The Fiat Modello 1935 or Fiat Modello 14/35, frequently shortened in Fiat Mod.35 or just Fiat 35, was an Italian machine gun, a modified version of the Fiat Mod.1914, which had equipped the Italian Army of World War I. It was a vast improvement on the early model: offering superior penetration power due to the adoption of belt fed 8mm (8ÃÂ59) rounds, a quick-change barrel and the removal of the water jacket and water pump. During the service life the gun was still found to be relatively prone to jamming and dust. Despite its faults the Mod.35 saw extensive action during World War II. After the Italian Armistice the guns captured by the Germans were renamed 8 mm Schweres Maschinengewehr 255(i).
The Fiat Mod. 1914 had seen widespread use during World War I, but its flaws became more and more apparent as time passed.
Since 1926 the Italian Army felt the need for a machine gun with a caliber larger than the 6.5 mm and since 1928 started experimentations with Fiat Mod.14 machine guns modified in various calibers: 8 mm, 7.92 mm and 7.65 mm. In the meantime (1931) the Army started also a competition for a completely new machine gun in 8-7.92 mm caliber. After the final adoption of the new 8 mm cartridge in 1933 the Regio Esercito pursued both with the experimentation of modified Fiat Mod.14 and with the competition for the new machine gun, these came to an end in 1935 with the adoption of the Fiat Mod.35 for the modified gun and in 1937 with the Breda Mod.37 for the new gun.
The Mod.35 opted for a more conventional belt feed, air-cooling, rechambering for the 8x59mm RB Breda. Also, the machine gun was prone to the cook-off of the chambered rounds during the pauses of firing.
The gun has an overall length of 1650 mm, including its 650 mm barrel. Unloaded, the gun weighs 17.8 kg, while the tripod weighed 23 kg. Like the Mod.14, the Mod.35 is a complete weapon system made up of the machine gun unit, the tripod mounting assembly and ammunition supply, and therefore required a multi-person crew to operate.
The rechambering to the 8mm calibre and the adoption of a belt feed succeeded in improving both the stopping power and the rate of fire of the machine-gun; however, it reportedly suffered from jammings rather often.
There is unsubstantiated data (frequently reported in English-language texts and websites) about the Mod.35 using an integrated oil pump to lube the ammo, and that such device was inherited by the previous Fiat Mod.14. Such a device was never implemented in either machinegun, but it was recommended in the gun manuals to slightly lube each round before inserting it in the Mod.14 box magazine or in the Mod.35 belts, in order to facilitate extraction and cycling.