Villar Perosa M1915

The Villar Perosa M1915 (also known as the Revelli Automatic Machine Gun) is a twin-barreled submachine gun of Italian manufacturer Officine Villar Perosa (OVP in short). It was originally designed in 1914 by famous Italian small arms designer Bethel Abiel Revelli. It was used by cyclist troops fitted to their bicycles, and also fitted to some Italian aircrafts. In 1915, the Villar Perosa was adapted for infantry use, with the introduction of a variety of mountings, including carrying trays (which were carried on shoulder straps or put on the ground for more stable position and less exposure to enemy fire) and light tripods. Later, a wooden rifle-type stock was designed for the Villar Perosa, so it could be fired more or less comfortably from the shoulder, thus creating the first practical submachine gun in the world. Little known, but the Austrian army were impressed enough by these double-barreled designs to produce a some number of their own copies in 1917, under the designation "Sturmpistole".

The first attempt at conversion into a full-fledged submachine gun was made by Fiat and OVP (then a joint venture) back in 1916, but the idea was not actively developed until 1918. A slightly improved version of the same design was later developed by Beretta, and was known as the Beretta M1918. Thus, the Villar Perosa is not only, practically, the first submachine gun in the world, but also the beginning of Beretta's submachine gun traditions. Around the same time, Villar Perosa created a new single-receiver version, with a simpler metal frame, equipped with a rifle-type stock and two triggers. This weapon were known as "Moschetto Automatico Revelli"; in the media they are usually referred to as O.V.P. M1918 or Villar Perosa M1918 (as done by Villar Perosa).

As the original Villar Perosa SMGs are rare and can hardly be seen outside of museums, movie productions have made Villar Perosa mock-ups from later Beretta submachine guns.

Villar Perosa M1915 SMG and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:

Villar Perosa M1915

Villar Perosa Mod 15 - 9mm Glisenti. This is the infantry version, which was equipped for cinema with an aircraft-type scope and a homemade mount.

Villar Perosa M1915, fitted with wooden stock for off-hand use - 9mm Glisenti

Specifications

(1914–1918)

• Type: Submachine gun

• Calibers: 9x19mm Glisenti, 9x23mm Steyr (Steyr-Skoda copy)

• Weight: 14lb (6.5 kg) (sans mount)

• Length: 35 in (900 mm)

• Barrel length: 11 in (279 mm)

• Capacity: 2 x 25 rounds

• Fire Modes: Full-Auto only

Video Games

Game Title	Appears as	Mods	Release Date
Battlefield: 1918	Villar-Perosa		2010

Beretta M1918

Beretta M1918 "Monogrillo" - 9x19mm Glisenti

Beretta M1918 "Bigrillo" - 9x19mm Glisenti

The Beretta M1918 was an improved, single-receiver version of the Villar Perosa M1915, designed by Tullio Marengoni. Multiple versions of the M1918 exist, the most common version was the single-trigger semi-auto-only "Monogrillo" model. Another version was the twin-trigger "Bigrillo" model, which allowed for full-auto fire by pulling on its rear trigger.

Several sources claimed that the M1918 was the first purpose-built SMGs ever issued (the Villar Perosa being discounted due to its doctrinal origins as a mounted light support weapon), predating even the issue of the Bergmann MP18; however this claim has been disputed as it is unclear if the rarer full-auto "Bigrillo" model (i.e. the model that is actually an SMG by definition) actually reached the frontlines, and a lack of primary sources on the M1918's WWI use made some experts believe that the M1918 may have never been issued in WWI at all.

Subsequently, was introduced a modernized semi-automatic carbine variant, the M1918/30 (aka MAB 18/30), specially designed for use by the police. This used a bottom loading magazines, that was originally tested already in 1918, but was rejected then, apparently due to the biggest convenience of top-loading in WWI conditions. Further development of the design led to the appearance of the Beretta MAB 38.

Specifications

(1918 - 1920)

• Type: Carbine ("Monogrillo"); Submachine gun ("Bigrillo")

• Calibers: 9x19mm Glisenti

• Weight: 7lb 3oz (3.3 kg)

• Length: 43 in (1092 mm)

• Barrel length: 12in (305 mm)

• Capacity: 25 rounds

• Fire Modes: Semi-auto ("Monogrillo"); Semi-auto/full-auto ("Bigrillo")

Video Games

Game Title	Appears as	Mods	Notations	Release Date
Battlefield 1	Automatico M1918		"Monogrillo" depicted as firing in full auto	2016
Enlisted			"Monogrillo"	2021

Beretta M1918/30

First produced in 1930, the M1918/30 was an update of the earlier M1918 (though not a direct conversion - the weapons were manufactured new), intended as a simple carbine for police use (a role in which it found success in Argentina; the Italian Forestry Corps also adopted the weapon); changes from the original design include the use of new straight magazines (holding 10 or 25 rounds) fed in through the bottom of the receiver (a configuration tested on the M1918, but not adopted), a ring-shaped cocking handle at the rear replacing the previous side-mounted handle, and perhaps most significantly, a conversion to closed-bolt operation, using a spring-loaded firing pin struck by a conventional hammer.

Beretta M1918/30 - 9x19mm Glisenti

Video Games

Game Title	Appears as	Mods	Notations	Release Date
Enlisted				2021

OVP M1918

Villar Perosa M1918 - 9mm Glisenti

An modifying an isolated M1915 receiver into an portable weapon, officially known as "Moschetto Automatico Revelli"/"Revelli Automatic Rifle", evolved from the more early Fiat-OVP M1916 prototype. It was tested already in early 1917, and presumably produced in small quantities before the end of the war.

As with the Beretta, WWI use is controversial; there are allegations that only about 500 were produced before the end of the war (or perhaps even for the entire period in general), and were only used to a limited extent by aviators. OVP will be presumably also produced later in the 1920s (although due to the confusion of even the original sources, the exact years and amount of production are not yet clear, so it is not known for certain whether there was real production, or only attempts at a commercial offer), with limited use in subsequent conflicts as early as the 1930s.

Specifications

(1917 - 1918, 1921 - 1929)

• Type: Submachine gun, Carbine (single trigger)

• Caliber: 9x19mm Glisenti

• Weight: 8.09lb (3.67 kg)

• Length: 35.43 in (900 mm)

• Barrel length: 11.02 in (280 mm)

• Capacity: 25 rounds

• Fire Modes: Semi-Auto/Full-Auto (dual triggers), Semi-Auto (sinlge trigger)

Video Games

Game Title	Appears as	Mods	Release Date
Sniper Elite 4			2017
Enlisted			2021