Help on "Moschettieri del Duce" helmet

[butschekantiques]

Hello everyone,

I have no idea on this one. Are there any specialists?
Thanks!
Klaus

www.butschek-antiques.com +++ www.ratisbons.com

[Barzini]

I don't think it is a Moschettiere helmet. Front badge was different

[Ironcrown]

Why not a Brigate Nere helmet from the RSI?

[Ironcrown]

In fact...
Lookig on Web for some picturial reference, I found this link

http://www.caricat.it/cgi-scripts/ca...=0110609100510

[Raffaello Carola]

The Musketeers of the Duce had a similar helmet with a skull in the picture
we can see one published on the book sil Ruggero Belogi "Moschettieri del Duce"
page 64 Albertelli editor; in some photos of period we can see this black helmet
with a similar skull without the two swords this type of famous skull was used on the cloth caps ( Fez and Bustine)
This helmet could be RSI period of the Black Brigades and is the same of the italian dealer Caricat web site.
cheers
Raffaello

[Barzini]

I never had much interest in this specific topic, however I heard that according to some veteran the unit was using only leather or light weight aluminium helmets. Certainly more informed collectors can confirm either the ways.
The only helmet I have personally seen was in Milan 20 years back, in the middle 90s, from a friend of Rudy D’A. It was in black leather with a smooth gloss finish; skull with crossed fencing foils on the front; a quite elaborate silk lining maker marked Presciutti
The skull with crossed bones in zamac alloy was produced by Lorioli in 1944 using an old die. Earlier productions of the same were in nickel plated brass or aluminium.
Similar badges were produced also by other companies, however this one seems to be a Lorioli skull in zamac; in this case, it wouldn’t appear coherent with the time frame in which the Moschettieri were active.

[Paolo Marzetti]

Probably BBNN helmet. Not MdD !PaoloM

[Ironcrown]

The Moschettieri del Duce was intended as a honor guard and had to take part to cerimonies and parades. For this reason their uniforms were well made and elaborated.
The M33 shown in this thread is a normal fieldgray helmet that have been crudely overpainted in black: not a problem if you had to wear it in an antipartisan action (as a Brigate Nere man), but a moschettiere deserved something better!