After the use of the P.C. 30 and P.C. 32, the first official Italian civilian masks, it was decided that issuing masks to every person would be too expensive, and therefore the civilians should purchase gas masks privately.
To avoid confusion, it was decided that the masks suitable for this role should be approved by the S.C.M. (Servizio Chimico Militare, chemical military service). The table below has all the known licenses granted from 1934 up to 1939.
Most of these masks ended production around 1940, with some being issued and recycled during the War as territorial masks.
After the beginning of the Second World War, no more licenses were granted, and the State started directly selling a new mask, the P.C. 40, and greatly insisted on procuring one for people that live in dangerous areas. Late in the War, these were issued for free to the certain endangered people and various territorial corps, in place of more competent masks.
Lic.# | Subject of the license | Date* |
---|---|---|
1 | S.I.P. 1 (mask) | 26/5/1934 |
2 | P43 (civilian variant) (mask) | 26/5/1934 |
3 | P44 (civilian variant) (mask) | 26/5/1934 |
4 | P45 (civilian variant) (mask) | 26/5/1934 |
5 | T.33 (civilian variant) (mask) | 31/8/1934 |
6 | S.I.P. 3 (mask) | 31/8/1934 |
7 | unknown | x |
8 | Dirzepo (filter) | 20/2/1935 |
9 | P.C. 35 (mask and filter) | 17/5/1935 |
10 | Pir. 35 (mask) | 23/11/1935 |
11 | R.S. 35 (mask) | 28/1/1936 |
12 | RESPIRO mask (mask and filter) | 8/3/1936 |
13 | unknown | x |
14 | Pir. 35 (filter) | 13/6/1936 |
15 | unknown | x |
16 | R.S. 37 (mask and filter) | 1/3/1937 |
17 | unknown | x |
18 | unknown | x |
19 | Rifugio L.B. (mask) | 15/6/1938 |
20 | Pirec38 (filter) | 15/6/1938 |
21 | R.S. 38 (mask and filter) | 15/6/1938 |
22 | P.C. 38 (I.A.C. variant) (mask and filter) | 22/7/1938 |
23 | unknown | x |
24 | Rifugio T.U.O. (mask) | 19/12/1938 |
25 | Rifugio L.B./V.N. (mask) | 6/3/1939 |
26 | Rifugio T.U.O./M.N. (mask) | 6/3/1939 |
27 | P.C. 38 (Superga variant) (mask and filter) | 17/3/1939 |
28 | unknown | x |
29 | P.43tf (mask) | 27/7/1939 |
- (Note that the date system is not the American one.)