General Information: The Italians supplied the Spanish Nationalists with Model 1933 helmets. These were exactly the same as the M33s used by the Italian army (see “Italian M33”). Surviving examples of the M33s used in the Spanish Civil War typically have rough brown or greenish-brown paint. This crudely applied paint tends to flake off over time. The Spanish-used M33s also often have brackets that were applied in the post-Civil War period for the attachment of a Spanish eagle badge. Ones used by the Italian army lack these features. When production dates are present on the Spanish import M33s, the dates are from 1939 or earlier.
Displayed Example: I acquired the helmet in the first set of gallery photos from an eBay seller in 2024. It is a less common example of a Spanish Civil War-used Italian M33 in its original wartime condition. It has the rough, crudely applied paint mentioned above. The triumphant Nationalists modified most of these helmets in the post-civil war period by welding a bracket for the Francoist eagle badge. This specimen lacks the bracket typically found on surviving examples of Spanish-used M33s.
The helmet in the second set of gallery photos below is an item that I bought at the Show of Shows in Louisville, Kentucky in 2019. It shows evidence of once having had a bracket for a Spanish badge. Eventually the badge brackets became standardized, but on some helmets, presumably early modified ones, there were distinct types of brackets affixed in different ways. In some instances, the badges were welded directly to the helmets. Often these brackets were not well attached and tended to break off, as is the case with the example displayed.
Collector Notes: To my collector eye, these are really interesting helmets and a not very common helmet type. There is not much cachet for these things in collector’s markets, however. A Spanish Civil War used Italian M33 is one of the least expensive additions to a collection.
* Marpo. “SCW Helmets in Action.” HelmNet (private website). January 11, 2017. 69th post. Accessed March 29, 2022.
Steel Helmets of the World Wars 