The first thing I think of when I see Adrian helmets is the Harlem Hellfighters, and not even the French. A seriously heroic unit- thank you for including them!
My Great grandfather was an officer in one of the colored regiments from New York city, he had incredible admiration for the troops he led and was life long friends with some of them for the rest of his life, I have wonderful memories of listening to him tell stories and showing us souvenirs, one being his helmet from his time over there, he passed at the age of 107 in 1973.
I read that when steel helmets were first introduced to the British army, it was noted that the number of head wounds being treated rose dramatically. Many high ranking command officers believed that the troops were stupidly sticking their heads up, believing the helmet made them invulnerable. It must be remembered that these same officers determined that fighter pilots should not have parachutes because they believed that cowardly pilots would bail out when faced with the enemy. Eventually it was determined, by the casualty figures, that there were more head wounds to treat because more soldiers were surviving hits that would have killed them without the helmets. The fatality rates went down while the head wounds treated, went up.
Re the parachutes: the 'cowardly pilots' attitude might have existed, but in any case there were no reliable models in production at the time and no room for them in the cockpits. Pilots themselves were mostly against.
Ah the infamous British Air Ministry letter. But was that the only reason or even the real reason? Nope. There was no practical way of getting a parachute into the cockpit of a WWI aircraft. You’re talking about a space smaller than most office chairs. The modern soft packable parachute wasn’t invented until after the war. The military certainly used parachute when practical. Almost all artillery sighting blimps and dirigibles were equipped with parachute.
Adrian was one of those people who got things done without all the posturing. I love stories of people like him! And his memorial fittingly has his lifesaving helmet atop it. We greatly appreciate your videos. Every day I check CZcams with an excitement that I haven’t experienced since I rushed home from school as a child to catch Star Trek reruns. 😊
Love this guy. Gets his facts right and just keeps coming up with information I have not encountered. Been a student of Military History for over sixty years and this is the first I have heard of the "Harlem Hellfighters'!
Its important to remember that many artillery rounds were set to explode overhead or in trees and so alot of shrapnel rained down from above to enter trenches etc
Let's Talk About Prepping the artillery had to land their shells in the enemy trench or have them explode above them, otherwise the shell fire was next to useless in dealing with the dug in enemy in their deep trenches.
The WWII and later fuse for artillery. Is a mechanical fuse that works on revolution of the projectile. Is still fairly expensive (as far as a projectile is concerned) to manufacture taking a lot machined parts. I do not know when it was developed or by whom. But, your intended target was important. So as to set for impact, air burst, or below the surface.
Not to mention all the rocks and debris thrown up into the air by exploding artillery rounds that impact the ground. All that stuff has to come down so best to have a good cover over your head.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel haha history guy! I often put ur playlists on "play all" and cast to.my tv....dude ur an ICREDIBLE story teller...modern day orator of Greek times....Shakespeare of our day...seriously dude...u are badass...I find myself at work where I am surrounded by 20 somethings that are 10 years younger than me and they love hearing me repeat your epic retellings. Thank you from a true fan! -Mike from CT
I sometimes wonder if these epithets are the result of wishful thinking, good for propaganda purposes, "Our guys are so good at their job and feared by their opponents that they've been given this respectful name". It's much easier for me to imagine being in the trenches and preparing to repel another assault by "those motherfuckers". But the headlines just don't have the same ring. MOTHERFUCKERS STRIKE AGAIN! Heroic attackers mown down in waves. Strike fear into the enemies hearts.
Michael Walton - Yeah Buddy!! Nicknames laid on soldier important. At 1st Army 9th Infantry Div reunion '56, Dad called Buddy, Geist, & Ace. Only 11 so asked why 3 names. Told tagged him Buddy at Basic, Geist (meaning ghost) by Germans, & Ace after downing 5 of his 6 planes w/BAR. Best friend sitting next to us added on last one, he ran up to crash landed Me-262 shooting pilot 20 times in chest to make sure as 3 GIs killed in his squad. All cheered, clapped, banged on their tables, and forever after called him ACE!!! Also found out he was the gunner who had taken the bridge over the Rhine at Remagen with his ammo carrier by themselves. Ace liquidated Germans on bridge, their combat engineers mining the bridge, and shot hell out of their set-ups corralling stragglers in RR tunnel at far end, using grenades after BAR melted. Rest of 1st Army also decided to violate their orders as well showing up 25 mins later to relieve him, having taken bridge costing us zero dead! I basically did whatever Dad, Buddy, Geist, or Ace said for the rest of his life...and still do just in case.........
@Rob Osborne Because this, like "devil dogs" for the USMC in WW1 and "fork-tailed devil" for the P-38 Lightning, is almost certainly the product of American propaganda. None of these sound like things a native speaker of German (of which I am one) would come up with, and documented coinages for enemy troops and weapons tend more often toward the humorous or familiar ("moaning minnies", "Jack Johnsons", "bouncing Betties", "Anzio Annie", "Stalin's organ", "doodlebugs", "Charlie", etc.)
My husband is from Gallatin County, in southeastern Illinois. Being the curious, history-lover that I am, I started asking questions about a building called The Old Slavehouse. It was owned by John Crenshaw and used to be a museum. It has been sold several times and has not reopened after a number of years. From what I can gather, slaves were held, and sometimes bred, there. Very interesting, considering Illinois was a free state. I heard they were still used as labor in the mines. Also heard it may have been a stop on the REVERSE Underground Railroad. I think your viewers would be interested in learning about this place as well, as it may open up a previously unrealized piece of American history. Can you enlighten us? Thank you for your efforts. Love your channel and have learned a lot here. That's why you come to you with this mystery.
This is how history needs to be taught in school and four years of it. Those who don’t know history are most easily misled by politicians and their promises.
There used to be an incredible WW1 display in the Imperial War Museum London. It hadn't been modernized and was just boards painted green and WW1 artefacts tightly packed together on them in big glass cases. The significance of each item was often huge too, Ludendorff's this, Mata Hari's that, Laurence Of Arabia's head dress and so on. There was a helmet that was either the prototype of the Adrian or the British army's first prototype, I can't remember. It was shaped like the Adrian but with no crest and a plainer shape. I'll never find out now, the display has been modernized, many of the exhibits taken to other sites. A truly incredible experience watered down for the sake of modernity.
I love History so much. I was an Archaeologist before I became disabled. I wish I could afford to become a Patreon supporter or patron, but I'm stretching every penny just to get by. Love your work. I never miss a video. Keep talking about the hats. That is amazingly interesting.
Same here degenerative espondilosis, I can bearly walk and the prescription pills got me numb! But every video of the HG makes my day! Like today with the toilet paper video! Corn in the cub to whip your rear end? That must to be painful and nasty!
@@JL-cn1qi let it be! The grammar issues are very common, the web has no punishment for grammar errors. Like me, is not my first language but I try to do my best. Kind regards from BC.
My love be of history and motivation to join the army was as a kid. The WW II vets giving me their old helmets, hats uniforms and canteens. Retired after 21 years and still love history. I get to share history now as an instructor. Keep up the great presentations.
One of my earliest and fondest memories was also instrumental in my love of history. At five years old my Father, an Uncle, and I traveled to Michigan in my Grandmothers giant 64 Pontiac to visit my Great Grandmother for the first and only time. In her attic was an old chest with a WWI U.S Army uniform & helmet. It seemed like I could suddenly teleport to 1918 France, the smell of the Uniform was like gunpowder and rain and wet earth. It was an amazing transformative moment that is still vivid in my mind for being forty years old now.
