View source for Beretta Model 38

{{Short description|Italian submachine gun introduced in 1938}}
{{Infobox weapon|is_ranged=yes|
| image= Beretta 38.jpg
| image_size = 300
| caption=Moschetto Automatico Beretta Modello 1938
| name=Beretta Modello 38
| type=[[Submachine gun]]
| origin= Kingdom of Italy
| design_date=1935
| production_date=1938–1975
| service = 1938–present
| used_by=See ''[[#Users|Users]]''
| wars={{ubl|[[World War II]]|[[Reprisal operations]]||[[Algerian War]]|[[1958 Lebanon Crisis]]|[[Dominican Civil War]]|[[Bangladesh Liberation War]]<ref name="ds29Dec2017" />|[[Congo crisis]]<ref name = 'Osprey Congo'/>|[[Ogaden War]]<ref name="JWH1975">{{cite web |url=https://wwiiafterwwii.wordpress.com/2015/09/27/stg-44-in-africa-after-wwii/ |title=StG-44 in Africa after WWII |author=JWH1975 |date=September 27, 2015 |access-date=April 3, 2018 |work=WII after WII |publisher=[[WordPress]]}}</ref>}}
| cartridge=[[9x19mm Parabellum]]
| feed=10, 20, 30, or 40-round detachable box magazine
| action=[[Blowback (firearms)|Blowback]]
| rate=MAB 38A: 600 rpm<br />MAS 38/42 and 38/49: 550 rpm<ref name="World p. 488">''Small Arms of the World'', p. 488</ref>
| velocity=MAB 38A: {{convert|420|m/s|0}}<br />MAS 38/42 and 38/49: {{convert|380|m/s|0}}<ref name="World p. 488"/>
| range=200 m (219 yd)
| weight=MAB 38A: {{convert|4.2|kg|lb}} (empty)<br />MAB 38/42: {{convert|3.27|kg|lb}} (empty)<br />MAB 38/49: {{convert|3.25|kg|lb}} (empty)
| length=MAB 38A: {{convert|946|mm|in}}<br />MAB 38/42: {{convert|800|mm|in}}<br />MAB 38/49: {{convert|798|mm|in}}
| part_length=MAB 38A: {{convert|315|mm|in}}<br />MAB 38/42: {{convert|213|mm|in}}<br />MAB 38/49: {{convert|210|mm|in}}
| variants=1938A<br />1938/42<br />1938/43<br />1938/44<br />1938/44 Special - Model 1<br />1938/49 - M2, M3 & M4<br /> Model 5
| number=1,000,000
|caliber={{cvt|9|mm}}
}}

The '''Beretta Model 38''' ([[Italian language|Italian]]: ''Moschetto Automatico Beretta Modello 1938'') was an Italian [[submachine gun]] introduced in 1938 and used by the [[Royal Italian Army during World War II]]. It was first issued to [[Law enforcement in Italy|Italian police units]] stationed in [[Italian Empire|Italy's African colonies]]. The Italian army was impressed by the gun's performance and decided to adopt a version to be used by the army's elite formations and military police, but requested a modified variant which had no [[bayonet]] and a different [[muzzle brake]]. This variant was widely used by the Royal Italian Army on all theatres of [[World War II]] Italy was involved in.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.quartermastersection.com/italian/infantry-weapons/738/Mod38ASMG | title=MOSCHETTO AUTOMATICO MODELLO 38A - Quartermaster Section }}</ref> The guns were also used by the [[Wehrmacht|German]], [[Romanian Armed Forces|Romanian]] and [[Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic|Argentine militaries]] of the era.

==History==
[[File:Work and Fight, Italy, WWII propaganda poster.jpg|thumb|Italian WWII propaganda poster showing a Beretta Model 38]]
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-307-0768-20A, Italien, italienischer Soldat.jpg|thumb| Soldier of an assault Battalion of the Republican National Guard (GNR) of [[Italian Social Republic|Repubblica Sociale Italiana]], armed with a MAB 38A and wearing a "Samurai" magazine-holding vest.]]

