Machine guns. The best submachine gun of the second world war Light machine guns of the second world war

After the First World War (1914-1918) banned the Germans from developing or producing any weapons, including tanks, submarines and rearmament for a new world war. By this time, German military strategists had developed the concept of a light portable multi-purpose machine gun.

Air instead of water

For some time, the MG-13 was such a solution. Introduced in 1930, it was a reimagining of the World War I Dreyse Model 1918 water-cooled machine gun modified to be air-cooled. It was fed by a 25-round magazine or a 75-round drum and was adopted by the German army as the standard machine gun. In the end, the machine gun was installed on tanks and aircraft of the Luftwaffe, but in general it turned out to be costly to manufacture and allowed firing at a speed of only 600 rounds per minute. Therefore, this model was withdrawn from service already in 1934 and sold or placed in storage.

Swiss version

The relative failure that befell the MG-13 required additional testing. The Rheinmetall-Borsig company, which has been producing weapons since 1889, in order to circumvent the restrictions imposed by the Treaty of Versailles, organized the creation of the shadow company Solothurn in neighboring Switzerland and continued work on new air-cooling. During the First World War, machine guns, as a rule, were cooled with water, which complicated their maintenance and transportation. Tests took place from the beginning of the 1930s and soon ended with the creation of an improved model.

It was the Solothurn MG-30, created in 1930. The machine gun was used in neighboring Austria and Hungary, as well as in Germany, but the German authorities wanted to get a more convenient and portable weapon, prompting the development of the line. Soon the MG-15 was produced, which proved to be very useful as a defensive aircraft weapon and received large orders after the official adoption of the Luftwaffe.

Maschinengewehr 34

The further evolution of this line gave rise to the legendary MG-34 - a machine gun, also known as the Maschinengewehr 34, which combined the best qualities of all previous models, including the MG-30 and MG-15. The result was so revolutionary that it became the first true single machine gun - a multi-purpose combat weapon capable of performing multiple functions without changing its basic design. The weapon engineer Vollmer was named its creator.

The new machine gun was quickly approved, and it was put into service during 1936. It was originally produced by Mauserwerke AG but soon merged with Steyr-Daimler-Puch AG and Waffenwerke Brunn. A total of 577,120 units were made between 1935 and 1945.

Main characteristics

In the basic configuration, the dimensions of the MG-34 machine gun are very impressive: its length is 1219 mm with a standard barrel of 627 mm, and its weight is 12.1 kg. It uses a unique short-stroke rotation of the sliding bolt from the recoil momentum of the muzzle recoil booster. MG-34 is a machine gun, the caliber of which was chosen specifically for the proven 7.92x57 Mauser rifle cartridge. The rate of fire of these early models was 600-1000 rounds per minute with a choice of single or automatic fire. The initial speed reached 762 m / s, which made it possible to hit a target at distances up to 1200 m. This distance could be increased using a specially designed machine tool for using the weapon as a heavy machine gun. The sight is standard, with a step of 100 m to 2000 m.

Ergonomic design

The MG-34 has a linear design in which the shoulder support and the barrel are on the same imaginary line. This is done in order to provide more stable shooting, but not only. The stock is an ergonomic extension on the back of the box, while the box itself is slightly humpbacked, with a thin profile. The feed and ejection ports are easily visible from the front and the handle is lowered in the usual way. In front of the box is a perforated casing, covering the barrel inside it. There is a conical flame arrester on the muzzle. When used as an infantry support weapon, a folding bipod is attached under the casing, which is extended at the junction. A machine gun of this length requires frontal support, especially when the shooter is in the prone position.

air cooling

Weapons of this type have one drawback - dependence on the natural circulating around the barrel during firing. Therefore, the barrel is placed inside a perforated casing to allow such cooling to take place, but this solution does not allow for sustained fire, which is essential for support or suppression weapons. Short controlled bursts were the rule for such machine guns. The barrel had to be changed every 250 shots, and its total service life was 6,000 shots. To facilitate its change, German engineers provided for the possibility of unlocking the receiver and "turning" it out of the casing. The shooter accessed the barrel inside the casing through the open back of the assembly and could remove it for replacement. Then a new cold barrel was inserted, and the fire resumed as usual.

Shooting modes

The fire is opened by pressing the trigger, which consists of two parts. The upper section is marked with the letter E (Einzelfeuer) and is responsible for single shots, and the lower one is marked with the letter D (Dauerfeuer) and is designed for automatic fire. Thus, the fighter can control the supply of ammunition and the heating of the barrel.

ammunition supply

The nutrition of the MG-34 was also given special attention. When stationary, the weapon is typically fed by a 50-round round drum or a 75-round saddle-type double drum (a legacy of the MG-15 design). To ease the load when used as a portable support weapon, a 50-round belt was used. If necessary, it could be combined with other tapes up to a full charge of 250 rounds. However, the use of tape loads the mechanism and reduces the rate of fire.

Machine gun crew

After the MG-34 was tested in practice, it was armed with various parts of the German army - from special forces to infantry. One machine gun served the calculation, which consisted of at least two people. One fired and carried weapons in combat, while the other was in charge of ammunition, assisted with belts and handled delays. If necessary, additional team members could help them - carry additional trunks, machine tools or additional ammunition.

Handyman

Structurally, the MG-34 machine gun is so tactically flexible that it quickly took over all possible combat functions. But its main purpose was to support the infantry. For this, the machine gun was equipped with a bipod, and the soldiers used 50-round tapes. The speed of fire has always been a strong point of the weapon, but shooters preferred single shots or very short bursts for greater accuracy.

A high rate of fire was necessary when the MG-34 machine gun (the photo is in the review) served as an anti-aircraft gun to destroy low-flying enemy aircraft. For this, a machine with an anti-aircraft rack, front and rear sights of an anti-aircraft sight were attached.

