Editing Infantry (section)

=== Protection ===
{{unreferenced section|date=October 2017}}

[[Image:Roman turtle formation on trajan column.jpg|thumb|The [[Roman legion|Roman]] ''[[testudo formation|testudo]]'' performed during a [[siege]], as shown on [[Trajan's Column]]]]

Infantry have employed many different methods of protection from enemy attacks, including various kinds of armour and other gear, and tactical procedures.

The most basic is [[personal armour]]. This includes [[shield]]s, [[military helmet|helmets]] and many types of armour – [[Gambeson|padded linen]], leather, [[Lamellar armour|lamellar]], [[mail (armor)|mail]], [[plate armor|plate]], and [[kevlar]]. Initially, armour was used to defend both from ranged and close combat; even a fairly light shield could help defend against most slings and javelins, though high-strength bows and crossbows might penetrate common armour at very close range. Infantry armour had to compromise between protection and coverage, as a full suit of attack-proof armour would be too heavy to wear in combat.{{citation needed|date=May 2022}}
[[File:960411-A-1972C-002 - LTC Bill Kazdobe and SFC Ira Cherrie.jpg|thumb|Two U.S. Army soldiers presenting the [[Personnel Armor System for Ground Troops]] body armor, then regularly issued to American infantry, in 1996]]
As firearms improved, armour for ranged defence had to be made thicker and heavier, which hindered mobility. With the introduction of the heavy arquebus designed to pierce standard steel armour, it was proven easier to make heavier firearms than heavier armour; armour transitioned to be only for close combat purposes. Pikemen armour tended to be just steel helmets and breastplates, and gunners had very little or no armour at all. By the time of the musket, the dominance of firepower shifted militaries away from any close combat, and use of armour decreased, until infantry typically went without wearing any armour.{{citation needed|date=May 2022}}

Helmets were added back during World War I as artillery began to dominate the battlefield, to protect against their [[Fragmentation (weaponry)|fragmentation]] and other blast effects beyond a direct hit. Modern developments in bullet-proof composite materials like kevlar have started a return to body armour for infantry, though the extra weight is a notable burden.{{citation needed|date=May 2022}}

In modern times, infantrymen must also often carry protective measures against [[chemical warfare|chemical]] and [[biological warfare|biological]] attack, including [[military gas mask]]s, counter-agents, and protective suits. All of these protective measures add to the weight an infantryman must carry, and may decrease combat efficiency.{{citation needed|date=May 2022}}