OCR Text |
Show SANDBAGS SaVE MY LIVES Italian Authorities Must Bo Given Credit for Resourcefulness in Modern Warfare. No belligerent has shown more re-i sourcefulness than the Italians in devising de-vising novel means of offense and defense, de-fense, says a writer in Wide World Magazine. The Italian army w-as the only one to enter the war with a trench helmet and a steel chest protector, and it is now provided with a more efficient body shield than is possessed by any other of the warring nations. Early in the war it was discovered by the Italians that many lives could, be saved in skirmishing at close quarters quar-ters if the soldiers carried or pushed bags of sand in frc--' " f'-in, and the present body shic'.J b-ii an outgrowth out-growth of that idea. They are made in the one-man and two-man type. The former are worn by infantry advancing in the open, attached at-tached to the shoulders by a pair of light steel arms, and are long enough to protect the head and vital organs of a man standing erect. Lying at full length, or even crouched, it covers him completely. Each shield is pierced with a small, round eyehole and an oblong loophole for tiring from, both of which may be closed by a sliding door when not io use. The two-man shield is principally used In wire cutting. II Is carried on the back of one man, who may also work his rille from a loophole in the top, while s second man works a long wire-cutter through a hole at the bottom. bot-tom. It Is held up by short legs if th8 first man desires to move Independently. |