Villar Perosa submachine gun

Lore & Background

The Villar Perosa was designed as a portable double-barrel machine gun firing a handgun round, consisting of two independent coupled weapons each with its own barrel, firing mechanism, and separate 25-round magazine. Sighting was adjustable for elevation on the infantry model, with five positions ranging from 100 to 500 meters in 100-meter intervals through a hole in the receiver. Early handling issues arose from the large shield mount, which was cumbersome and had a large profile; later in the war it was replaced with a bipod, which was more mobile and liked by crews. As the gun lacked any stock it could not be shouldered and fired; use on the assault typically involved the Bassi mount or some other mount to hold the gun.

The weapon operated on a delayed-blowback action. On the forward part of each bolt is an extension housing a guided slot, engaged by a lug that causes the bolts to rotate 45° upon firing. The bolt's retraction is delayed by the inertia forced by the lug as the bolt rotates. Both bolts ride on a spring-loaded guide rod. The original patent was filed in April 1914 by Abiel Bethel Revelli, a Piedmontese officer active in designing most of the Italian Army's automatic weapons in the early 20th century.

A common myth holds that the weapon was originally designed as an aircraft gun and adapted for infantry. In reality, ground use was considered from the beginning, particularly for the Bersaglieri's cyclist battalions. The misconception arose because the Italian Air Corp was the first to adopt the gun into service, with the first batch issued to them in April 1915, even though the original design included the steel shield for defensive ground use. The factory near Pinerolo, Officine di Villar Perosa, was primarily contracted to manufacture bicycles before being commissioned to produce Revelli's automatic weapons.

Reader's Guide

The Villar Perosa was accepted into service in August 1915, with an immediate order placed. When Italy entered World War I that year, the Army suffered a shortage of machine guns, having only half the sections needed. The Fiat-Revelli and Villar Perosa were the only domestically-produced machine guns. Production in the first year yielded about 350 Villar Perosas, with the first 50 delivered in April 1915 to the Italian Air Corp. By the end of the war, total aircraft-configuration Villar Perosas in service varied between 800 and 2,000 guns.

The weapon was first issued to infantry in April 1916 with mixed results. Austro-Hungarians first encountered it at the Battle of Asiago in May 1916. Although only a few hundred were initially in frontline service, the number swelled to over 2,000 by the end of 1916. The weapon was light and easy to transport in Alpine terrain, but troops initially lacked training and officers had no clear doctrine. It was used almost exclusively as a defensive machine-gun on trench lines and observation points for most of 1916, a role in which it was inadequate due to lack of range, accuracy, capacity, and firepower.

By 1917, Arditi shock troops pioneered assault tactics with the weapon, which was well liked for its high rate of fire and light weight. Lt. Col. Giuseppe Bassi designed a carrying system using a leather belt fixed to the handles. A bipod replaced the shield mount in 1917. A tripod mount was also developed, and the Italian government contracted Canadian General Electric of Toronto to produce tripod-mounted versions. Some Villar Perosas were equipped with a wooden stock, though the firing mechanism remained unaltered. By 1917, Austrian Sturmbataillons were being trained with captured Villar Perosas. The mechanism later served as the basis for the Carabinetta Automatica O.V.P and the Moschetto Automatico Revelli-Beretta Mod. 1915.

Did You Know?

• The Villar Perosa was nicknamed Pernacchia (literally 'raspberry') by its operators due to its extremely high rate of fire.
• A common myth that it was designed as an aircraft gun arose because the Italian Air Corp was the first to adopt it, in April 1915.
• The weapon was experimentally mounted to the handlebars of a bicycle for the Bersaglieri's cyclist battalions.