Originally designed by [[Beretta]]'s chief engineer Tullio Marengoni in 1935, the ''Moschetto Automatico Beretta'' (Beretta Automatic Musket) 38, or MAB 38, was developed from the Beretta ''Modello'' 18 and 18/30, derived from the [[Villar-Perosa aircraft submachine gun|Villar Perosa]] [[light machine gun]] of [[World War I]]. It is widely acknowledged as the most successful and effective Italian small arm of World War II and was produced in large numbers in several variants.<ref name="Iannamico"/> Italy's limited industrial base in World War II was no real barrier toward the development of advanced and effective small arms since most weapons of the time required large amounts of artisan and semi-artisan man-hours to be fine-tuned anyway. Italian specialized workers excelled at this, but the initial slow rate of production meant that the MAB 38 only became available in large numbers in 1943 when the fascist regime was toppled and Italy split between the Allied-aligned co-belligerent forces in the south and the German-aligned collaborators of the [[Italian Social Republic]] in the north.

The MAB 38 was developed by [[Beretta]] to compete in the sub-machine gun market and to take part with the Semiauto rifle and submachinegun Italian Army trials that were held during the 1930s; it was a well-made and sturdy weapon, introduced several advanced features, and was suitable for police and special army units. Presented to Italian authorities in 1938, its first customer was the Italian Ministry of Colonies, which purchased 500 MABs in October 1938 to be issued as the standard firearm of the ''[[Polizia dell'Africa Italiana]]'' (Italian Africa Constabulary), the government colonial police force.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=N. Pignato |first=F. Cappellano |title=Le armi della fanteria italiana (1919-1945) |publisher=Albertelli Editore |year=2008 |pages=46-49}}</ref> Army orders were slow to come; although impressed by the excellent qualities and firepower of the weapon, the Italian military did not feel the MAB was suitable for standard infantry combat. It was judged ideal for police and assault units. Small orders were placed by the 1st Mobile Battalion of the ''Guardie di Pubblica Sicurezza'' (national state police) in May 1939. Once Italy entered war, PAI had to donate some of their MABs to the Libyan Paratrooper units.<ref name=":0" />  Within November 1941 he Italian Army requested 10.527 MABs with minor changes to reduce production costs, notably changing the [[muzzle brake]] and the removal of the bayonet lug and magazine dust cover to create the MAB 38A. This was the standard army variant, used throughout the war and issued to commissioned officers and to elite Italian units, like motorcyclists, paratroopers, the Alpini "Monte Cervino" skiers assault battalion, 10th ''Arditi'' Regiment, "M" Battalions of the ''[[Milizia Volontaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale]]'' (''MVSN'', Blackshirts) and military police. by December 1941, seeing the good results on the field, another 20 000 guns were ordered.<ref name=":0" />

The Italian Royal Navy also purchased the weapon and MAB 38As were given to the "''San Marco''" Marine Regiment and naval security troops; the ''[[Regia Aeronautica]]'' (Italian Royal Air Force) issued the MAB 38A to its crack A.D.R.A. Regiment. Orders were still small and the Carcano M1891 rifle remained the standard weapon even in elite units. Until 1943, the MAB 38A (and since 1943, the MAB 38/42) was available almost exclusively to commissioned officers, paratroopers, motorcyclists, skiers and other elite or police units, given their need for high volumes of firepower in prolonged actions or to maintain close-quarters combat superiority. The paratroopers of the [[185th Infantry Division "Folgore"]] had their NCOs armed with the weapon, while the rest of the unit used either the [[Carcano|Moschetto mod. 91/38]] Carcano or the [[Breda 30|Breda Mod.30 LMG]], along other firearms.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bianco |first=Diego |title=Paratrooper takedown carbine |url=https://www.carcanorifle.com/paratrooper-carbine |website=Carcano Compendium}}</ref>  

After the Italian armistice of September 8th, 1943, the Italian armed forces melted away and an Italian army was reconstructed in northern Italy under German control, the Beretta MAB equipping many units. The [[Italian Social Republic]] (R.S.I.) army and militia units fought a counterinsurgency war against partisans from its inception, as well as against the Allies. For assault and counterinsurgency units, where firepower at close range was a vital asset, it was the ideal weapon. Production of the MAB became priority and it was supplied in great numbers to R.S.I. formations, especially elite units, and it became an iconic weapon symbolizing the Italian soldier in popular culture. Later in the war, a simplified variant known as the MAB 38/44 was introduced. Regardless of the tables of organization and equipment of a unit, the Beretta 38 was a popular weapon that could eventually find its way into the hands of virtually any soldier, especially among officers and senior non-commissioned officers, in any type of unit.

