A History of the Beretta Model 1918 Moschetto Automatico

Abstract

This article aims to give an overview of the history of the Moschetto Automatico Revelli–Beretta (or Beretta Model 1918), an Italian self-loading carbine chambered for the 9 × 19 mm Glisenti cartridge. The author traces the developmental history of this weapon, from its conceptual forebears to its evolution from the twin- barrelled ‘Villar Perosa’ 9 mm machine gun. The adoption and service record of the Revelli–Beretta in the Italian Army is thereafter examined, following the path toward the weapon’s gradual obsolescence, and subsequent brief revival in the form of the improved Beretta Model 1918–1930 carbine. Finally, the use of the Revelli–Beretta outside of Italy is documented, and the weapon’s influence on arms design and its ties to the broader development of sub-machine guns in the interwar period is examined.