chest armor
chest armor
Here is some pics of an armor chest plate. It has two hooks along the bottom and a ridge on the shoulder piece. Unlike any I have seen before. Is anyone familiar with this? Is it german, french or other? Is it ww1 or or is it older? The guy has it for sale for about 1000. us dollars. is that about right? He claims the hooks are for carring am mg08/15 and the piece on the shoulder supports the stock... I dont know about that.
Re: chest armor
I am pretty sure thats not for the MG08/15... how would it hook anyway. I am thinking its either for a belt support (Full of grenades) or for the lower pieces of armor you sometimes see them having. However I don't really know. It does look German WWI but I am no expert on this area.
Re: chest armor
This is the second pattern armor. The first pattern was devoid of the shoulder plate and the hooks. These items were added to the second pattern armor due to complaints from the troops. Foremost was the difficulty of shooting a rifle off the shoulder. The butt would slip off. The plate helped this problem by giving the butt stock a place to lock-in. The hooks were added to help carrying or running with strapped equipment, like gas masks. These changes were not for the MG08-15.
Re: chest armor
The poster referencing the stock and hooks is correct, except I think the hooks are more for the belt itself, like the hooks on the German army's tunic, or for the loops (D-rings) on the back of the standard M1909 cartridge pouches, so the armor more practical to wear.
The stock support is definately for you to be able to use your rifle better. I've also seen pictures of German troops wearing the armor on their backs, to protect their backside, where their front was well covered. This stuff was really supposed to protect more from artillery shrapnel and secondary projectiles than any direct rifle shot, and apparently worked pretty well for that.
I've got one of the first pattern with a nice bullet hole right through it, scary until you realize potshotting at these things was a major fun past-time for our doughboys after the armistice. I've seen a number of pictures of guys doing exactly that post November 11, 1918. Apparently these things were assigned to the trench section, like the flare pistols, building supplies, extra long shovels, "knife rests", wire, and more on the german side, and were left in place by some units marching out after the armistice. That makes sense, as they're heavy and unwieldy. Doughboys who ran across them, apparently often thought of plinking at them. Im sure they'd ring well when hit!
The stock support is definately for you to be able to use your rifle better. I've also seen pictures of German troops wearing the armor on their backs, to protect their backside, where their front was well covered. This stuff was really supposed to protect more from artillery shrapnel and secondary projectiles than any direct rifle shot, and apparently worked pretty well for that.
I've got one of the first pattern with a nice bullet hole right through it, scary until you realize potshotting at these things was a major fun past-time for our doughboys after the armistice. I've seen a number of pictures of guys doing exactly that post November 11, 1918. Apparently these things were assigned to the trench section, like the flare pistols, building supplies, extra long shovels, "knife rests", wire, and more on the german side, and were left in place by some units marching out after the armistice. That makes sense, as they're heavy and unwieldy. Doughboys who ran across them, apparently often thought of plinking at them. Im sure they'd ring well when hit!
Re: chest armor
You are, of course, correct. The hooks are for the belt not equipment straps.