| Villar Perosa | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Light machine gun Aircraft machine gun |
| Place of origin | Italy |
| Service history | |
| Used by | See users |
| Wars | World War I |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1914 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 6.5 kg (14 lb) |
| Length | 533 mm (21.0 in) |
| Barrel length | 320 mm (13 in) |
| Cartridge | Glisenti M.915 Per Mitragliatrici, 9x23mm Steyr (Sturm-Pistole), .455 Webley (Trials only) |
| Barrels | 2, side by side |
| Action | Delayed blowback |
| Rate of fire | 1200-1500 rounds/min per barrel, 2400-3000 total |
| Feed system | 2 25-round box magazines |
The Pistola Mitragliatrice Fiat Mod. 1915,[1] commonly nicknamed the Villar Perosa,[1] was an Italian portable automatic weapon developed during World War I by the Officine di Villar Perosa.
As it was designed to use 9×19mm ammunition, it is said to be the first submachine gun, although not a true submachine gun by modern standards.[2] Due to its extremely high rate of fire, it was nicknamed Pernacchia (literally raspberry, in that context meaning something like fart gun[1]) by its operators.