Thanks! That's also why I love history and the reason why I became an engineer. Too many past mistakes are forgotten and repeated. To solve most engineering problems, all you need do is look to the past.
Hi, History Guy! I just found this channel, and am blown away by the quality of your videos - history is so important and all too often forgotten. I wonder if you could make a video about the Rosenstrasse protests in Nazi Germany, where German wives of Jewish men stopped the deportation of their husbands in 1943. It was a very rare successful peaceful protest under Hitler's rule, and yet we hear very little about it in schools. Keep up the great work reminding us of all the history that deserves to be remembered!
@Arjen Zwamborn It's really amazing because the protest actually worked! The Jewish men were protected under a legal oddity that stated that German Jews married to non-Jewish Germans were not subject to the same discrimination as most others. I don't know how long this protection lasted, but I have read that the women were not punished for their protest.
ALL of our worst moments need to be remembered for not to repeat them. Anyone wishing to remove statues or change flags or whatever do a great disservice to their generation and those who follow. Thank you, History Guy.
I notice a fairly steady number of down votes, probably mostly (or entirely) trolls. I doubt there are many people who are actually interested in videos by somebody called The History Guy who do not like what they see. That is borne out in the comments - many or most viewers are serious fans.
I just became a patron because I view episodes every night before I fall asleep and I love history too. How about a playlist of history of all 50 states? Human stories are the must important part of history.
read the book about them...most of them woulda won the cmoh if they were in any other us.unit.....thats a whole different episode...ask the history guy maybe he will do a show about them ? Im sure he could tell you lotts cool facts about them..
You did a story about the Harlem Hellfighters before, did you not? I know I have seen and heard of them. I believe Ken Burns mentions them in his jazz docu-series, and I must have seen bits about them in at least one or two of the many WWI documentaries I’ve watched. They’re a fascinating story unto themselves, which is why I’m certain you’ve covered them.
If you're thinking that that Adrian helmet looks a bit like a firefighters' helmet, you're not wrong. Military surplus was given to fire and rescue during and after the war when forces were drawing down, and the Adrian helmet, as one of the most widespread designs, showed up in the arsenals of emergency services worldwide.
THG...you cannot know how I enjoy your presentations of History.....Always something new for me... Hoping you have a blessed 2019.......And thanks again for the CC
Dear Hostory Guy, I am addicted to your channel!Although my degree is in business, I love History too! I find myself in need of your help with something, a moment in history that I cannot find any information on how ever have personal experience with in my family. This is the oral history I have from my mother. My father enlisted in the US Marine Corps in 1957. Hos name was Arthur Raymond Gerard. He was born 4/4/40, Friendship, Wisconsin. He was a corporal, battlefield communications, Firdt Expeditionary Force, out of Camp Pendleton, CA. Sometime the fall of 1959, (? His init boarded a fleet of Navy ships and were delivered off the coast of Vietnam or Cambodia apparently in an effort to assist the French. Apparently as the story goes the French declined US assistace, and he was home and honorably discharged before the end of 1959. he and my mother were married on Christmas Eve 1959 three days after my mother's 17th birthday. He creditted the Marine Corps with changing and even defining his life and for having made him the man he was. I'd like to know more about this action. Ive been stonewalled and there's nothing on the internet about it. anything you can find out or anything you could tell me will be a blessing to me in understanding my own family history , sharing what my father experienced. Many thanks for what you do, julieannegerard@gmail.com Ps, would love to see more "fem" history from your delightful Mrs.
Excellent video, HG, but would like to add a small point for what it's worth. In many of the photos, people are seen with the helmet chin straps fastened under their chins. As a veteran of the US Army, the first thing you learn in training is never to fasten your chin strap in combat. If a shell explodes near you and even if it wasn't close enough to injure or kill you, your helmet could go flying off your head and if your chin strap is fastened your head will go with it. Another point is that under our helmets, we wore a helmet liner over which the "steel pot" fit. The liner was made of plastic and it had a strap suspension in it to cushion the helmet and adjust the size of the liner to fit your head size. In training, on the liner is worn. One of the uses for the steel pot was to hold your hot shaving water when you were on bivouac and had to shave in the morning.
I absolutely love history and the way you present the information. Whether you know it or not, you kind sir, are sowing a multitude of seeds of intrigue and interest. That...is AWESOME!
I’ve been reading Ernst Jünger’s “Storm of Steel” and in one chapter he mentions first seeing a soldier in a steel helmet in August of 1916. Had I not seen this first it would have been very confusing. Thanks History Guy!
I have truly witnessed your passion and love of history! Your brief statement of why you love history was understandable, but your body language, boyish excitement and influx in your voice illuminated your passion for history! And made many of us appreciate history even more! History is steeped with joy,sorrow, rewards, lose,innovation and so much more, and we can appreciate what they may have experienced and hopefully learn from it. If we do not remember history, we maybe cursed to relive it!
You said that 27,000 French troops were killed on a single day, and that it was the deadliest day for any army ever in history. Correct me if I'm wrong, but...On August 2, 216 BC the Romans lost nearly 80,000 men at the Battle of Cannae. Wouldn't that qualify as, if not the deadliest, at least deadlier? Either way, another great episode, as usual.
That is a fair comment. It is a challenge every time you say "first" or "most." The issue with Cannae is that casualty numbers from ancient times are difficult to determine, as period accounts tended towards hyperbole. Some modern estimates place Roman casualties at Cannae in the 10- 16,000 range.
The Roman victory over Boudicca also caused a similar number of casualties, but as stated, the actual number of casualties is very difficult to establish.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel- Large numbers seem to be problematic in the earlier years of civilization. Susan Wise Bauer, in The History of the Ancient World, quotes from an ancient "king list" of the Sumerians: "After kingship had descended from heaven, Alulim reigned 28,000 years as king; [his heir] Alalgar reigned 36,000 years." Since multiplication is only known to have been around for about 4000 years (around the time the king list was memorialized in clay) and multiplication was probably as abstruse as calculating pi is today, large numbers were probably guesses.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel I've always taken the 80k number with a grain of salt, but so too 10-16k, as they are both the extreme estimates. Most of the modern historians seem to estimate it at 45-55k, but of course, we'll never know. At least at the Battle of the Frontiers, we know how many died.
Hello History Guy! The videos about hats are fascinating and unique looks into history, and although some are much more storied than others, every one of them is unique. One that has caught my eye is a green combination cover (in the style of Navy Aviation working greens) with what looks like a Midshipman/Officer Candidate anchor as its emblem above the bill. I would love to know a little bit more about it, as I've never seen a hat like that with that emblem. Thanks!
bud knowitall - It's largely about the presentation. THG is a fine story teller. He doesn't just give dates and places, he gives the story behind the dates and places and he cares deeply about passing on understanding.
My go to these days for head gear is the World War 2 Jeep cap. Kind of the opposite of the helmet. It was made to go under the helmet and make it more comfortable. Made of soft knitted wool and sporting a brim, many soldiers took to wearing it in place of any other hat. I like them because they keep my head warm and the rain out of my eyes. If you don't know what I'm talking about, it's the kind of hat "Radar" O'Reilly wore on the TV series "MASH".
