Second Hand News

British MRC Body Armor

Developed by the British medical research Council between 1940 and 1942 to equip frontline troops, issued in April of 1942. 1mm manganese steel – equivalent to a Brodie helmet, 1,6kg, three parts, covered in canvas. Protects from .38/200 rounds at 5m, from .45ACP rounds from a Thompson submachinegun at 90m, and from .303 British rounds at 640m. Although the initial order for this armor was originaly of 500000 units, only 200000 were made and 72000 issued due in part to sharing its material requirements with helmets, which were a much higher priority, and because it was found that

“Although well padded, [that they] tended to cut into the soft-skin areas of the body causing chafing, with the result that violent and rapid movements were significantly impaired. Moreover, it causes a man to perspire so profusely that his powers of endurance were affected.” – Simon Dunstan, Flak Jackets 20th Century Military Body Armour.

Their use although perhaps not as efficient as intended still gave soldiers a boost of confidence when part of the first line of assault, and the armor was used in the majority by airborne forces of the RAF where it protected their vitals from spalling and low-velocity shrapnel. This all took place in parallel with the private development of the Wilkinson M1 Flak jacket that was issued in 1943.

Naval Standard of Doge Domenico II Contarini from the Republic of Venice dated to the 17th Century on display at the Museo Correr in Venice

Doge Domenico II led the Republic of Venice and its allies the Kingdom of France, the Papal States, and the Knights of Malta in the ongoing campaign to recapture Crete. At the time it was under the control of the Ottoman Empire and the Barbary States supported in defending it.

It was predominantly a naval campaign and an attempt to revive the “Crusading Spirit” by the Papal States but the mid-17th century saw widespread war weariness, especially in Venice. The war cost 134 million ducats and over 30,000 lives.