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assistant gunner and two ammunition bearers. The balance of the section was the rifle squad of eleven men. Due to the importance of its extra firepower, the Breda 30 was most often given to the squad's most reliable soldier (unlike other armies of the time, it was not rare to see an NCO carrying the squad's automatic weapon). The manual indicates that the two squads were to operate as distinct elements, with the two LMGs supporting the rifle squad in its objective. At the time, most other armies embedded a light machine gun with each section or squad, usually half the size of the
Italian section, which by comparison seems an unwieldy organisation. As individual weapons, pistols were issued to each corporal gunner, a
343:. In the primary extraction phase of automatic firearms cycling, the initial small rearward movement of the hot expanded cartridge case away from the chamber's walls should be powerful but not too rapid, otherwise reliability problems may arise. Separated cases resulting in jamming of the Breda were usually the consequence of poor primary extraction, and this was often difficult to remedy in the field. The Breda 30 inherently lacked good primary extraction in its design, and thus utilized a small lubrication device that oiled each cartridge as it entered the chamber. The dust and sand of the deserts of North Africa caused significant premature wear and jamming.
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was the fastest and most helpful weapon available. The
Italian Army attempted to counter the Breda's defects by stressing the importance of the loader's role: every soldier was trained to be a Breda 30 loader and taught how to rapidly feed one ammunition strip after another (this was not always possible, as with Breda 30s mounted on motorcycles). Careful polishing was also carried out frequently with extra attention being paid to the Breda's lubrication system and ammunition availability.
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weapon unreliable in combat conditions. Though the magazine system was designed with the rationale that the feed lips on a detachable magazine are prone to damage, the Breda's sole magazine could also become disabled if the hinges or latches were damaged, and the slit on the top for viewing the ammunition count provided another way for debris to enter and jam the magazine.
419:, the weapon's full-auto mode was nearly unusable: desert sand and dust caused the weapon to jam continuously, with the oil used in the cartridge lubrication only exaggerating this problem. Because of its highly frequent jamming and stoppages, the Breda, despite being a machine gun, was more comparable to a semi-automatic rifle in terms of fire output. In the
311:. The Breda Modello 30 was issued at platoon level and gave Italian rifle squads extra firepower. As a light machine gun it had many problems including jamming and overheating. It was fed by a 20 round stripper clips which had to be oiled by a lubrication device. Despite all its faults it formed the main base of fire for infantry units during the war.
44:
319:
The Breda 30 was rather unusual for a light machine gun. It was fed from a fixed magazine attached to the right side of the weapon and was loaded using brass or steel 20-round stripper clips. If the magazine or its hinge/latch were damaged the weapon became unusable. It also fired from a closed bolt
455:
rifle made up the backbone of the
Italian infantry armament during the Second World War. Field reports on the weapon were of mixed nature: the Breda's very low rate of fire often resulted in a turning of the tide during a firefight against Italian soldiers; however, the Breda 30, in most occasions,
410:
The Breda 30 was widely viewed as a poorly designed weapon. It had a low rate of fire, low magazine capacity, used sometimes unreliable ammunition and was highly prone to stoppages. The vital oiling system was very susceptible to allowing dust and debris to get into the action system, making the
363:
An infantry platoon was divided into two large sections, each of twenty men, which were further split into rifle and light machine gun squads. The section was commanded by a sergeant, who also controlled the LMG squad. The latter was made up of two Breda 30s, each manned by a corporal gunner, an
359:
In regular army units, one Breda 30 was issued to each squad (standard issue was 24 to 27 per battalion), although this was later changed to two weapons per squad. An
Italian infantry company therefore had about six light machine guns in the early years of World War II (two per platoon), but this
346:
As an automatic weapon's chamber and barrel heat up with prolonged automatic fire, the resulting excessive temperature can cause a chambered round to "cook off," or ignite without intent of the gunner. As a result of firing from a closed bolt, the Breda 30 could not fully take advantage of the
414:
The Breda's rear and fore sight were both on the gun body, so only one barrel could be zeroed and any spare barrels would, when installed, invariably lead to decreased accuracy without re-zeroing the sights. The magazine was loaded using 20-round stripper clips, which were known to be fragile,
430:
Low magazine capacity, frequent jamming and the complicated barrel change made firing and reloading a slow and laborious process, resulting in the Breda 30 being a weapon only capable of laying down a diminutive amount of firepower and making it a very modest contributor to a firefight. When
347:
cooling properties of air circulation like an open bolt weapon would, thus making cooked off rounds a realistic hazard. The disastrous results could lead to potential injuries to or even the death of the gunner. Some Bredas were eventually modified to accept the new
446:
Although considerably flawed when compared to its contemporaries, the Breda 30 was still considered the deadliest weapon of the standard
Italian infantryman's arsenal, since heavy machine guns were seen in relatively small numbers and submachine guns such as
431:
considering all of the gun's deficiencies, taken during combat when it was at its worst, the practical rate of fire of the Breda 30 could even have been comparable to a semi-automatic weapon's practical rate of fire, as the standard
American rifle was (the
351:
cartridge, which the
Italian military was making an effort to adopt; however, this was short-lived as slowed production never allowed full adoption of the new cartridge.
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The
Wehrmacht adopted the Breda 30 in small numbers after the occupation of Northern and Central Italy following the
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number eventually increased to twelve for the majority of the war (four per platoon).
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717:"Military rifle cartridges of the Netherlands: from Sumatra to Afghanistan"
619:
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947:
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and other theatres of war, the weapon achieved slightly better results.
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was locked by six radially-arranged lugs (reminiscent of, e. g.,
791:
468:
Montenegrin
Chetnik collaborator armed with Breda 30 in 1942.
