Brodie helmet
The Brodie helmet (colloquially known in German as the “plate helmet” due to its shape) is a steel helmet that was used by various armies.
It was primarily used by British troops (and other states dependent on the British Empire ) in the First and Second World Wars . But armies from other countries such as the US Army also used the helmet. The official designation was Helmet, steel, Mark I ( helmet, steel, version I ) in England and M1917 Helmet in the USA. The helmet was designed and patented in 1915 by the British John L. Brodie. Unofficial names for the Brodie helmet were shrapnel helmet , Tommy helmet , tin hat and in the USA also doughboy helmet .
production
The Mk I “Brodie” was manufactured from a steel plate in just one work step, a simple deep-drawing process . Great emphasis was placed on lining the Mk I with lining material, which was intended to dampen the transmission of the force of an impacting shell splinter to the head of the helmet wearer. Since the British soldiers had to wear steel helmets as an urgent matter, extensive tests to determine the protective effect of the Mk I were not carried out. The helmet only protected against shrapnel, but was comfortable to carry with a weight of 750 grams.
commitment
In November 1915, the Mk I “Brodie” was used for the first time in significant numbers at the front. Initially, only soldiers on the front lines received an Mk I. It was not uncommon for only one in ten soldiers in a British unit to have such a helmet in the months immediately following the introduction of the Mk I. When the US entered the war in 1917, they initially acquired Mk-I helmets from their British ally. Since the beginning of 1918, the USA has been producing its own type of helmet, the M1917, but it was only a variant of the Mk I.
After the First World War
From 1936 the Brodie helmet was equipped with an improved lining and an elastic rubber chin strap. This final variant was used until the end of 1940 and then replaced by the slightly modified MKII, which was used by the armed forces of Great Britain and those of other Commonwealth countries in World War II. During this time the helmet was also used in England by the police , fire departments and air raids. There was also a “civil” variant made of mild steel, which was also available to private individuals.
In 1944 the Brodie helmet was replaced by the heavily modified MKIII. The US Army used the M1917 helmet, with some modifications, until 1942. It was then replaced by a new model, the M1 helmet.
The Brodie helmet is still used today, for example in Pakistan .
Web links
- History of steel helmets on "world-war-helmets.com" (French)