The heavy machine gun MG-34 (see photo in the article) was attached to the Lafette 34 for continuous fire. This assembly included a built-in buffer mechanism that stabilized it during firing. In addition, an optical sight was installed on the receiver for better tracking and hitting a target at a distance.

MG-34 is a machine gun, the device of which allows it to be quickly disassembled in the field, which makes it possible to clean, lubricate and repair it in a short time. The exact mechanics of the device could be damaged by any debris on the battlefield, which is why it was so important to follow a strict maintenance regime in order to clear the weapon of anything that could potentially cause it to stop at the most inopportune moment.

Fatal perfectionism

Another disadvantage of the MG-34 was a common problem with all pre-war firearms: production to high quality standards that require a lot of time, cost and effort. This led to the fact that the MG-34 combat machine gun was constantly in short supply throughout the war, as it was needed by all German services on all fronts. In the end, five factories were forced to manufacture it, and additional resources, time and energy were spent on creating additions to fulfill their various functions. A good weapon proved too delicate in the harsh war environment, leading to the development of a simplified version - the equally legendary 1942 MG-42.

Modifications

MG-34 is a machine gun, work on the improvement of which was also carried out during the war. The MG-34m featured a heavy casing, as it was intended to be used as an anti-personnel weapon, mounted on many German armored vehicles. The prototype MG-34s and its final version MG-34/41 received shortened barrels (about 560 mm) to increase the rate of fire in the role and fired only automatic fire. The MG-34/41 was supposed to replace the MG-34, but this did not happen due to the emergence of the effective MG-42 series. The MG-34/41 was never officially adopted, although it was produced in some numbers.

MG-34 Panzerlauf served as a tank machine gun. These models used a heavier casing with far fewer holes. The stock was removed for a more compact profile in the limited space inside German armored vehicles. Nevertheless, a conversion kit was carried on board, allowing the Panzerlauf to be quickly converted into a ground light machine gun in case the vehicle had to be abandoned. The set includes a bipod, stock and scope.

One of the latest modifications of the MG-34 is the MG-81 machine gun, a defensive anti-aircraft weapon that replaced the obsolete MG-15. The MG-81Z (Zwilling) became an offshoot of this line, essentially connecting two MG-34s with a common launcher. The design was changed in such a way as to allow the machine gun to be fed from both sides. Its rate of fire reached an impressive 2800-3200 rounds per minute. Production of this series was limited, as MG-34s were more needed in other areas.

Despite the introduction of the MG-34/42 machine gun in 1942, production of the MG-34 continued until the end of the war in Europe in May 1945. Although the MG-42 was intended to replace the MG-34 as a front-line weapon, it and failed to achieve its fairly high performance and eventually played the role of complementing the classic design of the 1930s.

Worldwide recognition

The German machine gun MG-34 was used not only by Germany and not only during World War II. Its counterparts quickly spread throughout the world. Among the countries whose armies adopted it are Algeria, Angola, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Finland, Guinea-Bissau, Hungary, Israel, Korea, North Vietnam, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan and Turkey. The machine gun was used during (1946-1950), the Arab-Israeli conflict (1948), the Korean War (1950-1953), in Vietnam (1955-1975). Until now, it can be found in remote places where this legendary weapon still comes into battle.

A submachine gun is an automatic small arms weapon designed for firing bursts, chambered for a pistol cartridge. The range of effective fire does not exceed 200-300 meters.

On January 23, 1935, after debugging the sample, in which, in addition to Degtyarev, designers P.E. Ivanov, G.F. Kubynov and G.G. Markov, the submachine gun was approved by the GAU for the production of an experimental batch of 30 copies. On July 9, 1935, the model was adopted by the Red Army under the name "7.62-mm submachine gun of the 1934 model of the Degtyarev system" or PPD-34. In the same year, the production of a submachine gun was started at the Kovrov Plant No. 2. Due to the low manufacturability and lack of development of the sample itself in mass production and the then prevailing notions that the submachine gun was predominantly a "police" weapon, the release was carried out only in small batches , and the Degtyarev submachine gun itself entered service mainly with the command staff of the Red Army as a replacement for revolvers and self-loading pistols. In 1934, Kovrov Plant No. 2 produced 44 copies of PPD-34, in 1935 - 23, in 1936 - 911, in 1937 - 1291, in 1938 - 1115, in 1939 - 1700. That is, in general, a little more than 5000 pieces.
However, during the increase in the production of PPD, the excessive complexity of its design and manufacturing technology, as well as its high cost, was revealed. At the same time, it was supposed to carry out: "... the development of a new type of automatic weapon for a pistol cartridge should be continued for a possible replacement of the outdated PPD design." By order of the Art Administration on February 10, 1939, the PPD was removed from the 1939 production program. The copies available in the Red Army were concentrated in warehouses for better preservation in the event of a military conflict, and the samples in storage were instructed to "provide the appropriate amount of ammunition" and "keep in order." Some of these weapons were used to arm the border and escort troops. The Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940 (Winter War) became a new stage in the development of submachine guns in the USSR. The Finns were armed in relatively small quantities with a very successful Suomi M / 31 submachine gun designed by A. Lahti.
Automation PPD works according to the scheme with a free shutter. The trigger mechanism allows firing bursts and single shots from an open bolt. Switching between fire modes was carried out using the rotary flag of the fire mode translator, located in front of the trigger guard on the right. The barrel is closed with a round steel casing, a wooden stock. On samples of 1934 and 1934/38. the stock is one-piece, for the 1940 model it is split. Cartridges are fed from box-shaped curved magazines with a double-row arrangement of cartridges or drum magazines with a capacity of 71 cartridges. Drum magazines for PPD-34 and PPD-34/38 had a protruding neck, with which the magazines were inserted into the receiver. Degtyarev submachine guns had a sector sight, which allowed them to fire at a distance of up to 500 meters. There was a manual safety on the cocking handle that blocked the bolt in the forward or rear position.

