Weapons
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Equipment
German infantry on the march, wearing the newly issued M1916 Stahlhelm hemet
Imperial War Museum (Q79467)
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Helmets (all nations)
Before the First World War settled down to trench warfare, practically every soldier went into battle in a linen hat or wool beret. Only a few units of the German army wore their Pickelhaube spiked helmets, which were made of leather and usually covered with a field grey cloth to protect them. The advent of trenches and artillery attacks witnessed a rise in head injuries, which the authorities could not ignore. The French were the first to issue steel helmets to their men in 1915, a last remnant of medieval metal armour that was to prove itself invaluable. The Casque Adrian, or M26, featured a wide comb that ran down the centre to add strength to the crown. The lives saved soon led to the other nations introducing combat helmets of their own. The British 'Steel Helmet Trench', or 1916 soup bowl 'Tin Hat', offered a wide brim and heavy gauge of steel to protect from falling debris, but little side protection. This 'Tommy Titfer' was also adopted by the Americans when they joined the war. Probably the best helmet was the M1916 German Stahlhelm, precursor to the shape more commonly connected with the Second World War. This design offered an angled deflecting brim that covered the back of the neck and ears.
Gas masks (all nations)
The initial use of poisonous gas in 1915 caused many casualties and widespread panic, but, as the arms race of measures and countermeasures continued, it wasn't long before the combatant nations were issuing gas masks to their troops to counter the new threat. The first sorry attempts included pad masks – made out of surgical dressings, and tied over the bottom half of the face with cords. These were sometimes dipped in soda water or even urinated on, to create better filters, but these were useless against most chemical attacks. The next issue was the chemical impregnated hood, a canvas bag holding two glass eye pieces and a small rubber tube for exhaling through. Soon, the Allies issued the Short Box Respirator, or SBR. This featured a facemask, elephant's-trunk-like breathing tube and a filter box containing charcoal and lime to combat poisonous particles. The French were the first to use a rubber mask (the Akron Tissot SBR), while the Germans had a similar leather design called a Lederschutzmaske, or leather combat mask. Even horses were equipped with gas 'nose bags'. Hot, uncomfortable and almost impossible to fight in, gas masks, by covering the face, removed the last vestige of any individuality a trench soldier had. The ominous image of men in masks remains a potent one.