A magazine-carrying vest was designed for elite troops (Battaglioni M, paratroopers, marines) armed with the Beretta 38; these were dubbed ''"[[Samurai]]"'' due to the similarity of the stacked magazines to the feudal Japanese warriors' body armour. A special canvas holster was issued with the MAB with two magazine-carrier pouches sewn on, to be worn as a belt but only came into use during the brief life of the R.S.I. and by then could be seen in the employ of many different units whose "elite" status could have been reasonably questioned (such as [[Black Brigades]] and other militias). The Beretta MAB was highly praised by [[Italian resistance movement]] fighters as well, being far more accurate and powerful than the British [[Sten]] which was common-issue in partisan units, although the smaller Sten was more suited for clandestine operations. German soldiers also liked the Beretta MAB, judging it as large and heavy, but reliable and well-made.

The 1938 series was extremely robust and proved very popular with [[Axis powers|Axis forces]] as well as Allied troops, who used captured examples.<ref name="Ordnance Went Up Front, p. 58">{{cite book |last=Dunlap |first=Roy F. |date=1948 |title=Ordnance Went Up Front |publisher=Samworth Press |page=58}}</ref> Many German soldiers, including elite forces such as the [[Waffen-SS]] and [[Fallschirmjäger (World War II)|Fallschirmjäger]] forces, preferred the Beretta 38.<ref name="Miller"/><ref>{{cite book |last=Quarrie |first=Bruce |date=2001 |title=Fallschirmjäger: German Paratrooper, 1935-45 |publisher=Osprey Publishing |page=59 |isbn=978-1-84176-326-2}}</ref><ref>''Ordnance Went Up Front'', p. 58: "No one ever bothered with any other kind of submachine gun if he could get hold of a Beretta M38, and keep it. The New Zealand boys especially loved them. Even the Germans liked it, and they hated to admit anything was good except their own stuff".</ref> Germany manufactured 231,193 Beretta M38s in 1944 and 1945.<ref name=mp>{{cite web |url=http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Waffen/Maschinenpistolen.htm |title=Maschinenpistolen |website=Lexikon der Wehrmacht |language=de}}</ref> Firing a more powerful Italian version of the widely distributed [[9×19mm Parabellum]] cartridge, the ''Cartuccia 9 mm M38'', the Beretta was accurate at longer ranges than most other submachine guns.<ref name="Ordnance Went Up Front, p. 58" /> The MAB could deliver impressive firepower at close range, and at longer distances its size and weight was an advantage, making the weapon stable and easy to control. In expert hands, the Beretta MAB allowed accurate short-burst shooting up to {{convert|100|m|yd|abbr=on}} and its effective range with Italian M38 ammunition was {{convert|200|m|yd|abbr=on}}s, an impressive result for a 9mm submachine gun.

==Specifications==
MAB 38, in its first variants, was a fine weapon by any standard, crafted with high-quality materials, flawlessly finished, and with carefully machined parts. Models 38/42 and 38/44 were easier and faster to build, the finish was sacrificed for speed of production but the quality remained high. The mechanism was a traditional simple [[blowback (firearms)|blowback]] recoil but with a novel floating firing pin, an automatic safety on open bolt (both later removed to save production costs), a recoil compensator on the muzzle, a bolt cocking handle with sliding dust cover and a striking trigger gear with no fire selector but with two triggers instead; the fore trigger was for semi-automatic fire and rear trigger for full-auto. The user could shift quickly between methods without switching levers or safety catches, which proved useful in combat. The full-auto trigger had a safety catch on the left side, which was eliminated from 1942 and the rear sight was adjustable up to {{convert|500|m|yd|abbr=on}} in the MAB 38 and 38A, the 38/42 and 38/44 variants had fixed rear sights. The MAB 38 had a wooden stock, was about {{convert|800|mm|in|abbr=on}} long and weighed about {{convert|5|kg|lb|abbr=on}} when loaded, with an effective range of about {{convert|200|m|yd|abbr=on}}.

