For reference, I'm mostly thinking of the late 19th/early 20th century, from about 1880 onwards, although possibly continuing up to the present day.
A gun shield is a plate of metal attached to a machine gun, artillery piece, or similar weapon to defend the crew from small-arms fire. I was wondering whether it would be feasible to issue similar devices to individual infantrymen -- a square or rectangle of metal, big enough for a man to sit or crouch behind, with a firing-slit in it, which he could stick in the ground in order to shield himself from enemy bullets during battle.
Obviously they wouldn't provide as much protection as a trench, particularly against artillery, but they would have the advantage of being portable and quick to set up.
A gun shield is a plate of metal attached to a machine gun, artillery piece, or similar weapon to defend the crew from small-arms fire. I was wondering whether it would be feasible to issue similar devices to individual infantrymen -- a square or rectangle of metal, big enough for a man to sit or crouch behind, with a firing-slit in it, which he could stick in the ground in order to shield himself from enemy bullets during battle.
Obviously they wouldn't provide as much protection as a trench, particularly against artillery, but they would have the advantage of being portable and quick to set up.
