WWI was the dawn of the modern age of warfare. The traditional calvary was facing its last stand as a new war machine made its first true battlefield appearance, the tank. This massive landship changed the face of battle. Some were complicated devices, prone to failure and exceedingly hard and dangerous to operate, with 8 member crews. The brave few who operated the tanks ran into challenges that had not been seen before, leading to the evolution of protective gear.
While a tank could protect its occupants from gunfire, the occupants were vulnerable when the bullets shattered against the hull. Lead fragments would slip through the vision slits and become hot, dangerous projectiles. To protect against this threat. A leather helmet was developed, with a toughened top, leather mask and an old favorite, chain mail, was used to protect the mouth and lower portion of the face. Chain mail made another appearance on some helmets, as a visor to protect soldier's eyes, but this lasted only a short time because it greatly impacted visibility.
Chain mail had been made obsolete in the fifteenth century because gunpowder rendered it ineffective, but the first world war gave it a second chance to save lives.
-Professor Walter
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