Main characteristics of PPD-34/38

Caliber: 7.62×25
Weapon length: 777 mm
Barrel length: 273 mm
Weight without cartridges: 3.75 kg.

Magazine capacity: 25 or 71

After convincing evidence of the advantages of a submachine gun in hostilities obtained in the war with the Finns, the task to develop a new weapon at the beginning of 1940 was received by the student V.A. Degtyareva - G.S. Shpagin.
Georgy Semenovich Shpagin (1897-1952) was born in the village of Klyushnikovo (Vladimir region). In 1916 he joined the army, where he ended up in a weapons workshop. After the First World War, he was a gunsmith in one of the rifle regiments of the Red Army, and in 1920, after demobilization, he went to work as a mechanic at the Kovrov Arms and Machine Gun Plant, where V.G. Fedorov and V.A. Degtyarev.
PPD-40, used at that time, was produced according to the "classic" technology with large amounts of machining of parts. The goal of Shpagin's activity was the maximum simplification of Degtyarev's design and reduction in the cost of production, and the main idea was the creation of a stamp-welding machine.
Shpagin's weapon aroused surprise among experts with its design. The oblique cut of the casing simultaneously served as a muzzle brake, which reduces recoil, and as a compensator, which prevents the weapon from being thrown up during firing. This improved the stability of the weapon when firing, and increased the accuracy and accuracy of fire. The weapon allowed both continuous fire and single shots. In addition, it turned out that in the production of the labor intensity of the Shpagin submachine gun is significantly - almost twice - lower than that of the PPD. By a decree of the Soviet government of December 21, 1940, the “Shpagin submachine gun of the 1941 model of the year (PPSh-41)” was put into service.

Already at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, it turned out that the firing range so demanded by the military did not matter at a high density of artillery and mortar fire. An automatic weapon would have become an ideal weapon in such a situation, but at the end of 1941 there were no more than 250 of them in the Reserve of the High Command. Therefore, already in October 1941, the production of parts for PPSh was launched at the State Bearing Plant, the Moscow Tool Plant, the S. Ordzhonikidze Machine-Tool Plant, and at 11 other small enterprises of local industry management. The assembly was carried out at the Moscow Automobile Plant. During 1941 alone, 98,644 submachine guns were produced, among which the lion's share - 92,776 pieces - accounted for PPSh, and already in 1942, the production volumes of submachine guns amounted to 1,499,269 pieces. In total, during the war, about 6 million pieces of PPSh-41 were produced.

Initially, the PPSh was developed for a disk magazine from the PPD-40, however, such magazines were expensive to manufacture and difficult to use, therefore, in 1942, carob (box) magazines for 35 rounds were developed.

Early versions of the PPSh allowed firing both bursts and single shots, but later the fire mode translator was removed, leaving only automatic firing.

PPSh was an exceptionally reliable design. The barrel is chrome-plated for corrosion protection. Shooting from it was possible even at very low temperatures, since a mercury primer was used in Soviet cartridges.

Tactical and technical characteristics of PPSh-41

Cartridge 7.62 × 25 mm TT
Magazine capacity 71 (disc magazine) or 35 (horn magazine) rounds
Weight without cartridges 3.63 kg
Length 843 mm
Barrel length 269 mm
Rate of fire 900 rpm
Effective range 200 m

The PPS submachine gun was developed by the Soviet weapons designer Alexei Ivanovich Sudayev in 1942, in Leningrad besieged by German troops, and was produced at the Sestroretsk Arms Plant to supply the troops of the Leningrad Front. During the design of this weapon, the Red Army was armed with the famous PPSh-41, which proved to be effective in combat and technologically advanced in production. But the PPSh had not only advantages, but also disadvantages, such as large dimensions and weight, which greatly hampered the use of these weapons in narrow trenches and cramped spaces in urban battles, as well as by scouts, paratroopers, crews of tanks and combat vehicles. As a result, in 1942 a competition was announced for a lighter, more compact and cheaper submachine gun to manufacture, but not inferior in performance to the Shpagin submachine gun. Such famous designers as V.A. Degtyarev, G.S. Shpagin, N.V. Rukavishnikov, S.A. Korovin. The victory was won by the weapons of Alexander Ivanovich Sudayev.
Automation PPS works according to the scheme with a free shutter. For firing, cartridges 7.62 × 25 TT are used. Shooting is carried out from an open shutter. The trigger mechanism allows firing only in automatic mode - in bursts. The fuse is located in front of the trigger guard and, when turned on, blocks the trigger rod and raises the bar with cutouts that block the cocking handle, rigidly connected to the bolt, both in the lowered and in the cocked position. The fuse is moved to the front firing position by pressing the index finger before placing it on the trigger. In some modifications, if it is necessary to block the cocked bolt, the cocking handle can be inserted into an additional transverse groove on the receiver. In this position, the cocked bolt cannot break off spontaneously even when the weapon falls. The receiver and barrel shroud are a single piece and were produced by stamping.
PPS-43 is often called the best submachine gun of the Second World War, given the excellent ratio of its combat and service qualities with manufacturability and low cost of mass production. From the beginning to the end of the production of Sudaev PPS-42 and PPS-43 submachine guns, about 500,000 units of these weapons were produced. The PPS was decommissioned by the Soviet Army after the end of the war, in the early 1950s, and gradually replaced by the Kalashnikov assault rifle in the troops. However, the PPS remained in service with the rear and auxiliary units, railway troops and parts of the internal troops for some time, and the PPS was in service with individual units of the paramilitary guards until the end of the 1980s. In addition, Sudayev submachine guns were supplied after the war to friendly states of the USSR, including the developing countries of Eastern Europe, Africa, China, and North Korea.

