World War Two Uniforms and Equipment

World War II Uniforms: With so many different countries fighting in the war, Uniforms played a huge part. The typical neutral greens worn by British infantry soldiers were very much so distinguished from the dark blue/black uniforms that the Germans wore. Yet while the uniforms played a great deal in identifying ones friend, the uniforms also offered valuable protection.. Standard uniform did not just include the uniform clothes; equipment was issued with it as well. The following would be given to an infantry solider would include the following: Uniform, a helmet, a gas mask, a haversack, some combat boots, and an entrenching device. All of this was standard for an infantry troop to receive and would offer protection in Trench war fare. It was very important for each soldier to hang on to each piece of government issued clothing or accessorie just in case there wasn’t extra gear available.

The most protective out of all of these was the helmet, normally made of metal. These were introduced as standard throughout trench war fare in World War One for French soldiers as more and more people were reported dead through head wounds. The idea was then carried on through the Second World War. They were not meant to protect from bullets, but from shrapnel. The most common type of helmets for the allies was the Brodie helmet. Made out of steel, this helmet was designed by John L. Brodie and was used for most of the Second World War, with new versions coming out every few years. The Germans possessed the infamous Stahlhelm helmet, which translates to Steel Helmet. This replaced the old Pickelhaube helmets (spiked helmet) as it offered far more protection than the out of date helmets.

Because of gas warfare being used in the First World War, the Gas masks were issued as part of the standard uniform for soldiers, yet ironically no gas attacks were used, but due to the lack of preparation first time round, Allied troops wanted to be safer than sorry.

Finally, probably the most unusually named piece of equipment laid out with a uniform is the entrenching device. While the name sounds technical, all it referred to was a shovel for digging into the ground for cover from enemy troops. These were primarily used in the First World War, yet they were issued to Second World War troops to help dig out protection if needed from oncoming opposition.