Poggiali, Luca Franchi LF-57. "La san Luigi"

Those interested in military weapons will no doubt have heard of the Franchi LF-57, but this is the first major work dedicated to this Italian weapon, which was introduced in the 1950s. It was adopted by the Italian army but had a limited distribution, as it also competed with the Beretta M-12, and soon ended up in the "mobilisation stocks", with the exception of those assigned to GRACO, a very specialised division, and a few specimens. In the mid-1990s, it reappeared with some modifications and was also used abroad before being withdrawn from circulation. The most interesting part, however, concerns its use by the Portuguese and in African conflicts, about which there was no further information. In fact, it was distributed to the "Legion" and in these units, composed of civilians capable of bearing arms, it acquired the nickname "San Luigi" (in reference to the name "Luigi Franchi"), as it solved various delicate situations in the "Mato" of Angola and Mozambique. The Portuguese secret services also passed them on to the Katanga gendarmerie, which used them for a long time, with some weapons even travelling from the Congo to Sudan. The work is illustrated with numerous pictures.