Main characteristics

Caliber: 7.62×25
Weapon length: 820/615 mm
Barrel length: 255 mm
Weight without cartridges: 3 kg.

On February 15, 1940, Degtyarev presented a modernized version of his submachine gun, designed with the participation of the designers of the Kovrov plant P.E. Ivanova, S.N. Kalygina, E.K. Aleksandrovich, N.N. Lopukhovsky and V.A. Vvedensky. The new weapon had a split stock in two parts, located before and after the store. These parts were equipped with metal guide stops intended for attaching the magazine, which made it possible to use a drum magazine without a protruding neck. The capacity of such a store was reduced to 71 rounds. However, the reliability of feeding cartridges has increased significantly. The use of sector box magazines, also called "horns", in the new submachine gun in the 1934 model submachine gun became impossible. They returned to the box-shaped "horns" only during the Second World War, thanks to the combat experience of operating the PPSh-41 troops, which showed the excess capacity of the drum magazine and its too large mass. A new version of the Degtyarev submachine gun was approved by the Defense Committee under the Council of People's Commissars in production on February 21, 1940 and adopted as the "Degtyarev system submachine gun of the 1940 model" - PPD-40. Production of PPD-40 began in March of the same year.
In total, 81118 PPD-40 submachine guns were produced for the entire 1940 year. As a result, the 1940 model is the most massive in terms of the number of copies produced. In addition, the armed forces received a fairly significant amount of PPD. The PPD-40 submachine gun was used at the very beginning of the war, but this type of weapon was still greatly lacking in the troops, and compared to the enemy, the Red Army was significantly inferior to the Wehrmacht in terms of the number of submachine guns available. Already at the end of 1941, the PPD-40 was replaced by a much more technologically advanced and cheaper to manufacture, more reliable Shpagin PPSh-41 submachine gun, designed in 1940. The huge advantage of the PPSh-41 was that this weapon was originally developed with mass production in mind at any industrial enterprise with low-power press equipment. This circumstance proved to be extremely important during the war years.
But at first, while the production of PPSh-41 had not yet acquired the proper scale, in the initial period of the war, the production of PPD-40 was temporarily restored at the Sestroretsk Tool Plant named after S.P. Voskov in Leningrad. Since December 1941, PPD-40 began to be manufactured at the plant. A.A. Kulakov. At the Kovrov plant, about 5,000 PPD-40 submachine guns were assembled from the available parts. In total, for 1941-1942. in Leningrad, 42870 PPD-40s were produced, which entered service with the troops of the Leningrad and Karelian fronts. Many PPD-40s of Leningrad production, instead of a sector sight, were equipped with a simplified folding, as well as a simplified configuration fuse. Later, using the same production facilities, the production of a much more technologically advanced Sudayev submachine gun was carried out. PPD-40 fire was recognized as effective up to 300 m when firing single shots, up to 200 - when firing in short bursts and up to 100 - in a continuous burst. The lethal force of the bullet was maintained at distances up to 800 m. The main type of fire was fire in short bursts. At distances of less than 100 m, continuous fire was allowed at a critical moment, however, in order to avoid overheating, no more than 4 stores in a row.

Main characteristics

Caliber: 7.62×25
Weapon length: 788 mm
Barrel length: 267 mm
Weight without cartridges: 3.6 kg.
Rate of fire: 800 rds / min
Magazine capacity: 71 rounds

The Korovin submachine gun was developed by 1941 by the Soviet small arms designer Sergei Aleksandrovich Korovin at the Tula Arms Plant. This weapon, created by the designer on the basis of his earlier samples of the 1930s, was produced at TOZ during 1941 in limited series. The main advantage of the Korovin submachine gun of the 1941 model is the exceptional technological simplicity of production. With the exception of the barrel and bolt, almost all the main parts of the weapon were made by stamping and welding. In wartime conditions, this made it possible to manufacture Korovin submachine guns at any machine-building enterprise that had press and stamping equipment.
For the first time, a submachine gun in the USSR was created by F.V. Tokarev in 1927 under a 7.62-mm cartridge for a Nagant revolver. Two years later, V.A. proposed his design. Degtyarev. In 1930, S.A. created his prototype submachine gun. Korovin in Tula. The first Korovin submachine gun had an automatic blowback and a hammer-type percussion mechanism, which made it possible to fire single shots and bursts. For firing, pistol cartridges 7.62 × 25 TT were used, equipped with a box magazine with a capacity of 30 rounds, which also served as a holding handle. During the tests of 1930, in which the Degtyarev and Korovin systems took part, the Tokarev sample turned out to be the best of the domestic submachine guns created at that time, but it was not accepted for service due to delays in firing.
These delays were caused by sticking the front of the cartridge into the breech section of the barrel, as well as jamming the edges of the cartridges in the magazine, but after completion, in 1934, the Degtyarev sample was adopted under the designation PPD-34, although it had a number of shortcomings. The design of submachine guns continued, including by Korovin in the 1930s. It was thanks to these works that at the beginning of the war Korovin created such a successful submachine gun, distinguished by its manufacturability, simplicity, low weight and the presence of the main advantages of such a model as the famous PPS-43, which became more successful in view of its adoption by the Red Army.
The automation of the Korovin submachine gun of the 1941 model works on the basis of a scheme using recoil energy with a blowback. The trigger mechanism allows firing only in automatic mode - in bursts, from an open shutter. The striker is placed motionless in the shutter mirror. As a fuse, a cutout in the back of the receiver groove is used, into which the cocking handle is placed. The trigger travel is 4 mm and the trigger pull is 2.9 kg. Most parts of the weapon, including the receiver, are stamped from sheet steel. The extraction and reflection of the spent cartridge case are carried out by a spring-loaded ejector located in the gate and a reflector located at the bottom of the table box.
Cartridges are fed from a double-row box magazine with a capacity of 30 rounds. The weapon has simple sights, consisting of a flip rear sight, designed for 100 and 200 m, and a horizontally adjustable front sight, protected by a closed muzzle. The Korovin submachine gun has a low rate of fire, due to which it has both a low consumption of cartridges and good accuracy of fire. Butt folding, made of stamped steel, folding down. The metal pistol grip fire control has wooden cheeks. The magazine serves as an additional handle for holding the weapon.
The submachine gun of the Korovin system was supplied to the militia units formed in Tula in the same year in order to fill the shortage of Red Army personnel and protect the city from the advancing German troops. In October 1941, in Tula, in addition to the 156th NKVD regiment guarding defense plants, the fighter battalions of workers and employees, most of which were evacuated with enterprises, the 732nd anti-aircraft artillery regiment, which covered the city from an enemy air raid, as well as between There were practically no military units at that time in Orel and Tula. From the beginning of the war in the Tula region, the formation of fighter battalions, militia units and combat workers' squads took place. On October 23, 1941, the city defense committee decided to form the Tula workers' regiment of 1,500 people.
The Tula Workers Regiment was the only unit that received submachine guns designed by S.A. Korovin. The Tula Workers' Regiment took its first battle at 7:30 on October 30, 1941, defending the Rogozhinsky settlement. At the same time, the first combat use of Korovin submachine guns took place. On the same day, the last, fourth attack of the enemy, supported by almost 90 tanks, began at 4 pm, but met with powerful fire from anti-aircraft artillery, armored train No. 16 and all weapons, the tanks turned back. Defensive battles on October 30 played an important role in the defense of Tula, 31 German tanks and an enemy infantry battalion were destroyed. The most precious thing was won - the time required for the approach and deployment of the regular units of the 50th Army. Korovin submachine guns were successfully used by the Tula militia soldiers until their units were included in the regular Red Army. After that, Korovin's submachine guns were replaced with regular small arms for the Red Army. Only a few copies of Korovin's submachine guns have survived.

