TZ-45
Encyclopedia
The TZ-45 was an Italian
made submachine gun
produced in small numbers between 1944 and 1945, with an estimated 6,000 made.
forces during the civil war in Northern Italy
(1944–45), yet it is possible that a few of them ended up serving with Wehrmacht
forces engaged in similar operations. After the war, the remaining guns were given to the military of the British
and the American
forces. It was then evaluated by them, but the general opinion was unfavorable. The gun was emerged from the war with a poor reputation for reliability and the style of the manufacture and finish was not liked. The projects and manufacturing rights for the gun were later sold to the Burmese army
where it was manufactured as the BA-52 and colloquially known as the "Ne Win
STEN".
, the TZ-45 is much more the sort of weapon one would expect in that place and at that time. It was made out of metal stampings, welded together in parts, and the finish is rudimentary. For all that, it worked and managed to exhibit one or two interesting features. The action is simple blowback, but the return spring is assembled around a guide rod which is in two pieces and telescopes as the bolt returns. A muzzle compensator is fitted, and the shoulder stock is formed of steel rods that slide alongside the receiver when retracted. Two separate safety systems are fitted: the fire selector lever has a “safe” position that locks the bolt in either the forward or rearward positions, while a grip safety is fitted behind the magazine housing. Unless the weapon is held properly and this grip compressed, the bolt cannot move in either direction to cock or fire. Even with a closed bolt and a magazine inserted, the pin of the second safe wedged in a specially-designed notch in the lower center-left part of the bolt, preventing the bolt itself from rolling back in case of accidental shocks taken by the weapon. Considering that accidental discharge
s were an all too common occurrence in contemporary submachine guns (Sten gun and others), the double safety system of the TZ-45 proved to be a breakthrough which would inspire many later submachine guns, starting from the Danish
Madsen M50.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
made submachine gun
Submachine gun
A submachine gun is an automatic carbine, designed to fire pistol cartridges. It combines the automatic fire of a machine gun with the cartridge of a pistol. The submachine gun was invented during World War I , but the apex of its use was during World War II when millions of the weapon type were...
produced in small numbers between 1944 and 1945, with an estimated 6,000 made.
History
The TZ-45 submachine guns was designed by two Italian brothers, Tonon ("Toni") and Zorzoli Giandoso, and was produced by their own small company. All the TZ 45's were issued to R.S.I. (Repubblica Sociale Italiana) units fighting against Italian partisanPartisan (military)
A partisan is a member of an irregular military force formed to oppose control of an area by a foreign power or by an army of occupation by some kind of insurgent activity...
forces during the civil war in Northern Italy
Northern Italy
Northern Italy is a wide cultural, historical and geographical definition, without any administrative usage, used to indicate the northern part of the Italian state, also referred as Settentrione or Alta Italia...
(1944–45), yet it is possible that a few of them ended up serving with Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
forces engaged in similar operations. After the war, the remaining guns were given to the military of the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
forces. It was then evaluated by them, but the general opinion was unfavorable. The gun was emerged from the war with a poor reputation for reliability and the style of the manufacture and finish was not liked. The projects and manufacturing rights for the gun were later sold to the Burmese army
Military of Myanmar
The Myanmar Armed Forces, officially known as Tatmadaw is the military organization of Burma, also known as Myanmar. The armed forces are administered by the Ministry of Defence and are composed of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force...
where it was manufactured as the BA-52 and colloquially known as the "Ne Win
Ne Win
Ne Win was Burmese a politician and military commander. He was Prime Minister of Burma from 1958 to 1960 and 1962 to 1974 and also head of state from 1962 to 1981...
STEN".
Development
Compared to the FNAB-43FNAB-43
The FNAB-43 is an Italian designed and developed submachinegun manufactured from 1943 to 1944. The first prototype was built in 1942 and the 7,000 built by the FNA-B were issued to German and Italian RSI units fighting in Northern Italy...
, the TZ-45 is much more the sort of weapon one would expect in that place and at that time. It was made out of metal stampings, welded together in parts, and the finish is rudimentary. For all that, it worked and managed to exhibit one or two interesting features. The action is simple blowback, but the return spring is assembled around a guide rod which is in two pieces and telescopes as the bolt returns. A muzzle compensator is fitted, and the shoulder stock is formed of steel rods that slide alongside the receiver when retracted. Two separate safety systems are fitted: the fire selector lever has a “safe” position that locks the bolt in either the forward or rearward positions, while a grip safety is fitted behind the magazine housing. Unless the weapon is held properly and this grip compressed, the bolt cannot move in either direction to cock or fire. Even with a closed bolt and a magazine inserted, the pin of the second safe wedged in a specially-designed notch in the lower center-left part of the bolt, preventing the bolt itself from rolling back in case of accidental shocks taken by the weapon. Considering that accidental discharge
Accidental discharge
Accidental discharge is the event of a firearm discharging at a time not intended by the user. Perhaps most commonly, accidental discharges occur when the trigger of the firearm is deliberately pulled for a purpose other than shooting—dry-fire practice, demonstration,...
s were an all too common occurrence in contemporary submachine guns (Sten gun and others), the double safety system of the TZ-45 proved to be a breakthrough which would inspire many later submachine guns, starting from the Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
Madsen M50.