Type Tank machine gun In service 1938–43 Wars World War II | Place of origin Kingdom of Italy Used by Italy | |
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Manufacturer Breda Meccanica Bresciana | ||
The Mitragliatrice Breda calibro 8 modello 38 per carri armati was an Italian tank-pattern machine gun used in World War II. It was able to fit on the available tanks: the Fiat L6/40, the Fiat M11/39, and the Fiat M13/40. It was also adapted as infantry machine gun.
Contents
Development
"The Italians have also adapted it for use as an infantry machine gun. For this purpose the gun is mounted on a machine-gun tripod...by means of an adapter, and is fitted with a temporary rear sight on the right of the body and a temporary front sight on the right of the barrel at the muzzle. These temporary open sights take the place of the optical sight used when the gun is tank-mounted."
Design details
"The gun is air-cooled, gas-operated, and magazine-fed, and has a quick-change barrel. Its operational features are simple, and it is extremely easy to field-strip or disassemble completely. The barrel is sufficiently heavy (9⅞ pounds) to enable it to fire a large number of rounds in quick succession without overheating."