This looks like torture - doesn't it ?? !! A rare example of body armour used by the German Army during World War 1. It was incredibly heavy and simply hung from the shoulders and protected the chest and abdomen (the lower portion is articulated by means of canvas straps to allow a little flexibilty) and would only have been practible for use on sentry duty http://www.clash-of-steel.org/gallery/pages/view_entry.php?image_number=2
