Breda 38

The Mitragliatrice Breda calibro 8 modello 38 per carri armati was an Italian tank-pattern machine gun used in the Second World War on the Fiat L6/40, the Fiat M11/39 and the Fiat M13/40. It was also adapted to act as an infantry machine gun. The M38 is based upon the Breda M37. The Breda 38 received the German identification code Kampfwagen-Maschinengewehr 350.

Development

It was also adapted for use as an infantry machine gun. For this purpose the gun was mounted on a machine-gun tripod by means of an adapter, and was fitted with a temporary rear sight on the right of the body and a temporary front sight on the right of the barrel at the muzzle. The temporary open sights took the place of the optical sight used when the gun was tank-mounted.

Design details

The gun is air-cooled, gas-operated, and magazine-fed, and has a quick-change barrel. Its operational features are simple, and it is extremely easy to field-strip or disassemble completely. The barrel is sufficiently heavy to enable it to fire a large number of rounds in quick succession without overheating.