence that such armor ever existed.  The Italians did use Farina armor, but it didn't look like that, and it was worn by special companies of engineers tasked to cut through barbed wire (called the "companies of death").  These units were disbanded in 1916 because of high casaulties.  I do not know how much it was used afterwards, but perhaps it was still used in special circumstances.

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Legend

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Hi James could based on this....

Cheerssmile

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Legend

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As a recent episode of "The Reinventors" demonstrated, it is effectively impossible to aim a rifle with vision restricted to a helmet eyeslit. They were recreating and testing Ned Kelly's armour - Kelly armour link (State Library of Victoria). And while it would stop anything up to and including a Martini-Henry 577/450 round at close range, the noise and impact trauma were very considerable. Not quite as bad as being dead, perhaps, but really only practical for a single, brief engagement armed with pistols, shotguns or sub-machine guns.

Stranger things have happened but it is hard to imagine any valid purpose for that type of armour on any battlefield. Although the opposition might be briefly disabled with laughter.

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Lieutenant-Colonel

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Certainly British body armour was intended for Sentries & OP's etc or engineering like tasks.

I note that both my Grandfathers said that the preffered method for a sentry was to stand with much of the upper body out (to clear the heed & neck from snipers & fixed line MG's) & use a sandwich of 2 steel plates & 2 or 3 sandbags to protect the vitals. This let you duck  or run sideways re Minewefer rounds - armour made you too damned slow.

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Legend

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Brennan wrote:
Certainly British body armour was intended for Sentries & OP's etc or engineering like tasks.
Engineers/ordnance - that armour is sort of/vaguely like the modern bomb-disposal suits - could be useful in handling UX grenades and small bombs or even throwing mattresses or sandbags on incoming.  Never heard of it but that means nothing - will have to consult corps histories & 'heritage' (sometime).

Interesting about sentries & observation posts - thanks.

 



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