NOT TO BE PUBLISHED

T h e In f o r m a t io n g iv e n In th ia d o c u m e n t
la n o t to be c o m m u n ic a te d , e it h e r d ir e c tl y
o r I n d ir e c t ly , to th e P re s s o r to a n y p e ra o n
not h o ld in g an o H lc ia l p o s it io n la Il ls
M aje st y' s S er v ic e.
M .G .S . Pub NeatM Ma/7 9b

THIS DOCUMENT MU ST NOT

FALL INTO ENEMY HANDS

ENEMY WEAPONS
PA RT II. ITAL IAN AND GERM AN INF AN TR Y WEA PON S

1942

Cruurtt Co pyr igh t Reser ved

T he W ar O f f ic e , Pre par ed unde r the dire ction of

14/A Au gu st, 1942, I he Ch ief of the Im pe ria l Gene ral Sta ff
 DISTRIBU TION
I n f a n tr y ....................................... ............... Scale B
All arms, less in fan try ... .........................•• Scale A
Inf ant ry O.C.T.U s....................... Scale II
All O.C.T. Us., less i nfa ntry ....................................... Scale I
All in fan try tr ain ing est abl ishm ent s a nd schools Scale B
AU train ing estab lish men ts and scho ols, less in fan try Scale A

CONTENTS
Foreword.
SE C. PA RT I.— ITA LIA N PISTOUS PACK
1. In tro du cto ry n o t e ....................................... I
2. 10-35 m m. revolv er, Mod. 89— Bodeo ... 1
3. 9 m m. self-loading pisto l. Mod. 910—Glisenti 3
4. 9 m m. self-loadi ng p isto l. Mod. 34—B ere tta 4
PAR T II .— ITAL IAN RI FL ES AND CAR BIN ES
5. Int rod uct ory n o t e ........................... 7
6. 6-5 m m. ritle. Mod. 91 8
7. 6-5 m m. carb ine, Mod. 91 ... 9
8. 6-5 mm . carb ine. Mod. 91 per T.S . 9
9. 7-35 mm. rifle. Mod. 38 9
10. 7-35 mm. carb ine. Mod. 38 9
PA RT II I. —IT ALI AN MACH INE CAR BIN ES
11. Int rod uct ory note ... ... ............... 10
12. 9 m m. machi ne carbi ne. Mod. 38— Ber etta 10
( oH /m iin t on fi ag t HI o f fo v tt
 I

FOREWORD
It was orig inall y inten ded to confine the p rese nt booklet to Ita lia n In fan try W eapons, bu t since
it is now possible to add consi derab ly to the infor mati on alre ady given in P ar t I (German Inf ant ry
Weapons) on the (ie rma n Pisto l 38 a nd L ight Mor tar 36, it h as b een decided to tak e t his op por tun ity
of issuing revis ed par ticu lars of these two weapons.

EN EM Y W EA PO N S
PART II.- IT AL IA N AND GERMAN INFANTRY WEAPONS
PART I__ ITALIAN PISTOLS
1. Introductory note
A revolv er and two self-loading pisto ls are issued as sta nd ard weapons. Cer tain N.C.Os. and
men, c.g. membe rs of M.G. and gun det ach me nts, are arm ed wit h th e revo lver , while officers and
wa rran t officers ea rn ’ one or ot he r of th e two self-loading pistols.
2. 10-35 mm . Revolver , Mod. 89- -Bo deo . (See Fig. 1)
Pistola a rotazione Bodeo, Mod. 89
Tliis is a do uble ac tion , solid fram ed revo lver of s ome wha t old-f ashioned design. The cylinder
does not " swing ou t ” to as sist loading and the em pty case s ca n o nly be ex tra cte d and eje cted one
by one. A t rigge r g uard is n ot usuall y fitted.
 •t

G en er al p a rt ic u la rs
Cal ibre : 10-35 mm. (-41 in.)
Weight : 2 lb.
Overall leng th : 9J in.
Cylinder capacity : 6 rounds.
Safety
•’ Bodco ” revol vers of rece nt ma nuf act ure are provi ded with a saf ety catc h on the left. In
add itio n, saf ety i s prov ided for duri ng loading and eject ion by th e actio n of the loading gate
which, o n b eing pul led back, d isconn ects the ham mer an d trigg er m echanisms .
To load
Pull back " loading gat e " and insert a car trid ge in the cham ber ther eby exposed. Ro tate
the cylind er by pressi ng the tr igg er (the ha mm er mechanism
is discon nected so long as th e loading gat e is open) and
insert a car trid ge in the next cham ber. Con tinue loading
in thi s man ner unti l all cham bers of th e cyl inde r are full.
Fina lly push loading gate forward again.

To cock and fire

I ic. 1.— 10-35 mm. Kkvolver 89
The rev olve r can be cocked and fired eit he r " single
act ion .” bv first cocking the ham mer with the thu mb
and then pulling the trigg er, or ” d oubl e act ion .” by a
stro ng pressu re on the tri gger whic h co cks the h amm er a nd
the n releases it to fire th e c artr idg e cap .
 3
E xt ra ct io n an d ej ec tio n
Open the loading ga te and pull the ejecti on-ro d forward Shi ft the ejecti on-ro d over to the
rig ht by swinging its car rier acro ss ben eath the barre l a nd push ou t the em pty cases o ne by one by
pressing the eje ction -rod and r ota tin g the cy lind er by means of the tr igger .
S tr ip p in g
Re mo ve: — I. Ix ft si d e pla te and pistol g rip. 2. Cylinde r a xis. 3. Cylinder. 4. Main spri ng.
5. Pawl. 6. Trigger . 7. Hammer.
3 . 9 m m . S el f- lo a d in g P is to l. M od . 91 0 G ll se n ti . (See F ig . 2)
Pistola automatica Glistn li, Mod. 910
The actio n of thi sS .L . Pistol, which icsemb les th at employ ed in the 1914 anti 1935 H at Revclli
M.Gs., is briefly as foll ows :—On tiring, th e b arre l a nd lx>lt recoil to get her a sh ort d istan ce, temporarily
inter lock ed by a wedge leve r which is pivoted
in the body. As thi s move ment proceeds the
wedge lever rot ate s back into t he bo Jy, am i a t
th e corre ct mom ent leaves the bolt free to be
forced to t he rea r by the thr us t of the sj>ent
case. The acti on of the wedge lever is not a
positi ve locking acti on, bu t wha t is sometim es
called a " semi-locking ” actio n.
G en er al p a rt ic u la rs
Cal ibre : 9 mm. (-35 in.).
Weig ht : I lb. 12 oz.
Overall length : KJ in.
Feed : 7 rou nd magazin e in bu tt. I ic. 2 - 9 mm. S.I. . P istol 910
 4
Sa fet y
A saf ety cat ch a t th e bac k end of th e bol t, when in th e " safe ” posi tion, pre ven ts mov emen t
of th e firing pi n. and a " grip sa fety ” (which c o-op erate s wit h the tri gge r) is pro vide d in f ron t of the
bu tt below the t rig ger gua rd.
Preparation for firing
Ins ert a full magazin e. Se t saf ety cat ch to " fire. " Grip the bo lt wings. I*ull bolt back to
its full e xt en t a nd the n allow it to go sm art ly forwa rd again to tra nsf er a roun d from the maga zine
to th e c ham ber.
To fire
Press trig ger, squeezing " g rip sa fety ” a t th e same time.
S tr ip pin g
Re mo ve: — 1. Magazine. 2. Side pl ate (loosen reta inin g screw '. 3. Left pistol grip. 4. Trigger
with pawl and V-spring. 5. Barre l and bar rel exten sion. 6. Firi ng pin housing and firing pin.
7. Bolt. 8. Firi ng pin sto p and saf ety cat ch (af ter pullin g bac k firing pin sto p into oval slot and
shif ting saf ety c atc h from ri ght to left). 9. Eje cto r an d ej ecto r lever. 10. Safe ty c atch . 11. Wedge
leve r an d spring . 12. Rig ht pistol g rip.

4. 9 m m. Self- load ing Pist ol, Mod. 34 Beretta . (See Fig. 3)

Ptstola automatica Beretta, Mod. 34
A self -loading p istol with e xte rna l ham mer , fixed bar rel and recoiling breech slid e. The breech
is no t p os iti\ ely locke d a t the mo men t of firing, bu t is kep t closed merely b y the in ert ia of t he breech
slide a ssis ted by spri ng pressure .
 5
The am mu niti on for thi s pi stol is th e sh ort 9 mm. ty| »c whi ch is int erch ang eabl e wit h the -380 in
au to, a mm unit ion used in the America n -380-in. C olt a uto ma tic pi stol.

G en er al p a rt ic u la rs
( a libi e : 9 linn. (-35 in.)
W ei gh t: 1 lb. 7$ oz.
Overa ll lengt h : 6 in.
Feed : Remo vable 7 roun d mag a­
zine in bu tt.

Sa fe ty
Shi ft saf ety cat ch back (exposing
let ter “ S ” ) for “ safe ” and forward
■exposing let ter " F ” and red spot)
for " f ire.”
The re is no " g rip saf ety .” bu t
the h amm er can be s et a t half cock.

P re p ar at io n fo r fir in g
Ins ert full ma gazine . Set to ” lire. ”
MAGAZI NE CATCH
Cock h amm er. Pull back bice ch slide
and then allow it t o go sm artl y forwa ru. F ig . 3 .— 9 mm. S .I .. P ist ol 34
h'l G. 4.
 7
Stripping
Unload Cock hammer Set to safe. Pu ll breech slide back un til safety catch snaps into
recess on le ft. Push barr el backwar d (if necessary tap muzzle lig ht ly on a wooden surface t o free it)
and remove thro ugh ejecti on opening. Gr ip mille d surfaces of breech slide and disengage safety
catch fron t recess. Let breech slide go for war d Remove breech slide, ret urn spring and retur n
spring rod Pull ou t safety catc h to left.

