This is an extraordinarily rare original Italian First World War Farina armored combat helmet, manufactured by Ing. F. Farina of Milan and retaining both its interior maker label and exceptionally scarce two-piece leather chinstrap.The helmet retains much of its paint with heavy loss to the front plate. The leather chinstrap is retained with some minor tearing, and there is an ovular maker’s label on the interior.Farina helmets are often described loosely as “Arditi helmets,” but their most historically accurate association is with the Compagnie della Morte, or “Companies of Death.” These specialist parties of infantrymen and combat engineers were tasked with cutting, blasting, or clearing enemy barbed-wire entanglements immediately ahead of attacking troops. Their work was among the most dangerous assignments on the Italian Front. Wire-cutting teams had to approach fortified Austro-Hungarian positions across exposed ground, often under direct rifle, machine-gun, artillery, and grenade fire. The heavy Farina helmet and associated body armor were developed to give these men additional protection during these exceptionally hazardous operations.The Compagnie della Morte are sometimes described as direct predecessors of the later Arditi assault units. While both represented attempts to overcome the deadly stalemate of trench warfare, their battlefield roles were distinct. The wire-cutting companies were primarily specialist engineer and assault-support formations, while the Arditi units formally created in 1917 were trained as independent shock troops intended to penetrate and clear enemy trenches.The helmet was manufactured by the engineering firm of Ing. F. Farina in Milan and retains an original interior label reading:ING. F. FARINA
II TAGLIA
VIA RUFFINI. 10 MILANOThese helmets are extremely difficult to find in any condition, and most original examples are in museums overseas. Don’t miss out on this rare opportunity to find one on the market.
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