FIAT-Revelli Modello 1915 (Villar Perosa)

History

The submachine gun arose from the need for a high-capacity weapon capable of driving enemy troops out of trenches during the First World War. The weapon must be portable and capable of firing (controllable) with fully automatic action with lethal consequences at short to medium distances. Semi-automatic pistols proved to be only a partial solution, machine guns at the time were too bulky to be used in this way. This is how the "machine gun" as a weapon type was born - first improved by the Italians and later by the Germans into a classic form.

Since then, the class has become a recognized part of any military checklist.

FIAT-Revelli Type 1915 - better known as "Villar Perosa" - became (from a technical point of view) the first submachine gun to be adopted by a state force, as it fired a pistol cartridge through an automatic process and passed a Very portable design. However, the weapon was a far cry from the accepted form of "classic" submachine guns, even by World War I standards, a victory largely attributed to the Germans' 1918 Bergman MP18. In addition, the Italian Army initially used their Villar Perosas as a light support role for light machine guns (LMGs), issued primarily to alpine units for mountain operations. After years of war, the Italians finally realized what they had and rewrote their tactics to accommodate new types of weapons.

As such, the Villar Perosa is more of a mobile offensive weapon than a limited automatic support weapon.

It should be noted that Villar Perosa can be referred to by more than one name, adding to the confusion - "FIAT" is the main place of manufacture, and Bethel Abiel "Revelli" di Beaumont owes its design to it. "Villar Perosa" comes from the Turin headquarters of Officine Villar Perosa (OVP), where the initial prototype was conceived and evaluated.

As originally manufactured, the 1915 Villar Perosa did not have any real stock or wooden body - it was essentially a practical receiver with a protruding twin barrel at the front and a spade grip at the rear handle (with thumb trigger). ). A foldable metal bipod was attached to the muzzle, which acted as a front support in the usual way (hence the idea that the weapon would continue to fight as a light machine gun). Aiming is through an iron array. Another distinguishing feature of the Villa Perosa is the use of 2 x 25-round magazines, which are placed in the center of the gun on top of the receiver - a feed system that allows the gun to be fired from both barrels.

The action was a delayed recoil method, and the weapon was fitted with a modified version of the German 9x19mm Parabellum pistol cartridge, known to the Italian army as the 9x19mm Glisenti - the same cartridge that also powered the famous Italian Glisenti semi-automatic gun.

A downright unorthodox submachine gun, though nonetheless proven to be practical and lethal for its portable, high-capacity firepower. Overall, the gun has a 21-inch barrel length and a 2 x 12.5-inch barrel. The cyclic rate of fire is 1,200 rounds per minute thanks to the thoughtful action inside.

The muzzle velocity is 1,200 feet per second.

In early practice in 1915, the Villar Perosa was primarily used as a static suppression system more similar to a modern alternator. Italian firearms company Beretta then adopted Villar Perosa's design, splitting the barrel to return to a special single-barrel submachine gun design with an internal trigger group and one-piece wooden stock mounted on the weapon. The Italians now have a more realistic submachine gun shape, as Beretta made these submachine guns as "Modello 1918".

In combat, these confirmed the vision of the submachine gun as an offensive weapon, and from 1917 the Villaperosa was used more in offensive roles. All of Villar Perosa's original guns were "dual gun" systems, and some were even mounted on tripods and vehicles (including bikes!).

By the end of the war, Villar Perosa had seen the climax of the battle. Since the "true" submachine gun form is now adopted by the world powers, the remaining stocks of Villar Perosas were converted accordingly to Beretta Modello 1918 or the simpler Moschetto Automatico OVP (Officine Villar Perosa). In the latter case, the weapon is none other than the original Villar Perosa, simply cut in half to create an evolution of the single-barreled submachine gun. No wooden frame was added, but there was a traditional cantilever trigger group and wooden stock.

This allowed for cheap modifications during the uncertain interwar period.

So while the Submaschine was born with the Italians, it was further developed and improved by the Germans with their MP18. Many features of the German design were then carried over to many future submachine gun designs that appeared before World War II.

It's important to note that the unique Italian design brought the German MP18 to the front line after about two years of war. Austro-Hungarian and German armies captured some examples in battle.

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