MRC Body Armour

looking for any photographs which shows the Body Armour in Battle

 

99% worn it over there battle dress/smock, its a mistake < i think also in the Flak jacket book that it was only issued to glider pilots at arnhem, can tell too much of it as it will be my upcoming publication for next year

PS the one on the canadian site show the ther underfront plate a little to high, if you know what I mean, but maybe this one has a little one (hehe)

 

Is there any evidence that it used at D.Day, I could not find any, but maybe someone else have some photographs of it?

 

I watched a doc yesterday about DDay and one of the US vets being intereviewed (Speaking about the push inland) said something along the lines of:

'I don't if they were Glider Infantry or Paratroopers but they stripped the armour plates out of a glider and hung them over their chests and groin area and walked down the lane in attempt to draw sniper fire. One mounted a white horse and galloped up and down the lane until he was shot of the horse. They all disappeared and came back a while later stating that was one less sniper to worry about'

So if they wasn't issued it they certainly made their own by the sounds of it

 

Interesting, as there was no such armour plating in the gliders

 

I'll see if I can find the programme. It was on Sky.

Sorry, the channels not listed in the Radio Times.

It was either Disc. Knowledge, History or Military Channel. To be honest I can't even remember the name of the programme but it cover Falaise, Caen and some stuff about the 82nd and 101st hence the story. I just thought it a rather strange thing to do and it reminded me of the German on the white horse in Band of Brothers hence why it stuck in my failing memory

 

Body armour wasn't issued to Glider Pilots at all. So, definitely not used in Normandy. I have one story from a GPR vet who acquired armour from a paratrooper on Holland op.

Armour plating in gliders: US GPs did put armour plate on their seats.

Steve W.

 

Steve the Vet said It was armour taken from the glider itself... so I assume sheets of steel flooring or something similiar?

I remember in SPR that some gliders had armour inc some top brass glider that fell like a lead stone when released nr the LZ.

 

I have 3 GPs who mention the Body Armour, but anymore stories would be welcome Steve.

 

Drew

There wasn't standard armour plating in gliders because of the weight problem. The armour plating for the glider mentioned in SPR is a one-off. It was for US General Pratt.

Steve W.

 

Pratt by name hey ????

Well it was a vet that was recalling the story-Diane will back me up. We are both having trouble remembering what TV programme it was

 

No doubt it'll come on again soon, repeats eh? When it does we will be dashing to post the details - right Drew?



£1 bet who'll be first ?

 

I watched a doc yesterday about DDay and one of the US vets being intereviewed (Speaking about the push inland) said something along the lines of:

'I don't if they were Glider Infantry or Paratroopers but they stripped the armour plates out of a glider and hung them over their chests and groin area and walked down the lane in attempt to draw sniper fire. One mounted a white horse and galloped up and down the lane until he was shot of the horse. They all disappeared and came back a while later stating that was one less sniper to worry about'

So if they wasn't issued it they certainly made their own by the sounds of it

Thanks to Miss D I have sat through a documentary again called 'Day after D-Day' to bring you the following Veterans Account:

At a First Aid Station which served as a collection point for glider pilots Gale Ammerman, 325th Glider Infantry came upon a most unusual sight:

I'm not sure if these were paratroopers or glider infantry but these soldiers had taken the armour plate out of the gliders and hung em on their body and then got 'en up on top of a white horse and they were just riding down the middle of the road daring the snipers to shoot at em. A sniper did shoot at one of these people, hitting him in the body and knocking him off the horse but of course it didn't kill him cause he had the armour but his friends then took off across the field and we heard some shots later on and they came back, they said, 'Thats one sharp shooter we won't have to worry about anymore'.
Cheers Diane for steering me in the right direction and proving I didn't imagine it

Andy

ps I owe you a £1 !

 

Philip,

There's a picture of two Polish Paratrooper Medical Orderlies wearing them at Dreil during OMG page 591 in the book of the same title.

Regards
Andy

 

thanks Andy

 

"I'm not sure if these were paratroopers or glider infantry but these soldiers had taken the armour plate out of the gliders and hung em on their body."

I find this hard to believe. As I said above, there wasn't armour plate in gliders because of the weight problem. Since that post, I've read about one US GP who sat on an armoured plate he 'borrowed' from another aircraft.

Steve W.

 

Philip,

A rather good article I came across in 'British Army Uniforms and Insignia of World War Two'

 

I have the book, but thanks for keeping it up to date Drew