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Artillery produces large numbers of "head shots" because amazingly, when you are standing up, your head presents the biggest area of your body to falling shrapnel.

That is why helmets were re-introduced in the First World War.

The pictures don't represent standard SM practice. They are just propaganda.

My smurf buddy refuses to have any of his marines go helmetless because of the head shot thing. Just annoys him too much.

Ugly Green Trog wrote:I'm sure I've read in the fluff about auto rounds and lasrounds ricocheting off a marines skull [...]

Wait what, ricocheting lasers?

Marine baldness really seems to pay off.

Yeah the bullets got nothing on a sm

The only chapter that regularly doesn't wear helmets are the Space Wolves because they feel it stifles their super-senses.

Also, a helmet prevents them from making use of their power-beards.

Good point. This is central is Space Wolf battle doctrine.

The deal is, I believe your standard Astartes helmet is not as stifling as some authors portray. Can't source it, but aren't SM helmets actually advanced enough to provide better sensory perception than going unhelmeted?

In certain things, but definately not with Space Wolves. They have Wolverine like supersenses.

yeah, space wolves are the only Space Marines who have better senses without helmets then with.

Personally i'd bet that power armour comes with a head-sized forcefield that :

1/. stops shots piercing the bonce

2/. prevents the Marines head's from swelling any more than they already are.

A misaligned one might explain why the art sometimes shows marines with itty bitty heads

Jimsolo wrote:They do make frequent mention of the Marines putting on their helmets in the fluff. The artwork, on the other hand, needs to be visually engaging, and facial expressions help facilitate that.

I think it's also somewhat realistic. Things like helmets and gas masks are usually heavy, hot and get uncomfortable and annoying quite quickly. They can also restrict vision and movement. Marines wouldn't be the first soldiers to resent wearing their helmets.

except a marine's helmet doesn't restrict his vision. it enhances it(auto-senses give him a wide view)


a Marine will usually only take his helmet off if it becomes damaged(which does happen fairly often)

Taking your helmet off counts as an extra close combat weapon don't you know, I'm pretty sure an astartes helmet swung by an angry marine would stove someone's head in pretty nicely!
I thimk there was some old fluff about termi suits having a power field protecting the users head when the helmet was removed. Come to think of it, how does a terminator even remove his helmet? "Can't... quite... reach this damn... catch... grr.. stoopid.. shoulderpads... hnng"

An Astartes helmet is heavy. When your boltgun runs out of ammo and you've got to reload but you're being pressed upon by an enemy, throw your helmet at him!

Only veterans are old and wise enough to know this trick though and thusly it is often only they who are without their helmets.

A solid explanation, I feel.

Henners91 wrote:When your boltgun runs out of ammo and you've got to reload but you're being pressed upon by an enemy, throw your helmet at him!

Now that you mention it, I seem to recall a similar scene from Saving Brother Ryanus.

I was thinking of just that when writing it