Air Force the Official Service Journal - Air Force Historical Studies ...

\'I:\"G toduv on borrowed time arc
ina ny AX", hom bel' crewmen whose
names on flak and c.uinon shell
[
fr,lgments \\'LTe erased by their body
arruor. The good sense which led them
to wear Hnk suits and helmets in combat
and thus live to Hv another day will
likely bring them h011~e intact, '
But there's a touch of that "fools
rush in" bu-incss about \\'e,lring hodv
.nmor. \\'hile seasoned veterans s\vear
In' their issued protection and wouldu 't
Hv without it. some of the greener airmen
arc foolish enough to go into action
unsh iclclcd.
It shouldn't he difficult to persuade a
man to gu,nd himself against death or
a wound which may cripple him for the
rest of his life. But some people have
to learn the hard \\'ay, and the principal
objection to ~ha t kind of cduc.i tion is
that graduation usually comes too late.
The usual compluiut of the ohjector
to flak suits and helmets is that they are
too curubcrxomc, thu! their \veight' and
bulk h,J111perS his iuovcuu-nts too greatly.
~ luvbc thcv arc a bit inconvenient,
It's inCZlll\"Cnieilt to die, too.
The flak suit currently in use bv the
;\.\V is composed of O\'~Tlapping pl.rtcs
of mang,lIlese steel contained in vests
and aprom of canvas. Designed and devclopcd
by Brig. Gen . Malcolm C.
Grow, surgeon of the US Strategic Air
Forces in I':urope, it is intended to provide
protection pa rtienla rlv aga inst head,
ncek. chest and alxlomin.il wounds from
spent bullets and low velocity flak and
::'0 mrn shell fLlgments. whic-h fonnerlv
were responsible for S:; percent of all
clsn,dties in air combat.
The bodv armor comes in several
f.rsh ionnhlc ~t\'lcs-f,lshion,lhle for those
who want to' see the Stites again, The
g,uments arc worn singlv or com bincd,
according to the flvcrs com hat post.
The \fl vest,' armored front and
b.ick, \\'eighs I