MP40

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Maschinenpistole 40 (MP40))
Type	submachine gun
Place of origin	Nazi Germany
Service history
In service	1939 – 1945
Used by	Nazi Germany
Wars	Second World War
Production history
Designer	Heinrich Vollmer
Designed	1938
Manufacturer	Erma Werke
Produced	1940-1945
Number built	Over 1 million
Variants	MP36, MP38, MP40, MP40/1, MP41
Specifications
Weight	3.97 kg
Length	630 mm (stock folded) 833 mm (stock extended)
Barrel length	251 mm
Cartridge	9 x 19 mm
Action	Open bolt blowback
Rate of fire	500 round/min
Muzzle velocity	~380 m/s (~1247 ft/s)
Effective range	~ 100 m
Feed system	32 round detachable box magazine
Sights	Hooded blade front, tangent U-notch rear

The MP40 (Maschinenpistole 40, literally, Machine pistol 40) was a submachine gun developed for and used extensively by Nazi Germany during World War II. The MP40 was a very well made weapon. The rate of fire and recoil of the weapon were low making it more manageable than other contemporary submachine guns.

Contents 1 History 2 Operation 3 Copies and post-war usage 4 Specifications 5 Variants and developments 6 MP40 in popular culture 7 See also 8 References 9 External links

[edit] History

The MP40 is descended from the MP36, a select-fire prototype made of machined steel, of which few examples remain. The MP36 prototype was developed independently by Erma prior to the 1938 request from the German government for a new submachinegun which led to the MP38. The MP38 was a simplification of the MP36, as the MP40 was later a simplification of the MP38, the differences being in cost-saving alterations, especially the use of more pressed rather than machined parts and an improved safety. The changes resulted from experiences with the several thousand MP38s, (in service since 1939), used during the invasion of Poland. The changes were incorporated into an intermediate version (MP38/40), and then used in the initial MP40 production version. Just over 1 million would be made of all versions in the course of the war. The designer of the MP38/40 was Heinrich Vollmer.

The MP40 was often called the Schmeisser by the Allies, after weapons designer Hugo Schmeisser. Although the name was evocative, Hugo Schmeisser himself did not design the MP40, but helped with the design of the MP41 which was effectively a MP40 with an old-fashioned wooden rifle stock. It is impossible to reconstruct how Schmeisser was honored with this legend, but it must have been inspiring for the soldiers: the German slang-word "Schmeisser" describes someone who bashes or throws something inaccurately, but with high force. However, Schmeisser did produce the MP40 magazines and his name was engraved on them so this might be the root of this mistake.

[edit] Operation

Though generally reliable, a major weak point of the MP38 and MP40 was its 32-round magazine (a weakness inherited by the British Sten which copied the same design). Unlike the Thompson's double-column, dual-feed magazine, the MP38 and MP40 utilized a 'single-feed' design, a double column of cartridges that narrowed to a single-cartridge width at the feed end of the magazine.^[1][2]

This meant that the 9 mm cartridges had to overcome increased friction in order to reach the chamber, as well as a loading device to fill the magazine to capacity. The design was also sensitive to dirt and debris. German soldiers soon learned to give the magazine a sharp slap to restore operation.^[3] The magazine was also frequently misused as a handhold, which could also cause a failure to feed when hand pressure on the magazine body caused the feed lips to move out of position. German soldiers were trained to grasp either the intended handhold on the underside of the weapon or the magazine housing with the supporting hand (not the magazine itself) to avoid feeding malfunctions.^[4][5]

[edit] Copies and post-war usage

The MP38 or MP40 was a pattern for diverse submachine guns such as:

• The Swedish Carl Gustaf M/45 (since 1945).
• The Yugoslavian Zastava M56 (since 1956).
• The German Selbstladebüchse BD-38 (since 2005).
• As the design of the M3 Grease Gun started, the designers used some captured MP40's and some Sten guns. They tried to find some useful information that they could use for their design^{[citation needed]}.

