I'm attempting to form a weremammoth corps of my military after I successfully isolated a survivor of the latest attack, but I've had trouble getting candidates to survive the experience. First try was 4 peasants, no armor. Due to some mismanagement, they had axes, but were unable to harm the precious weremammoth, or even mount a credible defense before being gored and having their heads bitten off.
I read up a bit on the wiki, and second attempt was a bit better. Only 2 this time, due to being in a hurry before the full moon and they didn't want to pickup equipment fast enough, but no additional success. I gave them iron helms and breastplates, and now weapons this time, and put them in a room with the mammoth lined with cage traps, so that hopefully they would get bitten, pass out, and be saved by the cage to hopefully survive til the next moon. No luck. Opening attack, the mammoth bit through the breastplate, tearing open lungs and causing heavy bleeding. Then it did a bit of wrestling and mangled shoulders and hips, and then bit his head off, and then bit the other one's head off too. Neither helms nor breastplates registered as being penetrated by the head biting, though they were easily penetrated by torso bites.
How do I get dwarves to survive an attack by a weremammoth? The initial survivor was attacked right before the mammoth turned back, and I could try that, but it might be annoying. Would steel or adamantine armor help? I'm not sure it would, since it doesn't seem to prevent direct removal of heads. Would chain mail maybe protect the neck? Given an iron breastplate can't resist a bite, I'm not sure it would help much.