Main characteristics

Caliber: 7.62×25 TT
Weapon length: 913/682 mm
Barrel length: 270 mm
Weapon height: 160 mm
Weapon Width: 60mm
Weight without cartridges: 3.5 kg.

Muzzle velocity: 480 m/s
Magazine capacity: 35 rounds

MP-18 - German submachine gun, the end of the First World War. The MP-18/1 submachine gun (Maschinenpistole18/1) was originally designed to equip special assault squads and police. It was patented in December 1917 by the designer Hugo Schmeiser, who was financially supported in the development of his new submachine gun by Theodor Bergmann.
Story
After the adoption of the submachine gun into service with Germany in 1918, mass production of the MP-18 / 1 was launched at the Waffenfabrik Theodor Bergmann plant. MP-18/1 were armed with special assault squads, each squad consisted of two people. One of them was armed with an MP-18/1, the second was armed with a Mauser 98 rifle and carried a supply of ammunition. The total ammunition of such a compartment was 2500 rounds of 9 × 19 mm Parabellum.
After the defeat of Germany in the First World War, under the terms of the Versailles Treaty of November 11, 1918, the production of certain types of weapons in Germany was prohibited. The MP-18 / 1 was also included in this list, but it was produced until 1920 as a weapon for the police, the production of which was not so significant restrictions.
After 1920, the production of MP-18 / 1 under license continued in Switzerland, at the Swiss Industrial Company (SIG) plant in Newhausen.

Design

The automation of the MP-18/1 works due to the free shutter. The bore when fired is locked by a spring-loaded bolt. The barrel is completely covered with a round steel casing with ventilation holes. The trigger mechanism of the striker type allows only automatic fire. There is no fuse as a separate Soldier with the MP-18, but the cocking handle is wound into a slot in the receiver, where it is fixed, leaving the bolt in the open position. The magazine receiver is located on the left side.
Cartridges were fed either from direct box magazines for 20 rounds, or from a disk magazine of the Leer system for 32 rounds from an artillery model of the Luger-Parabellum R08 pistol. A drum-type magazine of the TM-08 sample of the Bloom system for 32 rounds was used, which is attached to the left in a long neck. The idea of ​​this store in an improved form was used in stores for Thompson submachine guns, PPD-34/40, PPSh-41 and Suomi M / 31. The sight is open, adjustable. Adjustment of the aiming range of fire is carried out by flipping entirely at 100 or 200 meters. The stock and butt of the MP-18/1 machine gun are wooden, rifle type.

Designed, year: 1917
Weight, kg: 4.18 (without magazine); 5.26 (equipped)
Length, mm: 815
Barrel length, mm: 200
Principles of operation: free shutter
Muzzle velocity, m/s: 380
Caliber, mm: 9
Cartridge: 9×19 mm Parabellum
Sighting range, m: 200
Type of ammunition: disk magazine "snail" for 32
or 20-round straight box magazine
Rate of fire, shots / min: 450-500

Submachine gun Schmeisser MP.28

The Schmeisser MP.28 submachine gun manufactured by C.G. Haenel, is an improved version of the MP.18 designed by Louis Schmeiser. Automation works according to the scheme with a free shutter. The trigger mechanism allows firing bursts and single shots from an open bolt. A cylindrical receiver with a perforated barrel shroud is attached to a wooden stock with a swivel joint. The cocking handle is located on the right side of the weapon. The safety is the same handle, which can be placed in the L-shaped cutout of the receiver when the bolt is in the rear position. The fire mode translator, which is a horizontally moving button, is located above the trigger. Cartridges are fed from box magazines with a two-row arrangement of cartridges. The store is attached to the weapon on the left, horizontally. The rifle-type sector sight allows for aimed shooting at a distance of 100 to 1000 meters. Unlike the prototype, the MP.28 did not become the standard weapon of the German army, but was made mainly for export. For example, the Schmeisser MP.28 was adopted by the Belgian army under the name Mitrailette Modele 1934, and was also exported to Spain, China, South America and some African countries.

