Italian or Japanese?

[frenchy]

I was reading a description of this helmet and it stated that this might be ww2 Italian helmet but the liner could be early one Japanese ???
is there someone who could put light at the end of the tunnel for me
thanks
Frenchy

[NickD]

well its a model 1933 Italian helmet but im not sure if that's the correct liner ????

[frenchy]

Thanks Nick but at least the shell is original ww2 it's a start

Frenchy

[emileverbunt]

Hello Frenchy,

This is indeed an Italian M33 helmet, but with a Spanish replacement liner. These helmets were used in Spain until the sixties, I believe.

Mussolini supplied Franco with these helmets during the Spanish Civil War.

Nice one!

Cheers,
Emile

[ashgld15]

I was wondering if it's the Greek helmet that was starting to replace their older British pattern just as war broke out. Also, I don't remember the Italian M33 having that pointy "visor" in the front,but that could just be my memory not doing it's job!
Eric

[saturno]

It's an Italian helmet.. I also have that kind..
Here's below...

[James C]

very nice collection of m33 ,can i ask what causes the liner to darken so much is it smoke damage or just old age ?

[saturno]

Thanks.. These m33 has been with me for the past 10 years now and the liner was always like that when I first bought that. Could be old age. Those 4 m33s are all shells. Only one has a liner.

[James C]

very nice all the same ,, i only ask about the liner because my ww2 m33 has a dark leather liner also ? i wonder why theres not a lot of interest in the m33 i like the shape it reminds me of the ssch 39/40 and think no ww2 helmet collection is complete without one what are your thoughts regards james

[saturno]

I agree with you James. My ww2 helmet collections would not be complete without an Italian helmet. The same goes for a Japanese helmet. Because these two with the German were the major players in the Axis side of the WW2. Ten years ago, there's a lot of cheap ww2 Italian helmets, I don't know now. I haven't look at the market right now even for German items since I have already locked my wallet away. Being single then and being married now, took a different priority in my spending habit.

Anyway, maybe because Italian helmets are quite cheap and easy to buy that people always regarded this lightly as compared to the German's. People always tend to look things differently when it is more expensive and rare. Some people think of it as an investment, others like ourselves like a piece of history that we could touch, feel and could pass on to our future generations. I'm collecting not only for myself but also for my kids to keep our history alive by the presence of these relics. This is just my though.