Italian general Army helmet of the 1933 model

The original helmet is in good collector's condition. The original paint is fragmentally lost. The size of the balaclava is 55-57. Guarantee of authenticity.

M33 (ital. Elmetto Mod. 33) is an infantry helmet (steel helmet), which was used by the Italian Army during the Spanish Civil War, World War II and later. The first helmets (Adrian's helmets) appeared in the Italian royal Army at the end of 1915 and were ordered from the Entente ally, France. A little later, the production of similar helmets began in the Italian Kingdom itself. By the early 30s, many armies that had Hadrian's helmets began to replace them with newer and more advanced models. Similar work has begun in Italy. In 1931, an experimental model M31 was created, which in its appearance resembled the helmet of Roman legionnaires — as a tribute of Italian fascism to militarism and the expansion of Ancient Rome. After thorough refinement, the new helmet was adopted under the designation M33. Officially for the army, this helmet was introduced by a circular dated November 29, 1934, however, deliveries to the army began only after almost three years. The helmet turned out to be quite reliable, simple and effective and served as a model for some helmets of other armies, including the Red Army. The M33 had an original slightly elongated shape in front and rather small sides. Externally, it had a certain similarity with the future Soviet helmet SH-40. Some sources indicate that it was the silhouette of the Italian helmet as a very successful one that served as the prototype of the Soviet one.

An alloy of nickel and steel was used for the M33. Its weight was 1100-1200 grams, the wall thickness was 1.2 mm. The balaclava was made from a single piece of sheep's skin, and by the end of the war from a fabric soaked in wax. The helmet had three ventilation holes, in the variant for Africa four. At different times, the M33 was painted in different colors: from 1936 to 1940 — light gray-green; from 1940 to 1945 — dark gray-green; from 1947 — khaki, and from the 50s in olive. Black was used for officials and police. Special removable protective covers were also used. On the front part of the M33, the emblems of the branches of the armed forces to which those who wore the helmet belonged were applied. According to the old tradition, the headdresses of the Bersaglieri, including the helmets of the M33, were decorated with a side plume of capercaillie or pheasant feathers. The M33s were used in the Italian army until the 1980s, when they were replaced with a new type of helmet.