Greetings,
I have a strange hobby. Actually, I have many strange hobbies but we'll talk about one of my legal ones now.
I collect helmets from the World Wars. I am fanatic about this; on the Saturday after the attack on the World Trade Center (Tuesday), I was on a flight from Poland to the U.S. that was complicated enough without the two Polish helmets I insisted on bringing back. (I got shook down by Polish, then later Danish soldiers because of this....) To celebrate my hobby, I put together a short quiz on the history of the helmet in modern warfare. Now don't worry; I'm not asking arcane details about models or chin strap designs. A general knowledge of modern military history will get you through this just fine. Give it a try!
1. Medieval combatants in Europe wore increasingly large amounts of body armor including helmets - with weights sometimes approaching 140 kg/300 lbs - but in the 16th and 17th centuries this trend suddenly reversed itself. Why?
2. At the same time as this trend reversal, European combatants began adopting extremely colorful uniforms. This 2nd trend persisted well into the 19th century, even through the standardization of military uniforms in Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries, stopping abruptly in 1914. Why?
3. After 400 years with minimal or no headgear (aside from decorative shakos and kepis), what compelled Europeans to clamor for helmets in the first few months of World War I?
4. What technological revolution in the 19th century had suddenly made helmets a necessity? (Related obviously to # 3)
5. What country was the first to introduce a modern steel helmet into military service in the modern era, in October 1915?
6. This country (not the same as in question # 5) had actually entered World War I with its soldiers wearing a leather helmet with a famously-recognizable design, though this parade helmet proved inadequate for modern warfare. What country and helmet was this?
7. The British in World War I adopted a helmet based on a common design from the Hundred Years War some 500 years earlier. This 500 year old saucer-shaped design showed the British soldier of the Great War faced what similar threat as the English soldier of 1400?
8. Italy, Russia, Serbia, and 9 other countries in World War I adopted the helmet from what country?
9. In sheer terms of military value, what helmet design of World War I (or which country's) was the most successful?
10. How many countries used the American-made helmet design in World War I?
11. The Germans developed a strange and unique camouflage for their helmets in World War I that proved very successful, and was even adopted by the Allies for their helmets, tanks and even ships. What was this camouflage?
12. In the 1920s and 30s, helmets were seen as objects of national pride in nationalism-soaked Europe, so that nearly every country designed their own unique helmets for their armies, with dramatic flairs, feathers, colorful designs, etc. However, the reality of modern war had sunk in enough by 1942 in another World War that almost all combatants adopted one of 4 dominant helmet designs in Europe. Indeed, two of these basic helmet designs would dominate the world's armies well into the 1980s. What four countries produced these helmets?
13. Although the World War I model was still used by some branches of the U.S. military as late as 1942, the U.S. began the introduction in early World War II of a steel helmet with a unique design feature that allowed American soldiers to use their helmets in ways no other soldiers could. What was this feature? (P.S. Modern American helmets no longer have this feature.)
14. True or false: With a very different fighting terrain to contend with than the European theater in World War II, the Japanese Imperial forces never adopted a steel helmet in their uniform.
15. The French Adrian helmet had been a staple for French forces from World War I until the defeat of 1940, and yet in 1945 De Gaulle did not continue it. Why?
16. What country in World War II went through 3 helmet designs?
17. For whatever their regular army helmets looked like in World War II, every countries' paratrooper helmets all looked similar, like overturned bowls with no edges. Why?
18. By the end of World War II many countries began to use plastic webbing in their helmet liners instead of leather. Why?
19. In the early 1990s, the U.S. introduced a completely new helmet design to replace its 1942-1989 model. This new design incorporated two experimental features that were revolutionary, one in a technical sense and the other in a political sense. What were these features?
20. Care to guess what the most sought-after 20th century helmet is by avid collectors, sometimes (depending on condition) going for up to $6000 USD at an auction?
21. Multiple choice: There is an entire worldwide industry based on helmets collected from:
A. Grandpa's attic
B. Excavators who use metal-detectors on old battlefields
C. Counterfeiters who fabricate popular helmets
D. Paramilitary survivalist wacko freaks
E. All of the above
Good luck folks! It really isn't as hard as it seems at first sight!