I always found the M1 steel pots we wore in the US Army to be uncomfortable and rather awkward when moving afoot at a hurried pace. No matter how snugly they fit over the helmet liner the steel pot had a tendency to move about sometimes to the detriment of the soldier wearing it due to the weight of it. But my time has been long past during my service in SE Asia and in the States which ended in December of 1973 when I was honorably discharged. They now wear the PASGT helmet and the variations made to it since that I believe are made of Kevlar and offer much more protection from bullets and shrapnel. Most armies around the world have since adapted a similar equipment design.
I started out in the Marine Corps with the M1 steel pot. I can tell you, I was one happy camper when I got the new helmet. It has gone through a few upgrades since then. From the M1, What a upgrade, You can't use it for bathing..... A Hell of a lot less headaches.
@@knutdergroe9757 Yes indeed I suspect so because they aren't likely as heavy as the M1 steel pots were. And I doubt you can use it to shave like we often did as well. I also like the design of the new modern helmets albeit upon their initial appearance seemed somewhat similar to the helmets worn by the Wehrmacht during WW II.
The much lighter weigh of the current tech helmets allows them to be better restrained with ergonomic chin straps...allows for security of the pot while dodging about in a hurry!
Both the Brordie and the M1 were dreadful helmets - running about and diving for cover a grunt would spend 90% of his concentration and effort keeping the helmet on his head and out of his line of sight. Ditto a lot of the other webbing/kit. Half the battle to survive a campaign was with their own issued kit.
@@roymerritt6992 The design was indeed based on the German stahlhelm that replaced the pickelhaube. (Ironically, while it's most famously associated with the Wehrmacht, the stahlhelm pattern was actually introduced in WW1, around 1917.) The US Army selected it because the Germans, being Germans, did much engineering study and determined the design that provided the optimum protection to the head. One change that has happened to the design since being adopted for US service is that the back of the helmet has been shaved down about a half-inch, as it was found that while it was optimally shaped for a standing soldier, it dug uncomfortably into the neck of a prone soldier and/or limited his ability to raise his head to look for (and shoot) enemies; the decision was made that the slight reduction in protection when standing was worth the improved utility when prone.
The Calotte helmet reminds me of those warn by the landsknechts under their hats during the Renaissance and were known as secrets. Can I just point out that the US copied the kepi from the French. I know that is not what you intended to say but I just want to clarify. Before the American Civil War at least one French unit toured America giving a matching display and many people were so impressed by it that local troops were given similar uniforms to those warn by the French. The uniform itself was a copy of the Algerian Zouave's
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel This is true. I was just pointing out the American origins of its use in order to clarify the situation. As Algeria was under French control that is where they copied the style from.
Thank you. A granddaughter of WW1 American hero: Medal of Honor, Croix de Guerre, and Distinguished Silver Service medals. Served as National Park Service historian after graduating in English, history and secondary education. Your universal appeal for everyone is priceless. Thank you with all my heart.
It's crazy how me, a french guy, have to look for foreign sources about a french General... Sad to see french people know so little about Louis Auguste Adrian. Thanks a lot for your content, really good quality videos !
Google Patreon issues, or put it into the search engine here and there is a LOT of information, which is very alarming and worth becoming informed about
They have been randomly ejecting people for supposed "Violations of the Terms of Service" on new things they invent. They are caving to some liberal nut jobs who value THEIR free speech but not those they disagree with...so a handful of various Patrons have lost their funding thanks to Patreon caving to these nutjobs. I'm not into these crazy political correctness/overreactions...and if a funding site is going to play that sort of selective banning, I won't line their wallets.
As they say if you don't remember history then we're doomed to repeat it. You sir provide an invaluable service to us all. I find it enjoyable these snippets of historical significance you feed us. A salute to you.
In the 70's when I was a kid an old widow woman that lived across the street from me had worked at US Steel in Pittsburgh (We lived about 50 miles south) before the war as a metallurgist on the team that did the testing on different grades of steel to determine which one would be used for the M1941 helmet, we were still using the evolved M1 variation when I was in the Army in the 80's.
Have you ever covered the 1951 Mass Ergotism outbreak that happened in the town of Pont St. Esprit, France?? It was covered in a 1968 book titled "The Day of Saint Anthony's Fire" by John Grant Fuller, Jr. (where I 1st read about it) over 250 townsfolk fell victim to the poisoning, Just a suggestion,, Love the series, I always come away with some new tidbit of history I had not known before.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel Sir, I had thought there was a connection with this and the Salem Witch Trials where Ergo poisoning from bad wheat flour that had the afla toxin in it that caused people to act strangely. Think PBS had a show on it many moons ago. As the story goes, then this incident in France was followed by the CIA creating LSD from this discovery. So, I guess it was put to work for the Devil in the end...
Must be frustrating. I have my great grandfathers WW2 helmet even still has his captain insignia. During his last years i asked what he was going to do with his things from the war after he passed. Said he wanted me to have it as he knows how much i appreciate history and that I'd appreciate it the most. He passed 2-3 years ago and i still have it on display in my bedroom. Was a VERY peaceful man and the war gave him extremely bad PTSD all his life so he spoke very little about the war until his 80s-90s
In addition to Adrian, Friedrich Schwerd and Dr. August Bier, inventors of the German Stahlhelm helmet, should also share in the honors for helping to protect soldiers from splinter wounds. I'd argue they were the most important since the design elements Stahlhelm helmet, in its many revisions, continues to be used today by most western armies. The Adrian helmet was really a technological dead end by comparison.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel Good deal. In terms of military history, there aren't many things that have been as influential for the foot soldier as the stahlhelm.
The ancient Greeks also had pretty good helmets. In a way, the Greeks did most of the R&D for metal helmet. I think Corinthian styled helmets offer the most protection.
@Dave A. Thanks for the link. I watched the interview, and concur with your opinion of Montalban. The interview also reminded me of how annoying Letterman is.
It was over by Christmas only problem is it was Christmas 1918,4 yrs later than originally anticipated and just in time for the Spanish flu outbreak which killed more people than the war itself!
As always, a wonderful feature. You do such an awesome job of making history relatable and understandable for people who might find those bygone days a little difficult to comprehend. It's also wonderful that you relate so many stories like that of General Adrian, stories of life-changing or life-saving innovation with a profound and immediate impact. We need to inspire that kind of thinking more these days, I think.
He is buried at Genêts in Normandy, overlooking the Bay of Mont StMichel. There is also a monument to him, topped with one of his helmets. A beautiful corner of France with much to see.
Please do a presentation of Ida B. Hayes, an African American reporter who specialized in Lynchings and calling Woodrow Wilson to task about firing, demoting and segregating African Americans. The African American Unit fighting under French Command ought be heralded in February. Thanks for the exclusive presentation from your value added Patreon presentations.
Thinking “The war will be over by Christmas” is always ridiculed. It was a perfectly rationale idea. We have the benefit of hindsight. The men who planned and fought in 1914 did not. The most recent example of a great European war was the Franco-Prussia War of 1870-1871, which is virtually unknown in the US. That war lasted only 6 months. It was a war involving massive movement of men by trains, And had battles of maneuvering and encirclement. The war also saw the defeat, surrender and capture of Emperor Napoleon III of France. The Proclamation of the establishment of The German Empire, which was announced in the French Palace of Versailles. The payment by France to Germany of a 5 Billion Franc indemnity. Lose of 2 French provinces. WWI was the direct result of the France’s desire revenge for the Franco-Prussian defeat. The Treaty of Versailles was a mirror copy of the “insult” inflicted upon the French after the Franco-Prussian war.
