In March, Ernst inspected the Guard Division troops, whose primary responsibility was the defense of the Central Province and First Town City, making it the most frequently inspected East African military unit.
During this visit to the Guard Division, the most noticeable change was the introduction of helts for the first ti in the East African military.
Therefore, Lidley, the commander of the 101st Guard Division, deliberately introduced Ernst to the origins and characteristics of this military helt.
"Your Highness, this helt is also known as the 1885 style, designed as a military steel helt for the Defense Army to address the potential dangers posed by stray bullets and shrapnel to soldiers in battlefield environnts during positional warfare."
The visor adopts the traditional German design, making the entire helt body look quite similar to the traditional military helt of the German region—a spiked helt, with so similar features."
Ernst naturally knows what a spiked helt is; it's a distinctive feature of the entire German region's military. A German Empire announcent of 1871 required all German troops to wear it, including police and firefighters.
The most prominent feature of the spiked helt is the conspicuous "spike" on top. The primary saying about the sharp tip is that it was used by ancient Teutonic Knights and other European armies to wear and suspend decorations to distinguish branches of service.
There's also a saying that cavalry units could use it as a support for wearing feathers and horsehair. Additionally, adding a sharp tip can effectively divert aiming strikes directed at the head, as sabre duels were a conventional tactic during cavalry combat at the ti.
German political and military figures like William II, Otto von Bismarck, and Paul von Hindenburg all favored being photographed wearing spiked helts.
To Ernst, the spiked helt possesses aesthetic appeal; at least in European armies, it greatly enhanced the "looks" of the German troops, appearing very splendid and dignified.
Of course, there are dissenting opinions, such as the famous German poet Heinrich Heine who considered the spiked helt very extravagant and superficial. He specifically wrote a satirical poem, comparing the spiked helt to a lightning rod: "Yes, yes, I like this helt; it showcases the highest wisdom! The king's inspiration! I only fear when the storm hits, that romantic crown will attract lightning!"
Ernst, of course, did not comnt on this. Such trivial matters did not require discussion. As a pragmatist, Ernst believed that the primary role of a helt was to provide protection to soldiers on the battlefield.
And the spiked helt couldn't achieve this. Until the outbreak of World War I, frontline German soldiers were horrified to discover that the spiked helt provided almost zero protection.
In the brutal trench warfare, the leather helt couldn't resist shell fragnts and shrapnel, and worse, the gleaming spike beca an ideal target for snipers.
To address this, in September 1915, the German military finally issued an order: The new helt would no longer have a spike!
Subsequently, from 1916 onwards, the spiked helt was officially replaced by a new German steel helt. Although the new steel helt did not look impressive, it provided better head protection from shell fragnts. This single reform reduced the frontline German soldiers' head injury mortality rate by 70%.
Therefore, the spiked helt was more decorative than functional, which related to its material composition. Early spiked helts used leather as the main material, which naturally couldn't resist shrapnel fragnts. Later, due to material problems, the spiked helt was replaced with tin alloy, but tin's hardness was imaginarily as undesirable.
Indeed, regarding this point, Lidley specifically explained: "Our steel helt drastically differs from the German region's spiked helt in that it uses steel as the main material, boasting considerable hardness. Although it isn't as comfortable as the spiked helt and looks relatively unattractive, it holds much greater practicality."
However, Ernst held a different view. People of this era liked flashy things; after all, unlike the material abundance of the past, this era's aesthetics favored colorful and vibrant displays.
For example, the "flower clothes" of the Far East Empire were considered very outdated in the 21st century but were seen as a status symbol in the old society.
Thus, Ernst said: "Don't disparage it. Among similar military helts, I think our 1885-style Defense Army steel helt is the best-looking. Do not compare it to the spiked helt, which has more ornantal value than practical utility. Our primary goal is to achieve practical value, and in warfare, performance matters, not accessories."
Since the East African 1885 steel helt referenced the spiked helt's shape for its design, it didn't deviate in appearance, closely resembling the M35 helt equipped by German forces in World War II.
This naturally contained Ernst's aesthetic influences, so Lidley's complaints amounted to a denial of Ernst's aesthetic tastes.
Of course, Ernst wouldn't make things difficult for him over such a trifling matter, and Lidley's words probably reflect the views of most East African soldiers of this era.
However, Ernst believed that as ti went by, more and more people would embrace the 1885 Defense Army helt's style, as it had been proven by past experiences.
"To enhance its comfort, we use a cotton-linen blend fabric for the lining, making it durable and more comfortable. The materials are dostically sourced from East Africa, including sisal and cotton from the southern cotton plantations (Matebel Province) in East Africa."
Sisal's advantage is its durability and good absorbency, while the cotton-made fabric combines softness.
But as Lidley ntioned, he was actually not very satisfied with the comfort of the 1885 Defense Army helt. Compared to the spiked helt or the previous military hats of the East African army, the steel helt's re weight felt uncomfortable, and the breathability was quite poor.
In East Africa's weather, wearing a steel helt was actually uncomfortable, especially in the humid and hot Central Province defense area. If it were in highland regions, it might be more suitable, where the climate is cooler.
Moreover, the fierce wars the East African Defense Army had experienced over the years had not truly demonstrated the advantages of steel helts, as they hadn't undergone trench warfare similar to that in WWI. The only actual combat was the previous East-Portuguese War, but at that ti, Portuguese colonial troops had extrely low firepower, lacking artillery, not to ntion rifles equipping all units, and machine guns were very rare.
"The design and production of the 1885 Defense Army helt truly reflect the improvent in our military conditions. Without the explosion of East African steel production capacity, it wouldn't have been possible for our army to equip such steel helts, including the improvents in East African cotton and sisal production volu," Lidley said.
Cotton is easy to discuss; supplying sisal for military use was indeed a result of East African sisal's continuous expansion in planting over the years.
Since East African sisal is an important export product, it is also applied in high-end fields such as East African currency, commodities, and special ropes. Even now, it's a premium economic crop supplying unt demand.
The burst in steel production capacity is the main reason for the East African army's steel helt equipnt; ten years ago, East Africa didn't even have the basis for equipping steel helts. This also includes advancents in East African steel slting technology and forging technology among technical ans.
The current 1885 Defense Army helt also has many shortcomings, mainly due to technological inadequacies. The yield rate isn't high, and production is quite limited, only equipped by the Guard Division troops for now.
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