I was wondering, is it possible for WW1 style helmets to be invented before 1900? I was just thinking that, since in gunpowder warfare head wounds are a problem, an earlier introduction might be beneficial.
I was wondering, is it possible for WW1 style helmets to be invented before 1900? I was just thinking that, since in gunpowder warfare head wounds are a problem, an earlier introduction might be beneficial.
Depends which kind of WWI helmet. The leather caps were pretty much useless, while the steel helmets required a lot of resources. What you really need for them is grenades. They were created not to deflect rifle shots (a head shot is an instant kill, no matter how awesome your helmet is), but to deflect light shrapnel from grenades, and artillery. So if you want to see helmets, have grenades continue to be used throughout the 1800s, instead of being reinvented in WWI.
Why did they quit using helmets? Early arquebusiers &c., used helmets. Just thinking of pictures i've seen, helmets were still in use into the 1500s. Maybe more reliable guns reduced the need of going hand-to-hand?