It is hard to blame France for the first overt act: the German incursion into Belgium. Even the French had backed away from the border. I doubt we can really know what led to the war. Certainly the web of tensions drove the preparations and the expectations of using them. One thing is clear, though: none of the nations expected the sort of horror it became and then none of them could afford to withdraw.
I think some of the British would have expected a slightly longer engagement. They had been fighting a long drawn out battle with the Boers just a few years before.
@@flagmichael If you are up to reading a few hundred pages, well almost 700 (but extremely well written!) pages, Robert Massey's "Dreadnought" does a decent job of laying out the political twists and turns that led up to the war.
Well the reason the French lost was because all the mass movement of men in trains and movements of encirclement were done by the germans and not the technically capable
Any one that served in the army or Marine Corps had a love/hate relationship with their 'brain buckets.' The steel helmet and liner that we Americans wore until they were replaced by the one piece kevlar helmets were both hated and loved. On hot days, it would seem as if your brain was being cooked and it weighed 20 pounds. But the versatility of it was awesome. You could shave in it, carry water in it like a bucket, heat water in it and even soak your feet if they were small enough. Never saw combat with one on, but during demolition exercises, more than once, helmets saved my noggin from blast fragments. Great and interesting part of history. Thank you!
What is the possibility of getting the history on the German helmet??? I hear they put more engineering into the final product... some of which the US incorporated after WWII...?
One of the best general resources for German stahlhelms is www.german-helmets.com/index.html A very useful article and provides some very good information on specific helmets is “The stahlhelm in Latin America after WWII”. wwiiafterwwii.wordpress.com/2016/03/07/the-stahlhelm-in-latin-america-after-wwii/
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel Consider looking for WWI German Gear outside of Germany, as they melted down much of their history during WWII. Former Colonies or Former Colonies of Germanies Enemies would be more likely to have battered examples ...
I did not realize this. There hard hats made in this design there not metal anymore. I owe my life to Louis Adrian also or that 3 lb. nut that was cut off with a cutting torch 2 stories up would have gone through my head when it hit my hard hat and melted a big chunk out of it . thanks for the video.
@@cdjhyoung These are the only comments I routinely read anymore. Not only the civility, but there are usually tidbits of information that might lead me to further explorations of a historical topic.
May I make a request for an episode on President Eisenhower? Two good reasons for this. First, he was an incredibly accomplished man. Second, it would be a good reminder of the type of person we need in the highest office of the land. He was well liked and respected by most members of both parties.
The first thing I think of when I see Adrian helmets is the Harlem Hellfighters, and not even the French. A seriously heroic unit- thank you for including them!
My Great grandfather was an officer in one of the colored regiments from New York city, he had incredible admiration for the troops he led and was life long friends with some of them for the rest of his life, I have wonderful memories of listening to him tell stories and showing us souvenirs, one being his helmet from his time over there, he passed at the age of 107 in 1973.
WOW 🙂
I hope he wrote about his experiences.
What a treat to be able to hear those tales. RIP
I read that when steel helmets were first introduced to the British army, it was noted that the number of head wounds being treated rose dramatically. Many high ranking command officers believed that the troops were stupidly sticking their heads up, believing the helmet made them invulnerable.
It must be remembered that these same officers determined that fighter pilots should not have parachutes because they believed that cowardly pilots would bail out when faced with the enemy.
Eventually it was determined, by the casualty figures, that there were more head wounds to treat because more soldiers were surviving hits that would have killed them without the helmets. The fatality rates went down while the head wounds treated, went up.
Macnutz420 you're correct about the head wound issue. Lindybeige has a video on his YT channel about this.
Re the parachutes: the 'cowardly pilots' attitude might have existed, but in any case there were no reliable models in production at the time and no room for them in the cockpits. Pilots themselves were mostly against.
I will have an episode out on the Brodie helmet eventually.
Ah the infamous British Air Ministry letter. But was that the only reason or even the real reason? Nope.
There was no practical way of getting a parachute into the cockpit of a WWI aircraft. You’re talking about a space smaller than most office chairs. The modern soft packable parachute wasn’t invented until after the war. The military certainly used parachute when practical. Almost all artillery sighting blimps and dirigibles were equipped with parachute.
r w - Yet the Captain of a sea faring ship, goes down with his ship.
Adrian was one of those people who got things done without all the posturing. I love stories of people like him! And his memorial fittingly has his lifesaving helmet atop it.
We greatly appreciate your videos. Every day I check CZcams with an excitement that I haven’t experienced since I rushed home from school as a child to catch Star Trek reruns. 😊
.23 "A solider without their head is not very useful". LOL!!! Such an understatement.
They just put a jar on it and call him a Marine!
@@patrickbutler4894 he aint wrong
Hahaha that was funny! If it say the proper and right words then the liberals will put over a10000 dislikes.
Love this guy. Gets his facts right and just keeps coming up with information I have not encountered. Been a student of Military History for over sixty years and this is the first I have heard of the "Harlem Hellfighters'!
Its important to remember that many artillery rounds were set to explode overhead or in trees and so alot of shrapnel rained down from above to enter trenches etc
Let's Talk About Prepping the artillery had to land their shells in the enemy trench or have them explode above them, otherwise the shell fire was next to useless in dealing with the dug in enemy in their deep trenches.
@@neildahlgaard-sigsworth3819 It was done by a simple fuse setting but I don't know when that was developed.
They had simple black powder and percussion Artillery fuses in the Civil War.
The WWII and later fuse for artillery. Is a mechanical fuse that works on revolution of the projectile. Is still fairly expensive (as far as a projectile is concerned) to manufacture taking a lot machined parts.
I do not know when it was developed or by whom.
But, your intended target was important. So as to set for impact, air burst, or below the surface.
Not to mention all the rocks and debris thrown up into the air by exploding artillery rounds that impact the ground. All that stuff has to come down so best to have a good cover over your head.
Logistics Win and Lose Wars. Quartermasters and supply officers are a lot more important in War than they are given credit for.
Amateurs talk tactics, professional talk logistics.
Supply guy = everyone's best friend
An army marches on its stomach.
As you said, an army fights on its stomach and rolls on petrol.
It helps that he was a smart general, as opposed to some of the blithering idiots commanding the troops.
The history guy is literally my hero....just wish more young people nowadays would be interested in where we've been
Awww, shucks.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel haha history guy! I often put ur playlists on "play all" and cast to.my tv....dude ur an ICREDIBLE story teller...modern day orator of Greek times....Shakespeare of our day...seriously dude...u are badass...I find myself at work where I am surrounded by 20 somethings that are 10 years younger than me and they love hearing me repeat your epic retellings. Thank you from a true fan!
-Mike from CT
When your enemies give you a badass nickname...!😎👍
I sometimes wonder if these epithets are the result of wishful thinking, good for propaganda purposes, "Our guys are so good at their job and feared by their opponents that they've been given this respectful name". It's much easier for me to imagine being in the trenches and preparing to repel another assault by "those motherfuckers". But the headlines just don't have the same ring. MOTHERFUCKERS STRIKE AGAIN! Heroic attackers mown down in waves. Strike fear into the enemies hearts.
