World War II Database

Country of Origin	Italy
Type	Submachine Gun
Caliber	9.000 mm
Capacity	40 rounds
Length	550.000 mm
Barrel Length	230.000 mm
Weight	3.200 kg
Rate of Fire	800 rounds/min
Range	150.000 m
Muzzle Velocity	380 m/s

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseTZ-45 submachine guns were designed by brothers Tonon Giandoso and Zorzoli Giandoso to be mass produced at a low cost, similar to most of submachine gun designs of the era. Production lasted between 1944 and 1945 by the Giandosos' company in Gardone Val Trompia in Lombardia, Italy; less than 6,000 examples were built. Almost all of them were assigned to Italian Army units operating against partisan fighters in the mountain regions of northern Italy. After the war, the United States and United Kingdom took over all surviving TZ-45 weapons; they were evaluated, and the conclusion was that they were not reliable enough for further use. The Italians successfully sold the design to the Burmese Army, however, who built them under license as BA-52 submachine guns; Burmese examples of this design remained in front line service through the 1980s and were still in use by support troops into the early 1990s.

Source: Ian Hogg, The Encyclopedia of Infantry Weapons of World War II ww2dbase

Last Major Revision: Aug 2014

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