In reply to jon:
> Wiki and Google translate provide this:I quite like the half mast dump protection...
Ah yes, that splendid word "halbwastwurfsicherung". That said, "half clove-hitch" is a more descriptive name than "Italian hitch".
In reply to Gordon, whilst the Sticht plate was certainly one of the greatest breakthroughs in climbing safety, I'd argue that nylon ropes themselves were the most important.
A leader fall on hemp must have been a ghastly experience even if nobody was killed or injured. A waist-held leader fall on nylon was merely uncomfortable unless you were unlucky.
I was working in centres in the 1970s. Most of us went over to Sticht plates in the early 70s for our personal climbing, whilst at work we still used waist belays until about 77-8 ish.
I remember considerable reservations about teaching the Sticht method to beginners. I now see instruction books which (if they mention it at all) describe the waist belay as a complex and difficult technique.