Quote:
Originally Posted by Silent Hunter UK
When was hard plate armour first fielded?
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American Revolution..... U.S. Navy..... some thought to helmets and breast plates for boarding party actions....... because who doesn't want 40+pounds of metal strapped to their torso while crossing a rope or ladder to an enemy vessel.
American Civil War....... Breast plates available by mail order catalog..... briefly considered, but not widely purchased for Cavalry.
WW1 Trench armor....... Breast plates........ fashionable and as effective as fog.
WW2 bomber waist gunners got something with metal plates...... since they didn't have to walk about......... I know of no anecdotal evidence or another kind.
Viet Nam..... Door gunners had a vest with overlapping plates. Again no evidence I am aware of..... Except that it was more effective sat on ........ to catch rounds coming up through the floor..... (more likely). Ummmmm "Chickenhawk" the autobiography may be where I am referencing this.
Mogadishu...... 1993...... 75th Ranger elements deployed with hard armor...... "Ranger Armor" because anything associated with Rangers must have Ranger in the title...... cannot reduce the cool factor by carelessly leaving that out.
Balkans...... 1998. ....... rumor mill is certain some units given Class IV police style SWAT vests........ no one of course had a camera.
Operation Clusterfu......... Iraqi Freedom......... Lottery.... some units have Interceptor body armor with plates......Some have Interceptor Body Armor (IBA)........... priority to Combat Arms in direct contact..... Most units.... including yours truly deployed with PASGT and received used and turned in IBAs with plates after eight months in country in counter ambush/counter IED patrolling or convoy escorts.
Ironically, U.S. National Guard.... funded differently and deployed differently were more likely to have IBAs with plates, PVS-14s instead of PVS-7bs, and next gen (smaller by half) SINCGARS.