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M33 Helmet- Comments Welcome


mikie
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I've heard it said often that Italian M33s are a minefield.  So what did I step in with this one? I've wanted one for a long time hope I did OK here.  It seemed to hit most of the good signs for a WWII issue M33 so I took a shot for $70 including shipping.  It has the gray/green leather chin strap, rectangular strap bales, 2 horizontal stitches at the back of the liner.  And 2-split vent pins holding the liner on. All good points.  Things that worry me are if the felt is orange enough, or too yellow?  The evidence of some kind of badge mounted on the front.  I can't locate any badge of that shape that was used on these things, Italian or any other clone or foreign re-issue that I can find.  What was it?  The paint has me stumped too.  It looks a mess.  Is the paint on the main body Italian? Wartime?  And what about the remains of very think tan colored paint along the rim?  My dream is that it's from North Africa.  Also, it looks like "I114" is stamped into the metal of the inside rim of the shell.  Any comments opinions and insights are welcome. 

 

Thanks for looking, and for any info you may have for me.

Mikie

M33 Side.jpg

M33 (5).jpg

M33 Liner.jpg

M33 (6).jpg

M33 Chin Srap Bale.jpg

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Hi Mikie, unfortunately I cannot add any meaningful info on this Italian helmet. I did find a thread on the warrelics forum with some useful info. Maybe this can help.

And just out of curiosity: can you allude to your fascination with M33's? 🙂 

 

https://www.warrelics.eu/forum/world-steel-helmets/italian-m33-helmet-175883/

 

Rene

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Thanks, Rene.  Nice to hear from you. Hope you are well.  I had found that page and several others before pulling the trigger. I posted the helmet here to get some confirmation, and to add to the data base on this site. 

 

As to my interest in M33s, despite my Italian heritage, I have almost nothing Italian in my humble collection. I thought a helmet would be a good representation. I like helmets!  The M33 and it's derivatives were in use for so long and by so many, that finding an Italian wartime example can be tough. This one is rugged, but I was fairly sure it was correct. 

 

Mikie

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 6/5/2021 at 5:37 PM, mikie said:

Thanks, Rene.  Nice to hear from you. Hope you are well.  I had found that page and several others before pulling the trigger. I posted the helmet here to get some confirmation, and to add to the data base on this site. 

 

As to my interest in M33s, despite my Italian heritage, I have almost nothing Italian in my humble collection. I thought a helmet would be a good representation. I like helmets!  The M33 and it's derivatives were in use for so long and by so many, that finding an Italian wartime example can be tough. This one is rugged, but I was fairly sure it was correct. 

 

Mikie

 

Not sure if you saw this one that I posted here: I found this one at a flea market.

 

 

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  • 5 months later...
On 6/1/2021 at 6:17 PM, mikie said:

I've heard it said often that Italian M33s are a minefield.  So what did I step in with this one? I've wanted one for a long time hope I did OK here.  It seemed to hit most of the good signs for a WWII issue M33 so I took a shot for $70 including shipping.  It has the gray/green leather chin strap, rectangular strap bales, 2 horizontal stitches at the back of the liner.  And 2-split vent pins holding the liner on. All good points.  . . . . .  The evidence of some kind of badge mounted on the front.  I can't locate any badge of that shape that was used on these things, Italian or any other clone or foreign re-issue that I can find.  What was it?  The paint has me stumped too.  It looks a mess.  Is the paint on the main body Italian? Wartime?   . . . .. Any comments opinions and insights are welcome.

 

There are two things that help identify the WW2 version of the helmet:  Leather chin strap(vs cloth) and the 8-finger liner.  I don't recall the exact details so I'm going on memory but your helmet has the same liner as mine--- I just know the 8-finger liner is correct.   I will look for a reference on this.  

Like you, I wasn't sure if they every fastened a badge on the front of the helmet.  Usually they apply a painted stencil badge.  However, I was sure I had seen a photo of a badge on a helmet.  Page 81 of Rex Trye's "Mussolini's Soldiers" shows a museum photo of a helmet with a metal badge attached for an NCO of the 2nd Legion of the colonial militia.  A Colonial unit would be putting it in North Africa time frame. 

With regards to the paint, that does look a mess.  I had another helmet that I sold because 2 was too many for my little office.  The eBay seller said it was brought back by a US soldier.  it was rusted on the inside but I could tell the outside had a different shade of green.  Don't forget that after the surrender of Italy, the Fascists formed the RSI or the Italian Socialists Republic.  They repainted their helmets and changed the insignia on their uniforms---both the National Republican Army or Esercito Nazionale Repubblicano (ENR) and Fascists arm, the Republican National Guard or Guardia Nazionale Republicana (GNR).  I really wanted to keep that other helmet as I was sure it had been re-used by the Fascists.  

 

"Things that worry me are if the felt is orange enough, or too yellow? "

Here are photos of the helmet that I sold.

 

128006674_ITalianHelmet1.JPG.8c50a37ac802dafe366d9195c783e489.JPG

 

 

1294972182_ITalianHelmet2.JPG.b198b5c059f396f5c5aa0abe7d5281d1.JPG

 

Seam681.jpg.b6c6c18354fdf64da59effe7566a4a99.jpg

 

I have not solid proof but I hope that helps.

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