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Beretta Model 38
The Beretta Model 38, also known as Moschetto Automatico Beretta 38 (literally "automatic rifle Beretta"), or MAB 38 for short, was designed by Tullio Marengoni in 1935-1937, and can trace it linage back to the Villar Perosa Machine Gun, through the previous Beretta M1918 and M1918/30 models. Introduced in 1938, the Model 38 was originally used by the Italian police. The Beretta Model 38A was introduced in 1941 as the official submachine gun of the Italian Army. The changes was that the shape of the holes in the cooling jacket and the compensator was changed, the folding bayonet of the Carcano M91/38 Cavalry Carbine type was also removed. It is a very robust weapon weighing in at 9 pounds, 13 oz., fully machined forged, and finely finished. The Model 38 was well-liked by both Italian and German forces during World War II; captured examples also proved to be popular among Allied forces. A combination of hefty weight, a long barrel, and low rate of fire also makes the Model 38 extremely controllable in fully-automatic fire. An unusual feature is the presence of two triggers. The Model 38 lacks a fire selector, with the rear trigger for fully-automatic fire and the front trigger for single shots.
The Model 38A was manufactured from 1941 to 1944, with the simplified Beretta Model 38/42 introduced in 1942. The Model 38/42 was made from stampings and a rolled steel receiver to increase war time production. The Model 38/42 was produced from 1942 to 1944. The Beretta Model 38/44 was introduced in 1944 by the German-controlled production line to German troops as a substitute standard. That model was in production from 1944 to 1949 and was issued to the Italian Army and Police after the war between 1945 and 1962, and to the force protection units of the Italian Air Force until the early '90s. Nowadays, the Italian Navy is the only user of the SMG. It is used in training, kept on board minor vessels as a "force protection and anti-mutiny weapon", and for ceremonial purposes, used only by the common sailors.
The Beretta Model 38 appears in the following movies, TV shows, and video games:
Beretta Model 38A
Specifications
(1941 - 1944)
- Type: Submachine Gun
- Caliber(s): 9×19mm Parabellum
- Weight: 9.26 lbs (4.2 kg)
- Length: 37.2 in (94.6 cm)
- Barrel length(s): 12.4 in (31.5 cm)
- Capacity: 10, 20, 30, or 40-Round Detachable Box Magazine
- Fire Modes: Semi & Full auto
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Last Chance | German soldiers and Italian partisans | with 20-round magazines | 1945 | |
| Rome, Open City (Roma città aperta) | Italian Blackshirts and Resistance fighters | 1945 | ||
| Attention! Bandits! (Achtung! Banditi!) | Giuseppe Taffarel | Commander Vento | 1951 | |
| Vittorio Duse | Domenico | |||
| Italian cacciatori and partisans | ||||
| Soldier of Fortune | Seen in Hank Lee's cabin; without magazine | 1955 | ||
| The Law Is the Law | Italian Carabinieri | 1958 | ||
| Everybody Go Home! (Tutti a casa) | Vincenzo Musolino | First fascist | 1960 | |
| Mario Frera | Second fascist | |||
| Fascists and Italian partisans | ||||
| Five Branded Women | Alex Nicol | Svenko | 1960 | |
| Italian partisans | ||||
| Bandits of Orgosolo (Banditi a Orgosolo) | Carabiniers | 1961 | ||
| The Four Days of Naples | Gian Maria Volontè | Capt. Enzo Stimolo | 1962 | |
| Resistance fighters | ||||
| Attack and Retreat (Italiani brava gente) | Italian soldiers | 1964 | ||
| Our Man Flint | James Coburn | Derek Flint | With removed barrel shroud | 1965 |
| Fake and real guards in Z.O.W.I.E. building | With removed barrel shroud | |||
| What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? | Italian soldier | 1966 | ||
| In Like Flint | Z.O.W.I.E. guards at missile base | With removed barrel shroud | 1967 | |
| The Violent Four (Banditi a Milano) | Tomas Milian | Commissioner Basevi | 1968 | |
| Pasha (Le Pacha) | Quinquin's henchmen | 1968 | ||
| Don't Take God's Children for Wild Geese | Charles' henchman | 1968 | ||
| Che! | Rudy Diaz | Willy | 1969 | |
| The Battle of Neretva | Italian troops, Ustasha and partisans | 1969 | ||
| The Pacifist (La pacifista) | Italian Carabinieri | 1970 | ||
| Massacre in Rome | Italian partisans | 1973 | ||
| Borsalino and Co. | Adolfo Lastretti | Luciano | 1974 | |
| Siffredi henchmen | ||||
| The Last Four Days | Mussolini's guards and Italian partisans | 1974 | ||
| Emergency Squad (Squadra volante) | A criminal | 1974 | ||
| Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom | Collaborators | 1975 | ||
| The Tree of Guernica (L'arbre de Guernica) | Spanish Nationalists | 1975 | ||
| The Cassandra Crossing | Soldiers | 1976 | ||
| The Gods Must Be Crazy | Terrorist leader Sam Boga | 1980 | ||
| The Fall of Italy (Pad Italije) | Daniel Olbrychski | Davorin | 1981 | |
| Igor Hajdarhodzic | Lovre | |||
| Italian troops, Tito´s partisans | ||||
| Captain Corelli's Mandolin | Christian Bale | Mandras | 2001 | |
| Nicolas Cage | Captain Antonio Corelli | |||