==Variants==
The Model 1938 can be recognized by its machined steel receiver, fine craftsmanship, and finish, and by the perforated cooling jacket over the barrel.<ref name="Hogg, Ian V 1991 pp. 224-225">{{cite book |first1=Ian V. |last1=Hogg |first2=John |last2=Weeks |name-list-style=amp |date=1991 |title=Military Small Arms of the 20th Century |edition=6th |location=Northbrook, IL |publisher=DBI Books, Inc. |pages=224–225 |isbn=978-0-87349-120-4}}</ref> It was produced from 1938 to 1950 and fired [[9×19mm Parabellum]] ammunition at 600 rounds per minute. It used 10, 20, 30, or 40-round magazines; the short 10-round magazine, when used in conjunction with the fixed bayonet, was popular with Allied and Axis forces for guarding prisoners or internal security.<ref name="Ordnance Went Up Front, p. 58" /><ref>{{cite book |last=Smith |first=Joseph E. |date=1969 |title=Small Arms of the World |edition=11th |location=Harrisburg, PA |publisher=The Stackpole Company |pages=481–482}}</ref> In combat, the 40-round magazine was the most common. The original MAB 38, first issued to Italian police in 1939, had a bayonet mount and stock rest for the Carcano M91/38 folding bayonet.

In compliance with Italian army requirements, the bayonet mount and rest were eliminated and the recoil compensator was redesigned, the two horizontal muzzle slots substituted by 4 transversal cuttings, judged more effective. This standard army variant was renamed MAB 38A and issued in 1941. Despite its undeniable effectiveness, the Beretta ''Model 38'' proved too time-consuming and expensive to produce during wartime. Marengoni designed a simplified model made from sheet steel, in which the cooling jacket and bayonet mount were eliminated and the separate firing pin mechanism replaced by a fixed firing pin machined on the face of the bolt. The barrel and wooden stock were also shortened to save weight and cost.<ref name="Hogg, Ian V 1991 pp. 224-225"/><ref name="World pp. 482-483">''Small Arms of the World'', pp. 482-483</ref> This new model, the Model 38/42, had a fluted barrel to aid cooling and save weight. It also had a slower rate of fire (550 rpm). The Model 38/43, was a collapsible stock variant adopted on february 1943 and designed for tank crews, but saw very limited production.<ref name=":0" /> The 38/42 was adopted by the ''[[Wehrmacht]]'' as the Maschinenpistole 738(i), abbreviated as MP.738.<ref name="World pp. 482-483" /> Models produced for the German army received German acceptance marks.<ref>''Small Arms of the World'', p. 429</ref>

The Model 38/44 was a minor revision of the 38/42, in which the bolt was simplified and a large-diameter recoil spring was used in place of the operating spring guide.<ref name="World pp. 482-483" /> It also eliminated the fluting to save time and increase production.<ref name="World pp. 482-483" /> The 38/44 was also adopted by the German army as the ''MP.739''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Moschetto Automatico Beretta |url=http://digilander.libero.it/historia_militaria/mab.htm |website=historiamilitaria.it |publisher=Marco Marzilli |access-date=8 September 2015|language=it}}</ref> 

After World War II, the 38/44 continued in production in slightly revised form as the ''38/49'' series: the ''Model 2'' or ''MP 38/44 special'' with an MP 40-style under-folding stock and extended magazine well,<ref name="World pp. 482-483" /> the ''Model 3'' with an extended magazine well and telescoping steel-wire buttstock and the ''Model 4'' with a standard wooden rifle stock. All of these models have a push-button cross-bolt safety catch at the middle of the stock<ref name="World pp. 482-483" /> After Marengoni's death, Beretta engineer Domenico Salza revised the safety system of the Model 38/49 series as the ''Model 5'', identified by a large rectangular grip-safety button located in the stock's finger groove.<ref name="Century pp. 224-225">''Military Small Arms of the 20th Century'', pp. 224-225</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://world.guns.ru/smg/it/beretta-m1938-e.html |title=Beretta M1938 |website=Modern Firearms|date=27 October 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nasog.net/datasheets/firearms/smg/Beretta_Model_3.htm |title=Beretta Model 3 |date=2000 |website=North American Special Operations Group |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020112104153/http://www.nasog.net/datasheets/firearms/smg/Beretta_Model_3.htm |archive-date=2002-01-12}}</ref> The Model 5 was produced for the Italian Army, police and the armed forces of several other nations until 1961 when production ceased in favor of the compact, modern [[Beretta M12]].<ref name="Century pp. 224-225" />

Unusually, it ejects to the left because of the non-reciprocating cocking-charging handle and slot cover being in the way on the right side.

