Italy, Kingdom. A Rare Serbian Police Collaboration In Dalmatia With The Royal Italian Army Anti-Communist Volunteer Militia Cap, C.1941

(Milizia Volontaria Anti Comunista). The top of the cap is manufactured from red wool, with the sidewall in red cotton and exhibiting a black embroidered motif on the side panel around the circumference of the cap, the motif consisting of two rows of conjoined swirls, flanked by three rows of conjoined loops, one of which is in the centre between the rows of conjoined swirls, the other two placed along the outer edges of the conjoined swirls. The red cotton sidewall is backed by a white and gray thatched cotton twill backer, the cap trimmed in a 10 mm wide black rayon strip at the opening. Affixed to the front is a Anti-Communist Volunteer Militia badge in zinc, secured in place by dual prongs visible on the underside, traces of the original gilded finish remaining on the insignia around the eye sockets and nose framework on the skull, along with the tip of the handle and the point on the sword, the badge measuring 37.5 mm (w) x 36.7 mm (h) and is backed by a red and white embroidered circular rosette. Stitched in place to the black rayon strip at the rear of the cap and suspended accordingly are eight tassels, each of which is composed of multiple strands in very long black twisted rayon. The interior has a faded production mark or name in black ink evident in the dome. The cap measures 160 mm in width x 170 mm in depth x 60 mm in height, with one small hole evident in the red wool on the top left side near the front, the cap free of mothing and discolouration overall, with no interruption in the fabrics. Extremely fine.

Footnote: The Anti-Communist Volunteer Militia (Italian: Milizia Volontaria Anti Comunista, MVAC; Slovene: prostovoljna protikomunistična milica, also bela garda or belogardisti, pejorative = 'white guard'; Serbo-Croatian: Добровољачка антикомунистичка милиција, ДАМ / Dobrovoljačka antikomunistička milicija, DAM) were paramilitary auxiliary formations of the Royal Italian Army, composed of Yugoslav anti-Partisan groups in the Italian-annexed and occupied portions of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia during the Second World War. Colloquially known as Bande or Bande VAC after the Italian military term for irregular forces normally composed of foreigners or natives, anti-communist MVAC formations in occupied Yugoslavia were composed mainly of anti-communist Slovenians, Serbs, Bosnian Muslims, Croats and Montenegrins, as well as some Italians. As auxiliaries to regular Italian military units, MVAC units participated in guerrilla actions against communist Yugoslav Partisan forces in Slovenia, Dalmatia, Lika, Montenegro, Bosnia, and Herzegovina. Employed by the Italians from 1941 to 1943, Yugoslav MVAC units were utilized for their fighting ability, as well for their knowledge of the local language and terrain. The MVAC lacked a clear conventional command and control structure and was to a greater extent a loose arrangement of disparate armed groups aligned in common interests to counter communist guerrillas in their respective areas of operations.