Breda Model 1931 machine gun
The 13.2 mm Breda Model 31 was a widely used Italian heavy machine gun produced by Società Italiana Ernesto Breda and used by the Italian Navy and Italian Army during World War II. At sea it was employed as a light anti-aircraft gun, while on land it was mounted on armored command vehicles where it was used as a heavy machine gun. After World War II it remained in use aboard the patrol boats of the Guardia di Finanza.
Breda Model 1931 machine gun
Marinmuseum · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Field
- machine gun.
- Region
- France.
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wikidata · Q21032551 · wikipedia · Breda Model 1931 machine gun
In this article
History
History
The Breda Model 31 was a license built copy of the French Hotchkiss M1929 machine gun. Breda acquired a production license in 1929, but it did not enter production until 1931. The Model 31 was often mounted on single and twin mounts aboard surface ships and on a disappearing twin mount aboard submarines. The Model 31 was intended to provide close-range air defense, but like its counterparts in other nations, these small-caliber guns were found incapable of defending against low-level torpedo-bombers or high altitude level-bomber attacks because their bullets were too light and short ranged. Although a reliable gun with good performance, it was later replaced by the Breda 20/65 Mod. 1935.
Construction
Construction
The Model 31 was a gas-operated, air-cooled machine gun with a tilting bolt action. It was fed by top mounted, semi-circular, thirty round magazines, with cooling air drawn through the sleeve to fins along the barrel.
Naval use
Sweden
Sweden
T11 torpedo boat T14 torpedo boat
Users
Users
Italian Navy Swedish navy – designated 13,2 mm kulspruta M/It (13,2 mm ksp M/It)
Chronology
Dated record
Chronology
The full dated record · 2 entries
1931
Breda Model 1931 machine gun is classified as a machine gun.
1931
Breda Model 1931 machine gun is associated with France.
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Breda Mod. 31, revision 150827937 (IT edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.13,2x96 Hotchkis Short / MUNICION.ORG. www.municion.org.
- 2.DiGiulian, Tony. Italy 13.2 mm/75.7 (0.52") AA MG Model 1931 - NavWeaps. www.navweaps.com.
- 3.DiGiulian, Tony. France 13.2 mm (0.5") Model 1929 - NavWeaps. www.navweaps.com.
- 4.Campbell, John. Naval weapons of World War Two. Naval Institute Press. 2002-01-01. 0870214594.
- 5.DiGiulian, Tony. Italy 13.2 mm/75.7 (0.52") AA MG Model 1931 - NavWeaps. www.navweaps.com.
- 6.Campbell, John. Naval weapons of World War Two. Naval Institute Press. 2002-01-01. 0870214594.
- 7.Ammunitionssektionen vid marinförvaltningens artilleribyrå. Amregister Fl, Ammunitionsregister för flottan, 1947 års upplaga. 1947.
References
Citations
References
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Broader subject
1- machine gunTerminology
Established from a fact already recorded on a verified source.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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6,095 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
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