PART II ITALIAN RIFLES AND CARBINES

(Sec Fig. 4)
5. Introductory note
The basic Mannliche r-Carcano design, w hich is embodied in all Ita lia n service rifles and carbines
combines the Muunl icher system of cl ip loading w ith a bo lt acti on of Mauser type developed by
M. Carcano of the Tu rin S.A. fac tor y. W ith the Man nlich er system of loa ding, each cli p is inserted
in the magazine toge ther wi th the ca rtridg es and aft er all the car tridg es have been forced up out
of i t by a spring-load ed lever know n as the "e le va to r,” the cl ip drops ou t thro ugh a hole in
the botto m.
Sh ort ly before the presen t war the Ital ian s decided to increase the calibr e of the ir rifle*- and
L.M.Gs. from 6-5 m m. (-256-in.) to 7*35 mm. -239-in.) and a new rill e and carbin e of this calibr e
were actu ally in trod uced r r c Sees 9 and 10 below). It seems, however, th at the «hangc ove r has not
>et progressed very far and it may even have been postponed, since nl. es of the new 1938 patte rn
have been found to be fi tte d wit h a 6-5 mm. barrel.
 8
6. 6-5 m m . Ri fle , Mo d. 91
1'iu ile. Mu d. 91
Ge ner al pa rt ic ul ar s
Calibre : 6-5 mm. ('256 in.).
Weight (without bayonet) : S’, lb.
Length (without bayonet i : 51 in.
Rifling: 4 grooves R.H., increasing twist.
Sight s: ” V ’’ not ch a nd barleycorn, sigh ted 600 2,o*M) metres.
Feed : Vertical box magazine holding one 6-round clip.
Safe ty
For ’*sa fe,” first disengage safety catch (finger lever on plug at back of bolt) by pushing it
forward and to the le ft ; and th en raise it and dr aw it back. The mainspring is now no longer under
compression, For " fire,” push c atch forward and down to the rig ht until stud on b olt plug engages
in recess in bo lt. The ma inspring is now compressed.
Pr ep ar ati on for fir ing
Set to ” fire.” Open breech, insert clip of 6 rounds in magazine. Close breech.
Rem ova l an d st ri pp in g of bol t
Draw bolt back and remove, while pressing trigger. Move sa fety catch toward " safe,” and
slightly before end of th is movement, shift it over to left. Unscrew str iker n ut. withdraw cocking-
piece, bolt plug, s trike r and mainspring.
Re -a ss em bl in g an d rep lac in g bol t
Proceed in reverse or der, taking car e tha t line marked on s trike r is opposite tha t oil bolt plug,
and tha t flat po rtion on str iker fits against corresponding par t in cocking piece.
 9
7. 6-5 m m . Ca rb in e. Mo d. 01
Mo sch tU o, M od . 91
Similar to rifle Mod. 91. bu t has a shor ter barrel , a bent-down bolt lever and a folding bayo net
It is sighted from 600-1.500 metres, weighs 7 lb. (approx. ) and is abo ut 36 in. long with the bavonct
folded.
8 . 6 5 m m . C ar bi ne , Mo d. 91 pe r T .S .
M osc hfH o, M od . 91 pe r 7. 5.
Similar to carbin e Mod. 91. bu t has a sepa rate bavon ct like the rifle Mod. 91. " Per l.i j."
(trup pe spcciati) means " for special troo ps," e.g., gunner s an d specialists.
9. 7 35 m m . R if le , .Mod. 38
Fticile, Mod. 38
I his rifle is based on the rifle Mod. 91. the mam differences being the increased calibr e and
reduct ions in weight and length. It has a light folding bayon et which is normally atta che d to the
barrel, but can lx* removed a nd used as a dagger.
As rega rds model 38 rifles fitte d with a 6-5 nnn. barre l— Sec. 5 ab ove.
G en er al pa rt ic ul ar s
Calibre : 7-35 mm. (-289 in.).
Weight (without bayon et) : 71 lb.
Length (with out bayon et) : 40 in.
Rifling : 4 groo ves R.H. con stan t twist.
Sigh ts: " Bat tle s ight ” fixed for 300 m. only.
10. 7 35 m m . Ca rb in e, Mo d. 38
M osc hfU o. M od . 38
Compares with carbin e 91 in much the sam e way as rifle 38 com pares with rifle 91.
 in
PART III. ITALIAN MACHIN E CAR BINE S
11. Intr odu ctor y note
Machine carbines, i.e. light auto mat ic weapons firing pistol ammu nitio n of which a typical
examp le is t he American Thom pson, hav e not so fa r been extens ively us ed by the Italian s. Never ­
theless the y possess, in the Model 38 Ber ett a machin e carbi ne, a weapon of this kind which is
considered to be above the averag e, both as regar ds functio ning and convenience in handling.
12. 9 m m . M ac hin e C ar bi ne , Mo d. 38 B er et ta . 5 Fi g. 5)
Moschetto Au tom. Beretta Mo l. 38
This weapon oper ates on the ine rtia or '* blow -back syste m and inco rporat es no means for
locking, or delaying the opening of the breech. It will fire 9 mm. Paral-ellum typ e ammu nition of
British. German or Itali an manu fact ure, i.e. amm unit ion of the same typ es as can be fired by the
British 9 mm. " Sten " machine carbine.
In recen t exam ples of this weapon. provision is m ade for mo unting a det acha ble folding bayon et
similar t o th at used with t he model 38 rifle.
G en er al p ar ti cu la rs
Calibre ; 9 min. (-35 in.)
Weigh t (with out magazine) : 9 lb. I oz.
Overall lengt h : 37 j in.
Ammuniti on : 9 mm. Parabe llum.
Maximum rat e o f fire : 570 r.p.m.
Sig hts : Radi al leaf V " backs ight, gra dua ted from 100 to 500 tn. Barleycorn foresight
1 eed : Box magazine fitte d und erne ath b o dy : ther e are three differe nt sizes of magazine
bolding 10, 20 aud 40 round s respectivel y.
 II

,5*2"A
le ve
G CATCH

PL AN l i e. 5.—9 mm. Machine Carb ine —B eretta

 12
Saf ety
LevCt oh left of Iwxly locks trig ger m echanism an d breech block in closed or open pos.tioii. Shift
lever, forward to S ” for " safe " and back to " V " for " fire.”
Pr ov isi on fo r s rf tle s ho ts an d au to m at ic tir e
Has two triggers, front trigger for single shots and rear trigger for autom atic. The autom atic
trigger is pr ovided with a c atch in the form of a plunger which, when applie d by pressing it from
left t o right. !• ck s this trigger and thus preve nts inad vert ent auto mati c fire. If t he c atch is shifted
to th e left, ei the r single shot or auto mati c fire are obtai nable at will by pressing the appropr iate trigger.
P re p a ra ti o n fo r fi ri n g
Insert filled magazine into magazine opening be eat h body. Set safety lever to ” fire ” and
adj ust cu toma tic trigg er catc h a s requ ired.
Cjck . by pull.ng cocking handle to the rear. Machine c arbine can now l»e fired by pressing
appr opri ate trigger.
P a r ti a l s tr ip p i r g
Press retail. ing catch on rear of b ody ami tur n milled head on end cap anti-clockwise until it
stops. Withdr aw end cap and pull ou t retu rn spring contai ned in tubu lar housing. Pull cocking
handle sma rtly to the rear and remove breech block.

PA RT IV. ITA LIA N LI G HT MA CH INE GU NS

13. In tr od uc to ry no te
Three different models of the same L.M.G. arc in service, the calibre of the two older models being
fi-5 mm. (-256-in.), while tha t of the new model is 7-35 mm. (-289*in.;. so tha t it can fire th e same
ammu nition as the model 38 rifle.
 13
14. 6-5 m m. L.M.G., Moil. 30—Breda. (See Figs . 6 to 9)
I'u cil e Mit ragl iaior e Breda, Mo d. 30
The barre l an d breech block of this L.M.G. are locked toge the r by a locking nut on the re ar end
of the barrel , this locking nu t being form ed with inte rru pte d screw -thre ads which c igage with
correspond ing screw- threa ds on the f ron t en d of th e breech block. On firing, the lxarre’ and breech
block recoil toge the r unti l the locking nu t is rot ate d by a cam way in the body. The breech block
is then free to move to the rear.
The reatward movem ent of th e breech block is brou ght a bo ut bv the th rus t of the enij t y car tridg e
case. To insur clean extr act ion of the case from th e cham ber and to incre ase the t .rus t acting
on the breech block, both case and cham ber are auto ma tica lly lubri cate d from an oil reservo ir at
the to p of th e body.
An unusual featu re of this L.M.G. is its perm ane nt box magazine, which is hinged Io the bodv
and can be s wung forward into the po sition shown in fog. 7 fo r load ing from a c harg er (Fig. 8). A
folding bu tt rest is someti mes fitted unde rnea th the b utt .
General par ticulars
Cali bre: 6-5 mm. (-256-in.)
Weig ht (with magazine and bip od ); 25J-lb.
Overall length : 48 | in.
Maximum (cyclic) r? le of fire: 450 501) r.p.m.
Pra ctic al ra te of fire : 150 r.p.m.
Feed : Perm ane nt box magazine, charge r-load ed and holds 20 rounds.
Sig hts : i. Open " V ” leaf back sigh t gra dua ted 3iMl to 1,500 metres. Barleycorn foresight
li. Fixed battl csig ht for 300 metres.
Provision for si ng le s h o ts fire . None,
Mounting : Bipod.
 U

Lower safety ca tch (on r igh t of sear housing) to " S '* for " safe ” and raise it t o ' F " for fire."
Pr ep ar at io n fo r fir in g
Set safety catc h to " F. " Press magazin e catch , releasing magazine which will swing forward
until reta ined parallel with gun. Inse rt a filled char ger (Fig. S into magazine. When magazine
platfor m is fully depre ssed and car trid ge catc h has engaged last round, withdra w charg er, leaving
magazine fully charged . Disengage loading position catc h by shifti ng lever on top of magazin e to
the left. Ro tat e magazin e into feed opening until engaged by magazin e catch . I hiring this

FlO. 7.
 15

l i e 9. B reoa L.A1.G.

W te d 'u p fi m ?o m «i C a t C h "*11 a u , o n , a t ‘c a l l >' h* d | sengagcd . so th at magazin e spri ng can expan d

Pull back and release cocking handle.
Cessation of fire
.u°n f i r e w , t !? a !10.1 b a r r c l - Pul 1 bac k co cking handle, secure it by means of i ts cat ch an I
make safe. I he reas on for doing thi s is th at th e g un st ops wi th th e breech closed on a live round au J
if the bre ech is n ot pro mp tly opene d again, the roun d in the c ham ber ••‘ cook otf.'* be t irsd
by tran sfer of hea t from the barrel.
 16
U nl oa di ng
Pull bac k cocking hand le, secure it by mean s of its cat ch and mak e safe. Ro tat e magazin e
forward, dep ress car trid ge cat ch below maga zine and unload remai ning rounds . Remove four
roun ds left in feed op ening of m agazin e mouth piece.
S tr ip p in g
i. Darrel changing
Aft er ab ou t 150 round s, chan ge barrel as follo ws:—
Pull back cocki ng hand le, secure it by mean s of its cat ch and mak e safe. Pull ou t ami lower
barre l ca tch . Ro tat e b arre l to the left by m eans of carryi ng han dle u ntil ha ndle almost touche s l»«u rel
casing and push bar rel forward unti l clea r of locking nut . Raise rea r end of bar rel and remove to
the rea r.
Ins ert new barr el, reversin g abov e proce dure. Make s ure barre l c atc h engage s p rop erly so new
bar rel c ann ot rota te.
ii. Str ipp ing sequence
(a) Unload and make cer tai n no live roun d rema ins in cham ber, maga zine mou thpie ce oi
magazine.
(ft) Squeeze and push forwa rd body end cap cat ch. Ro ta te bu tt 60 degs. and remov e bu tt,
ret urn spring , ret urn sprin g guid e and buff r spring.
; Pull bac k cocking han dle ami remov e breech block , firing pin and firing pin spr ing (if no t
alre ady o ut) . Pull cockin g ha ndle full y b ack and t he n out wa rds an d remov e it.
((/) Shif t Ixxly co ver c atc h to A. Remove bo dy cover hinge p in and body cover.
(*) Swing ou t magaz ine unt il at 45 degs. to gun. Depress magaz ine binge cat ch (in fron t of
magazin e) and pull magaz ine o utw ard s to remov e it.
\

\ • I?
\ ( / ) Raise and r emo ve m agaz ine mo uth pie ce re ta inc i .loca ted ri g h t re ar o f bo dy ). in se rt fing er in
to ’M blo ck wa y and push o u t ej ec to r hol der . S h if t magaz ine mo uth pie ce hack u n ti l its tee th arc
op |)M ite gaps in bo dy and remo ve it.
|g) Rem ove ba rre l as desc ribed abo ve und er " Ba rre l ch an gin g. "
ft ) Fu rt he r st rip pi ng w il l no t no rm al ly be req uire d, tho ug h it is possible to rem ove the loc kin g
nu t and lo ck ing cam as fo llo w s:—
Raise lo ck ing cam cat ch ho riz o nt a lly fr o n t or rea r and rem ove it . Depress lo ck in g nu t catc h
and ro ta te lo ck ing nu t cloc kwi se. I*u li back and rem ove lo ck ing cam ?>ome d if fi c u lt y ma y l»c
experi enced in do ing th is w it h o u t th e use o f su ita bl e too ls) . In se rt fing er in lo ck in g n u t and li f t it
ou t.
To re assemble th e gun . proce ed in th e reverse ord er.

15. 6-5 m m . (-256 In.) L.M .G. , Mod. G—Breda

F ur ile Md rag hat ore Breda, Mo d. C.
'I he 6-5 mm . L.M .G . M od. C (o r 5 C) i s ba sic all y the same weap on as the Mode l 30. Th e Mode l
C, how ever , has a rea r crosspiec e w it h tra ve rsi ng hand les ins tea d o f a b u tt and pis to l gr ip. I t is
also pr ov id ed w ith a tr ip o d m ou nt ing inst ead of a bip od and wei ghs ab ou t 4 lb. mo re th an the
Mode l 30.

