Unknown Italian submachineguns

bluered12 · Post by **bluered12** » 14 Apr 2006 02:42

Recently user Frens from http://www.militaryphotos.com has posted pictures from the Italian war museum. There are a lot of great pictures including almost all Italian rifles and machineguns from the first half of the 20th century, really worth seeing: http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/sh ... hp?t=76836

Unfortuantely I couldn´t identify three submachineguns:

1, http://img399.imageshack.us/my.php?imag ... 0354lw.jpg

2, http://img357.imageshack.us/my.php?imag ... 0272da.jpg

Thanks to Remov this gun was identified as "Isotta Fraschini SMG". Does anyone have more information(e.g. rate of fire; status of production etc.)?

3, http://img133.imageshack.us/my.php?imag ... 0295cc.jpg

Unknown smg in the middle (above: Beretta Mod. 1 prototype; below rare FNAB-43 smg)

Can anyone please help?

More information on rare WW2 Italian submachineguns:

FNAB-43

http://securityarms.com/20010315/galler ... 0/2309.htm

TZ-45

http://securityarms.com/20010315/galler ... 0/2304.htm

OG-44 prototype

http://securityarms.com/20010315/galler ... 0/2862.htm

Bluered

The Edge · Post by **The Edge** » 17 Apr 2006 20:52

SMG on your first photo is "Variara", made by partisan underground factory near town Biella in Northern Italy.

Gun is a mixture of many famous (and available) SMGs: bolt and barrel assembly from Sten MkII, folding butt and magazine receiver from FNAB-43, lock and double trigger from Beretta 38A, and pistol grip from MP40.

According to the source, production of this SMG runs in hundreds. Only users were Italian partisans.

Picture in attachment comes from the same source - article in Serbian small arms magazine "METAK" (No21, October 1991).

Tuco · Post by **Tuco** » 19 Apr 2006 23:26

http://www.gunboards.com and try the Machine Gun Forum Lots of good info there and experts that might be able to assist.

bluered12 · Post by **bluered12** » 05 May 2006 10:36

@ The Edge and Tuco

Thank you for your replies. These "homemade" firearms of partisans are still an "unsolved mystery" of WW2 firearms history.

Here is another picture of an unknown Italian (?) submachinegun with homemade suppressor (chambered in .380ACP or .32ACP, I can´t remember exactly). It was sized from members of the Cosa Nostra. I´m not sure if this gun was made in the late two years of WW2 or later in the 1950s . The picture was taken by me in the Museo Criminologico in Rom.

bluered

bluered12 · Post by **bluered12** » 13 May 2006 12:06

Video of "Variara" and MP 3008 in action

http://www.armietiro.it/edisport/armi/N ... enDocument

Michael85 · Post by **Michael85** » 14 Oct 2006 17:45

I think that the unknown smg in the middle of the third photo (between Beretta Mod.1 and FNAB-43) is a Genar PM470, a smg derivated from the TZ-45.