Main characteristics

Caliber: 9mm Parabellum, 9mm Bergmann-Bayard, 9mm Mauser Export, .45 ACP, 7.65mm Parabellum, 7.6325 Mauser
Weapon length: 810 mm
Barrel length: 200 mm
Weight without cartridges: 4.1 kg.

The Bergmann MP-35 submachine gun, also abbreviated B.M.P. (from Bergmann Maschinen Pistole), designed by Emil Bergmann, the first working example of which was made in 1932. The first sample received the designation B.M.P. 32. Its production was established by the Danish company Shulz & Larsen under the acquired license under the designation MP-32. The MP-32 submachine gun used the 9mm Bergmann-Bayard cartridge, and the weapon itself was supplied to the Danish armed forces. The improvement of Bergmann's design did not stop there, soon a new model was ready, which received the designation Bergmann MP-34 (B.M.P. 34), which appeared in 1934. The MP-34 was produced in several versions, with a barrel length of 200 and 308 mm. However, Bergmann did not have a production base sufficient for large-scale production, as a result of which the production was arranged by order at the famous German arms company Walther. In 1935, the next version was ready, more adapted for mass production in large volumes due to the simplification of the design, which received the designation MP-35.
Automation works according to the scheme with a free shutter. The trigger mechanism allows firing bursts and single shots from an open bolt. The fire mode is changed by the long stroke of the trigger. If the shooter squeezes the trigger all the way, the weapon fires a burst, an incomplete pull is a single fire. The receiver and the perforated barrel casing with a compensator in the front part are made cylindrical. The cocking handle, which remains stationary during firing, is located in the rear of the receiver. This detail on the device and work is significantly different from other samples of this type of weapon. To cock the bolt, the handle is turned up at an angle of 90 °, then pulled back, after which it is returned to its original position. That is, the cocking handle here works like a rotary bolt rifle. The fuse is located on the left side of the receiver, under the whole, it is made in the form of a slider moving along the axis of the weapon. Cartridges are fed from box magazines with a two-row arrangement of cartridges. The store joins the weapon to the right, horizontally. The sector sight of this submachine gun allows you to conduct aimed shooting at a distance of 100 to 500 meters.
This weapon, like the previous model, was produced by Walther. There from 1935 to 1940. produced about 5,000 copies of this weapon. Most of the Bergmann MP-35s were exported. So in Switzerland it was adopted under the designation Ksp m / 39, which used the standard cartridge of the Swiss army - 9mm Parabellum. With the outbreak of World War II, Walther's production facilities were busy fulfilling more important orders, as a result of which the MP-35 was contracted to Junker & Ruh, where about 40,000 copies were produced before the end of the war. Most of the Bergmann MP-35 produced by Junker & Ruh went to the SS troops and the police.

Main characteristics

9x23 (9mm Bergmann-Bayard), 7.63x25 Mauser, 9x25 (9mm Mauser Export), .45 ACP
Weapon length: 810 mm
Barrel length: 200 mm
Weight without cartridges: 4.1 kg.
Rate of fire: 600 rds / min
Magazine capacity: 20 or 32 rounds

The Erma EMP 35 submachine gun was developed by German gunsmith Heinrich Volmer, who has been designing submachine guns since 1925. In 1930, Vollmer developed an improved version of his system, which he continuously refined, making various changes. The 1930 model is equipped with a patented return mechanism system, in which the return spring was housed in a telescopic casing. Automation works according to the scheme with a free shutter. The trigger mechanism allows firing bursts and single shots from an open bolt. The cocking handle is located on the right side of the weapon, it also serves as a fuse when placed in the groove of the receiver when the bolt is in the rear position. Various options were equipped with a separate manual fuse, located on the right side of the receiver, in front of the whole. Fire mode translator, located on the right side, above the trigger. The receiver and the perforated barrel casing are made cylindrical, the stock was made of wood in two versions - with a front handle, or without a handle with a rifle-type stock. The return spring is housed in its own telescopic casing. Cartridges are fed from box magazines with a two-row arrangement of cartridges. The store is attached to the weapon on the left, horizontally. Sights consist of a front sight and either a sector or flip rear sight. However, Volmer himself did not have sufficient financial resources for the large-scale production of his weapons, as a result of which he sold the rights to manufacture a submachine gun of his design to the Erfurter Maschinenfabrik company, marketed under the Erma trademark. After that, the serial production of Volmer's weapons began in various versions, with different barrel lengths, different designs of fuses and sights, as well as in different calibers. This weapon was designated EMP (Erma Maschinen Pistole). Its main consumers were the SS troops, and the German police, in addition, EMP submachine guns were exported to France, Spain and the countries of South America.

