Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! As World War 2 consumed Italy in 1944-45, partisan forces loyal to Mussolini’s Italian Social Republic desperately needed basic infantry arms. The stamped steel TZ-45 submachine gun filled this void through hasty production by the Giandoso company. The TZ-45 took inspiration from the British Sten and other simple blowback SMG designs of the era. However, it incorporated more advanced safety features to prevent negligent discharges. Rather than a basic selector, the TZ-45 had a three-position safety locking the bolt open or closed. A grip safety and bolt-blocking pin provided additional drop-safety precautions lacking on many rushed wartime SMGs. While crudely constructed of welded stamped steel, the TZ-45 proved sufficient for pro-German forces battling Italian resistance. Around 6,000 were made before 1945’s conclusion.
“This is a fairly rare late WWII Italian designed submachine gun. This model was developed by brothers Toni and Zorzoli Giandoso in 1944. They were primarily issued to R.S.I. (Repubblica Sociale Italiana) units fighting against Italian partisan forces during the civil war in Northern Italy (1944–45) before the war ended. It is estimated that approximately 6,000 were manufactured in total before the war ended with most offered on the world market after WWII. This example is numbered “2790” on the rear receiver tube ring and the left side of the trigger housing, indicating a mid-production example. The only county that expressed any interest was the government of Burma, who purchased a sizeable number and all the machinery, tooling and gauging to manufacture these weapons. It is noted that one of the brothers actually went to Burma to assist in setting up the factory over there. The unique aspect of this weapon is that it was one of the first to actually use a “grip safety” which is located on the back side of the magazine well. Although it is somewhat crudely made, it utilized state of the art (in 1945) manufacturing techniques, primarily all steel stamped parts (aside from the barrel and bolt), and had the large components spot welded to a tubular receiver. It has a perforated barrel jacket with a machined, bead type front sight post and a simple, nonadjustable peep rear sight that is welded on to the rear of the receiver tube.”
Lot 3561: Italian – TZ-45 – Scarce Italian Fully Automatic Class III/NFA C&R TZ-45 Submachine Gun with Magazine. (n.d.). Rock Island Auction Company. photograph. Retrieved May 20, 2024, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/71/3561/italian-tz45.