I have a strange hobby. Actually, I have many strange hobbies but we'll talk about one of my legal ones now.
I collect helmets from the World Wars. I am fanatic about this; on the Saturday after the attack on the World Trade Center (Tuesday), I was on a flight from Poland to the U.S. that was complicated enough without the two Polish helmets I insisted on bringing back. (I got shook down by Polish, then later Danish soldiers because of this....) To celebrate my hobby, I put together a short quiz on the history of the helmet in modern warfare. Now don't worry; I'm not asking arcane details about models or chin strap designs. A general knowledge of modern military history will get you through this just fine. Give it a try!
1. Medieval combatants in Europe wore increasingly large amounts of body armor including helmets - with weights sometimes approaching 140 kg/300 lbs - but in the 16th and 17th centuries this trend suddenly reversed itself. Why?
2. At the same time as this trend reversal, European combatants began adopting extremely colorful uniforms. This 2nd trend persisted well into the 19th century, even through the standardization of military uniforms in Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries, stopping abruptly in 1914. Why?
3. After 400 years with minimal or no headgear (aside from decorative shakos and kepis), what compelled Europeans to clamor for helmets in the first few months of World War I?
4. What technological revolution in the 19th century had suddenly made helmets a necessity? (Related obviously to # 3)
5. What country was the first to introduce a modern steel helmet into military service in the modern era, in October 1915?
6. This country (not the same as in question # 5) had actually entered World War I with its soldiers wearing a leather helmet with a famously-recognizable design, though this parade helmet proved inadequate for modern warfare. What country and helmet was this?
7. The British in World War I adopted a helmet based on a common design from the Hundred Years War some 500 years earlier. This 500 year old saucer-shaped design showed the British soldier of the Great War faced what similar threat as the English soldier of 1400?
8. Italy, Russia, Serbia, and 9 other countries in World War I adopted the helmet from what country?
9. In sheer terms of military value, what helmet design of World War I (or which country's) was the most successful?
10. How many countries used the American-made helmet design in World War I?
11. The Germans developed a strange and unique camouflage for their helmets in World War I that proved very successful, and was even adopted by the Allies for their helmets, tanks and even ships. What was this camouflage?
12. In the 1920s and 30s, helmets were seen as objects of national pride in nationalism-soaked Europe, so that nearly every country designed their own unique helmets for their armies, with dramatic flairs, feathers, colorful designs, etc. However, the reality of modern war had sunk in enough by 1942 in another World War that almost all combatants adopted one of 4 dominant helmet designs in Europe. Indeed, two of these basic helmet designs would dominate the world's armies well into the 1980s. What four countries produced these helmets?
13. Although the World War I model was still used by some branches of the U.S. military as late as 1942, the U.S. began the introduction in early World War II of a steel helmet with a unique design feature that allowed American soldiers to use their helmets in ways no other soldiers could. What was this feature? (P.S. Modern American helmets no longer have this feature.)
14. True or false: With a very different fighting terrain to contend with than the European theater in World War II, the Japanese Imperial forces never adopted a steel helmet in their uniform.
15. The French Adrian helmet had been a staple for French forces from World War I until the defeat of 1940, and yet in 1945 De Gaulle did not continue it. Why?
16. What country in World War II went through 3 helmet designs?
17. For whatever their regular army helmets looked like in World War II, every countries' paratrooper helmets all looked similar, like overturned bowls with no edges. Why?
18. By the end of World War II many countries began to use plastic webbing in their helmet liners instead of leather. Why?
19. In the early 1990s, the U.S. introduced a completely new helmet design to replace its 1942-1989 model. This new design incorporated two experimental features that were revolutionary, one in a technical sense and the other in a political sense. What were these features?
20. Care to guess what the most sought-after 20th century helmet is by avid collectors, sometimes (depending on condition) going for up to $6000 USD at an auction?
21. Multiple choice: There is an entire worldwide industry based on helmets collected from:
A. Grandpa's attic
B. Excavators who use metal-detectors on old battlefields
C. Counterfeiters who fabricate popular helmets
D. Paramilitary survivalist wacko freaks
E. All of the above
Good luck folks! It really isn't as hard as it seems at first sight!
