Page 361 - I 100 anni dell'elmetto italiano 1915-2015 - Storia del copricapo nazionale da combattimento

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100 years of the Italian helmet 1915-2015

History of the national combat headgear

Giovanni Cecini

ince ancient times the fighter has tried in various ways to protect the most sensitive
parts of his body from attack. For this reason the use of leather or metal headgear, which
S could guarantee a better security of the head, have characterized all ages. For sizes and
shapes helmets have had a great success because they offered necessary protection during the
fighting as well as an aesthetic ornament. This would induce fear or reverence to anyone who
was in front of the fighter.
World War I laid the foundations for a revolutionary examination on the matter because of
its massive technical advancement and the type of combat centered in the trench. Italy, like
other countries, had paid special attention to this aspect. Starting from 1915 Italy has therefore
equipped his soldiers with a series of helmets which over the years have marked at every lati-
tude the very essence of the status national military.
All Armies of the State have worn helmets or berets in war or at peace. Apparently intended
to address a specific military equipment, in fact the story of helmets offers the opportunity to
analyze at least two other very important details of the recent military life of the country: the
economic-industrial as well as logistical and administrative aspect. Technological development
of weapons and military equipment has certified a renewed vitality for it and has avoided send-
ing helmets to rest. Over the years the need to supply mainly elite units (engineers, paratroop-
ers, commandos, etc.) gave a chance to combine a generalized protection and thus the opportu-
nity to follow the evolution of fashion and often that of expressive thoughts.
The atomic age has not changed much in this sense compared to some features heard during
World Wars. The imperative need to preserve the head of the soldier from any external agent has
been integrating with innovative features, such as those to increase some human senses (sight,
hearing, speech). New forms of guerrilla warfare in urban centers or in inaccessible geographic
scenarios, the asymmetric war where force alone is not enough, the increasingly computerized
combat terrorism are all factors that still involve the strenghtening of personal protection. It is
declined as integrated communication system, data exchange and constant operational interde-
pendence with hierarchical levels horizontal and vertical, no matter how far they are.
A hundred years have gone by since infantry worn a contemporary metallic headgear for
the first time. The Adrian (in its different variations) scored over twenty years of the country’s
history, remaining bound to the sacrifices of the Great War and the corresponding victory, while
the model 33 was able to carry the national Armed Forces from Fascist era to the democratic
Republic. It remained since 1946 up to the eve of the new millennium a kit used for parades and
exercises. It became in the last twenty years of the twentieth century a fundamental kit soldier
engaged in peacekeeping missions overseas. Meanwhile, the different versions of the helmet
fiber have progressively stated the need to replace the heavy and not always elastic steel with
layers of chemicals, relatively light and characterized by specific ballistic features.

Nevertheless, traditions leaves its mark and alongside the futuristic helmets remain symbols
of some armies, such as the pen of the Alpine or the feathers of sharpshooters. This suggests