The Brewster Body Shield or Brewster Body Armor was the first effective body

armor Armour (Commonwealth English) or armor (American English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, e ...

developed for the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, designed by Guy Otis Brewster from

Dover, New Jersey Dover is a town in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Located on the Rockaway River, Dover is about west of New York City and about west of Newark, New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the town's population was 18,4 ...

. During World War I, the United States developed several types of body armor, including the chrome nickel steel Brewster Body Shield, which consisted of a

breastplate A breastplate or chestplate is a device worn over the torso to protect it from injury, as an item of religious significance, or as an item of status. European In medieval weaponry, the breastplate is the front portion of plate armour covering th ...

and a headpiece and could withstand .303 British bullets at , but was clumsy and heavy at . A scaled

waistcoat A waistcoat ( UK and Commonwealth, or ; colloquially called a weskit) or vest ( US and Canada) is a sleeveless upper-body garment. It is usually worn over a dress shirt and necktie and below a coat as a part of most men's formal wea ...

of overlapping steel scales fixed to a leather lining was also designed; this armor weighed , fit close to the body, and was considered more comfortable.

Reference in film

An example of this armor appears in a scene of the 1970 Italian movie '' Many Wars Ago'', although it is mistakenly described as Fasina armor.

References

External links

Brewster Body Armor at Globalsecurity.org

Brewster Body Armor at Uncertain Times

Brewster Body Armor at 2pep
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brewster Body Shield Body armor World War I military equipment of the United States

Reference in film

References

Further reading

External links