"ITALIAN SMALL ARMS OF WW1 WW2" BERETTA PISTOL SMG CARCANO RIFLE REFERENCE BOOK

Description

Italy unified in 1871 from a group of small, independent states, and any Italian speaking areas outside the new kingdom were considered "Italia Irredenta", or "Italy Unredeemed". To reclaim these lands, Italy flung down her gauntlet to Austria in 1915, and entered WW1 on the Allied side. The two fought bitter battles high in the Alps before the Italians finally broke the Austrian line in late October 1918. The victory marked the end of the war on the Italian front, caused the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian empire, and led to the Armistice on the Western front only days later. Italy was however disappointed with her territorial gains after the Great War, and as inflation, unemployment, and social unrest gripped the nation in the early post-war years, Mussolini marched on Rome and took power in October 1922. He embarked on the successful invasion of Ethiopia in 1936, largely to restore national prestige, and soon entered into the "Pact of Steel" with Hitler and Germany in 1938. The table was set for the Axis powers of WW2 in Europe and around the Mediterranean, and indeed Italian troops fought the Allies from North Africa to Sicily and Stalingrad until surrendering in September 1943. Italian small arms of WW1 and WW2 have been of great interest to collectors for decades, leading Ralph Riccio to write an authoritative reference book on the subject in 2014. This "ITALIAN SMALL ARMS OF WW1 WW2" BERETTA PISTOL SMG CARCANO RIFLE REFERENCE BOOK is in near mint, unread condition, with only some light scattered storage wear evident (most pictured). Otherwise, the book is in near mint shape, with no other damage. Most interestingly, it boasts an elegantly illustrated dust jacket over hardcovers, and sports 221 pages full of descriptive text, period pictures, and mostly color photographs of Italian Bodeo revolvers, Glisenti pistols, Beretta 7.65mm automatics, the various Carcano rifles and Cavalry carbines from the M91 through the M41, the Vetterli-Vitali second-line rifles of WW1 and WW2, the classic "Balilla" paramilitary youth group training rifles and carbines, the "OVP" SMG of the early post-WW1 period, the iconic Beretta Model 38 SMG of WW2, all kinds of light and heavy machine guns, wonderful details on receiver, bolt, and stock markings, great information on rifle slings, pistol holsters, ammo pouches, cleaning rods, cartridges, and bayonets, including the classic folding bayonets for the Model 38 short rifles, and a plethora of other invaluable information. A beautiful example of an "ITALIAN SMALL ARMS OF WW1 WW2" BERETTA PISTOL SMG CARCANO RIFLE REFERENCE BOOK. Now celebrating over 20 years on eBay. Bid with confidence and please view our other great military, aviation, and sporting classics, including a German WW2 MWC LUFTWAFFE PILOT B-UHR AUTOMATIC WRIST WATCH in MINT, unworn, new in the box condition, sporting a crisp 60 minute/12 hour (outer/inner) white numbers black dial, and featuring the classic big "onion" crown and sweeping seconds hand with hacking function.
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