339:
The recoil operation was violent and often resulted in poor
763:
Armi della fanteria italiana nella seconda guerra mondiale
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368:for the sergeant-major, and rifles for all others.
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818:Italian firearms and light weapons of World War II
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320:along with using short recoil for its action. The
696:"Italy's Worst Machine Gun: The Breda Modello 30"
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390:, a light machine gun, predominantly utilized in
920:Moschetto Automatico Revelli-Beretta Mod. 1915
231:500 rds/min theoretical, 150 rds/min practical
803:
740:. Warrior 73. Osprey Publishing. p. 25.
8:
451:were very rare. The Breda 30 along with the
810:
796:
788:
662:"The Five Worst Light Machine Guns (LMGs)"
29:
765:(in Italian). Ermanno Albertelli Editore.
386:; it filled a similar role as the German
27:Italian light machine gun of World War II
568:
241:620 metres per second (2,000 ft/s)
1188:World War II infantry weapons of Italy
905:Moschetto per Truppe Speciali Mod. 91
290:Alpine scythe (la falce degli Alpini)
35:Fucile Mitragliatore Breda modello 30
7:
415:especially in combat conditions. In
584:
371:The Breda 30 was first used in the
296:Finita Burrasca (The storm is over)
694:Forgotten Weapons (28 July 2017).
277:Fucile Mitragliatore Breda modello
25:
644:"Fucile Mitragliatore Modello 30"
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539:
526:
513:
500:
487:
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246:Effective firing range
42:
900:Moschetto Mod. 91 da Cavalleria
620:"Fucile Mitragliatore Breda 30"
406:Breda 30 at Canadian War Museum
254:Maximum firing range
150:
1:
715:Scarlata, Paul (April 2014).
948:Carabinetta Automatica O.V.P
895:Fucile da Fanteria Mod. 1891
257:2,800 m (3,100 yd)
249:1,000 m (1,100 yd)
1132:6.5×52mm Mannlicher-Carcano
101:Second Italo-Abyssinian War
1219:
373:Second Italo-Ethiopian War
177:1,230 mm (48 in)
88:
1193:World War II machine guns
380:Italian armistice of 1943
192:
169:10.6 kg (23 lb)
136:Breda Meccanica Bresciana
61:Place of origin
41:
1028:Fucile Controcarro 35(P)
976:and other larger weapons
915:Armaguerra Mod. 39 rifle
761:Pignato, Nicola (1978).
738:Tito's Partisans 1941–45
736:Vukšić, Velimir (2003).
382:with the Allies, as the
188:450 mm (18 in)
439:) and the later German
988:Fiat Revelli Mod. 1935
983:Fiat-Revelli Mod. 1914
469:
407:
227:Rate of fire
1198:Machine guns of Italy
1104:81/14 Model 35 Mortar
666:Defense Media Network
648:Quartermaster Section
618:Jim H. (2018-12-17).
467:
405:
704:– via YouTube.
237:Muzzle velocity
1023:Solothurn S-18/1000
1183:Light machine guns
547:Kingdom of Albania
534:Kingdom of Romania
470:
408:
398:Combat performance
341:primary extraction
305:Royal Italian Army
119:Production history
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1157:9×19mm Parabellum
1137:7.35×51mm Carcano
747:978-1-84176-675-1
508:Kingdom of Greece
482:Dutch East Indies
301:light machine gun
299:was the standard
272:
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207:7.35×51mm Carcano
106:Spanish Civil War
55:Light machine gun
16:(Redirected from
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910:Fucile Mod. 1938
863:Bodeo Model 1889
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392:Italian campaign
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262:Feed system
204:6.5×52mm Carcano
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1147:8×59mm Rb Breda
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1013:Breda Mod. 1937
1003:Breda Mod. 1930
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349:7.35 mm Carcano
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76:In service
71:Service history
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1056:SRCM Mod. 35
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973:Machine guns
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722:Shotgun News
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699:. Retrieved
669:. Retrieved
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656:
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627:. Retrieved
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495:Nazi Germany
445:
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417:North Africa
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309:World War II
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268:of 20 rounds
220:Short recoil
185: length
132:Manufacturer
111:World War II
84:Used by
34:
1051:OTO Mod. 42
1046:OTO Mod. 35
998:Breda-SAFAT
993:SAFAT M1926
853:Steyr M1912
153: built
1177:Categories
701:2021-11-26
671:2021-11-26
629:2021-11-25
563:References
557:Yugoslavia
437:M1 Carbine
127:late 1920s
1162:20×138mmB
1142:8×57mm IS
1114:Cartridge
886:moschetti
825:Side arms
441:Gewehr 43
433:M1 Garand
384:MG 099(i)
199:Cartridge
145:1930–1945
79:1930–1945
1127:.380 ACP
1038:Grenades
877:carbines
284:Breda 30
142:Produced
124:Designed
1122:.32 ACP
1086:Mortars
953:FNAB-43
943:Onorati
585:Pignato
453:Carcano
421:Balkans
366:carbine
307:during
303:of the
287:or the
1090:mortai
1076:P Bomb
1071:L Type
938:MAB 38
882:fucili
873:Rifles
744:
544:
531:
518:
505:
492:
479:
315:Design
215:Action
209:(Rare)
183:Barrel
174:Length
963:TZ-45
958:OG-43
460:Users
388:MG 34
326:AR-15
89:Users
65:Italy
875:and
742:ISBN
435:and
274:The
166:Mass
95:Wars
87:See
51:Type
332:or
293:or
151:No.
1179::
884:e
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680:^
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646:.
622:.
592:^
571:^
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328:,
279:30
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888:)
880:(
811:e
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20:)
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