Main characteristics

Caliber: 9x19 (9mm Parabellum), 9x23 (9mm Bergmann-Bayard), 7.63x25 Mauser, 7.65x22 (7.65mm Parabellum)
Weapon length: 900 or 550 mm
Barrel length: 250 or 310 mm
Weight without cartridges: 4.4 kg.
Rate of fire: 520 rds / min
Magazine capacity: 32 rounds

The MP.38 submachine gun was designed by the German weapons designer Volmer, who worked for Erma, by order of the German armed forces. The MP.38 was adopted by the Wehrmacht in 1938. Often this weapon is called "Schmeiser", which is absolutely not true. Volmer created his submachine gun based on the design of the prototype MP-36, which, in turn, used many components and mechanisms borrowed from Heinrich Volmer's Erma EMP 35. Initially, the main purpose of the MP.38 was to equip combat vehicle crews and paratroopers with a compact and light submachine gun. But later Volmer's weapons began to be supplied to the infantry units of the Wehrmacht and the Waffen SS. For firing, 9mm Parabellum cartridges were used, both standard pistol and with an increased powder charge.
Automation works according to the scheme with a free shutter. The trigger mechanism allows firing only in bursts, from an open bolt. However, single shots could be fired by more or less experienced shooters with a short press and a quick release of the trigger. To reduce the rate of fire, a pneumatic recoil buffer was introduced into the design. A design feature is a cylindrical reciprocating mainspring located in a telescopic casing. The cocking handle is located on the left side of the weapon. Protection of the weapon from accidental shots is carried out by inserting the loading handle into the cutout of the receiver when the bolt is in the rear position. Late production MP.38 submachine guns and most MP.40s were equipped with a retractable cocking handle, with which you could lock the bolt in the forward position. The receiver is cylindrical in shape, the barrel has a lower protrusion in the muzzle for fixing weapons in the embrasures of combat vehicles. Cartridges are fed from double-row straight box magazines with cartridges exiting in one row. The metal stock is folding, folding down in the stowed position. Sights consist of a front sight protected by a namushnik and a flip rear sight, which allows aimed shooting at 100 and 200 meters. Although in practice, shooting was carried out, as a rule, no more than 50 - 70 meters. To reduce the cost of production, plastic was first used to make the handguard and aluminum for the pistol grip body.
In practice, the MP.38 submachine gun, although it demonstrated high combat qualities in combination with ease of transportation and small size, was too expensive for mass production in wartime conditions, since many parts were made on milling equipment during manufacture. As a result, in 1940, the MP.38 was upgraded to reduce production costs, which was achieved by replacing milling with steel sheet stamping. In April 1940, Erma launched a new weapon under the designation MP.40 and by order of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, it was adopted as a personal weapon for vehicle drivers, infantry, cavalry, staff officers, tankers, signalmen and some other categories.
The advantages are the low rate of fire, due to which good controllability of the submachine gun was achieved during firing both single shots and bursts, the weapon was quite light, had small dimensions, as a result of which it was convenient to manipulate it during indoor combat, which was very relevant for the urban battles of World War II. But there were also significant drawbacks, such as the unsuccessful placement of the cocking handle on the left side of the weapon, which, when worn on a belt on the chest, significantly hit the owner in the ribs, there was no barrel cover, which led to burns of the hands and intense shooting. One of the main drawbacks of the MP.38 and MP.40 was the two-row magazine with the rearrangement of the cartridges at the exit into one row. To equip them with cartridges, it was necessary to use a special device, since the effort when manually sending cartridges to the store was excessive. In conditions of long-term lack of care for weapons and ingress of dirt or sand into the hull, the magazines worked extremely unreliably, causing frequent delays in firing. Instead of 32 rounds, the store was equipped with 27 rounds to prevent the feeder spring from settling, which was revealed during the operation of the weapon.

Main characteristics

Caliber: 9×19 (9mm Parabellum)
Weapon length: 833/630 mm
Barrel length: 251 mm
Weight without cartridges: 4.2 kg.
Rate of fire: 500 rds/min
Magazine capacity: 32 rounds

The MP.38 submachine gun, although it demonstrated high combat qualities combined with ease of transportation and small size, was too expensive for mass production in wartime conditions, since many parts were made on milling equipment in the manufacture. As a result, in 1940, the MP.38 was upgraded to reduce production costs, which was achieved by replacing milling with steel sheet stamping. In April 1940, Erma launched a new weapon under the designation MP.40 and by order of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, it was adopted as a personal weapon for vehicle drivers, infantry, cavalry, staff officers, tankers, signalmen and some other categories. In the production of the MP.40, stamping and welding, spot welding, drawing were widely used, and in addition, they switched to lower quality steel. In 1940, the Austrian firm Steyr-Daimler-Puch was involved in the production of the MP.40 with excellent technological equipment and well-trained workers, and in 1941 production was also launched by C.G. haenel.
Automation works according to the scheme with a free shutter. The trigger mechanism allows firing only in bursts, from an open bolt. However, single shots could be fired by more or less experienced shooters with a short press and a quick release of the trigger. To reduce the rate of fire, a pneumatic recoil buffer was introduced into the design. A design feature is a cylindrical reciprocating mainspring located in a telescopic casing. The cocking handle is located on the left side of the weapon. Protection of the weapon from accidental shots is carried out by inserting the loading handle into the cutout of the receiver when the bolt is in the rear position. Late production MP.38 submachine guns and most MP.40s were equipped with a retractable cocking handle, with which you could lock the bolt in the forward position. The receiver is cylindrical in shape, the barrel has a lower protrusion in the muzzle for fixing weapons in the embrasures of combat vehicles.
Cartridges are fed from double-row straight box magazines with cartridges exiting in one row. However, during the war, in order to speed up reloading and increase firepower, two variants of the standard MP.40 were designed and produced in small volumes, equipped with a double magazine receiver with the possibility of transverse displacement. The shifting receiver for two magazines made it possible to quickly put the equipped magazine in place of the empty one. These variants, which received the designations MP.40-I and MP.40-II, were produced by the Austrian company Steyr, due to the identified design flaws, which gave frequent delays in difficult operating conditions, they did not receive further distribution. The metal stock is folding, folding down in the stowed position. Sights consist of a front sight protected by a namushnik and a flip rear sight, which allows aimed shooting at 100 and 200 meters. Although in practice, shooting was carried out, as a rule, no more than 50 - 70 meters. To reduce the cost of production, plastic was first used to make the handguard and aluminum for the pistol grip body.
The set of each MP.40 included six stores and a lever device for their equipment. The large losses of the armed forces in submachine guns during the fighting forced them to switch to even more simplified production technologies and even cheaper materials. So in the autumn of 1943, Steyr began production of a simplified version of the MP.40 with a slightly modified design, which subsequently began to receive many complaints due to low reliability. The reasons for the complaints were corrected, and the cost of production of submachine guns decreased significantly, although the service life of the weapon also decreased. From the beginning of production until the end of World War II, about 1,200,000 copies of the MP.40 were made. After the war, these submachine guns were no longer in service in Germany, but were used for a long time in the armed forces of Norway and Austria. The design and manufacturing techniques of the MP.38 and MP.40 influenced the design of Soviet, American, Italian and Spanish designs such as the PPS-43, M3, Beretta Modello 1938/49 and Star Z-45.
The advantages are the low rate of fire, due to which good controllability of the submachine gun was achieved during firing both single shots and bursts, the weapon was quite light, had small dimensions, as a result of which it was convenient to manipulate it during indoor combat, which was very relevant for the urban battles of World War II. But there were also significant drawbacks, such as the unsuccessful placement of the cocking handle on the left side of the weapon, which, when worn on a belt on the chest, significantly hit the owner in the ribs, there was no barrel cover, which led to burns of the hands and intense shooting. One of the main shortcomings of the MP.40 was its two-row magazine with the rearrangement of cartridges at the exit in one row. To equip them with cartridges, it was necessary to use a special device, since the effort when manually sending cartridges to the store was excessive. In conditions of long-term lack of care for weapons and ingress of dirt or sand into the hull, the magazines worked extremely unreliably, causing frequent delays in firing. Instead of 32 rounds, the store was equipped with 27 rounds to prevent the feeder spring from settling, which was revealed during the operation of the weapon.