16. 7 35 mm . ( 2 89 in. L.M .G., Mod. 38 - B re d a

b'ue ile M tlra gh afo re Breda, Mo d. 38
1his L. M .G . is s im ila r to the Mode l 30 in a ll respec ts exc ep t cal ibre . As alr ea dv sta ted , i t fires
the same am m un iti on as th e .Model 38 rill e.
 18

PA RT V. IT AL IA N M ED IU M M AC HI NE G U N S
17. In tr od uc to ry no te
Medin in machine guns o f various diff ere nt types and cal ibres are in service in the Ita lia n Army .
The commonest of these at present is the 8 mm (-315 in model 35 1 i at, which is. in elh ct, a
modernised version of the last war 8-5 mm. (-256 in.) model 14 Fia t. The model 14 I i at is now
obsolescent, thoug h it is s ti ll used for tra inin g.
The 8 m m. Breda model 37, which fires th e same a mm uni tion as the 1 iat model 35. is n ot yet
very wid ely used, but is prob ably intende d to replace the l' ia t in due course.
Certain unit s are equ ipp 'd wi th the 8 mm. Aust rian Schwarzlose (Sec. 3 4), althou gh the rim med
case am mun ition of thi s MG . w ill not lit It al ia n made M.Gs.
The 7-7 mm . (-303 in. ) Breda*Safat a irc ra ft M.G. is o f in teres t because i t w ill lire Bri tis h -303 in.
Mark V II am mun ition , and can easily be ada pted fo r land service, e.g. on an A.A. mountin g.
18. 6- 5 m m . M ed iu m M .G ., M od . 14 Fi at (R cv el li ). (F ig . 10)
M tlraglialricg Fi at, Mo d. 14
A water-cooled machine gun wi th box magazine feed. The magazine is in the form of a
rectan gular box divi de d int o ten compa rtments , each of which holds five rounds.
G en er al p ar ti cu la rs
Calibre : 6-5 mm. (-256 in .).
Weigh t of gun (w itho ut wate r) : 37J lb.
Weig ht of mou ntin g 50 lb. (approx ),
le n g th o vera ll : 46J in.
Max imum (cyc lic) rate of fire : 500 ro unds per minute
FiO. 10.— 6- 5 mm. M.M.G . M o d . 14— I- IAT ( R b V E U I
 Sig hts V and barleyc orn, '200-2,000 me tres .
Mounting : Tripod.
Cooling : Water.
Sa fe ty , pr ep ar at io n for fi ri n g, et c.
The pr ocedure is simil ar to th at given below at See. 20 for the model 35 Fia t, with cer tain minor
differences resul ting from the empl oym ent of magazin e feed and wate r cooling.

19. 7-7 m m . A ir cr af t M .G . B re da -S af at . (F ig . 11)

3/ tt ra gl ia tn ce B re da -S af at , Cal. 7-7
This gun, which is exten sivel y used in Ital ian airc raft, will fire British stan dar d -303 '•».
Mark V I, amm unition.

l io. 11.—7«7 mm. A ircraft M.G.—Breda-Safat.

 21
Gene ral par ticu lars
Calibre : 7*7 mm. (-303 in.)
W eig ht: 27 lb.
Leng th o verall : 44 in.
Maximum (cyclic) rat e of fire (firing Britis h Mark VII ammu nition ) : 800 round s p er minute.
Sights : Fo res igh t: in. ball on pillar. Ba ck sig ht: 1 in. ring with cross-wires on pillar.
System of operat ion : Recoil, assisted by muzzle blast. Barrel and breech block are locked
toge ther d uring first A in - recoil.
Feed : Disi ntegr ating metall ic link belt.
Direction of feed : Right to left in gun illus trate d, bu t feed iu opposit e direc tiou is equally
common.
Safety
Shift safe ty lever on feed cover to the righ t for *' safe ” and forward for " fire
P re p a ra ti o n f or f iri ng
Set safe ty lever to “ fire Inse rt belt in feed opei mg. Draw cocking handle twice to the
rear, and then let it go forward again to tran sfer a round from magazine to chamber .
P a r ti a l s tr ip p in g
i. lively group
Rot ate buffer end cap abo ut 45 degr ees left or righc, keeping its catch disengaged. Remove
c ud cap and buffer. Pull ou t back block fixing pin and remove back block upwards. l*ull back
cocking handle and withd raw breech block and feed c. m pla te from body. Remove inspection
cover aft er withdraw ing its axis pin. Slide fro nt cover plate backward unt il projectio ns on cover
plate are opposite gaps in body and lift ou t cover plate. Shift feed pawl slide toward s ejection
opening and, depressing feed pawl, remove feed pawl slide.
 22
U. Barte l group
Press in barre l casi ng cat ch in front end of bod y. Unscrew barre l casing clockwise an d remove.
The barn-1 can only be removed aft er dism antl ing the locking and acc ele rato r mecha nism This
nece ssita tes th e re mov al of th e locking li nk c ot te r an d t he accel erat or ax is pin . a nd i t is not. theref ore,
an eas y or rap id proceeding.
To reassemb le the gun, reverse the proce dure for stri ppin g.
20. 8 m m . M ed iu m M .G ., M od . 35— Fl at (K ev el ll) . (F ig . 12)
.V ilruglialnce Fiat, Mod. 35
This M G. is a modific ation of th e model 14 M.G., an 8 mm. air-cooled barre l a nd belt feed being
sub stit ute d for the 6-5 mm. water-c ooled bar rel and multi ple box magazin e of the olde r model.
Some, thou gh no t all. model 35 M.Gs. are act ual ly con vert ed model 14's.
The barre l and breech block are tem por aril y inter locke d by a spri ng-loa ded locking wedge,
which is pivo ted in the body. On firing, the bar rel and breech block recoil toge ther , rot ati ng the
locking wedge un til it frees the breech block. The breech block is then forced to the rear by the
th ru st of the sp en t case.
Ther e is no aut om atic lubr icat ion of car trid ge or chamb er.
G en er a l p ar ti cu la rs
Calibre : 8 nun. (-315 in.).
Weight of g uu : 39 lb. 12 oz. .
Weigh t o f m oun ting : 50 lb. (appr ox.) *
le n g th ove rall : 49} in.
Maximum (cyclic) rat e of fir e : 600 roun ds per minute .
Si gh ts: Opeu " V " leaf backs ight gra dua ted 200-2,400 me tre s; barleyc orn foresight
Mountin g : Tripod.
 23

RtAR CROSS PiCCt

ut y r «

.. L . .. [

8 mm . M ed iu m M.G. M o d . 35
t—F ia t ( R ev e l l ij
 24
Cooling : Air.
Feed : Non-d isinteg rating metal belt norma lly holding 50 rounds but can be assembled in
various lengths.
Safety
Adj ust change lever o n rea r cross-piece to vertic al position marked SICUKA for **safe
Provision for singl e shot and automatic Are
Shift change lever to left upjxjsitc LENT O for **single sho t ” and to righ t opposite RAPIDO
for " aut om atic fire
Pr ov is io n fo r co nt ro lli ng ra te of Are
Shift arrow-s haped control lever on left of body to horizont al position for highest rat e and to
vertic al positio n for slow rate of lire.
Preparation for Aring
Ins ert belt into feed block from left sid e. Set c hange lever for " single shot ” or “ a utom atic ",
and co ntrol lever for high or low rat e of fire, a s re quired. Cock gun by pulling back cocking han dle
on rea r of breech block and allowing it to go forward again.
The firing levor is located between the trav ersi ng handle s o n the rea r cross-piece.
Removal of belt
Depress quick release lever below feed block on right s ide and pull out belt.
Purtial stripping
t Darrel changing
After firing ab out 300 -400 round s in burs ts of abo ut 10 round s every 4-5 seconds the barrel
should be changed as follows :—
Press barrel cat ch inward s and rot ate barre l to left. Then push barrel forward unti l breech
is c lear of b ody extensio n, and finally withdra w barrel upwards and to the rear.
 25
ins er t new barrel, reversing above procedure.
ii. To change breech bloch
Remove breech block as follows :—
Pull r ear cross-piece fixing pin to left. Hinge down rear cross-piece. Remove inspection cover
from righ t side of body. Remove c ott er from re ar e nd of bo dy abo ve in spection p late. Disconnect
feed lever spring from feed lever cam plate. Disengage locking wedge c onnecti ng rod and spring
from sea ting. Breech block can now be removed by pulling back cocking handle.
Assemble new breech block to gun as follows : Inse rt bree ch block in barrel exte nsion and push
it forward, while pressing down fron t hook of connectin g rod. Connect feed lever spring to feed
lever c am plate. Press locking wedge c onnecting rod and spring into se ating. Replace inspection
cover. Position rear cross-piece and fixing pin. Set change lever to RAPTDO ami press trigger.
Push firing pin home and replace cotte r.
Alternatively, breech block can be withd rawn immed iately afte r removing cotte r, but locking
wedge mu st then be forced down by means of a screwdriv er w hen insertin g new breech block.
Ul. To change firin g pin and spring
Remove firing pin and spring as follows : I*ul1 rea r cross-piece fixing pin to left. Hinge down
rear cross-piece. Remove cott er. Pull breech block to re ar unti l ben t of firing pin haa passed over
sear. Remove firing pin.
Assemble new firing pin and spring as follows : Set change lever to RAPIDO . Push firing pin
and sprin g into breech block, at same time pressing thumb- piece of firing lever. Replace cotter.
Replace rea r cross-piece and fixing pin.
Ho ldi ng- op en devic e
A hand-op erate d holding- open device, e ithe r in t he position shown o r on t op of th e bod y, enables
the breech block to be retaine d in the rear position and facilita tes clearing of stoppages, etc. To
operat e t his device, pull back cocking h andle and push forward thumb- piece of h olding-open device.
 26
C le an in g an d oi lin g
It is e ssen tial th at the cha mb er and car trid ges sho uld lie clean anti u-cll lu brica ted. The sable
appli es to a lesser ex te nt to the mecha nism of the gun.
The oil should be freely appli ed and larg er supplie s of oil aie necessary tha n with most othe r
medium M.Gs.
La yi ng
The gun can be laid " di rec t ” by mean s of the open sight s, or **in dir ect ” using the elev ation
and trav ers ing scales on the tri po d moun ting.
The trav ers ing scale i s gr adu ate d from 6 00-1,0 00 m ils (34-56 degrees), t he cen tral positio n being
the 800 inil gra dua tion (45 de grees) and the elev ation scale from 621 mils (35 degre es) depressio n
to 144 mils (25 degrees) elev ation . For pa rtic ula rs of the mi l syste m o f ang ula r meas urem ent,
st t Sec. 42.
R an ge ta bl e
A range tab le is att ac he d at Appe ndix A.
21. 8 m m . M ed iu m M .G ., M od . 37 —B re da . (F ig . 13)
Milragliatrice Breda, Mod. 37
This M.G. has a fixed bar rel and is gas oper ated.
The breech is pos itive ly locked at the mo men t of firing, t he breec h b lock being forced u p (witho ut
tilti ng) by the act ion of i nclined surfac es on the pist on exten sion, so th a t a proje ction on its uppe r
surface engages in an openin g in the top of the body.
The cart ridg es are fed from plat e char gers holding 20 round s, each roun d being housed in a
sepa rate com par tme nt. Afte r firing, the em pty cases, inst ead of b eing ejec ted, are replace d in the
com par tme nts of the pla te charg er.
 V)

