Flak Jackets: Twentieth Century Military Body Armour

Osprey Men at Arms #157

by Simon Dunstan, Ronald Volstad (Illustrator)

Beginning in World War I, with the introduction of the steel helmet this book charts the development of protective equipment for soldiers and security forces. Initially body armour was seen as a military luxury that could be ill-afforded. However, the success of 'flak suits' as worn by some bomber crews during World War II convinced the armed forces of the need to develop protection for the ground soldier against small arms fire. The scientific development of the modern flak jacket is traced as are the field trials conducted in Korea and later Vietnam. Extensive illustrations and photographs accompnay the text.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Military Fiction, War

48 pages, Paperback

First published June 15, 1984

Reviews

[Filipe Amaral · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good introduction to modern body armour. The first part showing the origins of the steel helmet and modern metal body armor in the trenches of WWI is particularly interesting. The text is clear and the pictures are good (albeit in B&W only) and goes on through the different phases of the flak jackets. First in Korea, the first war with a widespread use of balistic jackets. The plates are as good as Osprey always does, including different eras such as a Senegalese artilleryman in Dien Bien Phu, Soviets in Afghanistan and the British SAS. My only complaint is that this subject was never revisited in the other series.