According to all methods, does Torah study protect soldiers?

I am Haredi and this familiar argument does not fit with reality. After all, in 1948 and 1967 there were few Torah students and the IDF was miraculously much more successful than it is today. Other virtues in the Sages, such as washing hands and tithing that brings wealth, are also denied by reality. Apparently these virtues express a principled idea but are not expressed in visible reality.

(Apart from the fact that this argument is irrelevant to a significant portion who do not really study. So the real reason for the opposition concerns the secular nature of the IDF and not Torah study)

You're not truly Haredi if that's your view.

That's right. If you are a logical and critical person, you are not Haredi. If you let reality influence your perceptions and react to difficulties, you are not Haredi.

Is there even a system from 70 years ago that says that studying Torah protects another person from some material thing? Or even just him?

definitely.