F ig. 13— 6 mm. M.M.G. Mod . 3 /— B reda

 2R
Gen eral par ticu lar s
Calibre : 8 mm. (*315 in.).
Weigh t of gun : 42} lb.
Weight of moun ting : 41} lb.
Leng th o veral l : 50 in.
Maximum (cyclic) rate o f fire : 450 roun ds per minute .
Sight s : Leaf backsi ght gra dua ted 300-3,000 metre s ; blade foresight.
Mountin g : Tripod.
Cooling : Air.
Feed : 20 round plate cha rger.
Provisi on for si ng le s h o t fire : None.
Safet y
Shift safe ty catch on top of rear cross-piece to S for " safe ” and to F for " fire.”
Pr ep ar at io n for fir ing
Pull cocking handle fully back, causin g piston extens ion to trav el back pas t sear, unti l it is
retained by holding-open device. Then retu rn cocking h andle to its forward position.
Ins ert a filled plate charg er into feed opening on left, pushin g it in as far as it will go. Plate
charg er will then release ho lding-open device a nd allow p iston to go forward unti l r etain ed by sear.
Set s afety cat ch to " fire.’
The gu n is now rea dy for firing.
To fire
Press trigger th umb-p iece between travers ing handles.
Successive pl ate c hargers can now b e fired off with out a (peak by main tainin g pressure on the
digger thu mb pioce and inserting fresh filled chaig ers, one immed iately behind the other.
 26
Ces sati on of fire
Th e gun will cease firin g with th e bree ch o pen :—
i. On release of the trig ger thu mb -pie ce, whe reup on th e sear will rise and ret ain th e pisto n
exte nsio n.
ii. On firing the la st rou nd of a pla te cha rge r which is no t imm edi atel y followed by ano the r.
In thi s case th e pis ton exte nsi on will be ret ain ed by th e hold ing- open device.
T o u n lo ad
Dep ress t ail of rig ht feed sto p paw l (tai l pro jec ts thr oug h open ing in rig ht of body ) and pull out
pla te cha rger to rig ht. If diff icult y is e xpe rien ced raise bod y cov er an d lif t o ut pl ate cha rger . Any
ca rtr idg e rem aini ng in c ha mb er m us t be r emo ved (the M.G. too l ro ll c ontai ns a fork ed h na d ext rac tor
for thi s purp ose) . Set saf ety ca tch to " safe. ’*
G as re g u la to r
Gas reg ula tor on fro nt end of gas cyl ind er has ten dil fer eut sel lin gs (num bere d 0—9). At
set tin g 0. pass age from gas v en t is co mp lete ly closed and a t se tti ng 9 c omp lete ly ope n. Adj ust me nts
are effect ed by mea ns o f a small sp ann er from the M.G. tool roll.
Lu br ic at io n
Th e me chan ism req uir es nor ma l lub rica tion , bu t the re is n o need t o lub ric ate t he car trid ges .
T r ip o d m o u n ti n g
The mo unt ing is p rov ide d with elev atin g and tra ve rsi ng ge ars, which c an be used in con jun ctio n
with th e ope n sigh ts for dir ec t layi ng, or w ith the e lev atin g and tra ve rse sc ales for indir.^ct laying .
Ele vat ion is ad ju sta ble from 360 mils (20 deg ree s> depre ssion to 360 (20 degree s) ele vati on, with
a mic rom eter ad ju st m en t from -16 nu b (2 de gr ees 30 mi nutes) dep iess ion to 36 mils (2 degrees)
elev ation . Fo r pa rti cu lar s of th e mt l s yst em of an gu lar me asu rem ent , see Sec. 4 2 .
Til ? mai n tra ve nj r scal e is gra du ate d fpTP 4 SO mils (25 degree s) to 1.150 mils (65 degrees) ip
 30
10 mil steps, the centra l position being a t 800 mils (45 degrees). An a dditio nal 150 mils (8 degrees
30 minutes) trave rse is provided by an indepe ndent micromet er adju stme nt.
Pa rt ia l st ri pp in g
1. Barrel changing
The barrel is sufficiently heavy to enable it to tire a large number ot round s in quick succession
with out oxerheat ing. The barrel must, however, be c hanged from time to time, as follows :—
Unload. Puli cocking hand le fully back. Rot ate body cover binge pin, there by disengaging
barrel catch . Place barrel key from M.G. tool roll over gas block, rota te barrel 60 degrees and remove.
Fi t new barrel, reversing above procedure.
ii. To change breech block
Disengage brxly cover catch es by shifting lever ui front cover catch from C to A and pushing
forward r ear c over catch . Raise b ody cov er an d fold it forward. Pull o ut rea r cross-piece fixing pin
and remove rear cross-piece, easing compression of retu rn spring. Remove retu rn spring. Pull
cocking handle sma rtly to rear and remove piston and breech block. Remove breech block from
piston extension.
Fit new breech block, reversing above procedure. Note, however, tha t holding-open device
must be k ept depressed to perm it replace ment of piston and breech block.
Ru ng e tab le
A range table is a ttac hed at Appeudix A.
22 . 8 m m . M ed iu m M .G ., M od . 38 -B re da . (F ig . 14)
Mi tm gh atn ce Bred a, M od. 38
. This is a tan k pat ter n M.G. and is fitted as stan dar d in the following Itali an tank s :—
1 he 61 ton L 6 40, the 11 ton M 11 39, a nd the 13 ton M 13,40.
Il is included briefly here because the Ital ian s have also adap ted it for use as an infan try M
 WO” " ^ 5 ,C H T

-------- no vL Ar ot

SAFETY ZATCh
A CHA,ICE LEVER

Wo. 11. s mm. M.M.G. M oo 3a— Ukboa

 32
Por this purpose the M.G. is mount ed on a n M.G. tripo d as s hown in Fig. 14 by means of an adap ter
and is fitte d with a tem pora ry bac ksigh t on the ri ght of the body a nd a t emp orar y foresight on t he rig ht
of the barre l a t the muzzle. These temp orar y open sights tak e the place of the op tical sight used
when the M.G. is t an k mounte d.
The M.G. is also sometim es fi tted with a " cartwh eel ” typ e A.A. sight and ar range d either alone
or wit h an othe r " twin ” M.G. on an A.A. mounting.
General particulars
Calibre : 8 n un. (-315 in.).
Weight of gun : 31 > lb.
Length ov er al l: 35J in.
Maximum (cyclic) rat e of fire : 600 r.p.m.
System of oper ation : Gas pisto n.
Feed : 24 round vertical box magazine.
23. 12*7 m m . A irc ra ft M .G .— B re da -S af ut (not ill us tr at ed )
Mitraglialrtee Breda-Safat, Cal. 12-7
This weapon, which is extens ively used on Ita lia u airc raft, is to all inte nts and purposes a
“ s caled-up ” version of the 7-7 mm. Breda-Safat.
It will not fire British *5 in. S.A.A. and c ann ot easily lie ada pte d for laud service, since the cocking,
firing an d trigg er mechani sm are all oper ated hydraulic ally.
G en er al pa rt ic ul ar s
Calibre : S mm. (-315 in.).
W eig ht: 67 j lb.
le ng th o ve ra ll: 53 | iq.
 Maximum (cyclic) r ate of fire : 650 r.p.m.
System of operation : Recoil assisted by muzzle blast.
Feed Disintegra ting metallic link belt.

PART VI.—ITA LIAN HAND GREN ADES

24. Intro ducto ry note
1 hree models of h and grenade are in service use. They are all very light grenades, functioned
by " all ways ” percussion fuzes a nd similar in general constr uction. Fragm entat ion is very poor
and reliance is placed on blast for effect.

25. Hand gren ade S.R .C. M.. Mod. 35. (Sre Fig. 15)
Bemba a mana S.R.C .M ., Mad. 35
This gren ade is cylindric al in shape. It has an oute r casing in top halves which screw together
abou t the middle and an inner casing consisting of two metal cylinders. The strik er and a spring
which holds the strik er away from the d eton ator are housed in the uppe r c ylinder, while the lower
cylinder contain s the deto nato r and the explosive tilling.
General parti cula rs
We igh t: 7 oz.
Weight of explosive : 1-5 oz .
Overall len gth : 31 in.
Maximum diameter : 2-5 in.
 34
Safe ty
A large safety ca p covers the top and pa rt of th e s ide of the grenad e a nd is held in pos ition by a
metal strip, to which is atta che d a rubb er tab . The saf ety cap is connec ted by a sho rt chain
to a safe ty bar. In addi tion a s hu tte r is fi tted between the str iker an d the de tona tor which does not
open u ntil imp act take s place.
To am i and fire
The grena de is grasped in the righ t hand and the rubbe r ta b pulled away with the left band.
The grenad e is th en throw n in t he usual manner.
The sa fety cap comes away durin g fight an d. a fte r a sh ort delay, pulls ou t t he s afety bar by mea ns
of th e cl tain. On impa ct the s hu tte r moves a nd the s trike r can fire th e deto nato r.

26. Ha nd g re na de B re da , Mo d. 35. (See F ig . 16)

Bomb a a man o Breda. Mo d. 35
This g renade is longer and t hin ner tha n the S.R.C.M., Mod. 35, and has hemispherical ends.
General particulars
W ei gh t: 7 oz.
Weight of explo sive : 21 oz.
Overall length : 3 8 in.
Maximum di am et er : 2 1 in.
Sa fet y
The .safety arran geme nts consist of a safety ra p held in position by a brass strip with a rubber
tab and a saf ety bar s ecured to the safet y cap by a brass taj»e wound round the grenade.
 3$

ITALIAN HAND-GRENADES

ff 1 /
UJ /

oo Z J

Fio . 15.— S.R.CJhl. .Mod . 35 Fio . 16.— B rxda Mod . 35 Fio. 17.—O .T. O. Mod . 35
 so
To arm and fire
T h e 8r e n i u l c » *n th* n gh t hand and the brass str ip pulled o ut bv means of t he rubber tab.
In Hight the safe ty cap falls off a nd, afte r a delay, pulls out the safety bar. The grenade is then

27. Han d grenade O .T .O ., Mo d. 35. (See F ig. 17)

Romhn a tnano O.T .O. , Mod . 35

rhe 0.1 ,O. g renad e has a very light casing made in two part s, namely, a cylindrical lower p art
to which ls s. rewed an uppe r p ar t in the form of a cylinde r of sma ller dia met er to pped by a tru nca ted
cone.
Gene ral par ticu lar s
W eig ht: 7-4 ox.
Weight of explosive : 2-5 ox.
Overall length : 3-4 in.
Maximum di ame ter : 2-1 in.
Safety
This is \e ry simi lar t o t he Breda, Mod. 35.
To a rm an d Are
As for the Breda, Mod. 35.
 37
28. Ma rkin gs on hand gren ades
All three models are marked in the same way. the colour of th e body denotin g the filling. 1he
large safety caps are no t pai nted in the se cha racte ristic colours.
Live ( H E.) .......................... Red.
Practi ce (small charge)..-. ... White with a red band (J in. wide) aro und
the centre.
Instru ction (inert) ... ... Unpai nted or painter! black.
Practice, smoke (S.R.C.M. only) Yellow.

PART VII.—IT ALIAN MORT ARS

29. Intr oduc tory note
The Italia n Army have two stan dard mortars, namely a light mor tar known as the 45 mm.
(1-77 in.), Brixia, Mod. 35. and a medium 81 mm. (3 in.) mortar , Mod. 35.
The light mor tar has a numbe r of good poin ts, including a high rat e of fire, steadine ss in action
and the fact th at it folds con veniently for car ryin g; bu t these and othe r advant ages, which have
only been obtained at the expense of an unusually elabor ate des ijn, are largely offset by the poor
fragme ntation of the m ort ar bomb.
The 81 mm. mo rtar is a good weapon of convention al Stokes Bran dt design. Using a light
7 | lb. bomb, i t ha s a high maximum range a t full charge, due m ainly to th e use of six large balli stitc-
fifled secondaries. Fragm entat ion of both the light and heavy bjm bs is, however, relatively
ineffective.
 38
30 . 45 m in . lig ht m o rt a r, M od . 3 5 —B ri x la . (S ,, Fi g . ift)
M o r ia io d*a u d i o fi ri gi a . M od . 35
This is a breech-loaded trigger fired weapon which is capab le of " high angle ” and " low angle
fire (i.e. it can fire a t elevati ons above and below 45 degrees). Only one charge is employed, but a
reduced c harge efi'ect can be obtai ned by firing with ports in the barrel open.
The c artrid ges are fed fmm a detach able box m agazine fitted on top of the body, but the bomhs
have to be loaded singly by hand.
The m ountin g is a folding trip od, with a padde d frame hinged to i ts rear leg. When the mort ar
is in the firing position, this p added fr ame act s a s a c ushion for the fi rer’s r he'.t and. when folded for
tran spo rt, it eases th e load on his shoulder*.
General particulars
Calib re: 45 mm. (1-77 in.).
Weight (with mo un tin g): 34 lb.
Maximum range (ports closed . 556 yards.
Maximum range (ports open 352 yards.
Magazine capa city : 10 cartri dges.
Weigh t of H.E. bomb : 1 lb.
Sigh ts: Pillar backs ight with vertic al slot ap ertu re ; barleycorn foresight.
Kate of fire (withou t r e-aiming betw een ro un ds ): 25 30 r.p.m.
Sa fet y
Shift safety lever, o n left of body, back (exposing lett er S) for " safe " and forward (exposing
lett er F) for " fire."
 S9
RANGE SCALE