@@vitabricksnailslime8273 It just doesn't have the same ring in German...
Michael Walton - Yeah Buddy!! Nicknames laid on soldier important. At 1st Army 9th Infantry Div reunion '56, Dad called Buddy, Geist, & Ace. Only 11 so asked why 3 names. Told tagged him Buddy at Basic, Geist (meaning ghost) by Germans, & Ace after downing 5 of his 6 planes w/BAR. Best friend sitting next to us added on last one, he ran up to crash landed Me-262 shooting pilot 20 times in chest to make sure as 3 GIs killed in his squad. All cheered, clapped, banged on their tables, and forever after called him ACE!!! Also found out he was the gunner who had taken the bridge over the Rhine at Remagen with his ammo carrier by themselves. Ace liquidated Germans on bridge, their combat engineers mining the bridge, and shot hell out of their set-ups corralling stragglers in RR tunnel at far end, using grenades after BAR melted. Rest of 1st Army also decided to violate their orders as well showing up 25 mins later to relieve him, having taken bridge costing us zero dead! I basically did whatever Dad, Buddy, Geist, or Ace said for the rest of his life...and still do just in case.........
@Rob Osborne Because this, like "devil dogs" for the USMC in WW1 and "fork-tailed devil" for the P-38 Lightning, is almost certainly the product of American propaganda. None of these sound like things a native speaker of German (of which I am one) would come up with, and documented coinages for enemy troops and weapons tend more often toward the humorous or familiar ("moaning minnies", "Jack Johnsons", "bouncing Betties", "Anzio Annie", "Stalin's organ", "doodlebugs", "Charlie", etc.)
mebsrea u forgot "der wienerschnitzels"
My husband is from Gallatin County, in southeastern Illinois. Being the curious, history-lover that I am, I started asking questions about a building called The Old Slavehouse. It was owned by John Crenshaw and used to be a museum. It has been sold several times and has not reopened after a number of years. From what I can gather, slaves were held, and sometimes bred, there. Very interesting, considering Illinois was a free state. I heard they were still used as labor in the mines. Also heard it may have been a stop on the REVERSE Underground Railroad. I think your viewers would be interested in learning about this place as well, as it may open up a previously unrealized piece of American history. Can you enlighten us?
Thank you for your efforts. Love your channel and have learned a lot here. That's why you come to you with this mystery.
This is how history needs to be taught in school and four years of it. Those who don’t know history are most easily misled by politicians and their promises.
Having been in the military for 8 years, I've seen behind the curtain. I'm not drawn to battle discussion. I did enjoy this though. Thank you.
Mr. THG, you are educating me everyday with such enthusiasm and an obvious love of history, it's contagious. Thank you. 😊
There used to be an incredible WW1 display in the Imperial War Museum London. It hadn't been modernized and was just boards painted green and WW1 artefacts tightly packed together on them in big glass cases. The significance of each item was often huge too, Ludendorff's this, Mata Hari's that, Laurence Of Arabia's head dress and so on. There was a helmet that was either the prototype of the Adrian or the British army's first prototype, I can't remember. It was shaped like the Adrian but with no crest and a plainer shape. I'll never find out now, the display has been modernized, many of the exhibits taken to other sites. A truly incredible experience watered down for the sake of modernity.
@Charles Yuditsky Ummmm, it wasn't them ones. Do you think they would be the only prototypes?
I love History so much. I was an Archaeologist before I became disabled. I wish I could afford to become a Patreon supporter or patron, but I'm stretching every penny just to get by. Love your work. I never miss a video. Keep talking about the hats. That is amazingly interesting.
Frank Nolan Same here (car crash + illness)...
😔
Same here degenerative espondilosis, I can bearly walk and the prescription pills got me numb! But every video of the HG makes my day! Like today with the toilet paper video! Corn in the cub to whip your rear end? That must to be painful and nasty!
This is the only channel on CZcams I feel like my brain gets an exercise every morning and for that..... I thank you Sir! Excellent work!
AGREED!!!!!!
Now,,,, can someone do something about our FUKING TV PROGRAMMING...MY FUKIN GOD ALREADY
@@bradl.2599 Yes, pronto ! Its already starting to affect your spelling.
😉 Me too!, ..I agree👍he's fricken awesome🤗
@@JL-cn1qi let it be! The grammar issues are very common, the web has no punishment for grammar errors. Like me, is not my first language but I try to do my best. Kind regards from BC.
A piece of authentic history is alway's nice to have around the house, They have a an aura of their own.
Again, THG, an excellent episode but an even greater summary. Thanks
My love be of history and motivation to join the army was as a kid. The WW II vets giving me their old helmets, hats uniforms and canteens. Retired after 21 years and still love history. I get to share history now as an instructor. Keep up the great presentations.
You're such a wonderful story teller. Thanks for this and all the other episodes!
You style and delivery remind me of the late John Chancellor of NBC and the Voice of America. Excellent and very professional !
John Chancellor was one of the best.
One of my earliest and fondest memories was also instrumental in my love of history. At five years old my Father, an Uncle, and I traveled to Michigan in my Grandmothers giant 64 Pontiac to visit my Great Grandmother for the first and only time. In her attic was an old chest with a WWI U.S Army uniform & helmet. It seemed like I could suddenly teleport to 1918 France, the smell of the Uniform was like gunpowder and rain and wet earth. It was an amazing transformative moment that is still vivid in my mind for being forty years old now.
Thanks! That's also why I love history and the reason why I became an engineer.
Too many past mistakes are forgotten and repeated. To solve most engineering problems, all you need do is look to the past.
Thank you for another slice of history and great work
Hi, History Guy! I just found this channel, and am blown away by the quality of your videos - history is so important and all too often forgotten. I wonder if you could make a video about the Rosenstrasse protests in Nazi Germany, where German wives of Jewish men stopped the deportation of their husbands in 1943. It was a very rare successful peaceful protest under Hitler's rule, and yet we hear very little about it in schools.
Keep up the great work reminding us of all the history that deserves to be remembered!
I second that - I had not heard of the incident.
I got taught about it in school but I don't guess many outside of germany do know about it
@Arjen Zwamborn It's really amazing because the protest actually worked! The Jewish men were protected under a legal oddity that stated that German Jews married to non-Jewish Germans were not subject to the same discrimination as most others. I don't know how long this protection lasted, but I have read that the women were not punished for their protest.
i have been listening to podcasts on the first world war. I am grateful that you put this on CZcams. thank you
ALL of our worst moments need to be remembered for not to repeat them. Anyone wishing to remove statues or change flags or whatever do a great disservice to their generation and those who follow.
Thank you, History Guy.
2 down votes? Must be from 2 guys with serious head wounds! Should have worn their helmets!
I notice a fairly steady number of down votes, probably mostly (or entirely) trolls. I doubt there are many people who are actually interested in videos by somebody called The History Guy who do not like what they see. That is borne out in the comments - many or most viewers are serious fans.
johnnyp pi ah you mean 11 people
@@Mgl1206 I raise you 2!
@@1953Johnnyp We apparently are getting two to five brain damaged viewers per hour. Up to 20 as of this moment.
@@dobypilgrim6160
Make that 21 head injuries.
Thanks for the morning history lesson!
