Jul 31 1917 During the Battle of Pilckem Ridge, war photographer Ernest Brooks takes this photo, IWM Q 2636, of three Irish Guards wearing German body-armour, examining a captured German machine-gun, at Pilckem.
Italiano: Copertina La Domenica del Corriere 30 Gennaio Cover La Domenica del Corriere #OTD Jan 30 1916 Company of death “La Comgagia della Morte”, Italy. Special patrols of infantry and engineers that dealt with barbed wire entanglements
During WWI, Italy developed body armour for the “Compagnie tagliafili” engineers tasked with cutting barbed wire. Due to their high losses they became known as the “Compagnie della morte” or Death Companies. Some of the armour was designed by an engineer, Farina.
Sometime in 1917, a German photographer takes this photo, IWM Q 88002, of a German stormtrooper, Sturmtruppen, on the Somme wearing Grabenpanzer body armour and Stahlhelm helmet. He is armed with two potato mashers-grenades or Stielhandgranate (German for “stick hand grenade”).