Fig . 18.— 45 mm. Mortar. Mod . 35— B rixia

 40
Action of mech anism
The b arrel and breech block ar e b oth arranged for sliding movement in the body of th e mort ar
under t he control of a hand -ope rated a ctu atin g lever.
Forw ard m oveme nt of th is lever causes th e bar rel to slide for ward c lear of th e bom b feed opening
and withd raws the breech block behind the cartr idge feedway. Ext rac tion and ejection of any
cartr idge in the ch ambe r t akes pla ce d urin g t his moveme nt.
Assuming th at a bomb has been inserte d in the bomb feed o pening and th at a filled magazine
is in position, rear war d move ment of the ac tua ting lever will cause the barr el to slide ba ck over the
bomb an d t he breech bl ock to retu rn to t he closed p osition tran sfer ring a car tridg e from t he magazine
to the car trid ge cha mber.
Continue d backwa rd moveme nt of the actu atin g lever aft er the breec h has closed depresses the
sear so as to allow t he str ike r to go to ward and fire th e c artrid ge.
The breech block is po sitively locked at th e mome nt of firing by the format ion of a toggle joi nt
between two levers of th e actu atin g lever system. This j oin t re mains unbrok en unti l the a ctua ting
lever is once more pushe d forward to perm it reloading.
Valve control lever
The valve contr ol lever, which is mo unted on an eccentric on t he righ t of the mor tar in front of
the rig ht trun nion , controls the position of t he barre l in the body at the mom ent of firing. If the
lever is pushed forward, bringing let ter C into view, the bar rel will be fully w ithdr awn in to the body
and th e po rts in the barrel an d bod y will be ou t of register, i .e .'' closed.” If it is pulled back, bringing
let ter A int o view, the ba rrel will be fur the r fo rward in the bo dy a nd the two sets of po rts will be in
registe r w ith each o ther , i.e. " open .”
L oa di ng an d fi ri ng
Set safety lever to F and valve control lever to A o r C as required . Raise backsig ht and fit
full magaz ine. Push act uat ing lever forward. Inse rt bomb (previously uncapped) into bomb feed
 41
opening, and pull act uat ing lever fully back to close the breech and fire the mo rta r in one
movement.
If a n inte rval b r equi red before firin g, commen ce by set ting s afety lever to S a nd then proceed
as above. In thi s c ase, however, th e mov eme nt of the act uat ing l eve r to fire the mo rta r can only
lx compl eted aft er the s afet y lever has been set to F.
IYa ver sin g and ele vat ing gears
The trip od mou nting is provid ed with elev ating and trav ersi ng gears, and corre spond ing
dam pin g means. The tra vers ing handw heel is on the r igh t ben eath the b ody of t he mo rta r a nd the
elev ation c lampin g le ver act s o n the r igh t e levat ing arc.
A rang e scale (see Fig. 18) g rad ua ted in 50 m etre st eps an d numb ered in hun dred s o f me tres, is
fixed on t he inside of the left ele vatin g arc . The fr ont ha lf of t his scale i ndic ates range s a t low angle
nre {tiro tesu) and the r ear ha lf a t high angle fire {tiro curvo). The left side is us ed when t he p orts
in the bar rel are open {valvola aperta) and the ri gh t side w hen the p orts ar e closed {valvola chiusa).
1he m id pos ition corre spond s to 322 me tres (352 yds.) with the p ort s open and 536 m etre s (586 yds.)
with the p orts closed.
A to ta l trav erse of 200 mils (I l degrees 27 min utes )— 100 mils e ach side of zero—is indi cate d on
a scale o n the tra ver sing arc . For par tic ula rs of the mi l syste m o f angu lar meas urem ent, see Sec. 42.
An gle of si gh t
Angle of sigh t is tak en in to acco unt, when necessa ry, by s etti ng a false ra nge o n the ra nge scale.
The ap pro pria te false ran ge is ob tain ed from the t abi c a tta ch ed a t Appe ndix B.
S tr ip pi ng
Depress sprin g cat ch in fro nt of foresi ght, and ro ta te a n d remov e milled ring. Depress spring
cat ch a t rea r en d o f body, a nd ro ta te an d remove bo dy end cap.
fy sb a ctu ati ng level forward unti l keys o n piv ots are oppo site c orresp ondin g key ways in levers
 42
Depress act uat ing leve r cat ch and remove a ctua ting lever Remove inter med iate lever, breech
block leve r and barrel lever.
Remove b arrel and breech block from body.
Slide sear housing pa rtly ou t of its guide on top of rear end of body. Raise sear vertical.
Remove sear axis pin a nd scar.
Rot ate trave rsing handwhe el un til rea r end of body is clear of its guide on trave rsing arc and
lift body ofi tri pod mounting.
Inse rt forked end of c ombin ation tool (from s pare p art s box) between str ike r head and striker
retain er. Pull back str ike r until reta iner is free to rota te. Ro tat e str ike r head and reta iner and
remove toge ther from breech block, gradu ally releasing the pressure of th e stri ker spring.
Using p oint of stri ker , push ou t e xtra cto r ax is pin and then remove extr acto r.
The mortar bomb
The H.E. bomb has a steel body and an alumin ium tail. The tail is p ainte d red to distinguish
it from practic e and instr uctio nal bombs, which have yellow and unp ainte d alumini um tails
respectively.
It is nose fuzed and is fitted with a safety c ap which is held in positio n by a transv erse safety
stri p. The sa fety c ap provide s for s afet y during tra nsp ort a nd has to be r emoved p rior to loading.

31. 81 m m . M o rt ar , Mo d. 35 . (Sw Fi g. 19)

Mortaio da 81 mm., Mod. 35
This mo rta r is of the same general typ e as th e Briti sh 3-in. mor tar. The chief differences are in
the recoil gear and the cross-levelling gear. The recoil ge ar consi sts of t wo cylinde rs a rrange d side
by side each conta ining a recoil spring and a pneu mati c butler. The cross-levelling gea r includes
rough and fine ad just men ts. The rough adj ust me nt is obta ined by moving a sliding collar on the
 44
oute r end of a con necting rod up or down the left leg and t he fine adjus tm ent by tur nin g a nulled nu t
near the top of th e le ft leg. The m echanism i s finally locked by means of a riuted clamp ing nu t.
German 8 cm. mo rtar bombs 34 ca n be fired from thi s mort ar, bu t British M.L. 3-in. mor tar
bombs are unsui table, siuce t he needle d isc clip on the Britis h bomb fouls th e stri ker housing of t he
mor tar and thu s prev ents a cle an s trike . Range ta bles for use when firing German bombs from t he
Itali an mo rtar are n ot a vailable , b ut a maxim um range o f th e or der o f 2,250 yds. can be exp ected at
45 degrees elevat ion, full charge, i.e. a slightly higher range tha n when fired from the German
mo rtar 34.
G en er al pa rt ic ul ar s
Cal ibre : 81 mm. (3 in.).
Tota l w eig ht: 129 lb.
Weight of lig ht bomb (g. a.) : 7 j lb.
Weight of hea vy bomb (gr .c. ): 15 lb.
Numbe r of ch arges (light bo m b) : Seven (numbered 0-6) .
Numb er of charge • (heavy bo mb ): l ive .numbered 0- 4).
Maximum ra nge (light bo m b) : 4,429 yds.
Maximum range (heavy b om b) : 1,640 yds.
T o s et up tire m or ta l
Position base plate (dug in, if necessary). Disengage elevati ng cra nk from travers ing screw
yoke. Exte nd bipod legs abo ut 40 in. ap ar t (adju st chain if necessary). Position bipod with
elevat ing cra nk to the rear. Ad just cross-levelling gear unti l bubb le is ap prox imat ely cent ral and
clamp up. Turn ele vating cra nk until abo ut 5 in. of e levat ing screw is exposed, insert ball on breech
piece of barrel in one of socket s of base plate, keeping flat par ts to the side. Rot ate barrel
90 degrees. Secure clamping band round barrel between clamp position marks. Pla te sight m
socket on left of yoke.
Pre par atio n of am mu nit ion
Adju st arrow r»n fuze t o “ I ” for ins tanta neou s, or ” R ” for del ayed action
Remove felt plug from bomb and screw fuze in its place. The bl ack lead foil nose c ap c over is
not removed for firing.
Inse rt prim ary car trid ge centr ally in back of tail and one or more secondaries (if required )
between the vanes. (Charge O-primary alone. Charge 1-prim ary plus 1 secondary.)
To load and fire
Same proced ure a s British 3-in. morta r.
Dia l night
The elev ation qu adr ant is gra duat ed from 40 to 90 decrees and deflection scales (dial and
micrometer) from 0 to 6,400 mils. Bene ath the black main scale on t he dia l is arrange d a red slipping
scale also marke d in mils (for recording zero lines, etc .). l or par ticu lars of the mi l system of an.',ului
measure ment, sr« Sec. 42.
To change the st rik er
The s trik er is screwed i nto th e base of the ba rrel breech piece and is formed wit h a screw-driver
slot t o f acili tate insertio n and removal.
Ra nge ta bl es
Abridged range table s for this mor tar are atta ched at Appendi x C.
 46
PART VIII. ITALIAN ANTI-TANK RIFLES
32. 20 tnm . A.Tk. Rifle—Solothurn. (Set Fiji. 20}
I'ucilr attiicarro Solothurn da 20 mm.
This A.Tk. rifle is a sell-loading , single sh ot weapon based on the Swiss 20 mm. A.Tk. rifle model
S. 18/1000. It is fired from the sh oulder off it s b ipod.
General particulars
Calib re: 20 mm. (-79 in.}.
Weight with emp ty ma gaz ine : 120J lb.
Overall length : 7 ft. 1 in. (including recoil red ucer).
Kate of tire : 10-20 aimed rounds per minute .
Sigh ts: (a) Blade foresight , leaf backsig ht grad uate d to 1,500 metres.
(6) Telescopic sigh t mounte d o n bracke t.
System of ope ratio n : Recoil. Breech positivel y loc ked on firing by rota tion of locking lugs.
Feed : Magazine capabl e of holding 10 rounds, bu t normally loaded with 8 round s o nly. On
firing the last round , it is ejecte d autom atica lly.
Safety
The gun can be set to " safe ” or " fire " by means of a thumb-o|» erated catc h on the pistol
grip. The c atch is moved down for ' safe " and u p for " fire."
Preparation for firing
Ro tate cocking handle clock'Use three or four tur ns until the breech block is retain ed by the
sear. Then rot ate cocking handl e anti-c lockwise to its original (position : the gun will not fire unless
this is done.
Ins ert a full magazine, (here by disen gaging the sear from th e bre ech block which will go forward
und feed a live r ound into the cham ber.
 47

* < « , « . rs c g ie is -.

. P tA b L

E Q

F ig . 20. 20 mm. A /T k Kif l r —-Sol ot hv r ^

 4S
P ar ti al st ri p p in g
i. Body group.— Remove magazine. Cock guu, and pull sear release lever (on left of gun
oppos ite c ocking ha ndle) to allow breech block to go forward. Remove shoulder piece by turning
catch on top and pu shing s hould er piece downwards.
Note.— Do no t a tte mp t to remove should er piece when gun is cocked or fingers ma y be inju red
by ret urn spring.
Ro tate cocking handle half a tur n to withd raw breech block from barrel extension. Return
cocking ha ndle an d remove re tur n spring and breech block from bod y of gun.
Depress milled catc h ju st behind cocking handle axis , slide body side plate a bou t half an inch
to rear so as to bring projec tions on side pla te op posite gaps in bo dy, and remove side plate tog ether
with cocking handle .
Pull d own milled knob on left of gun in front of sea r relea se lever, swing release lever outw ards
and away from gun body, release milled knob and pull downwards on handle, a nd then remove sear
and ejector.
ii. Barrel and barrel extension.—Suppo rting barrel , withd raw body hinge pin. Barrel cann ot be
removed unless in fully forward position when red mark on barrel coincides with red mark on body.
To ret urn barre l to Toward position , af ter cocking to str ip b ody grou p, pre ss u p catc h lo cated b eneath
barrel ex tension and ab out 8 in. behind bipod, pulling barrel forward simultaneousl y.
Depress ba rrel locking catc h which p rojec ts forw ard behind bipod h inge pin . r ota te barrel a bout
90 degrees anti-cloc kwise and remove i t by pulling i t forward.
Reassembly
Reverse procedure for str ipping , noting following po in ts :—
Barrel extens ion must be in forward position before barrel can be ins erted.
Barrel a nd barrel extension mus t be in recoiled pos ition before bod y hin ge pin can be replaced.
 49
If difficulty la experienced in closing hinged parts , make certai n groove in sleeve of barrel
extension is in position to allow ent ry of st ud which rot ate s it.
Indica tion mark on sprock et o f cocking mechanism should be to the rear when replacing body
side plate.