I just became a patron because I view episodes every night before I fall asleep and I love history too. How about a playlist of history of all 50 states? Human stories are the must important part of history.
Excellent presentation saluting a fine man with great foresight in saving the lives of many front - line soldiers. A great post.
Wow.... THE HARLEM HELL FIGHTERS” ! Thank you I learned something today 🤗! Thank you History Guy 🤙🏽🤙🏽.
Dude, I didn't know the French nicknamed there unit "the men of bronze"! That's pretty cool...
That's another movie waiting to be made
read the book about them...most of them woulda won the cmoh if they were in any other us.unit.....thats a whole different episode...ask the history guy maybe he will do a show about them ? Im sure he could tell you lotts cool facts about them..
After watching this, here's my question/request.
When ARE you going to do a piece about the Harlem Hell Fighters?
You did a story about the Harlem Hellfighters before, did you not? I know I have seen and heard of them. I believe Ken Burns mentions them in his jazz docu-series, and I must have seen bits about them in at least one or two of the many WWI documentaries I’ve watched. They’re a fascinating story unto themselves, which is why I’m certain you’ve covered them.
This is a fantastic channel. You should have a million subscribers.
Who can not love this stuff??? Great story...
If you're thinking that that Adrian helmet looks a bit like a firefighters' helmet, you're not wrong. Military surplus was given to fire and rescue during and after the war when forces were drawing down, and the Adrian helmet, as one of the most widespread designs, showed up in the arsenals of emergency services worldwide.
THG...you cannot know how I enjoy your presentations of History.....Always something new for me... Hoping you have a blessed 2019.......And thanks again for the CC
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I sure am glad you did get interested in history, because you're marvelous! Always great work and narration-THANKS!
Dear Hostory Guy,
I am addicted to your channel!Although my degree is in business, I love History too!
I find myself in need of your help with something, a moment in history that I cannot find any information on how ever have personal experience with in my family.
This is the oral history I have from my mother. My father enlisted in the US Marine Corps in 1957. Hos name was Arthur Raymond Gerard. He was born 4/4/40, Friendship, Wisconsin. He was a corporal, battlefield communications, Firdt Expeditionary Force, out of Camp Pendleton, CA.
Sometime the fall of 1959, (? His init boarded a fleet of Navy ships and were delivered off the coast of Vietnam or Cambodia apparently in an effort to assist the French.
Apparently as the story goes the French declined US assistace, and he was home and honorably discharged before the end of 1959. he and my mother were married on Christmas Eve 1959 three days after my mother's 17th birthday.
He creditted the Marine Corps with changing and even defining his life and for having made him the man he was.
I'd like to know more about this action. Ive been stonewalled and there's nothing on the internet about it. anything you can find out or anything you could tell me will be a blessing to me in understanding my own family history , sharing what my father experienced.
Many thanks for what you do,
julieannegerard@gmail.com
Ps, would love to see more "fem" history from your delightful Mrs.
Those that forget history are doomed to repeat it. Thank you and happy new year.
Amazing stories. Thanks for making them.
Anytime troops are told "You'll be home by Christmas" it's almost invariably a lie.
More like; if you write your letter in time it will be home for Christmas.
There is nothing more evocative than someone's hat, I'd love to try on all those old caps.
You can take the seemingly most insignificant thing and turn it into the most significant thing! Amazing. Thanks!
You Sir, are a national treasure!
I Agree! 😉..he is awesome🤓👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Thanks for the informative videos they are extremely educational and you make them interesting to watch.
THG you are the absolute best. Absolutely.
Fascinating! Thank you.
Wow! Another great story H.G.-thank you/
EXCELLENT as usual. THANKS!
Excellent video, HG, but would like to add a small point for what it's worth. In many of the photos, people are seen with the helmet chin straps fastened under their chins. As a veteran of the US Army, the first thing you learn in training is never to fasten your chin strap in combat. If a shell explodes near you and even if it wasn't close enough to injure or kill you, your helmet could go flying off your head and if your chin strap is fastened your head will go with it. Another point is that under our helmets, we wore a helmet liner over which the "steel pot" fit. The liner was made of plastic and it had a strap suspension in it to cushion the helmet and adjust the size of the liner to fit your head size. In training, on the liner is worn. One of the uses for the steel pot was to hold your hot shaving water when you were on bivouac and had to shave in the morning.
I absolutely love history and the way you present the information.
Whether you know it or not, you kind sir, are sowing a multitude of seeds of intrigue and interest. That...is AWESOME!
Finally got off my bu++ and became a patron. :o) Thank you for making history so much fun!
That portrait at 7-22 is of Winston Churchill who had one of these Adrian helmets while he was at the front with the British Army in 1916.
I’ve been reading Ernst Jünger’s “Storm of Steel” and in one chapter he mentions first seeing a soldier in a steel helmet in August of 1916. Had I not seen this first it would have been very confusing. Thanks History Guy!
I have truly witnessed your passion and love of history! Your brief statement of why you love history was understandable, but your body language, boyish excitement and influx in your voice illuminated your passion for history! And made many of us appreciate history even more! History is steeped with joy,sorrow, rewards, lose,innovation and so much more, and we can appreciate what they may have experienced and hopefully learn from it. If we do not remember history, we maybe cursed to relive it!
You said that 27,000 French troops were killed on a single day, and that it was the deadliest day for any army ever in history. Correct me if I'm wrong, but...On August 2, 216 BC the Romans lost nearly 80,000 men at the Battle of Cannae. Wouldn't that qualify as, if not the deadliest, at least deadlier?
Either way, another great episode, as usual.
That is a fair comment. It is a challenge every time you say "first" or "most." The issue with Cannae is that casualty numbers from ancient times are difficult to determine, as period accounts tended towards hyperbole. Some modern estimates place Roman casualties at Cannae in the 10- 16,000 range.
The Roman victory over Boudicca also caused a similar number of casualties, but as stated, the actual number of casualties is very difficult to establish.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel- Large numbers seem to be problematic in the earlier years of civilization. Susan Wise Bauer, in The History of the Ancient World, quotes from an ancient "king list" of the Sumerians: "After kingship had descended from heaven, Alulim reigned 28,000 years as king; [his heir] Alalgar reigned 36,000 years." Since multiplication is only known to have been around for about 4000 years (around the time the king list was memorialized in clay) and multiplication was probably as abstruse as calculating pi is today, large numbers were probably guesses.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel I've always taken the 80k number with a grain of salt, but so too 10-16k, as they are both the extreme estimates. Most of the modern historians seem to estimate it at 45-55k, but of course, we'll never know. At least at the Battle of the Frontiers, we know how many died.
The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered m
Please do the history of the Harlem Hell Fighters I'm sure it has some great little known stories.
See www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-46596066/harlem-hellfighters-the-black-soldiers-who-brought-jazz-to-europe
Wonderful! We're shown that there's ALWAYS something more to learn about historic times we think we know all about. Thank you, THG!
Very glad you are who you are. Your passion is just what a curious mind needs to stay active!
Hello History Guy! The videos about hats are fascinating and unique looks into history, and although some are much more storied than others, every one of them is unique. One that has caught my eye is a green combination cover (in the style of Navy Aviation working greens) with what looks like a Midshipman/Officer Candidate anchor as its emblem above the bill. I would love to know a little bit more about it, as I've never seen a hat like that with that emblem.
