African Entrepreneurship Record-Chapter 699 - 3: 1885 Defense Army Steel Helmet
In March, Ernst inspected the Guard Division troops, whose primary responsibility was the defense of the Central Province and First Town City, making it the most frequently inspected East African military unit.
During this visit to the Guard Division, the most noticeable change was the introduction of helmets for the first time in the East African military.
Therefore, Lidley, the commander of the 101st Guard Division, deliberately introduced Ernst to the origins and characteristics of this military helmet.
"Your Highness, this helmet is also known as the 1885 style, designed as a military steel helmet for the Defense Army to address the potential dangers posed by stray bullets and shrapnel to soldiers in battlefield environments during positional warfare."
The visor adopts the traditional German design, making the entire helmet body look quite similar to the traditional military helmet of the German region—a spiked helmet, with some similar features."
Ernst naturally knows what a spiked helmet is; it's a distinctive feature of the entire German region's military. A German Empire announcement of 1871 required all German troops to wear it, including police and firefighters.
The most prominent feature of the spiked helmet is the conspicuous "spike" on top. The primary saying about the sharp tip is that it was used by ancient Teutonic Knights and other European armies to wear and suspend decorations to distinguish branches of service.
There's also a saying that cavalry units could use it as a support for wearing feathers and horsehair. Additionally, adding a sharp tip can effectively divert aiming strikes directed at the head, as sabre duels were a conventional tactic during cavalry combat at the time.
German political and military figures like William II, Otto von Bismarck, and Paul von Hindenburg all favored being photographed wearing spiked helmets.
To Ernst, the spiked helmet possesses aesthetic appeal; at least in European armies, it greatly enhanced the "looks" of the German troops, appearing very splendid and dignified.
Of course, there are dissenting opinions, such as the famous German poet Heinrich Heine who considered the spiked helmet very extravagant and superficial. He specifically wrote a satirical poem, comparing the spiked helmet to a lightning rod: "Yes, yes, I like this helmet; it showcases the highest wisdom! The king's inspiration! I only fear when the storm hits, that romantic crown will attract lightning!"
Ernst, of course, did not comment on this. Such trivial matters did not require discussion. As a pragmatist, Ernst believed that the primary role of a helmet was to provide protection to soldiers on the battlefield.
And the spiked helmet couldn't achieve this. Until the outbreak of World War I, frontline German soldiers were horrified to discover that the spiked helmet provided almost zero protection.
In the brutal trench warfare, the leather helmet couldn't resist shell fragments and shrapnel, and worse, the gleaming spike became an ideal target for snipers.
To address this, in September 1915, the German military finally issued an order: The new helmet would no longer have a spike!
Subsequently, from 1916 onwards, the spiked helmet was officially replaced by a new German steel helmet. Although the new steel helmet did not look impressive, it provided better head protection from shell fragments. This single reform reduced the frontline German soldiers' head injury mortality rate by 70%.
Therefore, the spiked helmet was more decorative than functional, which related to its material composition. Early spiked helmets used leather as the main material, which naturally couldn't resist shrapnel fragments. Later, due to material problems, the spiked helmet was replaced with tin alloy, but tin's hardness was imaginarily as undesirable.
Indeed, regarding this point, Lidley specifically explained: "Our steel helmet drastically differs from the German region's spiked helmet in that it uses steel as the main material, boasting considerable hardness. Although it isn't as comfortable as the spiked helmet and looks relatively unattractive, it holds much greater practicality."
However, Ernst held a different view. People of this era liked flashy things; after all, unlike the material abundance of the past, this era's aesthetics favored colorful and vibrant displays.
For example, the "flower clothes" of the Far East Empire were considered very outdated in the 21st century but were seen as a status symbol in the old society.
Thus, Ernst said: "Don't disparage it. Among similar military helmets, I think our 1885-style Defense Army steel helmet is the best-looking. Do not compare it to the spiked helmet, which has more ornamental value than practical utility. Our primary goal is to achieve practical value, and in warfare, performance matters, not accessories."
Since the East African 1885 steel helmet referenced the spiked helmet's shape for its design, it didn't deviate in appearance, closely resembling the M35 helmet equipped by German forces in World War II.
This naturally contained Ernst's aesthetic influences, so Lidley's complaints amounted to a denial of Ernst's aesthetic tastes.
Of course, Ernst wouldn't make things difficult for him over such a trifling matter, and Lidley's words probably reflect the views of most East African soldiers of this era.
However, Ernst believed that as time went by, more and more people would embrace the 1885 Defense Army helmet's style, as it had been proven by past experiences.
"To enhance its comfort, we use a cotton-linen blend fabric for the lining, making it durable and more comfortable. The materials are domestically sourced from East Africa, including sisal and cotton from the southern cotton plantations (Matebel Province) in East Africa."
Sisal's advantage is its durability and good absorbency, while the cotton-made fabric combines softness.
But as Lidley mentioned, he was actually not very satisfied with the comfort of the 1885 Defense Army helmet. Compared to the spiked helmet or the previous military hats of the East African army, the steel helmet's mere weight felt uncomfortable, and the breathability was quite poor.
In East Africa's weather, wearing a steel helmet was actually uncomfortable, especially in the humid and hot Central Province defense area. If it were in highland regions, it might be more suitable, where the climate is cooler.
Moreover, the fierce wars the East African Defense Army had experienced over the years had not truly demonstrated the advantages of steel helmets, as they hadn't undergone trench warfare similar to that in WWI. The only actual combat was the previous East-Portuguese War, but at that time, Portuguese colonial troops had extremely low firepower, lacking artillery, not to mention rifles equipping all units, and machine guns were very rare.
"The design and production of the 1885 Defense Army helmet truly reflect the improvement in our military conditions. Without the explosion of East African steel production capacity, it wouldn't have been possible for our army to equip such steel helmets, including the improvements in East African cotton and sisal production volume," Lidley said.
Cotton is easy to discuss; supplying sisal for military use was indeed a result of East African sisal's continuous expansion in planting over the years.
Since East African sisal is an important export product, it is also applied in high-end fields such as East African currency, commodities, and special ropes. Even now, it's a premium economic crop supplying unmet demand.
The burst in steel production capacity is the main reason for the East African army's steel helmet equipment; ten years ago, East Africa didn't even have the basis for equipping steel helmets. This also includes advancements in East African steel smelting technology and forging technology among technical means.
The current 1885 Defense Army helmet also has many shortcomings, mainly due to technological inadequacies. The yield rate isn't high, and production is quite limited, only equipped by the Guard Division troops for now.
