OT: Why did German helmets have "horns"?

[Maj. Bosco]

That is from Confuscious. Analects, one of the early ones. Don't remember the number...

[Jadayne]

while we're on the subject,

why did kamikazee pilots wear helmets at all?

[pzvg]

I shortened it for the sake of those reading,

I did mention the word absence you will note

Maj Bosco, thank you for support

(Btw Hof, I only used that reference as it was close to hand, the best one I own is the actual M1916 helm, WITH facepiece, putting it on shows one why it wasn't popular)

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Pzvg

"Confucious say, it is better to remain silent, and be thought a fool, than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt"

[Fernando]

Here're the images of the German M16 helmet with a frontal plate and a WWI German soldier fully equiped with helmet, helmet frontal plate and breast plate.

[This message has been edited by Fernando (edited 09-18-2000).]

[Teamski]

Here's a picture of it. I read that it was used by snipers and observers. Makes sense!

Hope this gives you an idea what it looks like.........

-Ski

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"The Lieutenant brought his map out and the old woman pointed to the coastal town of Ravenoville........"

[Teamski]

OK, so I'm a bit late!!!!!!!!!!!

-Ski

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"The Lieutenant brought his map out and the old woman pointed to the coastal town of Ravenoville........"

[Fernando]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Teamski:

OK, so I'm a bit late!!!!!!!!!!!

-Ski

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yes, you are. About 60 seconds late

[M Hofbauer]

pzvg, I assume are you are "putting it on" when you go to your local bank to cash a cheque?

well I think it all depends on what "german helmet" the original poster was referring to. If he was referring to the admittedly considerably large "horns" on the WW I helmet, then you are of course right, both with your opinion and with your quote. However, I was under the impression (=might be wrong) that he was referring to german WW II style helmets, where the most visible stubs are those reinforced ventilation openings. If he was indeed referring to WW2 helmets, then I think your post might have been misleading/misunderstandable into thinking that the WW2 knobs would be facepiece lugs.

thanks fernando and teamski for the excellent pics! but I think you should emphasize that these are not WW2, before some unsuspecting FNG stumbles in here and comes running out of this post screaming "BTS! I want those dastardly-mean-looking steel plates on my german soldiers! why are they not in the game, eh???!!"

David Aitken, the Pickelhaube is more of a cliche. Yes it was used, and widespread, but only early in WW I. It's something like everybody (outside this board) seeing Tigers as _the_ german tanks rolling all over WW2, even into Paris 1940.

Jadayne, WW2 pilots usually don't wear helmets for shrapnel etc. protection (although I have some pics of german BoB bomber crews donning the M35 steel helmet, they modified them themselves to fit the radio gear under it, it looks cool to see a Do-17 cockpit with a bunch of unshaven, steel-helmet wearing crewmembers !), that protection was usually afforded by the bulletproof glass front shield, and the armor plate headrest. Consequently, the Kamikaze pilots too only wore the regular leather caps with goggles, methinks. Some of these aircraft had an open cockpit, and the others could be flown with an open cockpit. Under these circumstances, the headgear would protect you from the elements of wind etc.

Bosco/pzvg, I wasn't suggesting anything, my interest in this is genuine. Confucius lived, what, quite a bit B.C., right? well, the roman author that I was referring to lived around 0 B.C., give or take a 100 years. So it is impossible that one read the other's statement. Although it is a universal proverb/truth, I find it amazing that they nevertheless said something quite similar, don't u think?

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"Say i think u all need to chill out." (GAZ_NZ)

[Teamski]

M Hofbauer,

Don't forget about the widespread use by USAAF bomber crews of the steel pot helmet with the headset "flap" covers in conjunction with the cumbersome flak jacket.......

Jadayne:

Flight helemets (the soft types) have several functions:

1. To hold goggles in place

2. Houses radio headset

3. To hold the O2 mask in place

4. Covers the head and eyes from cold, fire, oil, etc..

For Kamikazes, they had to wear a helmet because as the plane got hit, oil, glass, fire, coolant enters the cockpit. Without protection, they wouldn't get to their targets. (I hope that this doesn't sound cold. The loss of so many pilots (and the US sailers!) in such a way is tragic, especially so late in the war.........)

-Ski

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"The Lieutenant brought his map out and the old woman pointed to the coastal town of Ravenoville........"

[pzvg]

Yes I think we all did go off on tangents there, oh well, no body no foul,

Hof, I only tried the thing on once, to see the point my Opa was making about seeing with it on, it's very uncomfortable.

(It was his helmet btw,)

As for the Confucious quote, note that mine is an americanized version, if someone has the orginal, please come forward with it, so we can do a comparison, As I'm aware of the Roman quote, but must note that during the time periods involved, there was no interaction between China and the West, possibly a case of great minds thinking alike? Who knows?

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Pzvg

"Confucious say, it is better to remain silent, and be thought a fool, than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt"