A battle trophy is a useful and enjoyable part of a difficult soldier's service during the war. And every fighter wanted it to be equally comfortable and functional. Therefore, there were certain preferences in this matter. And if Soviet soldiers, among the variety of weapons in the war, most often stopped at German "Walter", then for the allies, and especially the Americans, the most coveted trophy was the Italian Beretta.
The history of the Beretta pistol family began during the First World War, when the brainchild of designer Tulio Marengoni, 9-mm model 1915, entered service with the Italian army. A couple of years later, a similar model appeared under the Browning cartridge 7.65 mm.
The third pistol in the line was the 1922 model, which had a difference over other weapons of its time - an enlarged cutout on the frame above the barrel for ejection of casings. But it was not possible to promote the developed models into service in the army. Therefore, in the early 1930s, it was decided to release a weapon that would fully satisfy the demands of the command.
Literally from the beginning of the new decade, "Beretta" one after another began to produce models of weapons that were in demand in various branches of the military. So, for example, the sample of 1931 came to the taste of the navy, and part of this series was also released on the civilian market.
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The next was the 1932 model, which became the basis for the creation of one of the company's most famous pistols. This is a sample of 1934, which finally consolidated the 7.65 mm caliber in the practice of weapons production, although it was also produced in 9 mm caliber. It was this pistol that was adopted by the Italian army.
Interesting fact: according to popular belief, the appearance of the 1934 model of the year was facilitated by the desire of the command of the Italian army to purchase German "Walters", and "Beretta" simply could not afford to put a competitor on the market, so they developed a domestic alternative.
Even before the start of World War II, "Beretta" managed to release several other models, including commercial ones, and also began a kind of experiments with barrel alloys and calibers, but the 1934/1935 models remained a priority both on the market and in the army Italy. Moreover, despite the ban on the export of the pistol, it was the 1934 sample that turned out to be one of the most coveted trophies from the Allied soldiers.
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There are several reasons for this popularity. "Beretta" М1934 / 1935 were distinguished by good quality and high reliability. In addition, their cost was relatively low, and these models did not require serious costs in the event of their repair. Therefore, we can say with confidence that these pistols were considered one of the highest quality and had no worthy competitors in the market of their time.
The popularity and quality of the 1934 model was so impressive that its production continued for thirty-six years - until 1980. And in 1991, an additional series was released - for collectors. All in all, "Beretta" M1934 produced about a million units of these famous pistols.
In addition to the topic: Whose "barrel" is cooler: the best pistols of the Second World War.
Source: https://novate.ru/blogs/140220/53435/