Thanks!
That is a cap for the Naval Aviation cadet program. I may have an episode on the program sometime.
Thank you! I'll wait for that episode with great anticipation.
I need to clue my dad onto your channel. I got the history genes from him.
Same here. Dad loved war documentaries and John Wayne films.
What a great tribute to those who fought in WW1.
Excellent story. Thank you.
learn more from this cat than i did in 12 years of history in juinor and high school
bud knowitall - It's largely about the presentation. THG is a fine story teller. He doesn't just give dates and places, he gives the story behind the dates and places and he cares deeply about passing on understanding.
@@bradyelich2745 i forgot to add grade school, so sue me asswipe
@@bradyelich2745 reported and blocked for harassment
@@budknowitall7140 "Harrassment"? You're joking, right?
@@bradyelich2745 How did *you* do in math? Junior and High school is six grades 😆
*"How's that for a topper!" -- Sid & Marty Croft's LIDSVILLE*
😊😊😊😊
And if you have a chance to go there, you'll be glad you did. Cuz everyone who goes to Lidsville really flips their lid!
@@bjmccann1 >>> 👍👍
Another gripping history lesson! You are a wonderful teacher who I hope inspires others to learn and share as well. Thank You!
Had to like a comment with Martha's picture.😉
My go to these days for head gear is the World War 2 Jeep cap. Kind of the opposite of the helmet. It was made to go under the helmet and make it more comfortable. Made of soft knitted wool and sporting a brim, many soldiers took to wearing it in place of any other hat. I like them because they keep my head warm and the rain out of my eyes.
If you don't know what I'm talking about, it's the kind of hat "Radar" O'Reilly wore on the TV series "MASH".
I always found the M1 steel pots we wore in the US Army to be uncomfortable and rather awkward when moving afoot at a hurried pace. No matter how snugly they fit over the helmet liner the steel pot had a tendency to move about sometimes to the detriment of the soldier wearing it due to the weight of it. But my time has been long past during my service in SE Asia and in the States which ended in December of 1973 when I was honorably discharged. They now wear the PASGT helmet and the variations made to it since that I believe are made of Kevlar and offer much more protection from bullets and shrapnel. Most armies around the world have since adapted a similar equipment design.
I started out in the Marine Corps with the M1 steel pot.
I can tell you, I was one happy camper when I got the new helmet. It has gone through a few upgrades since then.
From the M1, What a upgrade,
You can't use it for bathing.....
A Hell of a lot less headaches.
@@knutdergroe9757 Yes indeed I suspect so because they aren't likely as heavy as the M1 steel pots were. And I doubt you can use it to shave like we often did as well. I also like the design of the new modern helmets albeit upon their initial appearance seemed somewhat similar to the helmets worn by the Wehrmacht during WW II.
The much lighter weigh of the current tech helmets allows them to be better restrained with ergonomic chin straps...allows for security of the pot while dodging about in a hurry!
Both the Brordie and the M1 were dreadful helmets - running about and diving for cover a grunt would spend 90% of his concentration and effort keeping the helmet on his head and out of his line of sight. Ditto a lot of the other webbing/kit. Half the battle to survive a campaign was with their own issued kit.
@@roymerritt6992 The design was indeed based on the German stahlhelm that replaced the pickelhaube. (Ironically, while it's most famously associated with the Wehrmacht, the stahlhelm pattern was actually introduced in WW1, around 1917.) The US Army selected it because the Germans, being Germans, did much engineering study and determined the design that provided the optimum protection to the head.
One change that has happened to the design since being adopted for US service is that the back of the helmet has been shaved down about a half-inch, as it was found that while it was optimally shaped for a standing soldier, it dug uncomfortably into the neck of a prone soldier and/or limited his ability to raise his head to look for (and shoot) enemies; the decision was made that the slight reduction in protection when standing was worth the improved utility when prone.
The Calotte helmet reminds me of those warn by the landsknechts under their hats during the Renaissance and were known as secrets.
Can I just point out that the US copied the kepi from the French. I know that is not what you intended to say but I just want to clarify. Before the American Civil War at least one French unit toured America giving a matching display and many people were so impressed by it that local troops were given similar uniforms to those warn by the French. The uniform itself was a copy of the Algerian Zouave's
Kepis were commonly used throughout Europe during the nineteenth century. American equipment very often reflected European armies.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel This is true. I was just pointing out the American origins of its use in order to clarify the situation. As Algeria was under French control that is where they copied the style from.
You Sir are the highlight of my day! Your attention to detail and delivery are a treasure.
Thank you. A granddaughter of WW1 American hero: Medal of Honor, Croix de Guerre, and Distinguished Silver Service
medals. Served as National Park Service historian after graduating in English, history and secondary education. Your universal appeal for everyone is priceless. Thank you with all my heart.
Oy! Keep up the great work!
History Guy,Yaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!
It's crazy how me, a french guy, have to look for foreign sources about a french General... Sad to see french people know so little about Louis Auguste Adrian. Thanks a lot for your content, really good quality videos !
Fascinating, as always!
The Harlem Hellfighters fought for a country that denied them their basic rights. Amasing.
jammer3618 you mean depressing.
The term used was segregation, which is not the same as denying basic rights.
@@Jude74 yes but amasing in the sense that men would continue to fight when treated so badly. I do take your point however.
@@george_364 thats a novel and absurd distinction. Did you learn that in troll school or the "south will rise again" segregated academy?
Not trying to be a smartarse jammer but its amazing not amasing
One of my favorite channels! (I know a lot of people are pulling out of Patreon...perhaps consider a means to contribute with PayPal?)
I too would like to use PayPal to contribute to this great channel.
Why are people pulling out of Patreon?
Google Patreon issues, or put it into the search engine here and there is a LOT of information, which is very alarming and worth becoming informed about
I agree. I won’t sign up with patreon. Too many horror stories from shady practices.
They have been randomly ejecting people for supposed "Violations of the Terms of Service" on new things they invent. They are caving to some liberal nut jobs who value THEIR free speech but not those they disagree with...so a handful of various Patrons have lost their funding thanks to Patreon caving to these nutjobs. I'm not into these crazy political correctness/overreactions...and if a funding site is going to play that sort of selective banning, I won't line their wallets.
As they say if you don't remember history then we're doomed to repeat it. You sir provide an invaluable service to us all. I find it enjoyable these snippets of historical significance you feed us. A salute to you.
In the 70's when I was a kid an old widow woman that lived across the street from me had worked at US Steel in Pittsburgh (We lived about 50 miles south) before the war as a metallurgist on the team that did the testing on different grades of steel to determine which one would be used for the M1941 helmet, we were still using the evolved M1 variation when I was in the Army in the 80's.
4:00 ...will be home by christmas...
...but WHAT YEAR'S christmas...?
Have you ever covered the 1951 Mass Ergotism outbreak that happened in the town of Pont St. Esprit, France?? It was covered in a 1968 book titled "The Day of Saint Anthony's Fire" by John Grant Fuller, Jr. (where I 1st read about it) over 250 townsfolk fell victim to the poisoning, Just a suggestion,, Love the series, I always come away with some new tidbit of history I had not known before.
That is a very interesting bit of history- shocking that it could occur as late as 1951. I will research more. Thanks!
