Jump to content

Breda M37

From Alfawiki
Breda
IndustryFirearms manufacturing
Founded1937
ProductsHeavy machine guns (including Mitragliatrice Breda calibro 8 modello 37)

Overview

The Mitragliatrice Breda calibro 8 modello 37—frequently referred to as the Breda mod. 37, Breda 37, M37, or simply M37—was an Italian heavy machine gun developed and manufactured by Breda. It entered service in 1937 with the Royal Italian Army, serving as their primary heavy machine gun throughout World War II. Following the war, it remained in use with the Italian Army for several years.[1]

Service and Deployment

Beyond its role in World War II, the M37 continued to see action during the initial phase of the Portuguese Colonial War, before being superseded by the MG42/59. Additionally, a limited number of African nations retained the weapon in active service or reserve stockpiles until the late 1980s.

The M37 was also employed by various other groups including the Marines and the Blackshirt militia. During the Spanish Civil War, several units were provided to the Nationalist forces, while throughout World War II, Italian-trained Ustaše units were equipped with this machine gun.

Design and operation

The Breda M37 is essentially a scaled-down variant of the 13.2 mm Breda M31,[lower-alpha 1] as the M31 was deemed too large to be installed in the tankettes employed by the Royal Italian Army. It preserved the rising block breech-locking mechanism of its predecessor but utilized 20-round metal strips for ammunition feeding, akin to those used by the Hotchkiss machine gun. The gun’s development experienced delays because the 8×59mm Rb Breda cartridge was only approved in 1935. It took an additional two years before the machine gun was finally introduced.[3]

Ammunition strips were loaded from the left side of the weapon, while a gas-piston operated bolt extracted a cartridge from the strip, chambered it, discharged it, and then returned the spent casing back into the strip. The strip then advanced one position to repeat this cycle until all rounds were expended. After firing the last round, the strip was ejected on the right side as a fresh strip was inserted by the assistant gunner.[3] Similar to the Hotchkiss design, sustained firing required continuous feeding of strips by the assistant while the gunner maintained pressure on the trigger. Crews operating the M37 utilized a crank-driven device to remove spent casings from strips and reload them with fresh cartridges; these machines also featured hoppers for storing used cases.[1] Each barrel had an anticipated lifespan of 20,000 rounds but needed to be replaced every 400 rounds fired to manage heat dissipation.[4]

The ammunition did not require oiling,[lower-alpha 2] but using 20-round strips limited its firing rate to approximately 200 rounds per minute (the air-cooled design prevented continuous fire). Despite its weight of 38 kg (83 lb) with tripod—heavier than both the British Bren and German MG 42—and relatively low rate of fire compared to German counterparts, it was favored by its operators for reliability and accuracy.[7][8][lower-alpha 3]

Hobart noted that the weapon’s original design purpose was tank mounting; reinserting spent cases into strips rather than ejecting them freely helped prevent crew members from slipping on loose casings inside armored vehicles.[5] Ian V. Hogg explains that tanks constructed during the 1930s contained many exposed internal mechanisms, so loose ejected cases risked interfering with mechanical components and causing malfunctions. However, he also points out that the tank-mounted Breda 38 collected spent cartridges in a bag instead.[3] Another theory suggests this feature aimed at cost efficiency by enabling reuse of spent casings and conserving strategic metals.[1] Regardless of its intended rationale, this mechanism ultimately proved impractical during combat operations.[1][3]

Variants

  • Breda 37 − This is the initial model. Efforts made after the war to modify the firearm for the 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge did not succeed.
  • Breda 38 − Designed for mounting on vehicles, this version featured a top-mounted box magazine, a reinforced barrel, and a pistol grip. It was officially known as the Mitragliatrice Breda cal. 8 mod. 38 per carri armati.

Service use

File:Sitia 1941.jpg
Italian marines operating an M37 during the Battle of Crete

Although intended to replace the Fiat–Revelli Modello 1935, the latter remained in service throughout campaigns in North Africa and the Balkans. Each Italian machine gun team consisted of two non-commissioned officers, sixteen privates, and was equipped with either two Breda 37s or Fiat 35s. The squad structure included a commander, machine gunner, assistant gunner, two soldiers responsible for carrying the tripod, two for spare parts, and two for ammunition transport.

In addition to the Army, the Breda was distributed among the Blackshirt militia and Marine units such as the Decima Flottiglia MAS. In North African operations, the M37 was mounted on SPA-Viberti AS.42 reconnaissance vehicles to enhance mobility, with each vehicle able to carry up to three guns that could be detached if necessary.

Italy supplied approximately 2,500 Breda guns to the Nationalist forces during the late phase of the Spanish Civil War. During World War II, Italian-trained Ustaše units also received these weapons. The British extensively utilized captured M37s in the North African campaign, particularly within their Long Range Desert Group (LRDG) units. Following Italy’s 1943 surrender to Allied forces, production of the Breda continued under the Italian Social Republic to support German allies. The Germans designated the M37 as 8 mm sMG 259(i), while the M38 was labeled 8 mm Kpfw.MG 350(i). The Portuguese military also adopted the Breda, referring to it as the Metralhadora m/938. It saw significant deployment in Portugal’s African colonies during the early phases of the Portuguese Colonial Wars.

Post-war, the reconstituted Italian Army retained the M37 until the 1960s. Attempts to adapt it for firing 7.62×51mm NATO rounds were unsuccessful, leading to its replacement by the MG42/59. Several African countries—including Somalia, Libya, and Chad—continued using or storing this weapon into the late 1980s.

Gallery

Users

File:33153-Lisbon (35538334663).jpg
An m/938 Breda exhibited in a Lisbon museum

Notes

  1. ↑ Clifford mistakenly claimed it was derived from the problematic Breda 30.[2]
  2. ↑ Although several sources mention that an oiler was fitted on the M37,[3][5][6] Pignato clarifies that while cartridges did not need oiling, lubrication of the gun itself was necessary.[7]
  3. ↑ The MG 42’s rate of fire ranged between 900 and 1200 rounds per minute.[9]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Poggiaroni
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Clifford 2020, p. 269.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Hogg 2002, p. 134.
  4. ↑ Pignato 1971, pp. 41, 43.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Hobart 1975, p. 405.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Chamberlain & Gander 1975, p. 29.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Pignato 1971, pp. 39, 41.
  8. ↑ Greentree 2024, pp. 26−27.
  9. ↑ Hogg 2002, pp. 154, 160.
  10. ↑ Molinari 2013, p. 82.
  11. ↑ Ezell 1988, p. 94.
  12. ↑ Brnardic 2016, p. 44.
  13. ↑ Ezell 1988, p. 145.
  14. ↑ Athanassiou 2025, p. 17.
  15. ↑ Crociani & Battistelli 2013, pp. 51, 54.
  16. ↑ Pignato 1971, p. 39.
  17. ↑ Ezell 1988, p. 252.
  18. ↑ Venter 2023, p. 58.
  19. ↑ Hogg 1987, p. 983.

Bibliography

External links

  • File:Commons-logo.svg Media related to Lua error in Module:Commons_link at line 62: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). at Wikimedia Commons

Template:WWIIItalianInfWeapons

Retrieved from "https://www.alfawiki.org/index.php?title=Breda_M37&oldid=76765"