The
Villar Perosa is often technically regarded as the first submachine gun. The Villar Perosa was somewhat odd, and had sort of a heavy double automatic pistol configuration, with two 25-round box magazines feeding each barrel and a rate of fire in excess of 1000 rounds per minute. It was originally intended as an auxiliary aircraft weapon but was removed from airplanes to be replaced by light machine guns using rifle rounds. It saw wide use with ground forces mainly for defensive use when fitted with a protective armored plate. A large quantity was seized by Austrian troops during the battle of Caporetto. it also aided development of the next Italian submachine guns, the OVP 1918 and the Beretta 1918. It is always claimed that the Beretta beat the
Bergman MP18 by a couple of months or a couple of weeks in the field but there is absolutely no trace of its use by the Arditi units who were supposed to have fielded it, unlike the Bergmann MP 18.1 that appears on many pictures and is cited in both German or Allied reports.
The Beretta's rate of fire was estimated to be in the 1000 to 1300 rounds per minute range.
The small quantity of Beretta 1918 available after World War I was converted as semi auto carbine for the Forestry Service.
Since the rate of fire of a SMG can be estimated↑ by its bolt mass and the ratio with the weight of the projectile being fired, the examination of semi auto carbine and 1918/30 samples confirms the rate of fire and explains the reputation of unreliability of these first Beretta submachine guns.
†unless using a system that delays rearward move or forward move: locking rollers, Blish lock, buffer or cyclic rate reducer.
The Beretta 1935 was inspired by the French STA studies led by Section Technique de l'Armée from 1918 to 1938. Many technical details are close to the STA 1922 that was adopted as MAS 1924 and used in post World War I limited colonial conflicts.
Starting with the 1938 A, the Beretta SMG gained a well-deserved reputation of accuracy and reliability. They used the Italian 9 mm model 38, a round much more powerful than the German made 9 mm Parabellum.
*
Villar Perosa (1915)
*
OVP 1918 (developed in 1918 from the Villar Perosa)
*
Beretta Model 1918
The Moschetto Automatico Revelli-Beretta Mod. 1915 (Commonly known as the Beretta Model 1918) was a self-loading carbine that entered service in 1918 with the Italian armed forces. Designed as a semi-automatic rifle, the weapon came with an over ...
(1918)
*
Beretta Model 1938A (1938, based on earlier 1935 model)
*
Beretta Model 38/42 (1940s, formed basis for model 3)
*
TZ-45 (1940s, later produced as BA-52 for the
Burmese Army
The Myanmar Army ( my, တပ်မတော်(ကြည်း), ) is the largest branch of the Armed Forces (''Tatmadaw'') of Myanmar (Burma) and has the primary responsibility of conducting land-based military operations. The Myanmar Arm ...
)
*
Armaguerra OG-43
*
FNAB 43
The FNAB-43 is an Italian designed and developed submachine gun manufactured from 1943 to 1945. The first prototype was built in 1942 and the ~1,000 built by the FNA-B according to Ian McCollum of Forgotten Weapons (''Fabbrica Nazionale d'Armi di ...
(1943)
*Variara submachine gun (1944), entirely engineered and produced by Italian
partisans
*
Franchi LF57
The Franchi LF57 is an Italian pressed-metal submachine gun. A small number were made for the Italian Navy in the 1960s, and approximately two hundred were ordered by the army for the Target Acquisition Group of the 3rd Missile Brigade (GRACO), bu ...
(1957) (original production ended in the 1980s)
*
Beretta Model 3 (1950s)
*
Beretta M12 (1960s),
Beretta Model 12S (1983)
*
Spectre M4 (1980s)
*
Socimi Type 821 (1980s, later produced as LF821 by Franchi)
*
Benelli CB M2
The Benelli CB-M2 was an Italian simple blowback submachine gun resulting from a joint venture between Benelli and Fiocchi Munizioni.
The weapon was chambered for the semi-caseless 9mm AUPO round. The AUPO bullet had an elongated, hollow base th ...
*
Beretta PMX
Machine pistols:
*
Beretta M1951R (1950s)
*
Beretta 93R (1970s)
*
Beretta 963r
Other Italian automatic firearms
*
Breda 30 (6.5mm)
*
Mitragliatrice Breda MOD.37
The ''Fucile Mitragliatore Breda modello'' 30 was the standard light machine gun of the Royal Italian Army during World War II.
Design
The Breda 30 was rather unusual for a light machine gun. It was fed from a fixed magazine attached to the righ ...
*
Beretta MOD.34 Automatic Pistol
The Beretta Model 1934 is an Italian compact, semi-automatic pistol which was issued as the service pistol of the Royal Italian Army beginning in 1934. It is chambered for the 9mm Corto, more commonly known as the .380 ACP.
History and usage
...
See also
*
List of submachine guns
*
List of firearms
This is an extensive list of small arms—including pistols, revolvers, submachine guns, shotguns, battle rifles, assault rifles, sniper rifles, machine guns, personal defense weapons, carbines, designated marksman rifles, flamethrowe ...
References
{{Reflist
Submachine guns, Italian
*
submachine guns