The O.39 was the first Italian optical mask, it was produced since 1940 (possibly late 1939) and it was used alongside its successor, the O.41, until the adoption of the M73.
Development[]
During the late '30s the Italian army sought to adopt a mask that allowed smoother use of optical instruments. In 1939 multiple companies provided designs for the upcoming O.39, the currently known types are IAC's design, which is the one shown in this article and Spasciani's design, which was essentially a T.35 with incavated optical lenses and either 5 or 7 straps (there may have been others, but currently the original sources aren't available). After IAC's design was chosen, it was designated as S.C.M. 39 and tested. There were only minor improvements to the mask before it was adopted around late 1939 or early 1940.
Mask overview[]
The faceblank, made of moulded natural rubber, is shaped in way that allows the eyepieces to sit frontally, in parallel and close to the eyes of the user to serve the purpose of allowing easier use of optical instruments. There is a chin rest over the inlet, made of half of a thick rubber disc; it allows the chin to be placed further into the mask in such a way keep the face properly in position. The faceblank has the following parts attached to it:
- the eyepieces
- the straps
- the outlet assembly
- the inlet valve assembly
- the hose and threaded inlet
The eyepieces have 7 parts to each assembly, which are: the aluminium threaded housing (a), a rubber gasket (b), an anti-fogging lens (c), the glass lens (d), an additional gasket (e), a threaded ferrule (f) and a rubber cover for the ferrule (g).
The harness is the same used with previous military models, with 5 adjustable straps (a top one, two elastic temple ones and two elastic cheek ones) attached to the facepiece, which gather into a nape pad.
The outlet assembly is placed closely to the face of the user to reduce the bulk of the facepiece. The design is more compact compared to previous military masks, at the cost of the protective mesh, which is not present.
The inlet valve is placed in a housing at the chin of the mask, it has an inlet valve made of a rubber disc and a stem to which the hose is attached.
The hose is similar in shape to the M.31-33s', but it is longer, reaching 58cm including the smooth extremities. It's attached on one end to the inlet assembly of the facepiece, while on the other end there was a 40mm DIN threaded piece, the same used with modified M.31-33s.
The facepiece has two main markings, on the right there is a serial number and a date, while on the left there's the text "O.39", IAC's logo and the size in roman numerals, with IV being the smallest and I being the largest. Note that size IV was not meant for children like with civilian mask: the sizes of optical masks had to be tailored more specifically to the face of the soldiers, ergo the need of a more varied sizing.
Kit[]
Regular kit[]
The standard O.39 kit varied slightly during the years it was issued, with some accessories being occasionally switched or removed completely. From the following list, only the first 3 were always present:
- Facepiece and hose
- T.35 or SCM-41 filter
- Carrier (either the dedicated one or an M.31-33 one)
- Spare anti-fogging lenses
- Spare gaskets
- Spare exhale valve
- Spare lenses
The dedicated carrier is similar to the M.31-33's, but it is less wide and slightly taller. There is a small pocket on the inside, closed by an automatic botton, which is used to store the spare parts. A lot of O.39s are found with M.31-33 bags, probably due to their abundance after they went out of service in 1949.
Bunker use[]
CO protection was needed in bunkers due to the heavy artillery use, which led to a build-up of said odourless gas, which would kill the soldiers without them realizing. To account for this problem there were two solutions involving the O.39:
Individual filtering[]
When a fortress lacked of a centralized ventilation system (such with old, small or hard-to-reach fortresses) the soldiers were equipped with a standard O.39 with the addition of a CO filter, which would thread between the inlet and the regular filter.
Centralized ventilation system[]
Bunkers and fortresses that sported a centralized ventilation system had pipes running all the way to the various shooting positions for both machineguns and artillery. The masks were connected to said pipes through long hoses that on one end were attached to the pipes, and on the other had a thread to which the standard hose was attached. It's unclear whether previous masks such as the M.31-33 and the O.41 were ever used in a similar setup.
Extra gallery[]
References[]
Various, including IL SERVIZIO CHIMICO MILITARE 1923-1945, book 1