In the 1950s the Dominican Republic issued the [[Cristóbal Carbine]] carbine in American .30 Carbine (7.62×33) designed by [[Pál Király]]. Visually and internally, several features of the Model 38 carried forward in the San Cristóbal.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtWEBcIP09E |title=San Cristobal Model 2: A Lever-Delayed .30 Carbine |author=[[Forgotten Weapons]] |date=23 December 2020 |website=YouTube}}</ref>

EOKA Cut-Down Beretta 38 SMG to fight against England<ref>{{Cite web |last=McCollum |first=Ian |date=2019-12-27 |title=EOKA Cut-Down Beretta 38 SMG - Forgotten Weapons |url=https://www.forgottenweapons.com/eoka-cut-down-beretta-38-smg/ |access-date=2025-06-29 |website=www.forgottenweapons.com |language=en-US}}</ref>.

<gallery widths="200px" heights="160px">
File:Niemieccy i włoscy spadochroniarze na froncie pod Nettuno - Anzio (2-2159).jpg|German and Italian paratroopers at the Anzio-Nettuno front; the Italian has a MAB 38A slung across his back.
File:Beretta M38 42 CWM 2013 1.jpg|Beretta M38/42
File:Beretta 38 42.jpg|Beretta Model 1 with MP40-style under-folding stock
File:Beretta M1938 submachine gun.JPEG|Beretta M38/49 (Model 4) (push-button cross-bolt safety is located at the middle of the stock)
</gallery>

