Need help identifying this helmet, please

[Nitram]

Italy used a lot of surplus US equipment Post-War.

Nitram

[soldatidiplastica]

Well, bloody hell. that's amazing, you'd never guess, well whaddaya know (etc). While idly trying to remember where I read all that stuff about Italian airfield security police I had a speculative look in Marzetti and lo and behold (etc) the illustration of the appropriate helmet is indeed a blue one with exactly the yellow insignia shown on the mystery helmet. (The Marzetti example has th eagle looking definately to the left as seen head on, the query helmet *appears* to be looking right, but I now think this is an application error or other ilusion to cause some confusion in the unwary).

Anyway, we have a definate identification - M1 helmet as used by Italian Air Force/specialist airfield security - must be a correct designation but I haven't found it yet - Marzetti translates as "survelliance units at military airports".

(NB Marzetti also implies that M1s were sometimes used by regular Italian Infantry units. Well well well.)

Later edit: - I think the branch of service may be the Vigilanza Aeronautica Militare, which came into action in 1958, and the painted emblem is an adaptation of the normal IAF insignia.

This is the correct answer