Question on Italian M15 Adrian

[Ariete]

Hi all,

Ive just received this helmet which i believe to be an Italian M15 Adrian Helmet.
I have two questions regarding the helmet.
First question is were M15 adrians fitted shells ? did they come in different sizes? The reason im asking because this shell is very small compared to others ive seen. To make a comparison ive taken a side by side photo of a french M26 next to the Italian M15 to show how much smaller it is then the
M26.

Second question regards the stencil. From my research the stencil is for the
51st Siena Division/ 51st Artillery Regt. Would this stencil of been used during WW1 or was it added after the great war from 1920 onwards?

Thanks in advance.

[Ariete]

as requested some close ups of the insignia

[Lafitte]

Hallo Ariete, yes the adrian is it little, but correct is it the more little type. About the stencil, IMO, this of the first 30 years because the badge is it very similar to that on the m.33 models but not the same.
This look paint with a a brush on a mask.

[Paolo Marzetti]

A small Adrian, I would say more of the WWII period with tampon printed
stencil.Nice.PaoloM

[Ariete]

Thanks again for the input Lafitte and Mr. Marzetti.
From further research the "wimples" or hooks for attaching the liner are post WW1 production. Also the original holes for affixing the French Insignia can be seen filed under the grigio Verde paint. Would it be a safe assumption to assume that this helmet was one of the early Model 15 that Italy originally purchased from France in fall of 1915 with the holes for the Insignia present. Was there a transition model 15/16 produced in Italy without the holes for the Insignia before the M16 was used?

[Paolo Marzetti]

It is clear that these were original WWI Adrian helmets used by the Italian Army,and refurbished by the Italians after WWI and used in pre-and WWII period (looking at the stencil).The presence of the holes for the badge may indicate or the very first batch of French Adrians arrived to the Italians with the French badges and used during WWI or the use in the late 20's of the
issue Italian metal badges,later abolished.CheersPaoloM