score:7
It seems that there were a number of attempts during WW1 to design either personal armour for infantrymen or heavier contraptions known as "creeper tanks". I guess they were discarded because of either insufficient protective capacity or unwieldiness (or both).
http://flashbak.com/world-war-1-body-armor-1914-1918-32670/
Upvote:8
The main protection used was artillery preparation. Goes right to the root cause of the disease (baddies shooting at you) rather than trying to address the symptoms (bullets landing in you). Conceptually this was nothing new, but the conditions for implementation had changed. Through hard experience things like creeping barrages, shifting fire to impede reinforcement, delivery of gas, etc etc were developed into a highly effective mechanism.
And the same logic is used today. Generally the preferred approach is to call in a fire mission or fast air to solve your problem from a distance rather than test the ballistic qualities of your kevlar vest/helmet.
Unfortunately for those fighting in the Dardenelles, circumstances mitigated against either side having enough boom to really move things along.