The helmet was a leftover remnant from the Franco-Prussian War. The reason the spike is there is because when the helmet was first introduced, rifles at the time were only single shot and after being fired, this was followed immediately by hand to hand combat - usually with swords, as they were still carried into battle. The spike is there to deflect an overhead sword strike to the head, preventing the helmet from being split open, killing the wearer.
The helmet was a leftover remnant from the Franco-Prussian War. The reason the spike is there is because when the helmet was first introduced, rifles at the time were only single shot and after being fired, this was followed immediately by hand to hand combat - usually with swords, as they were still carried into battle. The spike is there to deflect an overhead sword strike to the head, preventing the helmet from being split open, killing the wearer.
ReplyDeleteI have a hardhat one of my customers made for me. It has a 1" spike coming out of the top. Not as cool as that one, but still pretty cool.
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