After the war the MP40 was still the standard submachine gun of the Israeli army and was often used in the Palestinian area. It remained the official submachine gun of the Israeli paratroopers until 1956. Some MP40s were in use by the Kosovo Liberation Army in the Kosovo War in 1999 [1].

[edit] Specifications

The MP40 had an overall length of 833 mm, though its folding stock could allow the weapon to shorten to 630 mm. The odd 'spur' near the end of the barrel was designed to allow the troops to hook the MP40 onto the firing ports of armoured personnel carriers, such as the Sdkfz 251 half-track.

[edit] Variants and developments

• MP40/I - main production version
• MP40/II - experiment with a 64 round magazine. The MP40/II appeared in the latter stages of World War II. This version of the MP40 has a three-magazine sliding magazine receiver that slides horizontally to use the additional magazines as each becomes depleted,[2][3][4] This design was intended to counter the superior firepower of the Russian PPSh-41, but made the weapon heavy and unbalanced in the field, and did not work well.^[6]
• MP41: Technically different from the MP40 even though it looked similar. A wooden stocked weapon used by police units.
• Though not with official sanction from the Germans, many countries involved in World War II developed submachine guns which had a similar form to the MP40 (with a folding shoulder stock, and the magazine holder being used as a second handgrip). The most famous examples are the Russian PPS-43 and the American M3 'Grease Gun'. Most derivative designs also copied the troublesome magazine design as well.
• As for cheapness and ease of production, which the MP 40 revolutionalized, the British Sten and the Australian Owen Gun are the best examples.

[edit] MP40 in popular culture

Unlike the impression given by films, television series, pulp novels, and video games, MP40s were typically only issued to platoon and squad leaders; the majority of soldiers carried Karabiner 98k rifles.

However, by the end of the war it was being issued to entire assault platoons, as submachineguns were found superior to rifles in close combat and required less training to use effectively.

[edit] See also

• List of submachine guns
• List of common World War II infantry weapons
• List of World War II firearms of Germany

[edit] References

1. ^ Weeks, John, WWII Small Arms, Galahad Press, 1980
2. ^ Nelson, Thomas B., The World's Submachine Guns, TBN Enterprises, 1977
3. ^ Weeks, John, WWII Small Arms, Galahad Press, 1980
4. ^ Weeks, John, WWII Small Arms, Galahad Press, 1980
5. ^ Nelson, Thomas B., The World's Submachine Guns, TBN Enterprises, 1977
6. ^ Nelson, Thomas B., The World's Submachine Guns, TBN Enterprises, 1977

[edit] External links

• Small Arms Review: The MP36 The Missing Link
• Nazarian`s Gun`s Recognition Guide on MP-38 / 40
• Polish MP-38 / 40 site
• MP40 schematics

German-made firearms and light weapons of World War II
Side arms (Pistole)
Mauser C96 | Luger | Walther P38 | Walther PPK | Sauer 38H | Mauser HSc
Rifles & carbines (Gewehr & Karabiner)
Karabiner 98k | Gewehr 43/Karabiner 43 | StG44/MP44 | FG42 | StG45(M)
Submachine guns ( Maschinenpistole )
Bergmann MP18 | MP38/MP40 "Schmeisser" | MP3008 "Volks MP"
Machine guns & other larger weapons
MG08 | MG34 | MG42 | Faustpatrone | Panzerfaust | Panzerschreck Flammenwerfer 35 | Panzerbüchse 39 | Granatwerfer 36 | Granatwerfer 42
Notable foreign-made infantry weapons
P.640(b) | Vis.35 | Vz.24/G24(t) | MG26(t) | Panzerbüchse 35(p)
German-made cartridges used by the Wehrmacht
7.92 x 57 mm | 7.63 x 25 mm Mauser | 7.92 mm Kurz | 9 x 19 mm | 7.65 mm Luger | 9mm Luger