Penna respirator
The Penna respirator, also known as Penna mask, was the first domestic design of a gas mask adopted by the Italian Army after World War I, substituting the old British Small box respirator. The mask was named after the deceased Lorenzo Penna, the Generale del Genio (military engineering general) who founded the S.C.M. (Servizio Chimico Militare, chemical military service).[1]
Description[edit]
The mask is made from special rubber and is kept on the face by an elastic harness consisting of a head cushion and adjustable elastic straps. It has large eye pieces made of triplex glass to which cellulose anti-fogging lenses can be added with steel clips, . The face piece has a nasal septum with rubber sponge.[1]
The metal pipe coupling is connected to the front part of the mask with wire binding protected by insulating tape, and contains the 2 valves for inhalation and exhaust, the first a rubber disc and the second 2 rubber discs attached in peripheral points mounted on an aluminum disc with a collar. A rubber ring between the aluminum disc and the special housing in the pipe coupling serves to ensure a perfect seal.[1]
The pipe coupling is closed in the front by a lid, kept still by a set screw which has its head hidden by a tin drop.[1] The perfect valves' play is what ensures the proper functioning of the respirator.[1]
The hose is made of special rubber, it connects the lower part of the pipe coupling to the filter.[1]
On the left side of the face piece, the rubber presents the Penna marking (a "P" in a circle), and under it the size of the mask is marked, using a roman number going from 3 (small) to 1 (large).
Filter[edit]
The filter is made of tin and it is filled with the varius blocking substances. It has a hole at the bottom which, when the filter is not used for a long time, is closed by a metal pressure cap. On the top of the filter there is a corrugated collar to attach the hose.[1]
After the end of the production run of regular Penna filters, the masks had to be issued with modern in-date filters, from 1931 to 1933 they were M31 pattern, while after that they were M33 pattern. In rare cases the hoses were fitted with a 40 mm connector to use smaller filters like the T.35 one.
Bag[edit]
The bag, made of special fabric, serves the purpose of containing and carrying the respirator while marching and during use. It is divided in two sections, one of which has lots of holes and has a metal piece and contains the filter, while the other section is made to contain the mask while it's not being used.[1]
The bag is provided of a shoulder strap to carry the mask while marching, it has a botton and a tab to shorten said strap when the bag needs to be put on the chest to use the respirator.[1]
Variants[edit]
The Penna mask can be found in two variants:
- The first variant sported a 6 straps head-harness. All penna masks ever produced had at first this configuration.
- After 1933, almost every Penna mask was converted to use the more modern 5 straps head-harness through a procedure that involved unglueing the lower and middle straps while the 2 frontal ones were directly cut with a bit of the face piece's rubber; after that, the new harness was glued on. The traces of this conversion are usually evident, as most of the time it's possible to see the cut rubber where the upper straps were, the old spots where the harness was glued and, in some cases, the new straps cover partially or totally the marking on the left cheek.
History and use[edit]
The Penna mask was adopted in 1923 as a substitute for the English Respirator, which was no longer considered suitable for modern warfare. It saw no major conflict during the years it was standard issued in the Italian Army.
In 1931 the Army adopted the M31 gas mask and then in 1933 the M33 gas mask. The Penna respirator, made obsolete by the new respirators adopted, was converted in 1933 to use 5 straps head-harnesses and was used as a training mask for the following years.
In some of Luce's documentaries, it is possible to see converted Penna masks being used during gas drills.[2]
After the adoption of new masks,the Penna respirator saw very little use outside training, yet there are cases where it was still used: Some were seen being used during the Spanish Civil War, and some were used by terrestrial navy units.
References[edit]
External links[edit]
This article "Penna respirator" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Penna respirator. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
