Original WWII Italian M33 Helmet with 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment Stencil - Full Liner & Chinstrap

Original Item: Only One Available. The Bersaglieri (Marksmen in English) are a corps of the Italian Army originally created by General Alessandro La Marmora on 18 June 1836 to serve in the Army of the Kingdom of Sardinia, later to become the Royal Italian Army. They have always been a high-mobility light infantry unit, and can still be recognized by the distinctive wide brimmed hat that they wear (only in dress uniform in modern times), decorated with black capercaillie feathers. The feathers are usually applied to their combat helmets. Another distinctive trait of the Bersaglieri is the fast jog pace they keep on parades, instead of marching. Italy began the Second World War with 12 Bersaglieri regiments of three battalions each. Over the preceding years the Army had resisted suggestions to dilute their quality, and recruits continued to be of above-average size and stamina, endured intense physical training and had to qualify as marksmen.

In October 1939, the 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment was assigned to the 3rd Cavalry Division "Principe Amedeo Duca d'Aosta", which also included the cavalry regiments Regiment "Savoia Cavalleria" and Regiment "Lancieri di Novara", the 3rd Fast Artillery Regiment, and the III Fast Tank Group "San Giorgio". In June 1940 the division participated in the Invasion of France. In April 1941 the regiment participated in the Invasion of Yugoslavia and occupied Split.

The M33 Helmet (Elmetto Mod. 33 in Italian) is a steel combat helmet designed in the 1930s in Italy, and was the standard combat helmet of the Regio Esercito up to World War II, and of the Esercito Italiano well into the Cold War. Designed by Nicola Leszl for the Mussolini Government, these have become extremely hard to find on the collectors market today, especially WWII examples that have not been refurbished.

The front of this helmet has a great period stencil for the 3rd Regiment of Bersaglieri. The liner is in good shape overall and the correct wartime leather chinstrap is intact, rare to see. The liner is perforated 56 for the size.

A very nice example of the Italian M33 helmet from WWII, ready to display!

Ukraine
In summer 1941 the 3rd Cavalry Division "Principe Amedeo Duca d'Aosta" was assigned to the Italian Expeditionary Corps in Russia and sent to the Eastern front. On 20 July 1941 the division left Italy and on 13 August 1941 it reached Dniprodzerzhynsk (today Kamianske) on the Dnipro river in central Ukraine. From 27 to 30 September 1941 the division fought in the Battle of Petrykivka. From 20 October 1941, the division fought in the battle to take control of Donetsk and Horlivka. Between 11 and 12 November, the XVIII and XX battalions prevented the encirclement of the 80th Infantry Regiment "Pasubio". In late November, the regiment occupied a defensive lines centred on the village of Petropavlivka.

On 15 March 1942, the two cavalry regiments, the 3rd Horse Artillery Regiment, as well as the III Fast Tanks Group "San Giorgio" left the division and were replaced by the 6th Bersaglieri Regiment and the 120th Motorized Artillery Regiment. In June 1942, Axis forces commenced their summer offensive and on 19 July 1942, the 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment occupied Millerovo in Russia. On 29 July 1942, the two Bersaglieri regiments reached the Don river near Serafimovich and between 30 July and 9 August the two regiments eliminated a Soviet bridgehead at Serafimovich. Later in the same month, and with the support of German tanks, the Bersaglieri repelled a Soviet attack during the first defensive battle of the Don.

By late autumn 1942, the Italian 8th Army was covering, together Hungarian and Romanian forces, the left flank of the German 6th Army, which was attacking Stalingrad. The Italian held front line stretched along the Don river for more than 250 kilometres (160 mi) between the positions of the Hungarian 2nd Army in Kalmiskowa and the positions of the Romanian 3rd Army in Veshenskaya. On 17 December Soviets forces commenced Operation Little Saturn and under immense pressure of superior Soviet armored forces the Italian divisions had to retreat from the Don the next day. After a short respite the Soviets commenced the Voronezh–Kharkov offensive on 13 January 1943 and the Axis forces had to fall back further, with the 3rd Cavalry Division "Principe Amedeo Duca d'Aosta" falling back towards Pavlohrad in Ukraine, where between 4 and 19 February 1943 the 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment held its positions against repeated Soviet attacks. On 19 February the remnants of the regiment retreated towards Dnipro, where the survivors arrived two days later.

For the valor shown in the operations between August 1941 and May 1942 and for the valor shown during the offensive to the Don the 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment was awarded two Gold Medals of Military Valor, which were affixed to the regiment's flag and added to the regiment's coat of arms.

In April 1943 the survivors of the regiment returned to Milan. On 8 September 1943, when the Armistice of Cassibile was announced, the regiment was located in the Emilia region and still in the process of being rebuilt. On 12 September 1943 invading German forces overcame and disbanded the 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment.

Italy
On 1 February 1944, the Italian Co-belligerent Army reformed the 4th Bersaglieri Regiment with the XXIX Battalion and the XXXIII Battalion of the 11th Bersaglieri Regiment. The reformed regiment was assigned to the I Motorized Grouping, which fought on the allied side in the Italian Campaign. On 18 April 1944 the I Motorized Grouping was expanded and renamed Italian Liberation Corps.

On 24 September 1944 the Italian Liberation Corps was disbanded its units and personnel used to form the combat groups "Folgore" and "Legnano". On the same date the remaining troops of the 4th Bersaglieri Regiment, which had suffered heavy losses fighting on the Winter Line and in the Battle of Ancona, were grouped, together with the survivors of the LI Bersaglieri Officer Cadets Training Battalion, into the Bersaglieri Battalion "Goito", which was assigned to the Special Infantry Regiment. The name "Goito" was chosen to commemorate the Battle of Goito Bridge, which was the baptism of fire for the Bersaglieri. The Special Infantry Regiment then joined the Combat Group "Legnano", which was equipped with British materiel and assigned to the Polish II Corps.

In winter 1944-45 the Combat Group "Legnano" fought on the Gothic Line and then in April 1945 in the Battle of Bologna. During the latter battle the Bersaglieri Battalion "Goito" broke through the German lines at Poggio Scanno, which opened the way for the Combat Group "Legnano" to Ozzano dell'Emilia and Bologna, which was liberated on 21 April. For its conduct and valor in the campaign to liberate Italy the Bersaglieri Battalion "Goito" was awarded a Silver Medal of Military Valor.