PART IX.—A UST RIA N WEA PONS USE D IN THE ITAL IAN ARMY
33. Various Austrian weapons, which were handed o ver to t he Ital ian s a t t he end of th e 1914-18
War, are still used b y Itali an troops. These weapons include the "s tra ig ht -p ul l” Mannlicher rifle
(w* 34 below) and th e Schwarzlose medium machine gun (see 35 below), bo th of which are im porta nt,
firstly because they are still stan dar d weapons in several conti nent al armies and secondly because
they em body a numbe r of unusual technical features.
Both these we apons fire a tyj>e of 8 mm. rimmed case am munitio n which will no t fit any Ital ian-
made weapon.
34. 8 m m . Rif le, Mod. 95—M annl icher . (Sea Fig . 21)
Futil e Mannlicher
This is a clip-loaded rifle with a " straig ht-pul l ” bolt action. As in the Mannlicher-Carcano,
the di p is inserted in t he magazine w ith the cartri dges a nd. afte r all the cart ridges have been forced
out of i t, falls o ut throug h an o|xniing in the bottom of the magazine. The bolt is actu ated by a
stra igh t forward and backwa rd pull on the bolt lever which is not raised and lowered during the
opening and closing of the breech. The breech is locked by a sepa rate rota ting bolt head formed
with locking lugs t ha t engage in recesses in the bo dy. The rotat ion of the lx>lt head into and o ut of
the locking position is biou ght abo ut by the interac tion of helical feathers in the stem of the bolt
head with corresponding helical grooves in the bolt cylinder.
 «0

General part iculars

Cal ibre : 6 mm. (3*15 in.)
Weig ht (withou t ba yo ne t): 9 lb. 1 oz.
Lengt h (witho ut b ayone t) : 51 in.
Sights : i. Open “ V ” tan gen t backsi ght aud barleycor n for esi gh t; backsi ght grad uate d Iroin
600 to 2.400 paces.
ii. Ba ttle sigh t for 500 paces, obta inab le by laying tan gen t sight flat,
iii. Ext rem e ra nge mark fo r 2,600 paces is p rovide d on top of tang ent sigh t frame.
Feed : Fixed magazine, clip-loaded with 5 cartridge s.
Saf ety
Ro tate safety c atch , located on left rear of cocking lever upward s for " safe ” and over to the
left for " fire.” This can be done when c ithe r cocked or uncocked.
Preparation for firing
Set safety catch to ” fir e.” Pull bolt fully b ack. Ins ert a clip of ca rtridg es into t he magazine
and then p ush bolt forward again.
 81
Rem oval of bo lt
Pull b olt back. Push tri gger forward to dis engage b olt stop an d remove bolt to the rear.
Re pl ac em en t of bo lt
Make sur e t ha t locking lugs are in line w ith bolt guides a nd th at do vetail puide rib on bottom of
bolt enters doveta il guide groove in body. Push bolt to the front, keeping trigger pressed forward.
35. 8 m m . Med ium M.G ., Mod. 07/12 —S chw arz los e. (Set F ig . 22)
Mitraghairice Schwarsiost
This M.G. operat es on the “ blo wb ack " principle, l.e. the breech block is not locked to the
barrel and is forced t o th e rear by the pro jection of th e sp ent case. To facilita te clean ejectio n every
round is auto mati cally l ubric ated from a n oil reservoir in the cove r of the body.
The essential delay in t he opening o f th e breech block is broug ht abo ut by the combin ation of a
strong retu rn spring, exception ally heavy moving part s, and the par tial format ion of an elbow join t
by the cran k an d link which connec t the breech biock to the body.
The comb inat on of th ose thre e factors presents considerable resistance to the in itial movement
of the spen t <-ase an d breech block, which allows the gas pressure in the ba rrel to fall to within safe
limits before the breech opens. An additio nal factor tha t increases the safety margin is t he use of
an unusual ly short barrel.
General part icul ars
Calib re: 8 mm. (-315 in.)
Weigh t of gu n a nd tripo d mounti ng : 80 lb. (approx.)
Weigh t of gun o nly (less water and oi l): 44 lb.
Length overall of gun 37 in. (approx.)
Maximum (cyclic) rat e o f fire : 4UQ rds. per min.
/F or es ig ht —barleycorn, adju stabl e laterall y.
* 1 v Backsigh t—radial " V, ” grad uate d 200-2,400 j»aces.
 82
Feed : 250 rd. fabric belt, fed from rig ht to left.
Cooling : Water, pints.
Prep arat ion for firin g
Insert belt from right over " pa ddl e’* typ e feed wheel and pull back crank handle three times.

F ig . 22 .— 8 mm. M.G . Mod . 07 /1 2 S chw arz los k.

f<» fi re
\ Press safe ty lever between trave rsing handles to the right and simultane-»usly press trigger lever.
P a rt ia l s tr ip p in g
',i. Breech block. Unscrew body locking pin at right of trigger. Rot ate rear cross-piece one
qua rter turn and remove, being caref ul to release the powerful retu rn spring gently. Remove firing
pin, breech block crank and link.
ii. Feed mechanurn.— Ro tate feed locking pin, draw back sidcpl ate and lower. Suin g out feed
mechanism and lower. f
iii. Barrel.—Ro tate pin at cham ber end and unscrew flash eliminator , tu rn Ixirrel clockwise
one-third tur n and disengage.

PA RT X.—GE RM AN W EA PO NS (Revised partic ulars)

36 . T h e G e rm a n 9 m m . (-3 5 in .) P is to l 38 a n d th e 5 c m . (2 In . M o rt a r l. G r. W .3 6
havy alre ady been dea lt with briefly in " Enemy Weapons, Pa rt I—German Inf ant ry Weapons.
Fur ther inform ation on th ese two w eapons is now availa ble, an d revised par ticul ars are given below.
37. 9 m m . Pi st ol 38—W al th er . (See Fi g. 23)
Pistole 38.
This self-loading pistol, which is now a stan dar d German arm y weapon, is also used in the
Swedish arm y It is an accu rate weapon and handles well, th e general feel being si milar t o tha t of
the Luger pistol 08. e xcep t th at the upwa rd kick on liring is not so marked .
I he breech is posit ively locked at the mome nt of firing by a locking cam, which is pivoted under
the barrel a nd has locking lugs for engag ement w ith recesses in the slide. On firing, the b arrel recoils
a sho rt dista nce with the slide, caus.ug a plu nger to stri ke pa rt of the b ody and unlock the breech,
afte r whleh the slide c ontinu es to the rear unde r the a ction of the s pent case.
A4 S A F L T Y CATCH IN Qi CA TOA

M 6 A 2 !f l£ CATCH
 The trigg er and hamme r mech anism is of the " Wa lther " single o r double a<tion type, a n d can
o|tera tc indep ende ntly of the recoiling portio ns of the pistol. I hus. if a misfire occurs, the trigger
ah lie re pressed with out having to pull the slide back.
A holding-open device reta ins th e s'ide in the rear position when the ina„.« m c i s cm pt j.a nd an
indicator in tlw form of a pm protr udes aho ut | in. from t he rear of the slide when a round is in
the chamber . The lat ter is a useful adj unc t for night work, since it cnab.e s the lirer to tell by
feel w hether ther e is a round in the chamber .
Ge ne ra l pa rt ic ul ar s
Calibre : 9 nun. (-35 in.).
Weight w ithou t magazine 1 lb. 15 oz.
Weight w ith emp ty mag azin e: 2 lb. 1^ oz.
Weight w ith full magazin e : 2 lb. 5 | oz.
Length overall : 81 in.
Lengt h of barrel : 4J in. . . . . , . A„
Ammunition : 9 mm. parabel lum as for pis tofOS (will lire same ammu nition a s British CSten
machine c arbine).
Feed : Removable 8 round magazine in butt .
Sa fet y .. . ..
Raise saf ety catc h, uncovering let ter F for " fire ” anil lower it. uncovering let ter S for sale .
When cocked, the pistol can be uncocked by sett ing safety catch to safe . This releases
the hammer, and at the same time locks the firing pin in its rear position.
Preparation for firing
Set saf ety catch to fire ' Inser t full magazine. Pull slide fully l»ack and let it go sm artly
forward a gain to trans fer a round from ma gazine to chamber. The pistol is now lo ad ed and cocked
and can be fired " sing le action
 •rt
A lte rn at iv el y se t sa fe ty ca tch to ' safe " and proce e.l as alx .ve. I la- pis tol is now totirle.1,
b u t no t eo, sc ,I W he n re a d y to lir e . p a s h sa f ty c a tc h u p a n d lir e fir st .........1 •• d o u b le ae tk .i l
I.C. In .1 s t i o u g p ill on tri gg er, nln cl i coc ks an d lires pis tol , or " si ngl e ac tio n " af te r coc kin g the
ha m m er by th um b as wi th a ser vic e rev olv er.

P a r ti a l s tr ip p in g
h . r J . n ^ I t C , n p t y n i a ? a Z ,in C ‘ u ” s l i ' 1' ^ c k u , , t i l ' w i t h s l ° P l‘ on left of IxhIv. R ot at e
a r« i. t am in g pin clo. ku is e ab ou t 13a deg ree s. Rem ove ma gaz ine , allo w slid e to go forw ard by
ba rre l from Cs'li de° n ° l ** * , r e s s , r i p R r r a n < l n-” iovc s lid e .or wa rd from lxxly . W ith dr aw

Re as se m bl y
I , in » « * Note th a t, when ins er tin g bar rel an d slid e mb) I s x ly th ey shou ld
be loc ked to ge the r, To loc k th em , pull ou t loc kin g cam pl un ge r an d pres s up lock ing ca m. Bar rel
an d slid e will rem ain lo cke d if p isto l is as sem ble d ups ide d ow n, hu t it will th en be n ec es sa ry to pres s
u p ej ec to r a nd tw o lev ers o f s af et y me cha nis m to pr ev en t th em fou ling re ar en d of sli de ’ ’

38. 5 cm . I.l fth t M o rt ar 56. (S « l' ig . 24)

Leichter Granatenwer/er 36— I.Gr.lF.36.
r . l h l j '"’JP?" is th e st an da rd lig ht m or ta r o f th e Ge rm an Arm y. I t is muz zle loa ded a nd trig ge r
fired an d i s des ign ed fo r hig h ang le fire on ly, i.e . fire a t ang les of n ot les s th an 45 degr ees. The m or ta r
Of n n e ^ m ' U ‘ ,b a s ? p l a J ! * 1 t h tr av er si ng an d cro ss lev elli ng ge ar bein g ca rri ed on th e bac k
of one man and the barrel and elev ating screw on the back of the other.
5 cm . L igh t Moktar 36
 58
General particulars
Calibre : 50 mm. (2 in.).
Weight in acti on : 31 lb.
Maximum range : 568 yds.
Weight of H.E . bomb (5 cm. Wgr. 36): 21b.
Sigh ts: Dial sig ht (early models only ). —
Kate of fire : 6 rounds can be fired in 8 seconds.

To se t up the mortar
Adju st trav erse to zero. Pull out barrel hinge pin. Holding barrel by its handle, adj ust
eleva ting screw to minimu m elev ation . Ins ert barrel in socket. Squeeze catches and engage
lower end of eleva ting screw p illar in fron t en d of t rav ersi ng brac ket. Push in barrel hing e p in and
raise range indic ator. la y roughly on tar ge t or aimin g posts by turn ing basep late and makin g use
of white line on barrel . Prt ss bas epla te into ground. I t mus t be prop erly embed ded and should
slope do wnward in dir ectio n towa rd targ et.

