OVP 1918

Lore & Background

The OVP was developed at the end of 1916 when Major Bethel-Abiel Revelli demonstrated a new weapon to the Department of Air Artillery. It was an attempt to adapt the Villar Perosa into a single-barreled, shoulder-fired carbine, requested by the Aviation Corps who wanted a replacement for the Mauser C96. The weapon consisted of the barrel and action of the Villar Perosa attached to a wooden buttstock, with a trigger and small refinements. Although formally classed as a delayed blowback, the delay was minimal and had little practical effect, as seen by the high rate of fire. The bolt was controlled by a track in the receiver that caused it to rotate 45 degrees as it closed; the striker carried a lug that bore on a cam face on the bolt, preventing the firing pin from moving forward until the bolt had rotated. An unusual feature was a cylindrical sleeve surrounding the receiver for cocking, grasped and pulled to the rear to retract the bolt. Another oddity, carried over from the Villar Perosa, was a slot in the rear edge of the top-mounted magazine that allowed the firer to see how many rounds remained, but also let in dust and dirt. The OVP was trialed in February 1917 and patented in March. The patent sketch showed a magazine feed on the underside and centrally mounted iron sights, but the production model had offset, left-mounted sights and a top-mounted magazine, possibly because Villar Perosa magazines performed better with gravity assistance.

Reader's Guide

The OVP 1918 was adopted in May 1918 as the replacement for the Mauser C96 after the Italian government could no longer order from the Mauser factory due to the war. Purchases of C96 copies from other countries, including China, delayed adoption until that point. The Naval Aviation Corps also approved its use. Approximately 500 submachine guns, recorded as Carabine .V.P., were delivered to the Aviation Corps in 1918, and these are believed to be the only ones ever produced. The weapon was distributed to pilots and observers in the last year of the war; a known user was the famous aviator Antonio Locatelli. Contrary to popular belief, the OVP was not issued to infantry assault units; the army held separate submachine gun trials, adopting the Beretta gun in September 1918. After the war, the immediate requirement for the OVP disappeared and production likely ceased. OVP split with Fiat in 1919 and suspended armaments manufacture. A small number remained in Italian service, but by the 1930s it was considered obsolete. Quantities were sold as surplus to Haile Selassie's army; the Italians later invaded Ethiopia in 1935 and may have captured some OVPs. It was used in small numbers by some Italian units in the Western Desert in 1941, but was generally phased out by the superior Beretta 38.

Did You Know?

• The OVP was developed from the Villar Perosa by Major Bethel-Abiel Revelli.
• It featured a cylindrical sleeve around the receiver for cocking, not present on the original Villar Perosa.
• The top-mounted magazine had a slot in the rear edge to show remaining rounds, but also allowed dust to enter.
• Approximately 500 OVP submachine guns were delivered to the Aviation Corps in 1918.