Charis should start issueing bulletproof vests

captinjoehenry wrote:Currently Charis has the ability to make a large amount of steel thistle which is stronger than silk and if you use multiple layers of silk you can make a bullet proof vest. Also Charis is and to produce armor plate so I feel they should probaly at least start issueing a Safehold equivalent of a flak jacket. Both of these will be a bit expensive but would increase a soldiers survivabioity on the battle field which can only be a good thing for an out numbered but qualitatively superior force like the Charisian empire and the Republic of Siddarmark.

Do we have textev that steel thistle silk fabric can stop bullets? I don't recall this actually being confirmed. All I can remember is that it is said to be much stronger and more durable than cotton or regular silk. I agree that it is a possibility, I just don't think it is a sure thing.

Henry Brown wrote:

captinjoehenry wrote:Currently Charis has the ability to make a large amount of steel thistle which is stronger than silk and if you use multiple layers of silk you can make a bullet proof vest. Also Charis is and to produce armor plate so I feel they should probaly at least start issueing a Safehold equivalent of a flak jacket. Both of these will be a bit expensive but would increase a soldiers survivabioity on the battle field which can only be a good thing for an out numbered but qualitatively superior force like the Charisian empire and the Republic of Siddarmark.

Do we have textev that steel thistle silk fabric can stop bullets? I don't recall this actually being confirmed. All I can remember is that it is said to be much stronger and more durable than cotton or regular silk. I agree that it is a possibility, I just don't think it is a sure thing.

The textev says that it is stronger than any material humans made on old earth before synthetic material and a vest made of multiple layers of silk is bullet proof so if steel thistle is stronger than silk then it would make sense that you can make a bulletproof vest out of it that is thinner than a bulletproof vest made out of silk.

actually it might sound silly but thinking about it I could see some compromise body armor being made.

a "backing" layer of several layers of steel thistle "silk" cloth.
then either pouches for insert trauma plates (if going for a modern vest design)
or a layer of steel/ceramic scale or lamellar armor equivalent.
then an outer surface of a couple layers of steel thistle again.

the advantage is this should provide a good solid amount of protection but the question is the weight and mobility loss.

on the other hand making uniforms that use steel thistle as a flack resistance "bonus" would likely work. Heck just making several pieces of "gear" for their uniforms out of steel thistle while it would run up costs might be worth it in the long run for the charisian forces.

steel thistle, trousers, shirt (or tunic) jackets, and vests (tactical vest equivalent) heh lots of pouches on the vest to carry things like bullets, provisions, etc. wouldn't have any of the troopers complaining especially if they were functional and if they were really tough well the quartermasters wouldn't complain too much as less replacements needed.

i forget do they have helmets, or even hats. protecting your head is important.

Also, Charisians (and everyone else) should already be used to wearing armor. They aren't that far removed from swords and pikes.

As others have pointed out, it's a combination of velocity and cross-section. Even with modern vests the wearer might end up with a sizable bruise/broken rib when the momentum is transferred to their body. Of course, better than a hole. I wonder if some combination of steel thistle layers, steel plate, more thistle, second plate, cushion would work. Bulky though.

But even a rather poor product would be useful against shrapnel and spent bullets.

There was an interesting report from a doctor in old Tombstone. A gunshot victim was killed when a pistol bullet hit their silk shirt and drove the cloth into the body deep enough to kill, but didn't penetrate the silk.

Very minor spoilers:

As was indicated in a previous snippet, steel thistle is still expensive, just not insanely so. Charis is mass producing goods from steel thistle, but even then it is in strictly limited supply, seeing as how there was only enough of said goods for most of Clareyk's 1st Corps. Mass production to equip the entire army with bulletproof vests is still out of reach for Charis.

I think the cold-equipped troops are wearing at least some layers of steel thistle. Maybe they can "discover" its protective qualities.

If the current ICA isn't wearing metal helmets of some sort, they'll need them as soon as the CoGA begins using its first mortars. (Which it's about to introduce at Evrytyn.)

I recently saw a documentary about WWI - apparently the British troops had no helmets, so when trench warfare became the rule along with exploding artillery shells, they were hastily issued French helmets to wear.

So although the series has made the transition from swords to bayonets and on to rifled artillery and brass bullets in the past five years, the metal helmet is about to make a comeback. (And any CoGA troops who have been shelled are undoubtedly quite grateful that the church never progressed beyond helmets - if their ears ever stop ringing!)

McGuiness wrote:If the current ICA isn't wearing metal helmets of some sort, they'll need them as soon as the CoGA begins using its first mortars. (Which it's about to introduce at Evrytyn.)

I recently saw a documentary about WWI - apparently the British troops had no helmets, so when trench warfare became the rule along with exploding artillery shells, they were hastily issued French helmets to wear.

So although the series has made the transition from swords to bayonets and on to rifled artillery and brass bullets in the past five years, the metal helmet is about to make a comeback. (And any CoGA troops who have been shelled are undoubtedly quite grateful that the church never progressed beyond helmets - if their ears ever stop ringing!)

Given the British helmets in WW1 were directly derived from the helmets worn at Agincourt by the archers, if your opponents are still using arrows basic body armor makes sense (and OWL & Nimue probably advised that it was a good idea if you stick your head round the corner (or over a parapet) to have a helmet on it).