This book covers all classes and types of small arms, from pistols to heavy machine guns, known to have been used by the Italian partisans during WWII.

It provides a brief history of the origin and development of the partisan movement in Italy following the 8 September 1943 armistice between Italy and the Allies and subsequent occupation of the northern portion of the country by Germany.

There are many relevant examples of correspondence between partisan units relating to acquisition, distribution, use, maintenance, and problems encountered with the various types of small arms available.

The majority of the pages of this book are dedicated to a complete, thorough, and extensive coverage of each individual type of weapon known to have been used by the partisans, including specifications, supported by current as well as vintage photographs showing the weapons in use by the partisans.[AuthorName]By Gianluigi Usai and Ralph Riccio[/AuthorName][AuthorBio]Gianluigi Usai was born in Genoa in 1947 and is a retired financial adviser. Ralph Riccio was born in Connecticut in 1939 and is a retired US Army officer. He has authored several books dealing with Italian and Irish military subjects.
Ralph Riccio has authored several books dealing with Italian and Irish military subjects. Previous works have focused on larger equipment such as armored vehicles and artillery; the author capitalizes on his knowledge of Italian military history and equipment with this latest offering.[/AuthorBio][NumIllustration]374 color and b/w photos[/NumIllustration][CoAuthor][/CoAuthor][SubTitle][/SubTitle][ColorPattern]374 color and b/w photos[/ColorPattern]