Breda 30
| Fucile Mitragliatore Breda modello 30 | |
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| Type | Light machine gun |
| Place of origin | Kingdom of Italy |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1930–1945 |
| Used by | |
| Wars |
Second Italo-Abyssinian War World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1930 |
| Manufacturer | Breda Meccanica Bresciana |
| Produced | 1930–1945 |
| No. built | 30,000 by 1940 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 10.6 kg (23.369 lb) |
| Length | 1,230 mm (48 in) |
| Barrel length | 450 mm (18 in) |
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| Cartridge | 6.5×52mm Carcano |
| Action | Blowback |
| Rate of fire | 500 rds/min theoretical, 150 rds/min practical |
| Muzzle velocity | 620 metres per second (2,000 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 1,000 m (1,100 yd) |
| Maximum firing range | 2,800 m (3,100 yd) |
| Feed system | stripper clips of 20 rounds |
The Fucile Mitragliatore Breda modello 30 was the standard light machine gun of the Royal Italian Army during World War II.
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 along with using blowback for its action. The blowback operation was violent, and often resulted in poor primary extraction. During primary extraction, the initial very small rearward movement of the hot expanded cartridge case away from the chamber's walls must be powerful but very slow, if an automatic weapon is to be reliable. Separated cases resulting in jamming of the weapon beyond field clearing, were usually the consequence of poor primary extraction. Breda 30 also inherently lacked good primary extraction in its design and thus utilized a small lubrication device that oiled each cartridge as it entered the chamber. With the dust and sand of the deserts of North Africa, came a combination of premature wear and jamming.
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 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 7.35 mm cartridge, which the Italian military was making an effort to adopt; however, this was short-lived as slowed production never fully allowed adoption of the new cartridge.
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 number eventually ballooned to twelve for the majority of the war (four per platoon).
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 assistant gunner and two ammunition bearers. The balance of the section was found in 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 brandishing himself 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 onto its objective. At the time, most other armies embedded a light machine gun with each Section/Squad, themselves roughly half the size of the Italian Squad, which by comparison seems an unwieldy organisation. Individual weapons are given as pistols for each Corporal gunner, a carbine for the Major Sergeant and rifles for all others.
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