Original Item. Only One Available. This is an outstanding helmet worn by the so-called Compagnie della morte ('Companies of death'), special patrols of infantry and engineers engaged in cutting or blasting enemy barbed wire. These companies are thought to be the precursors of the Arditi. They were easily recognizable by their use of armor and "Farina" helmets. Contrary to popular belief, the Farina helmet was not specifically worn by members of the Arditi, and very few if any were actually worn by them. The Farina helmet saw the most use with the Compagnie della morte ('Companies of death'), and by Belgian units, who were issued roughly 30 sets of the helmet & armor.

This is one of the rarest, hard to find, combat helmet of the Great War. Worn by the legendary Compagnie della morte ('Companies of death'), the form of helmet was first designed for use by sentries in forward positions as a protective alternative to the cloth Berroto cap and other forms of headdress used in the Italian army during the opening stages of the First World War. Made by the Milan firm of Elmo Farina, it was adopted on a wider scale of issue from October 1915 by the spearhead 'wire cutting companies. These were specialist volunteer engineer troops who led the assault and cleared wire entanglements ahead of the infantry, vital tactical operations which required great courage and skill. It has been suggested that the helmet (and its associated body armour) could be effective against rifle ammunition fired at distances down to 125 metres.

This extraordinarily scarce example was manufactured by the engineering company of 'Ing. F. Farina ' in Milan, Italy. and still bears a manufacturers marking label on the interior that reads:

ING. F. FARINA
II TAGLIA
VIA RUFFINI. 10 MILANO

The helmet retains the very rare two piece chinstrap, though the longer section has been worn away in some areas and has some material loss. The roller buckle on the other side is in great shape with the small leather backing piece. The longer side is a bit weaker at the helmet attachment point. The helmet retains a green paint often seen on Italian Adrian helmets, with loss to the paint on the front plate. The dome also has some loss with scattered oxidation. 

The front plate is several - at least five - individual steel plates combined and riveted together in order to protect the crucial part of the head. The helmet weighs 5.75 lbs. Issued without any form of liner, they were normally worn over a separate padded cap or the field cap worn back to front in the absence of any other padding. There is a small impact dent at the back of the crown, though we cannot say as to when this trauma occurred.

An incredibly difficult steel helmet to find in any condition or configuration. This is the first and perhaps the only example we may ever offer.

Arditi (from the Italian verb ardire, 'to dare', and translates as "The Daring [Ones]") was the name adopted by a Royal Italian Army elite special force of World War I. They and the opposing German Stormtroopers were the first modern shock troops, and they have been called "the most feared corps by opposing armies".

Reparti d'Assalto ('Assault units') were formed in the summer of 1917 by Colonel Bassi, and were assigned the tactical role of shock troops, breaching enemy defenses in order to prepare the way for a broad infantry advance. The Arditi were not units within infantry divisions, but were considered as an independent branch within the Italian Infantry Arm.

The Reparti d'Assalto were successful in bringing in a degree of movement to what had previously been a war of entrenched positions. They won numerous engagements armed mainly with daggers and hand grenades, which proved very effective in the confined space of a trench. Their exploits on the battlefield were exemplary and they gained an illustrious place in Italian military history. They were demobilized by 1920.

The name Arditi was later used in 1919–20 by the Italian occupiers of Fiume who were led by Gabriele D'Annunzio, most of whom had been members of the Royal Italian Army. Their use of a uniform with black ties, insignia and fez was later taken up by Benito Mussolini's paramilitary forces, the Blackshirts. In 1942, during the Second World War, the 10th Arditi Regiment was created, inspired by the assault units of the Great War.

From 1 October 1975 the flag of X Arditi Regiment was adopted by the 9th Paratroopers Assault Regiment "Col Moschin". To this day, operatives of Col Moschin and Italian commando frogmen are known as "Arditi Incursori" and are viewed as the heirs of the Arditi.

The first special units within the Italian Army can be traced back to 1914 when every regiment of the Royal Army was ordered to create a group of explorers trained to act behind enemy lines. One of the most famous units of this type was the Baseggio Company that attacked Monte Sant'Osvaldo in 1916.

Others argue that the so-called Compagnie della morte ('Companies of death'), special patrols of infantry and engineers engaged in cutting or blasting enemy barbed wire, should be considered as precursors of the Arditi. They were easily recognizable by their use of armor and "Farina" helmets.

In 1916 the supreme command decided to award special status to Arditi units but was reluctant to create new units. The Arditi badge, to be carried on the left arm, included the monogram VE (for Victor Emmanuel III of Italy), and was designed exclusively as a symbol of distinction for these soldiers. This was the first official use of the word "Ardito" by the Italian army.

In reality, all these units had no connection with the real Arditi that used extremely different tactics, training and equipment. In fact, on one hand, the scout units had the same tactics and equipment as the regular infantry, while on the other hand, the Compagnie della Morte filled a very different role, they were sappers and not shock troops and were quickly disbanded at the beginning of 1916.

The idea that would later lead to the birth of the Italian Assault Units dates back to the summer of 1916. In fact, in that period Major General Francesco Grazioli, commander of the "Lambro" Infantry Brigade, wrote papers in which he explained his ideas on the creation of special elite infantry units that would allow the stalemate of trench warfare to be overcome. Grazioli, who had observed the bloody attacks of the Italian infantry on the Carso in 1915, thought that these units should employ aggressive shock tactics, focusing in particular on identifying, mass attacking and breaking through the weakest points of the enemy lines, and then advancing in depth, encircling and destroying the strongest points of resistance so as to cause the collapse of an entire section of front.

According to Grazioli these units, called Plotoni Speciali (Special Platoons), were to be made up of 36 men each and commanded by a junior officer. 27 soldiers, divided into three patrols of 9 men each, had to be trained in hand-to-hand combat, trench clearing and throwing of hand grenades, their equipment had to consist of a Carcano carbine, 5 SIPE hand grenades and a dagger. The rest of the men would form the Machine-Pistol section of the platoon equipped with two Villar Perosa Machine-Pistols each.

These platoons, created by Grazioli only in his brigade, were formed and trained in the months of June and July 1916 and would go into combat for the first time in August of the same year in the Sixth Battle of the Isonzo. In fact, although it is not certain, it is probable that the special platoons played the role of spearhead in the attack of the "Lambro" Brigade against Monte Calvario on 6 and 7 August 1916.

In the following months the platoons continued to be part of the Brigade, mainly taking part in small-scale actions such as the counterattack east of Gorizia on 11 February 1917 in which the platoons drove the Austro-Hungarians from a position called Casa Due Pini which was lost following an enemy raid.

In the month of May the Tenth Battle of the Isonzo began and the special platoons, reorganized and enlarged, were employed on the hills east of Gorizia but without much success.

After the battle Grazioli was promoted and placed in command of the 48th Infantry Division and this allowed him to develop the idea of shock troops in greater depth and on a larger scale.