Elevation
Kough adj ust me nt is effected by depress ing quic k-releas e lever to free slidin g collar and then
elev ating or de pressing barrel by mea ns of bar rel handle.
Fine adj ust me nts are effected by rot ati ng elev atin g screw sleeve.
Gun range is indic ated on an arc fixed to the barrel , by a poin ter on the trave rsing bracke t.
The arc is gr adu ated in metre s from 60 t o 520. The poin ter can be folded do wn for t ran spo rt.
 s*
Line
For rough adj ust me nt and to lay mor tar in original line, shift baseplate with travers e set at
zero.
The travers ing handwheel is used to applv cor rections for line afte r ffirst round.
Traverse is indicated on a scale on the left of the cross-bar connecting the levelling handles.
The scale has two rows of graduations which are offset so as to provide readings to the ne arest 10 mils.
For conversion factors (degrees and minutes to mils) see Sec. 42.
Levell ing
The mort ar is levelled by means of two levelling handles, one on each sitle of the baseplate,
in conjun ction with a levelling bubble carried on tlie traversing bracket to the left of the barrel.
To move bubb le forward, turn both handles to left ; bubble backward, handles right ; bubble
to left, handle's outw ard ; and bubble to right, handles inward.
Loading and firing
Layer lies on hifi-front holding levelling handles and pressing down liaseplate with forearms.
Loader on rig ht of lay er carefully inserts lx,nib in muzzle and then places hand on trigger. On order
to fire, loader pulls trigger lever slowly and evenly to the rear.
To unload
Pull out barrel hinge pin. Fold down range indicator and gently raise breech end of barrel
until bomb slides out into hands of member of detach ment waiting to receive it.
 60
PAR T XI. —ITA LIAN S.A .A .
39 . M ar ki ng s an d id en tif ic at io n
Most of t lic s tan da rd typ es of Ita lian S.A.A. now in use can be ide ntified with the aid of Fig. 25
and the table at Appen dix D.
Type s not included in the app endi x and Fig. 25 inc lude :
i. The amm unit ion for t he 8 min. Mannlich er rifle a nd the 8 mm. Schwarzlose M.G., which has
a rimmed ca se ; and ii. the 20 mm. Solot hurn A.Tk. rifle a mm uniti on, which has a b elted ca se and
is app roxi ma tely 8 inches long overa 1
The usual base mark ings on Ita lia n S.A.A. are the year (in full of. abb rev iate d), the makers
initia ls or let te r and the initia ls of the inspe cting au tho rity . The make rs initi als may be given in
full, for examp le S M I (- S o ci et a Metallu rgica Ital ian a) or B I’ I) ( = Bombrini. Paro di Delfmo)
or a single let te r to in dica te the ma nufa ctu rer may lx- ins erte d i mme diate ly before the year, c.j. B. 38
on the base of the 7 35 mtn. car trid ge in Fig. 25.
40 . In te rc h an ge ab ili ty
A t abl e showing which t\-pes of Ita lian S.A.A. are interc hang eable wi th Briti sh and American
S.A.A. is att ach ed a t Appen dix E.
PA R T X II . IT AL IA N U N IT S OF M E A SU R E M E N T
41 . D is ta nc es
Range s an d oth er d ista nces are measu red in metres, hecto metre s ( = 100 met res), and kilometres
(-- 1,000 metre s). 1 metr e —1 0936 yar ds and 1 yar d = 0 9144 metres
Conven ient appr oxim ate conver sions are as follows
Yards to metre s su bt ra ct 10 per cent, from the num ber of sards .
Metr es to ya rd s add 10 pe r ce nt , io the num ber of metres.
Most art ille ry slide rules have a gauge mark Y for conv ertin g metres to yard s and vice versa.
 $1

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F« <L A3 _
s u a s M iT > o ,p c <
fcr_fiCfltTTA £ $ ,1 . PISTOL
N-AOcr. F i / f &M( Hog 3 4
*6tOCTTA*

F ig . 25.— I t a l ia n S.A.A.
 <52
42. An gle s
The p ractic al u nit o f angu lar m easu rem ent used in most Ital ian sight s aud fire contro l ins trum ents
is the conv entio nal mi! (MILLESIM O COXVENZIO X M .E •. which is a conv enien t appr oxim ation
to a math ema tica l unit known as the rad ian mil (MILLES IMO ESATTO). 'Ihe re are 6,400 con­
ventio nal mils in a full circle, and one conv entio nal mil is there fore equ iva lent to 0-0563 degrees
or 3-375 minute s.
One conv entio nal mil, at any range, sub ten ds a dist anc e app rox ima tely equa l to 1/1,000 of
the range. In thi s resj»ect it is less acc urat e tha n the rad ian mil which by definition is equa l to
----- !----- of a full circle. The num ber of conv entio nal mils in a full circle (6,400) is, however,
2 jt X 1,000
divisib le by four, w hereas the num ber of rad ian mils (6,283) is not.
Fig. 26 shows the rela tions hip of degrees and minu tes of angle to conv entio nal mils.
It will be s een from this diag ram tha t :—
27 mins. ■■ 8 mils.
9 deg rees 160 mils.
360 degrees -6,1 00 mils.
Useful slide ru le setti ngs c an be o btai ned from the a bove figures.
For examp le, to find t he num ber of conv entio nal mils e qual to 40 minu tes, s et 27 on A scale of
slide rule oppos ite 8 on B scale. Move curso r t o 40 on A scale and read off 12 m ils (appro ximat ely)
irom B scale.
Simila rly, to find th e num ber of de grees and minu tes corres pondi ng to 96 mils, set 9 on A scale
oppos ite 160 on B scale. Move curs or to 98 on B scale and read off 5-5 degrees, i.e. 5 degrees
30 minut es. from A scale.
 CO NV ERS ION DIAGRA M
(Con i' Mils to Degrees & Minutes)

F ig. 26.
 64
Anothe r me thod of conv ertin g degre es to mils, based on t he appr oxim atio n 1 degree - 17*8 mils,
is to mul tiply t he numb er of de grees by 20 and the n su btr ac t 11 per cent , in two stages.
e.g. 23 degrees
multip ly by 20
460
sub tra ct 46
414
sub tra ct 4-6
409 mils.
1lie Ita lia ns me asu re ang les in a clockwise direct ion.In this respect the y differ from most
of the othe r coun tries tha t employ th e mil syste m of ang ular measure ment.
Degrees and minu tes (GKADI E PK1.MI) a re used in some ran ge tables . Sometimes the degrees
are divided into ten ths ( 6') e.g. 15-95°= 15° 57'.
 6$
APPENDIX A.
RANGE TAB LES FOR ITALIAN 8 m m. M .Gs .—FIA T MOD. 35 AND BREDA MOD. 37,
FIRING MODEL 35 BALL AMM UNIT ION
il a iu v Fi at 35 Br ed a 37 R an ge Fi at 35 Br ed a 37 R an ge F oi l 33 Br ed a 37 1 Kai uc
T .K . T. K. T. K. T .E . T .E . T. K. (y da .) T .K . T .E .
m ib ) i
fm ib ) (m ite ) (m ib ) (m ib ) (m ib ) (m ib ) (m ila i
lo o

200
1' 2 2
1 I2 oo

130 0
III 19

22
23 00

24 00 I
68

74
00 , 34 00 15o 148

» 33 00 159 158
300 3 1400 25 23 00 80 7» 360 0 168 1C3
100 • • 1500 29 » 26 00 80 « 37 00 178 179
50 0 5 • iooo 33 32 27 00 93 380 0 188 190
C00 8 6 1700 >7 30 28 00 100 99 199
39 00 202
700 8 18 00 29 00 1
41 40 108 107 400 0 210 214
80 0 10 10 I9o u 40 45 30 00 116 114 41 00 221 226
90 0 » 12 20 00 31 | uo 31 00 124 1200 234 239
1000 14 14 21 00 50 1
32 00 132 130 430 0 247 233
110 0 1. Id 22 00 02 Co 33 00 141 139 261 266
440 0
1

S lm id a n l c o n d it io n a l bu ru niu lcr ?3U m mi. (2 9- 5 iit .) o f m er cu ry , to iii ji en it ur c 15* C. (59 * F .) . hu m id tv 0- 5 (hu ll

•a tu ra u -d ui t) .
 66

APPEND IX B.
RANG E TA BL ES EOR ITAL IAN 45 m m . MOR TAR . MOD . 35 --B RI XI A
LOW AN GL E FIK E —VA LV E PO R1 S OP EN LU U ANG LE 1 IR E— VAL VE PO RT S CLOSE R
Sla nt • A.'S N eg ati ve . A,S Po sit ive . Slan t • A S Ne gativ e. A, S Po sit ive .
Itung c. — —11 —5 | + 5j + 11 + 1 6 | + 2 Ran ge. - 16} - I I -5 J + 5» + 1 1 + 10* + 22
Metres , dogs. de gs. de gs. deg s deg s. deg s. deg s li o .i w . de gs. deg s. degs . deg s. de gs. de gs. deg s
InO — — _ 176 2-25 2-5 30 100 2 25 32 6 40 4 76
130 — — — 20 2-5 2 75 — 150 — — — 2-76 3-5 4 25 4 73
200 — — 1 2 5 2 76 — — 200 _ _ _ 30 40 4-ft —
250 — 1 26 20 30 _ _ — 250 — — 1 26 3-5 4 23 4-75 —
300 1-0 175 25 — — — 300 — — 1-75 4-0 4 75 — '—
350 1-6 2-6 — — — — 350 — 10 2-8 4-26 6 0 — —
400 400 — 1-6 30 4-73 _ _ —
450 — 2 25 35 — — — —
600 1 25 2-76 4-0 — — — —
550 2O 35 4-76 _ _ — —
GOO 2 75 4 25 — — — — —
HIG H ANG LE FI R E — VALV E POR TS OP EN . HI OH AN GL E FIR E —VAL VE PO RT 8 CL O8 ED .
Slant • A S Ne ga tiv e. A, S Po sit ive . Slan t • A S Ne gativ e. A S Po siti ve.
Ran ge, - i q II .»> + 5 | 4 1 1 + 16J • 22 + 27 | + 33 Rang e. -1GJ -1 1 -5 * •+ 5> 4 II - It.J • 22 4-27J + 3 3
Metre s. de gs. de gs. d egs . deg s. de gs. d egs. deg s. de gs. d egs Melras. de gs. d egs, .leg s. deg s. de gs. d ogs. d ogs. d egs . deg*.
lo o — - • — 10 10 10 10 10 10 300 — — — 30 3 0 3 25 3 23 3 0 30
150 15 15 15 15 15 15 1 5 1-5 15 350 3 25 3 25 3-5 3 5 3 75 3-75 3-75 4 0 4 0
2<m 1 78 1 75 2 0 20 20 2 25 2 26 2 25 £-2t 400 3 5 3-75 3 75 4 25 4 25 4 5 6 0 —
25o 2 25 2 25 2 3 2 5 2 75 So — — — 450 4 ii 4 23 4 28 4 75 50 — — -
300 25 2 75 2 75 — — — — — — 500 4 2ft 45 4 76 — — — — — —.
350 3o — — — — 550 1 76 5 0 — — — — — — —
«OO ft-0
• The sla nt rang e is th e range measured alo ng th e lin e ot sig ht from th e mor tar to t he t ar ge t, i.e . it i s th e range
as mea sure d by a rangef inder an d no t as measu red on th e map .
 6?
APPENDIX C.
RANGE TABL ES FOR ITALIAN 81 mm . MORTAR, MOD. 35
LIGHT 7{ lb. BOMB (G.A.
Cha tu t 0 C ha rg e I C ha rg e 2 C ha rg e 3 Ch ar ge 5 Ch ar ge 6
R a n ^r El ev at io n K a n ie h le v at u -o R an ge b le v at io n R an ge E le va ti o n Ra ng e ti e v a ti o o R an ge E le va ti on Ra ng e E le v at io n
yd» . • «».tin n» yd *. de g* nu r. . yd* . deg* . nun *. yd *, deg * nu n* yd* , deg *. min *. vd ». de g* , min *. vd* . deg* , min*.
100 85 — 50 0 75 — 1.00 0 75 50 l.J oO 73 2,0 00 71 30 2, 50 0 70 50 3.0 00 69 —
200 79 JO 700 72 HI 1.2'it) 72 — 2.KMI (■(> 2.* «» «. 3, 00 0 65 — 3.4 00 65 —
2» 76 JO b*X> O‘> 50 1,40 0 (.8 — 2 . . '" ' 6J 2.7 0’) 65 J.2i»> 63 — 3.6 00 63 —
30" 73 30 »»XI t». 1,'M.O M — 2.JOO 6i 2 .Mm im 3.4 00 63 — J.- ‘O0 (4) 30
350 70 JO 1 .0 0 62 — 1,70 0 61 50 2.4 90 58 50 3.9 *0 58 3.6.41 J7 — 4, 00 0 57 30
49 ) 66 30 3.0 50 "0 - i.a co 58 50 2. 50 0 ‘6 3.1’M) 56 30 3.7 C i 55 4,2 00 M —
450 62 JO 1.1 00 57 JO 1,'MX) $5 — 2,6 00 53 3.2'>0 54 3.8 00 52 30 4,3 03 52 —
500 57 30 1,15 0 54 — 1,950 52 50 2,6 50 50 50 3,2 50 52 3.8 50 51 — 4,3 50 50 30
550 50 — 1.22 0 50 — 2,0 00 4S — 2,7 00 46 3.3 00 49 30 3,9 00 48 .10 1, 0 j 4g —
557 4$ — 1,22 5 45 2,0 25 45 — 2,7 07 45 3.3 56 45 3,9 37 45 — 4,4 29 45 —

HEAVY 15 lb. BOMB (G.C.)

