Body Armour : German Army

Place Europe: Western Front
Accession Number REL/14716
Collection type Heraldry
Object type Personal Equipment
Physical description Cotton webbing, Felt, Steel
Location Main Bld: First World War Gallery: Western Front 1916: Weaponry
Maker fried Krupp ag
Place made Germany
Date made c 1916-1918
Conflict First World War, 1914-1918
Description

German soldier's body armour made up of four steel plates, of which the lower three, protecting the lower abdomen and groin, are suspended by means of a pair of cotton webbing straps. The uppermost plate follows broadly the shape of a man's chest and attaches to the body by means of the curved shoulder plates, which serve as hooks to support the armour. Each shoulder plate is attached to the chest section by three rivets. The cotton webbing suspension straps are also rivetted to the rear of this section, and are stitched to the three lower plates by two pairs of eyelets located at the upper edge of each. Felt spacers which prevent the plates from rubbing together, and prevent noise when the wearer moves, are sewn to the webbing straps. The inside of the chest plate is impressed with the numerals '33' and stencilled in black paint with the numeral '2', which may be a size marking. The three lower plates, from top to bottom , are impressed on their reverse sides with the numerals '6', '12' and '14' respectively. All of the armour panels are also stamped with the Krupp Steel logo of three intersecting circles.

History / Summary

This body armour was mainly used by machine gun crews and those such as sentries who were on duty in exposed positions. The weight of the armour precluded its wear for extensive periods, or by active troops, but it provided the wearer with immunity from most Allied small arms fire at moderate ranges. Body armour was normally worn in conjunction with the 'Stirnpanzer' protective brow plate which could be fitted to the M 1916 and M 1918 steel helmets.