What was the effectiveness of standard issue helmets for both sides? Does any historical data exist to provide evidence that they saved lives?
The short version is that they reduced wounds by about 10%, with about half of things that hit the helmet being stopped (helmets would stop shell fragments and low-power bullets, but not rifle or machine gun bullets). This is based on US statistics.
For the long version, see https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/btlnvf/were_helmets_that_soldiers_wore_effective_during/