Panzer Armor
The panzer armor is essentially full body steel armor, made from the same armor material as the average german helmet, but spread out over the entire body. The armor is slightly thicker at 1mm thick, and has a ceramic outer coating, similar to zimmerate outer-coating, designed to increase the armor effectiveness by providing a harder outer coating. The armor is forged, shaped, and hardened, making it stronger against certain types of projectiles, and stiffer, which transfers less energy to the user and deforms the armor less. The armor, while it will not stop rifle rounds at point blank range, will stop rifle rounds at 300-500 yards, and stops handgun rounds as well as most shrapnel and fragmentation from explosives. At certain ranges blast force may increase, however injuries from the concussion of explosives is generally lower, and the armor absorbs most of it at long range. The armor also makes heavy use of leather, which is a strong, heat resistant material which helps hold the armor together, and serve as an energy absorbent backing which raises the armor above the body (in case of deformation). On some parts of the body the armor is like lamellar armor with steel plates underneath a leather outer coating, and on some parts of the armor it is a standalone steel piece which supports it's own weight. The armor is high quality, but expensive, reserved for elite troops or those who can benefit from it's use. In some cases, higher strength steel plates can be added, designed to stop rifle rounds, similar to the brewster body shield, but increases the weight dramatically, from 35 up to 75 pounds.
The armor is designed to stop handgun round at close range, rifle rounds at long range, and shrapnel. As shrapnel is the biggest killer of war, with approximately 75% of deaths and injuries from WWII being from explosives and shrapnel, the armor is particularly useful at reducing the average soldier's casualty figures, as well as deaths in combat from indirect fire, hardening them in defensive positions. At very close ranges explosives can still kill the soldier, however as this is exceedingly rare, the majority of deaths in combat are reduced. This has the added effect of reducing medical requirements, which makes it easier to treat individual soldiers and reduces the workload across the military in general. The armor also protects against environmental hazards, such as punji spikes, fire, bugs, and other common threats that can produce large casualties without much technological sophistication or power. Car accidents, bayonets, hand-to-hand combat attacks, falling, and other forms of damage are also absorbed by the armor, protecting the soldier from general threats. When combined with a gas mask and NBC suit, the armor is also resistant against chemical and biological warfare, as well as smoke or other irritants, allowing the soldiers to be defended from a broad range of attacks.
The armor is designed to be combined with a broad range of technical equipment, such as infrared scopes, night vision scopes, lights, oxygen candles, cooling suits, radios, and batteries to power them. While underdeveloped by modern standards, by the 1950's the technology was comparative advanced, giving the soldiers advanced equipment helps improve their combat capabilities, such as sensory equipment which would allow them to see further, through smoke, and at night, while the oxygen candles and cooling suits give the soldier's better endurance by keeping their bodies cool and giving them a higher amount of oxygen. Radios allow soldiers to coordinate attacks at long range, while various light emitters help power their infrared and night vision scopes at long range or spot each other. Infrared in particular allows the soldiers to see through smoke or at night, which in turn protects the soldier as they can see in total obscurement or darkness, making it impossible for the enemy to see them and return fire accurately. Artillery and explosive bombardments while capable of penetrating the smoke, is less useful given the armor, making the soldiers extremely hard to hit. The infrared sensory equipment can provide the greatest degree of protection to the soldier by allowing them to conceal their own position with smoke, which when combined with smoke grenades or smoke generators can make them virtually invincible to enemy fire. Suppressors, mirrors, and mechanisms that allow the soldier to shoot around corners are also available, but are more situationally useful.
The rifle resistant plates are forged, cryogenically treated, surface hardened steel plates made with vanadium chrome steel, that possess an unusually high hardness and MPA. When placed on top of the existing steel armor or in place of it, it can stop standard 7.62mm NATO rounds, .30-06 rounds, 8mm mauser, and other rifle rounds, however armor piercing rounds can normally go through. With a strong aluminum backing and shaped to be stiffened, the armor is much stronger than ordinary armor, and is also curved, which increases the likelihood of a deflection and increases the angle of incident of an attack, virtually increasing the thickness of the armor in the direction of a rifle round. This also strengthens the armor somewhat, making it less likely to deform. The armor is heavy, at approximately 8-9 pounds per square foot, and is less useful against armor piercing rounds, however at long range and given that armor piercing rounds are rather rare, the armor is generally considered sufficient. The armor is surface hardened and coated in a thin layer of chromium carbide, and on top of this a thin layer of ceramic, which increases it's hardness to projectiles.