Villar Perosa machine gun
The Villar Perosa mod.1915 was an Italian double-barrel automatic weapon produced during World War I. Originally manufactured as a defensive armament for two-seat aircraft, it saw use by ground forces from 1916 onwards. Although not originally designed as such, the portable, pistol-calibre automatic has many characteristics of a submachine gun and can be considered one of the earliest examples to enter production.
The weapon consists of two automatic receivers connected side-by-side, with each being fed from its own top loaded 25 round magazine. Due to its lineage, the Villar Perosa lacks a conventional pistol grip or stock and instead has the spade-grip design of a crew-served weapon. Later in the war, some of these guns were dismantled and rebuilt as more practical infantry weapons, with one such design being the Beretta M1918.
Battlefield 1
The Villar Perosa modified with a pistol grip and a foregrip appears in Battlefield 1 as an elite weapon.
Singleplayer
It appears in the "Avanti Savoia!" War Story for Luca Vincenzo Cocchiola , though only after the Sentry armor is shed.
Multiplayer
The weapon appears in multiplayer as one of two possible weapons used by the Sentry elite kit, the other being the MG 08/15.
As the Aircraft Gun that created the basis for the Automatico M1918, it has a high rate of fire, matching the fire-rate of the submachine gun that it based itself from, but limited effectiveness at long ranges due to the inability to aim down sights. While it can kill targets near-instantaneously, the weapon suffers from a slow reloading speed, as well as a constant need to reload due to the 25 x 2 round magazine.
Sentry kits with the Villar Perosa were originally exclusive to Italian maps to reflect its origin. Later, infantry focused maps with bonus Elite kits spawns instead of a Behemoth vehicle will always include one Villar Perosa Sentry kit.
Gallery
Trivia
- The appearance of the Villar Perosa with a pistol grip and vertical foregrip may have been inspired by a Villar-Perosa mock-up made by Bapty & Co. as a movie prop.