==Users==
* {{flag|Argentina}}
* {{flag|Albania}}: captured by the [[Albanian Partisans]] in vast quantities during the war
* {{flag|Algeria}}: Used by [[Armée de Libération Nationale]]<ref>{{cite book |title=The Algerian War, 1954-62 |series=Men-at Arms No. 312 |publisher=[[Osprey Publishing]] |place=London |year=1997 |isbn=978-1-85532-658-3 |first=Martin |last=Windrow |page=37}}</ref>
* {{flag|Bangladesh|1971}}: Used by [[Mukti Bahini]].<ref name="ds29Dec2017">{{cite news|date=29 December 2017 |title=Arms for freedom|url=https://www.thedailystar.net/backpage/bangladesh-liberation-war-1971-muktijuddho-guerrilla-fighter-arms-freedom-1511812|access-date=2019-08-31|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180407144902/http://www.thedailystar.net/backpage/bangladesh-liberation-war-1971-muktijuddho-guerrilla-fighter-arms-freedom-1511812|archive-date= April 7, 2018}}</ref>
* {{flag|Bulgaria}}: MAB38A<ref>{{Cite web |title=BULGARIAN SMALL ARMS OF WORLD WAR II, PART 2: FROM MAXIM OBRAZETZ 1907G TO ZB39 OBRAZETZ 1939G. - Free Online Library |url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/BULGARIAN+SMALL+ARMS+OF+WORLD+WAR+II,+PART+2:+FROM+MAXIM+OBRAZETZ...-a0586601065 |access-date=2022-12-19 |website=www.thefreelibrary.com}}</ref>
* {{flag|Costa Rica}}:<ref name="Jones">{{cite book |last=Jones |first=Richard |title=Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009-2010 |publisher=Jane's Information Group |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-7106-2869-5 |pages=894–905}}</ref> Models 38/44 and 38/49<ref name="World pp. 482-483" /><ref name="World p.487">''Small Arms of the World'', p. 487</ref> 
* {{flag|Dominican Republic}}:<ref name="Jones"/> Model 38/49<ref name="World p.487"/>
* {{flag|Cyprus}}
* {{flag|Empire of Japan|1943}}: 350 ordered and 50 MP38/43 delivered in 1943; some were captured by Allied forces in the South Pacific.<ref>{{cite web |title=Italian-Japanese MP 38/43 Machine Pistol |url=http://www.dragonsoffire.com/ARTICLE%3A--ITALIAN-JAPANESE-MP-38-43-MACHINE-PISTOL.php |website=Dragons of Fire |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220161603/http://www.dragonsoffire.com/ARTICLE%3A--ITALIAN-JAPANESE-MP-38-43-MACHINE-PISTOL.php |archive-date=2021-02-20}}</ref>
* {{flag|Egypt|1958}}: Models 38/42 and 38/49.<ref>''Small Arms of the World'', p. 615</ref>
* {{flag|Ethiopia}}<ref name="Jones"/>
* {{flag|Finland}}: Italian surplus MP38s bought in 1958.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Suomi Submachine Gun |series=Weapon 54 |first=Leroy |last=Thompson |publisher=[[Osprey Publishing]] |date=23 March 2017 |isbn=9781472819642 |page=73}}</ref>
* {{flag|Greece}}
* {{flag|Nazi Germany}}<ref name="Bishop">{{cite book |first=Christ |last=Bishop |title=The Encyclopedia of Weapons of WWII: The Comprehensive Guide to over 1,500 Weapons Systems, Including Tanks, Small Arms, Warplanes, Artillery, Ships, and Submarines |publisher=Metrobooks |year=2002 |isbn=1-58663-762-2 |page=262}}</ref>
* {{flag|West Germany}}: MP38/49 (Model 4) and Model 5, identified as the MP1. Used by [[Bundeswehr]] (until 1959) and [[Bundesgrenzschutz]] (replaced at the end of the 1960s).<ref name="Iannamico"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bundesheer.at/truppendienst/ausgaben/artikel.php?id=1437 |title=Waffen der Feldjäger |trans-title=Guns of the military police |website=[[Bundesheer]] |language=de |access-date=22 November 2021}}</ref>
* [[Kingdom of Hungary (1920–1946)|Hungary]]:  after Italy exited ww2.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jacky 95 |date=2018-04-12 |title=Part I. Infantry weaponry |url=https://hungarianweaponryww2.wixsite.com/hungarianmilitaryww2/single-post/2016/08/22/shake-up-your-life-how-to-change-your-own-perspective |access-date=2025-04-23 |website=Hungarianmilitaryww2 |language=en}}</ref>
* {{flag|Indonesia}}: MP1938/49 variant.<ref name="World p.487"/> Deployed during the [[United Nations Operation in the Congo]].<ref name='Osprey Congo'>{{cite book |title=Modern African Wars: The Congo 1960–2002 |last=Abbot |first=Peter |location=Oxford |publisher=[[Osprey Publishing]] |date=February 2014 |isbn=978-1-78200-076-1 |page=44}}</ref>
* {{flag|Iran|1964}}<ref name="Iannamico"/>
* {{flag|Iraq|1963}}: Model 38/44<ref name="World pp. 482-483" />
* {{Flag|Kingdom of Italy|name=Italy}}<ref name="Miller">{{cite book |first=David |last=Miller |title=Fighting Men of World War II, Volume I: Axis Forces--Uniforms, Equipment, and Weapons (Fighting Men of World War II) |year=2007 |publisher=Stackpole Books |isbn=978-0-8117-0277-5 |pages=139, 353}}</ref>
