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Do helmets significantly reduce casualities or are they more like a courage device that makes the wearer feel less vulnerable?

mnky9800n 6y ago
WW1 helmets are as effective as their modern day counterparts https://scitechdaily.com/shocking-results-when-wwi-helmets-were-compared-to-modern-military-designs/ https://scitechdaily.com/shocking-results-when-wwi-helmets-w...
- lrem 6y ago
  That's only against overhead shockwaves and states in the article that serious advancements have been made to protect from other types of damage.
chmod775 6y ago
Construction workers don't just wear them for reassurance either. They protect the most vulnerable part of your body. You might not immediately go tell tales of it if you get hit in your helmet by anything but a small caliber or shrapnel (a large caliber will still inflict significant head trauma), but your chances of survival are way up from pretty much zero. Also there might be all kinds of stuff flying around on a battlefield, and even if it isn't necessarily lethal, it's nice to not get hit in the head by a rock or whatever.
goodcanadian 6y ago
They probably aren't that effective at stopping bullets coming straight on, but they will protect against ricochets, shrapnel, falling debris, and so on.
082349872349872 6y ago
There is a good reason the US changed the bottom profile on its combat helmets, despite any possible associations with the Stahlhelm M35.
sc__ 6y ago
In the first world war they apparently shielded the wearer effectively from debris caused by artillery shells that would have otherwise killed them. Here's an interesting video about the statistics behind it (and how they were misinterpreted at first): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IQE0uZUMys https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IQE0uZUMys
lm28469 6y ago
They can deflect bullets depending on the angle at which they come. They'll definitely stop some shrapnel and rocks falling after explosions. And remember that injured soldiers are as much if not more of a problem than dead soldiers because now you need someone to take care of them.
KineticLensman 6y ago
Soviet tank crew wore padded helmets inside their tanks to protect their heads from impacts with the sides and equipment, e.g. while crossing rough terrain or from ill-considered sudden movement

mnky9800n 6y ago

WW1 helmets are as effective as their modern day counterparts https://scitechdaily.com/shocking-results-when-wwi-helmets-were-compared-to-modern-military-designs/ https://scitechdaily.com/shocking-results-when-wwi-helmets-w...

lrem 6y ago
That's only against overhead shockwaves and states in the article that serious advancements have been made to protect from other types of damage.

chmod775 6y ago

Construction workers don't just wear them for reassurance either. They protect the most vulnerable part of your body. You might not immediately go tell tales of it if you get hit in your helmet by anything but a small caliber or shrapnel (a large caliber will still inflict significant head trauma), but your chances of survival are way up from pretty much zero. Also there might be all kinds of stuff flying around on a battlefield, and even if it isn't necessarily lethal, it's nice to not get hit in the head by a rock or whatever.

goodcanadian 6y ago

They probably aren't that effective at stopping bullets coming straight on, but they will protect against ricochets, shrapnel, falling debris, and so on.

082349872349872 6y ago

There is a good reason the US changed the bottom profile on its combat helmets, despite any possible associations with the Stahlhelm M35.

sc__ 6y ago

In the first world war they apparently shielded the wearer effectively from debris caused by artillery shells that would have otherwise killed them. Here's an interesting video about the statistics behind it (and how they were misinterpreted at first): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IQE0uZUMys https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IQE0uZUMys

lm28469 6y ago

They can deflect bullets depending on the angle at which they come. They'll definitely stop some shrapnel and rocks falling after explosions. And remember that injured soldiers are as much if not more of a problem than dead soldiers because now you need someone to take care of them.

KineticLensman 6y ago

Soviet tank crew wore padded helmets inside their tanks to protect their heads from impacts with the sides and equipment, e.g. while crossing rough terrain or from ill-considered sudden movement