Editing Bulletproof vest (section)

===Second World War===
{{see also|Stalnoi Nagrudnik}}
[[File:Japanese World War II bulletproof vest.jpg|right|thumb|A Japanese vest, which used overlapping armour plates]]
In 1940, the [[Medical Research Council (United Kingdom)|Medical Research Council]] in Britain proposed the use of a lightweight suit of armour for general use by infantry, and a heavier suit for troops in more dangerous positions, such as [[anti-aircraft]] and naval gun crews. By February 1941, trials had begun on body armour made of [[mangalloy]] plates. Two plates covered the front area and one plate on the lower back protected the kidneys and other vital organs. Five thousand sets were made and evaluated to almost unanimous approval – as well as providing adequate protection, the armour didn't severely impede the mobility of the soldier and were reasonably comfortable to wear. The armor was introduced in 1942 although the demand for it was later scaled down.{{citation needed|date=March 2020}} In northwestern Europe, The [[2nd Canadian Division during World War II]] also adopted this armour for medical personnel.

The British company [[Wilkinson Sword]] began to produce [[flak jacket]]s for bomber crews in 1943 under contract with the [[Royal Air Force]]. The majority of pilot deaths in the air were due to low-velocity fragments rather than bullets. The [[Surgeon General of the United States Air Force]], Colonel M. C. Grow, who was stationed in Britain, thought that many wounds he was treating could have been prevented by some kind of light armor. Two types of armor were issued for different specifications. These jackets were made of [[nylon]]<ref>Stephan, Restle (1997). Ballistische Schutzwesten und Stichschutzoptionen. Bischofszell: Kabinett Verlag, p.61.</ref> and capable of stopping [[8.8 cm FlaK 18/36/37/41|flak]] and fragmentation, but were not designed to stop bullets. Although they were considered too bulky for pilots using the [[Avro Lancaster]], they were adopted by the [[United States Army Air Forces]].

In the early stages of [[World War II]], the United States also designed body armor for [[infantry]]men, but most models were too heavy and mobility-restricting to be useful in the field and incompatible with existing required equipment. Near the middle of 1944, development of infantry body armor in the United States restarted. Several vests were produced for the US military, including but not limited to the T34, the T39, the T62E1, and the M12. The United States developed a vest using [[doron plate]], a [[fiberglass]]-based [[fibre-reinforced plastic]]. These vests were first used in the [[Battle of Okinawa]] in 1945.<ref name="King1953">{{cite journal |url=http://www.qmmuseum.lee.army.mil/korea/lightweight_body_armor.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000126161617/http://www.qmmuseum.lee.army.mil/korea/lightweight_body_armor.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 January 2000 |title=Lightweight Body Armor |first=Ludlow |last=King |journal=Ordnance |date=January–February 1953 |access-date=2008-11-12}}</ref>

[[File:Flak jacket 1942.jpg|left|thumb|Sn-42 Body Armor, {{c.|1942}}]]
The [[Soviet Armed Forces]] used several types of body armour, including the SN-42 (from ''[[Stalnoi Nagrudnik]]'', Russian for "steel breastplate" and the number denotes the design year). All were tested, but only the SN-42 was put in production. It consisted of two pressed steel plates that protected the front torso and groin. The plates were 2&nbsp;mm thick and weighed 3.5&nbsp;kg (7.7&nbsp;lb). This armour was generally supplied to assault engineers (SHISBr) and [[tank desant|''tank desantniki'']]. The SN armour protected wearers from [[9×19mm Parabellum|9×19mm]] bullets fired by an [[MP 40]] submachine gun at around {{Convert|100|m|yd|abbr=on}}, and sometimes it was able to deflect [[7.92×57mm Mauser|7.92 Mauser]] rifle bullets (and bayonet blades), but only at very low angle. This made it useful in urban battles such as the [[Battle of Stalingrad]]. However, the SN's weight made it impractical for infantry in the open. Some apocryphal accounts note point blank deflection of 9mm bullets,<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Russian army body armor — Encyclopedia of safety|url=https://survincity.com/2013/08/the-russian-army-body-armor/|access-date=2020-09-11|website=survincity.com|date=8 August 2013 }}</ref> and testing of similar armour supports this theory.<ref>{{Cite web|last=McCollum|first=Ian|date=2015-06-25|title=Testing Reproduction WWI German Trench Armor|url=https://www.forgottenweapons.com/testing-reproduction-wwi-german-trench-armor/|access-date=2020-09-11|website=Forgotten Weapons|language=en-US}}</ref>