Germany Introduces the Leather Gas Mask (Popular Mechanics, 1917)

During June of 1917, the German Army introduced the "Lederschutzmasken", a leather gas mask made of specially treated Bavarian sheepskin with removable lenses. Designed to replace the rubberized cloth gas masks, the 1917 respirators proved to be far more effective against phosgene gas than the 1915 masks. The Allied powers dismissed the new design as evidence that material shortages on the German home front were forcing changes.

http://www.oldmagazinearticles.com/pdf/German_Gas_Mask_Article.pdf

 

It also had a very innotave "double skin" anti-misting construction for the eyepieces (to counteract the problem of not being able to wipe the inside of the eyepieces in wear as could be done on the "purposefully baggy" Gummimasken)...

 

They must have been a beggar to wear mustn't they ??

Do you collect gas masks then ?

Annie

Edit ... Ignore me ! ... you said that on your other post !!

 

better than not wearing one though!

Actually...no I don't! (especially not considering the prices they go for these days!). I used to have an unnatural obsession with chemical warfare and picked up quite a few masks when I was a kid - when you could get them for next to nothing. Apart from the odd one, i don't think i've bought one for about 20 years.

 

Amazing what they look like after 90 years in the ground too!...