German body armour, 1916 (c)

Capable of stopping low velocity fragments and shrapnel, this breast armour was, due to its weight of around 20 lbs (nine kilos), only practical for troops operating in fixed positions such as machine gunners. The German Army issued around 500,000 pieces of such armour during 1916. Various patterns were used, some of which had inter-linked plates that allowed a limited amount of movement.