Italian M33 Helmet – Spanish Civil War / Francoist Reissue
Italian Mod. 1933 steel helmet later supplied to Nationalist Spain, showing typical Franco-era modifications and heavy field wear.
Images
Specifications
| General Information | |
|---|---|
| Model | Italian Mod. 1933 (M33) steel helmet, Spanish Civil War / Francoist reissue |
| Country | Kingdom of Italy – later service in Nationalist / Francoist Spain |
| Type | Combat steel helmet with three-pad leather liner |
| Era | c. 1937–1939 Italian production, used through WWII and post-war Spain |
| Shell Material | Nickel-steel alloy, stamped one-piece shell |
| Liner | Original Italian three-pad leather liner with 8-finger pads and felt backing |
| Chinstrap | Two-piece leather chinstrap, complete but detached on right side |
| Vent / Liner Rivets | Three domed “star” split rivets serving as both liner attachment and shell vents |
| Paint | Dark brown / olive Spanish over-paint over original Italian grigio-verde finish |
| Spanish Modifications | Rectangular badge lug welded to the front for Francoist eagle badge; additional repainting and field wear typical of Spanish use. |
| Condition | Honest, unrestored service wear with worn paint, surface rust, and well-used liner; structurally sound example. |
| Provenance | Italian M33 Helmet, part of Italian military aid to Nationalist Spain during the Civil War and later service under Franco. |
Historical Background
Italy’s Mod. 1933 helmet was adopted as a modern replacement for the earlier First World War Adrian pattern. The new design featured a smooth, low dome, modest front visor and a rolled edge, giving the M33 its distinctive Italian silhouette. The nickel-steel shell offered improved ballistic protection compared to the older crested helmets, and the three-pad liner provided a more secure and adjustable fit for troops in the field.
When civil war erupted in Spain in 1936, Mussolini’s government supplied Franco’s Nationalist forces with arms and equipment. Italians of the Corpo Truppe Volontarie (CTV) also arrived wearing their own helmets, and later shipments provided additional stocks. Many of these helmets were brush-repainted in locally available browns and greens and fitted with Francoist insignia, becoming a visual hallmark of Nationalist units.
After Nationalist victory, surviving Italian helmets remained in Spanish stocks and continued in use for decades. During arsenal refurbishments a small rectangular lug was frequently welded to the front of the shell to accept a metal eagle badge. Later repainting in darker tones, combined with heavy field wear, now makes these helmets some of the most evocative Spanish Civil War and early Francoist relics.
Features of This Helmet
The example shown here is a textbook Spanish-used M33. The shell displays a heavy brown, rust-toned over-paint that has flaked away in broad areas, revealing the original Italian green finish underneath. On the forehead, a rectangular lug, marks where a Francoist eagle badge was welded and later removed.
Inside, the helmet retains its original Italian three-pad leather liner. The leather shows age and dryness but remains largely complete, with the characteristic circular pattern of perforations and the drawstring channel still visible. The standard Italian “star” split rivets and liner band are intact, and the two-piece chinstrap is present in worn but matching condition.
Type 2 star vent rivets secure the linerLiner (this type of rivet was manufactured between 1936-1939). The fingers have leather disc reinforcements where dome string is threaded through.This Italian-made shell that made it's way to Spain, used in service, refurbished with a badge lug and new paint, and then heavily used again. Rather than a pristine collectors’ piece, it represents the hard-working equipment of soldiers whose helmets were used, then repainted, re-issued and carried through years of conflict.
Collecting
Spanish-used M33 helmets occupy an interesting niche between Italian WWII collecting and Spanish Civil War militaria. While they lack the sharper lines and decals of German helmets, they offer a another point into the history of European inter-war and early WWII combat gear. This is a honest, untouched example of a Italian M33 Helmet with visible Italian paint beneath Spanish over-paint.
The layers of green paint are part of the helmet’s story and document its journey from Italy to Spain and into Francoist service.