** {{flagicon image |Flag of the Italian Social Republic.png}} [[Italian Social Republic]]<ref name="Jowett">{{cite book |last=Jowett |first=Phillip |title=The Italian Army 1940-45 (3): Italy 1943-45 (Men-at-Arms) (v. 3) |publisher=Osprey Publishing |year=2001 |isbn=1855328666 |page=17}}</ref>
** {{flagicon image |Flag of Italian Committee of National Liberation.svg}} [[Italian Resistance]]<ref name="Iannamico"/>
** [[Italian Co-belligerent Army]]
* {{flag|Lebanon}}: Used by the [[Lebanese Armed Forces |Lebanese Army]], [[Internal Security Forces |Lebanese Gendarmerie]] and rebel pan-Arabist militias during the [[1958 Lebanon Crisis]].
* {{flag|Libya|1961}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://sites.google.com/site/worldinventory/wiw_africa/wiw_af_libya |title=World Infantry Weapons: Libya |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161005200329/https://sites.google.com/site/worldinventory/wiw_africa/wiw_af_libya |archive-date=5 October 2016}}</ref>
* {{flag|Morocco}}<ref name="Jones"/>
* {{flag|Pakistan}}: Model 38/44.<ref name="World pp. 482-483" /><ref name="Iannamico"/>
* {{flag|Poland}}: 128 pieces delivered in 1944 to the [[Home Army]] by Allied aviation from Italy.
* {{flag|Romania|1940}}: 5,000 ordered in 1941, which were received during 1942.<ref name="Bishop"/><ref>{{cite book |last=Axworthy |first=Mark |date=1995 |title=Third Axis, Fourth Ally: Romanian Armed Forces in the European War, 1941-45 |location=London, UK |publisher=Arms & Armour Press |page=76 |isbn=978-1-85409-267-0}}</ref> Those bought included both the Model 38A and the Model 38/42.<ref name="Iannamico"/><ref>''Small Arms of the World'', p. 534</ref>
* {{flag|Saudi Arabia}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Depardon Raymond {{!}} Bodygard of King Faysal, Red Palace, Saudi Arabia (1973) {{!}} Compare similar artworks {{!}} MutualArt |url=https://www.mutualart.com/Artwork/Bodygard-of-King-Faysal--Red-Palace--Sau/9E3697F79D0D1C6E/Similar |access-date=2024-12-24 |website=www.mutualart.com |language=en}}</ref>
* {{flag|Somalia}}: Used by [[Western Somali Liberation Front]] rebels during [[Ogaden War]].<ref name="JWH1975" />
* {{flag|Syria|1963}}<ref name="Iannamico">{{cite magazine |title=Moschetto Automatico Beretta 38/42 |first=Frank |last=Iannamico |magazine=Small Arms Review |volume=1 |issue=9 |date=June 1998 |url=https://www.smallarmsreview.com/display.article.cfm?idarticles=3733}}</ref>
** {{flag|Syrian National Coalition}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2012/08/10/nifty-beretta-model-1938-in-syria |title=Nifty Beretta Model 1938 in Syria |date=August 10, 2012 |website=The Firearm Blog}}</ref>
* {{flag|Thailand}}: Model 38/49.<ref name="World p.487"/>
* {{flag|Tunisia}}: Model 38/49<ref name="World p.487"/>
* {{flag|Yemen}}:<ref name="Jones"/> Model 38/49.<ref name="World p.487"/>
* {{flag|Yugoslavia}}: Captured in vast quantities.<ref name="Vuksic ">{{cite book |last=Vuksic |first=Velimir |year=2003 |title=Tito's Partisans 1941-45 |publisher=Osprey Publishing |pages=60 |isbn=1841766755}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of Italian submachine guns]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book|title=Beretta A5 SMG Brochure|publisher=Pietro Beretta S.P.A.|location=Gardone Val Trompia, Italy|language=it|url=http://www.forgottenweapons.com/wp-content/uploads/BerettaM38/Beretta%20A5%20SMG%20Brochure.PDF|access-date=8 September 2015}}
* Dunlap, Roy F. (1948). ''Ordnance Went Up Front''. Samworth Press. {{ISBN|1-884849-09-1}}.
* Hogg, Ian V. and Weeks, John (1991). ''Military Small Arms of the 20th Century'', 6th ed. DBI Books, Inc., {{ISBN|0-87349-120-3}}.
* Rosignoli, G. (1985). ''RSI: uniformi, equipaggiamento ed armi''. Albertelli Ed.
* Smith, Joseph E. (1969). ''Small Arms of the World'', 11th ed. Harrisburg, PA: [[Stackpole Books|The Stackpole Company]]. {{ISBN|0-8117-1566-3}}.

==External links==
{{Commons category|Beretta MAB 38}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogsdodlT99E&ab_channel=ForgottenWeapons The Beretta M38A]
* [https://elitadywersji.org/zrzuty/ Website on the Polish Home Army paratropers]

{{Beretta firearms}}
{{WWIIItalianInfWeapons}}

[[Category:9mm Parabellum submachine guns]]
[[Category:Beretta submachine guns|Model 38]]
[[Category:Military equipment introduced in the 1930s]]
[[Category:Submachine guns of Italy]]
[[Category:World War II infantry weapons of Italy]]
[[Category:World War II submachine guns]]
[[Category:Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1938]]