The TZ-45 was an Italian
blowback-operated
Blowback is a system of operation for self-loading firearms that obtains energy from the motion of the cartridge case as it is pushed to the rear by expanding gas created by the ignition of the propellant charge.
Several blowback systems exist ...
submachine gun
A submachine gun (SMG) is a magazine-fed, automatic carbine designed to fire handgun cartridges. The term "submachine gun" was coined by John T. Thompson, the inventor of the Thompson submachine gun, to describe its design concept as an autom ...
produced between 1944 and 1945, with an estimated 6,000 made.
History
The TZ-45 submachine gun was designed by two Italians; Tonon ("Toni") Giandoso, a colonel in the RSI Army and Zorzoli Giandoso, a gunsmith, and was produced by the Giandoso company. The vast majority of the estimated 6000 TZ 45s produced were issued to R.S.I.
(Repubblica Sociale Italiana) units fighting against Italian
partisan
Partisan may refer to:
Military
* Partisan (weapon), a pole weapon
* Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line
Films
* ''Partisan'' (film), a 2015 Australian film
* ''Hell River'', a 1974 Yugoslavian film also know ...
forces during the civil war in
Northern Italy
Northern Italy ( it, Italia settentrionale, it, Nord Italia, label=none, it, Alta Italia, label=none or just it, Nord, label=none) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. It consists of eight administrative regions ...
(1944–45). A few TZ-45 were possibly used by the
Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...
forces engaged in similar operations. After the war, the remaining guns were given to the military of the British and the American forces where they were evaluated. The general opinion was unfavorable due to the style of manufacturing and finish.
The projects and manufacturing rights for the gun were later sold to the
Burmese army
The Myanmar Army ( my, တပ်မတော်(ကြည်း), ) is the largest branch of the Tatmadaw, Armed Forces (''Tatmadaw'') of Myanmar (Burma) and has the primary responsibility of conducting land-based military operations. The My ...
where it was manufactured as the BA-52 and colloquially known as the "
Ne Win
Ne Win ( my, နေဝင်း ; 10 July 1910, or 14 or 24 May 1911 – 5 December 2002) was a Burmese politician and military commander who served as Prime Minister of Burma from 1958 to 1960 and 1962 to 1974, and also President of Burma ...
STEN
The STEN (or Sten gun) is a family of British submachine guns chambered in 9×19mm which were used extensively by British and Commonwealth forces throughout World War II and the Korean War. They had a simple design and very low production cost ...
". The Burmese copies were roughly manufactured and unreliable. The weapon remained in service into the mid-1980s with the Burmese infantry and into the early 1990s with support troops.
Design and construction
The TZ-45 was manufactured by a stamped process and was then welded together with a simple finish applied. The blowback-operation was similar to other submachine guns at the time, though the return spring differed as it was assembled around a telescoping guide rod. A muzzle brake was fitted to the firearm, and the shoulder stock of the weapon was formed out of steel rods that slid alongside the receiver when retracted.
Safety mechanisms for the gun included a fire selector that has a safe position that locks the bolt in the forward or rearward position, a grip safety behind the magazine housing preventing the bolt from moving in the direction of cocking or firing unless properly held, And a pin wedged in a specially designed notch in the bolt, preventing it from rolling back in case of accidental shock.
Accidental discharges were a common occurrence in similar submachine guns such as the
Sten gun
The STEN (or Sten gun) is a family of British submachine guns chambered in 9×19mm which were used extensively by British and Commonwealth forces throughout World War II and the Korean War. They had a simple design and very low production cost ...
and
M3. However, the double safety system the TZ-45 utilized proved to be a breakthrough which would inspire later submachine guns, such as the Danish
Madsen M50
The Madsen M-50 or M/50 is a submachine gun introduced in 1950. It was produced by the Danish company Dansk Industri Syndikat of Copenhagen, Denmark. The company was colloquially known as ''Madsen'' after its founder Vilhelm Herman Oluf Madsen.
...
.
Users
*
*
Italian partisans
The Italian resistance movement (the ''Resistenza italiana'' and ''la Resistenza'') is an umbrella term for the Italian resistance groups who fought the occupying forces of Nazi Germany and the fascist collaborationists of the Italian Social ...
*
Burma
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
*
References
External links
TZ-45 PDF at Small arms reviewTZ-45: Italy’s Late War Submachine Gun With Special SafetyFiring range tests with a rare TZ-45Article on this firearm
{{WWIIItalianInfWeapons
9mm Parabellum submachine guns
Submachine guns of Italy
World War II infantry weapons of Italy
World War II submachine guns
Cold War weapons of Myanmar