| Italian infantry and Carabinieri | ||||
| El Alamein - The Line of Fire | Italian soldiers and officers | 2002 | ||
| Senso '45 | Italian Blackshirts | 2002 | ||
| Miracle at St. Anna | Sergio Albelli | Rodolfo | 2008 | |
| Italian partisans | ||||
| New Kids Turbo | Tim Haars | Gerrie | 2010 |
Video Game
| Title | Appears as | Mods | Notes | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medal of Honor: Allied Assault | 2002 | |||
| Forgotten Hope | 2003 | |||
| Forgotten Hope 2 | "Beretta M38A" | Misplaced magazine | 2007 | |
| Mare Nostrum | "MAB38A SMG" | 2008 | ||
| Mafia II | ".38 SMG" | 2010 | ||
| Sniper Elite III | "MAB 38" | "Axis Weapons Pack" DLC | 2014 | |
| Hot Dogs, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades | "Model38" | 2016 | ||
| Sniper Elite 4 | "MAB 38" | 2017 | ||
| Call of Duty: WWII | "Orso" | 2017 | ||
| Strange Brigade | "Royce M33 Carbine" | with 50 round magazine | 2018 | |
| "Twin Shooter" | with 150 round magazine | |||
| Battlefield V | "MAB 38" | "Trial By Fire" update (2019) | 2018 | |
| Enlisted | "Beretta M38 Early" | 20 round mag and a bayonet | Beretta Model 38A Early | 2021 |
| "Beretta M38A" | 20 round mag | Beretta Model 38A | ||
| "Beretta M38A (40 rounds)" | 40 round mag | Beretta Model 38A | ||
| "Beretta M1" | 40 round mag | Beretta Model 1 |
Anime
| Title | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lupin III: The Pursuit of Harimao's Treasure | Sir Archer | 1995 |
Beretta Model 38/42
Specifications
MAB 38A42: (1942 - 1944), MAB 38A44: (1944 - 1949)
- Type: Submachine Gun
- Caliber(s): 9×19mm
- Weight: 7.21 lbs (3.27 kg)
- Length: 31.5 in (80 cm)
- Barrel length(s): 8.39 in (21.3 cm)
- Capacity: 10, 20, 30, or 40-Round Detachable Box Magazine
- Fire Modes: Semi & Full auto
Film
Video Game
| Game Title | Appears as | Note | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forgotten Hope 2 | "Maschinenpistole 738(i)" | Added in v2.64 "Compagnons" (2024) | 2007 |
| Enlisted | "Beretta M38/42" | Beretta Model 38/42 with 40 round mag | 2021 |
Beretta Model 38/49
This version includes a crossbolt-type safety. Once the magazine is inserted, the safety is activated by pressing the crossbar from left to right. According to some sources, it was also later offered as the "Model 4"; this may cause some confusion as the original Beretta Model 4 was an experimental SMG, which had a folding stock and an attachable bayonet.
In 1957, it was replaced by the MAB 38/57, characterized by a new safety, located in the finger groove on the right side of the stock. This safety must be pushed inwards when grasping the stock for the weapon to fire. The MAB 38/57 was the last version, produced until 1961.
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Code Name: Tiger (Le Tigre aime la chair fraîche) | Roger Rudel | Mr. Benitez | 1964 | |
| Benitez´s henchman | ||||
| The Day of the Owl (Il giorno della civetta) | Italian police | MAB 38/57 | 1968 | |
| Confessions of a Police Captain | Thugs | 1971 | ||
| Emergency Squad (Squadra volante) | Tomás Milián | Commissioner Ravelli | 1974 | |
| Police | ||||
| Street Law | Italian police | MAB 38/57 | 1974 | |
| Crimebusters (Poliziotti violenti) | Police | 1976 | ||
| Rome Armed to the Teeth | Italian Police | 1976 | ||
| The Big Racket | Salvatore Borghese | Sgt. Salvatore Velasci | 1976 | |
| Italian Police | MAB 38/49 and MAB 38/57 | |||
| Free Hand for a Tough Cop | Police | 1976 | ||
| Convoy Busters (Un poliziotto scomodo) | Police | MAB 38/57 | 1978 |
Anime
| Title | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lupin III: The Pursuit of Harimao's Treasure | Lupin | 1995 | |
| Daisuke Jigen | |||
| Malaysian soldiers | |||
| Gunslinger Girl: Il Teatrino | Franco | 2008 |
Fake Villar Perosa M1915 SMG
Movie armorers often use Beretta Model 38 variants to mock-up the Villar Perosa M1915 SMG. The most known example is a hand-held variant made by movie armorer Bapty & Co. which was used in several productions.
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Notation | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Sicilian | An outlaw | fitted with wooden stock for off-hand use; a Bapty & Co. mock-up made of: two visually modified inverted Beretta M38A, Bren front grip and a trigger group from an MG42 | 1987 | |
| Batman | Joker's goon | fitted with wooden stock for off-hand use; a Bapty & Co. mock-up made of: two visually modified inverted Beretta M38A, Bren front grip and a trigger group from an MG42 | 1989 | |
| Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade | Sean Connery | Prof. Henry Jones | Mounted on the biplane; a mock-up made of two upside-down Beretta Model 38/42 submachine guns | 1989 |
Video Game
| Game Title | Appears as | Note | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battlefield 1 | "Villar Perosa" | 2016 |
| Pistols |  | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Submachine guns | |||||
| Pistol-caliber carbines | |||||
| Rifles |
| ||||
| Shotguns |
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| Launchers | |||||