C ha rg e 0 Ch ar ge 1 C ha rg e 3 Ch ar ge 4
E irv a tto n Ra ng e E le v at io n Ra ng e E le va ti on R an ge E le v at io n Ra ng e E le va ti on
yds . deg * min *. yd» . yd*. de g* nu n* yd* . de g* m in e. y 1». deg *, nun *.

68 81 150 8.1 450 76 50 TOO 73 -*0 1,150 67 30

75 80 Ml 530 72 mW 71 1.25 0 65
100 30 250 77 to o 70 90 0 68 1,30 9
125 73 300 65 0 l.S 1,00 0 65 1.3 91 62 30
156 68 30 3JO 71 7- 0 66 1,"JO 63 1, HAl 61
175 64 491 730 63 30 1.10 0 61 1,4 50 33 30
20 0 57 30 450 SCI 61 1.15 0 59 1.5.10 56
219 45 50 " 59 30 X« l 58 1. .X I 56 3o 1,55 0 55
550 54 •- o 53 1,23 0 52 30 1.1410 49 30
574 45 94 6 45 1.2 96 45 1,64 0 45
 68
APPE NDIX D
ITAL IAN S.A .A.
(Markings and Recognition)

Identifica tion
Serial Calibre
No. Ty i» Annulus Service
Colour Colour of projoctilo

1 «-ft mm. Ball (r ound none bul let) Plain P la .............................................. I^i nd
2 Ball ...................................... « * - .......................... Land
Ball ...................................... Plain ... Plain Air
< Trace r Plai n ... Plain with red t ip Air
5 7-7 mm. A.P. L pre-ltfSO .............. Plain ... Plain a il b Idne t ip (pierced) ... Air
0 7-7 mm. A.P.I . po»t-lB3V .............. Plain ... Plain with green t ip (pierced) Air
7 7-7 mm. A P ........................................... Oreen Plain with green tip Air
H 8 mm. Bull ...................................... Plain ... Plain Lund
9 8 mm. A.P ........................................... Plain w ith g reen t ip Land
10 8 mm. Incend iary observing Plain with blue (or bl ack) t ip. .. l<aml
11 8 mm. A.P.T . .......................... Hai n with red t ip Land
8 mm. Trac er .......................... Plain with red (or green) t ip ... I .and
 69
13 0 mm . Ba ll (G lis en ti p is to l) R ed ca p P la in ............................................... G lis en ti pi st ol
14 9 mrti. B ol l (p ar ab el lu m ty p e for Gr ee n c ap P la in ............................................... 9 tu rn . B e r e tt a
B er et ta m ac hi ne ca rb in e. m ac hi ne ca rb in e
M od . 38)
IS 11 m in . B al l (sh or t ty p o fo r B er et ta P la in .. . P la in .. . .. . ... .. . 0 m m . B e re tt a 8 .L .
p is to l. M od . 34) p is to l. M od . 34
10 IO*3A m m. Ba ll (f o r B od eo re v o lv er ) ... Pl ai n .. . P la in 10 .3 5 m m . B od eo
re vo lv er . M od . 8R
17 12*7 n un . Ba l! Pl ai n .. . P la in Ai r
tt> 12*7 n un . Tr ac er ................................ P la in .. . P la in w it h re d ti p A ir
III 12- 7 inm , I l. E ...................................... Pl ai n .. . P la in w it h re d ba nd Air
20 12 * m m . H . E .T .............................................. P la in .. . P la in w it h bl ue b a n d .................. Ai r
21 12*7 in m . H .E .' A .P ./ I/ T ,................................ P la in .. . P la in w it h w h it e n o s e .................. Air

IT A L IA N S .A .A .—- N O M E N C L A T U R E
I' M * Ita lia n nam«
Bell .............. Car tc cc ia a P a m .ot to la O rd in a r ia
a .p . PC Br OR AN TB
T ru e r r .. . T ba cc ia kt k (L o u ix o s a )
IlI C C Il d ui lY I n o cn di ar ia
il. E. E xp do siv a
Obse rving P er A ooi omt amc xto
A .P .T ..................... TRA CCI AXT B PER rO M* XT R
A .P .I ........................ PlCRFORANTC IMCCND IABIA
Dr ill or d u n u m DA EXERCTTAZIOH B
Blan k 8 a lv c
 70

APPEND IX E
ITALIAN S.A .A.
(Inte rchan geab ility)
Ita lia n S .A .A . interchangeable with Br itis h an d Am eri can S. I. A.

Nom inal calib re ami typ e
ol Ital ian S. A.A .
7-7 m in. ba ll, A .l*.. et c.
9 mm. ball (abort typ e)
9 mm . ha ll (pa rabol lum ty pe )
Weap on from whic h
tired
Uicd a-Sa fat Airer alt M.G.
Be rett a pis tol , Mod. 31
Be ne t ta mac hin e carbin e.
Mod. 38
' Nom inal calib re a nti typ o
of Br itis h, ete . S.A.A .
•3u3 in . Imll. A .l’., et c.
•-3K.I in. au to. Intll
9 nun. ball (parah rliuin
typ e)
Weap on from which
tired
•303 in. Britis h w. a p oi o t
•380 Colt au to, pist ol
“ Ste n ” anil Lanch
macli ino carbine

It e li u i 6-3 nu n., 7-35 min ., 8 m m ., 9 nun . (Gliacnti) and 10-33 mi n. are not intcre.liangcablo wit h nn y Britinli
Americ an S.A. A.
• -38t» in . au to, amm uni tio n shoul d not lie conf used with -38 a uto , whi ch ia a longe r an d moro power ful ij|>u <
■a tired from a dilt eiv nt wea pon, tho -38 Colt au to, p isto l.
 71

APPENDIX F.
GE RM AN S .A .A .
Inter chang eabilit y)
Ger ma n S . l . 4 . inte rch ang eab le tvtth B ri tis h S .A .A .

Nom inal calibr e arid typo Weap on from which Nom inal calibr e and typ e We apo n from which
of Germ an S.A .A. fired of Britiah S.A.A. fired

- OS mm. ball (a.S .) A.P .
(S. m. K. ). etc .
(Part. Pat r. ti8)
V m in . ImiII
and aemi-A.I*. (Pun . Patr.
08 m.R.)
7 02 mm. German riflea
ami m ach ine anna
!) mm. pin in'. 08 and 38.
nnrl mach ine carbi nes
M.l*. 38 ami M P . 40
7 02 mm. Bena ball 7-02 m m. Beau M.O.
9 mm. (|Nirabi<lluiM *}')*») " Bleu " ami Lanc-lieaier
machine carbinca

G nnan 7-92 m m. ant i tank rifle a nun uni tion ca nno t bo Cred from any H.it iah or A m e ri c a n w ea p o n .
Prin ted by the Pri nti ng and Sta tion ery Serv ice*, M .E P — 1875 l t ‘3*41
 iii
PART IV.—IT ALIA N LIGHT MACHI GUN S P A CK

13. In tro du cto ry n o t e ............................ 12

14. 6-5 mm . I..M. G., Mod. 30— Br ed a ..
15. 6-5 mm. L.M.G ., Mod. C—Br ed a ... 17
Id. 7-35 mm. L. M .t.. . Mod 3 fr -B re da 17
PAR T V.— ITA LIA N MED IUM MACll B GUN S
17. In tro du ct or y n o t e .................................................... ... 18
IS. 6-5 mm. me dium M.G., Mod. 14—-Fiat (ReveKii .. . 18
19. 7-7 mm . Air cra ft M.G.—B red a-S afa t ............... ... 20
20. 8 mm . me dium M.G., Mod. 35—F ia t (Reve lli ... 22
2 1 .8 m m. me dium M.G., Mod. 37—B red a ... 28
22. 8 mm me dium M.G., Mod. 38— Bre da ............... ... :o
23. 12-7 mm. air cr af t M.G.—B red a-S afa t ............... ... 32
PA RT VI .— ITA LIA N HA ND GR E
24. In tro du ct or y n o t e ............................ 33
25. Ha nd gre nad e S.E.C .M., Mod. 35. .. 33
26. Ha nd gre nad e Bre da, Mod. 35 34
27. Ha nd gre nad e O.T .O., Mod. 35 ... 3d
28. Mark ings on ha nd grena des 37
PA RT VII -IT A LI A N MOR TAR S
29. In tro du ct or y not e ...
30. 45 mm . l igh t m or tar . Mod. 35—B rixi a ........................................
31. 81 mm. mo rta r. Mod. 3 5 ................................................................ 42
Co nti nu e! on page iv nf corer,
 iv
SBC. PA RT V III .— ITAL IAN ANT I-TA NK RI FL ES pagb
32. 20 mm. A.Tk. rifle—Solot hurn ................................................................................................... 46
PA RT IX .—A USTR IAN WEA PONS USED IN TH E ITA LIA N ARMY
33. Int ro du cto ry no te ... ................................................................................................................ 49
34. 8 m m. rifle. Mod. 95—Mann liche r........................................................................... ............... 49
35. 8 m m. mediu m M.G., Mod. 07/12—Sc hwarz lose........................................................................... 51
PA RT X.—G ERMAN WEAPO NS (Revise d parti cula rs)
36. int rod uct ory not e ... ....................................... ................................................................. 53
37. 9 r am. pistol 38— W al th er ............................................................................................................... 53
38. 5 cm. ligh t mo rta r 36 ............................................................................................................... 56
PART XL —IT ALI AN S.A.A.
39. Markings and iden tifica tion ... ........................... ........................... ............... 60
40. In te rc ha ng ea bi lit y........................................................................................................................... 60
PAR T X II. —IT ALIA N UN ITS OF MEA SURE MEN T
41. Dis tan ces ................................................................................................................................................ 60
42. Angles ... ... ............................................................................................................... 62
APP EN DIC ES
Appe ndix A.—Ra nge table s for Ita lia n 8 m m. M.Gs. ............................................................... 65
Appe ndix B.—R ange ta ble s for Ita lia n 45 mm. mor tar . Mod. 35 ... ... ... ... ... 66
Append x C.—R ange t blc> for It ilian 81 mm. mo rta r, Mod. 35 ... ... ... ... ... 67
Appe ndix D.—I tal ian S.A.A. (mark ings and re co gn iti on )............... ............... ... ... 68
Appen dix E.— Ita lia n S.A.A. (i nt er ch an ge ab ili ty )........................... ............... ... ... 70
Appen dix F.—G erman S.A.A. (int ercha ngeab ility) ... ............... ... ... ... 71