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel Sir, I had thought there was a connection with this and the Salem Witch Trials where Ergo poisoning from bad wheat flour that had the afla toxin in it that caused people to act strangely. Think PBS had a show on it many moons ago. As the story goes, then this incident in France was followed by the CIA creating LSD from this discovery. So, I guess it was put to work for the Devil in the end...
Where were you during my high-school years, history would have been a hoot. Keep broadcasting!!
I always like these - even before I watch them - so I don't forget. Never had to change it. Thanks!
A WWI vet gave me his helmet in the 1970s; my brother has misplaced it.
@justin leckey I gave it to him; years later I asked him about it. ("you're")
Must be frustrating. I have my great grandfathers WW2 helmet even still has his captain insignia. During his last years i asked what he was going to do with his things from the war after he passed. Said he wanted me to have it as he knows how much i appreciate history and that I'd appreciate it the most. He passed 2-3 years ago and i still have it on display in my bedroom. Was a VERY peaceful man and the war gave him extremely bad PTSD all his life so he spoke very little about the war until his 80s-90s
In addition to Adrian, Friedrich Schwerd and Dr. August Bier, inventors of the German Stahlhelm helmet, should also share in the honors for helping to protect soldiers from splinter wounds. I'd argue they were the most important since the design elements Stahlhelm helmet, in its many revisions, continues to be used today by most western armies. The Adrian helmet was really a technological dead end by comparison.
I will likely do an episode eventually in the stahlhelm.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel Good deal. In terms of military history, there aren't many things that have been as influential for the foot soldier as the stahlhelm.
@@sarjim4381 Hmmmm, Swiss Army Knifes? That's a interesting story and company.
@@WALTERBROADDUS Walter, the Swiss Army knife would be another interesting story for the History Guy to delve into.
You can stop hoping I enjoy these. Enjoyment is a guarantee at this point.
Captivating! Hats off to The History Guy!
The ancient Greeks also had pretty good helmets. In a way, the Greeks did most of the R&D for metal helmet. I think Corinthian styled helmets offer the most protection.
And their chin straps were made of.."rich Corinthian leather"?
Every helmet design has pros and cons. In the case of the Corinthian helmet the downside is that its wearers probably got laughed at... *A LOT*
@@StuSaville if you can hear them laugh, you're still alive
@Dave A. Oh he was on my mind. As was the CORDOBA!
@Dave A. Thanks for the link. I watched the interview, and concur with your opinion of Montalban. The interview also reminded me of how annoying Letterman is.
It was over by Christmas only problem is it was Christmas 1918,4 yrs later than originally anticipated and just in time for the Spanish flu outbreak which killed more people than the war itself!
As always, a wonderful feature. You do such an awesome job of making history relatable and understandable for people who might find those bygone days a little difficult to comprehend. It's also wonderful that you relate so many stories like that of General Adrian, stories of life-changing or life-saving innovation with a profound and immediate impact. We need to inspire that kind of thinking more these days, I think.
He is buried at Genêts in Normandy, overlooking the Bay of Mont StMichel. There is also a monument to him, topped with one of his helmets. A beautiful corner of France with much to see.
Please do a presentation of Ida B. Hayes, an African American reporter who specialized in Lynchings and calling Woodrow Wilson to task about firing, demoting and segregating African Americans. The African American Unit fighting under French Command ought be heralded in February. Thanks for the exclusive presentation from your value added Patreon presentations.
Ida B. Wells- yes, she will likely be the focus of an episode.
Thinking “The war will be over by Christmas” is always ridiculed. It was a perfectly rationale idea. We have the benefit of hindsight. The men who planned and fought in 1914 did not.
The most recent example of a great European war was the Franco-Prussia War of 1870-1871, which is virtually unknown in the US. That war lasted only 6 months. It was a war involving massive movement of men by trains, And had battles of maneuvering and encirclement.
The war also saw the defeat, surrender and capture of Emperor Napoleon III of France. The Proclamation of the establishment of The German Empire, which was announced in the French Palace of Versailles. The payment by France to Germany of a 5 Billion Franc indemnity. Lose of 2 French provinces.
WWI was the direct result of the France’s desire revenge for the Franco-Prussian defeat. The Treaty of Versailles was a mirror copy of the “insult” inflicted upon the French after the Franco-Prussian war.
czcams.com/video/VcPuo6auA5o/video.html
It is hard to blame France for the first overt act: the German incursion into Belgium. Even the French had backed away from the border.
I doubt we can really know what led to the war. Certainly the web of tensions drove the preparations and the expectations of using them. One thing is clear, though: none of the nations expected the sort of horror it became and then none of them could afford to withdraw.
I think some of the British would have expected a slightly longer engagement. They had been fighting a long drawn out battle with the Boers just a few years before.
@@flagmichael If you are up to reading a few hundred pages, well almost 700 (but extremely well written!) pages, Robert Massey's "Dreadnought" does a decent job of laying out the political twists and turns that led up to the war.
Well the reason the French lost was because all the mass movement of men in trains and movements of encirclement were done by the germans and not the technically capable
Among one of your BEST videos I’ve seen to date! Thank you for all you do, your content is always fascinating.
Any one that served in the army or Marine Corps had a love/hate relationship with their 'brain buckets.' The steel helmet and liner that we Americans wore until they were replaced by the one piece kevlar helmets were both hated and loved. On hot days, it would seem as if your brain was being cooked and it weighed 20 pounds. But the versatility of it was awesome. You could shave in it, carry water in it like a bucket, heat water in it and even soak your feet if they were small enough. Never saw combat with one on, but during demolition exercises, more than once, helmets saved my noggin from blast fragments. Great and interesting part of history. Thank you!
What is the possibility of getting the history on the German helmet??? I hear they put more engineering into the final product... some of which the US incorporated after WWII...?
Likely at some point. I am handicapped, in that I haven't managed to acquire a good stahlhelm for my collection.
Dennis Hough it certainly took longer to produce than either the French or British equivalents.
One of the best general resources for German stahlhelms is www.german-helmets.com/index.html
A very useful article and provides some very good information on specific helmets is “The stahlhelm in Latin America after WWII”. wwiiafterwwii.wordpress.com/2016/03/07/the-stahlhelm-in-latin-america-after-wwii/
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel www.ima-usa.com/collections/helmets#listpage
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel Consider looking for WWI German Gear outside of Germany, as they melted down much of their history during WWII. Former Colonies or Former Colonies of Germanies Enemies would be more likely to have battered examples ...
I did not realize this. There hard hats made in this design there not metal anymore. I owe my life to Louis Adrian also or that 3 lb. nut that was cut off with a cutting torch 2 stories up would have gone through my head when it hit my hard hat and melted a big chunk out of it . thanks for the video.
Did you have terse words with the fellow who nearly melted your brain?
why yes I did .
Compared to inanity of comments I find on other sites, the civility of the comments here are a delight. What a breath of fresh air for us all.
@@cdjhyoung These are the only comments I routinely read anymore. Not only the civility, but there are usually tidbits of information that might lead me to further explorations of a historical topic.
oh wow I never realized that but they are this exact style.
Love your stories and the passion you use to tell them. Keep up the good work!
May I make a request for an episode on President Eisenhower? Two good reasons for this. First, he was an incredibly accomplished man. Second, it would be a good reminder of the type of person we need in the highest office of the land. He was well liked and respected by most members of both parties.