Main characteristics

Caliber: 9×19 (9mm Parabellum)
Weapon length: 833/630 mm
Barrel length: 251 mm
Weight without cartridges: 4 kg.
Rate of fire: 500 rds/min
Magazine capacity: 32 rounds

The Schmeisser MP.41 submachine gun, as the name of the weapon implies, was designed by Louis Schmeisser, the author of the MP.18 and MP.28 submachine guns, in order to create the most suitable model for infantry based on the generally well-proven MP.40. Schmeiser did not make any significant changes, but simply provided the MP.40 with a firing mechanism and a wooden stock of his own design. Unlike the MP.40, the MP.41 submachine gun can fire single shots, not just bursts. Automation works according to the scheme with a free shutter. Cylindrical returnable mainspring is housed in its own casing. The trigger mechanism allows firing bursts and single shots from an open bolt. The fire mode translator is a transversely moving button located above the trigger. The cocking handle is located on the left side of the weapon. Protection against accidental firing is carried out by inserting the cocking handle into a special shaped groove in the receiver when the bolt is in the rear position. The barrel is not equipped with an emphasis for firing from the embrasures of combat vehicles. Cartridges are fed from box magazines with a two-row arrangement of cartridges with their rearrangement at the exit in one row. The weapon has a wooden stock instead of a metal folding stock. The flip rear sight allows for aimed shooting at 100 and 200 meters. Serial production of the MP.41 was established by C.G. haenel. However, soon the company Erma, which produced the MP.40, with the help of a patent infringement lawsuit, achieved the termination of production of the MP.41. In total, about 26,000 copies of these weapons were produced, which went mainly to the Waffen SS and the police.

Main characteristics

Caliber: 9×19 (9mm Parabellum)
Weapon length: 860 mm
Barrel length: 251 mm
Weight without cartridges: 3.9 kg.
Rate of fire: 500 rds/min
Magazine capacity: 32 rounds

John Thompson with a submachine gun of his own design

John Toliver Thompson (John T. Thompson) acquired the patent of the American John Blish (John Blish) for the design of slowing down the recoil of the shutter by friction, which he then applied in his weapon. In 1916, John Thompson, together with Thomas Ryan, who provided funding for the project, founded the Auto-Ordnance company, the purpose of which was to develop an automatic rifle based on the patent they had acquired, issued to John Blish in 1915, for a semi-free shutter of the original design. Thompson and Ryan hired engineer Theodore H. Eickhoff, Oscar V. Payne, and George E. Goll to directly design the new weapon.
During the design work of 1917, it became clear that the Blish bolt, acting due to the friction force of the bronze liner moving inside its core, does not fully lock the bore for the duration of the shot, as provided for by the patent. The liner only slowed down the retreat of the bolt to the extreme rear position, which significantly limited the power range of cartridges that could be used in weapons. This meant the abandonment of the original project of an automatic rifle, since the only cartridge that worked normally with a Blish bolt from those accepted for service in the United States was a pistol cartridge unsuitable for this type of weapon in terms of ballistic qualities. 45 ACP for the Colt M1911 pistol.
As a result, it was decided to design a small-sized light machine gun chambered for a pistol cartridge for close range combat, as well as storming trenches and other fortifications, which was very important in the First World War. John Thompson gave this weapon the name "submachine-gun", which literally means "submachine gun" or "lighter version of the machine gun". This term has taken root in American English and is still used to refer to a manual automatic weapon chambered for a pistol cartridge, which in Russian terminology is called a submachine gun. The current prototype was made in 1918. The weapon was given the commercial designation "Annihilator I" (Eng. "Destroyer").
Technically, the Thompson submachine gun operates using a semi-free-breech mechanism. To slow down the movement back when fired, friction is used between the H-shaped liner of the bolt and the bevel on the inner walls of the receiver. This system was developed in 1915 by US Navy officer John B. Blish. According to the manufacturer, this insert held the bolt in the forward position at the initial moment of the shot, with a high pressure of powder gases in the barrel, and after the pressure dropped in the channel, it rose up, due to which the bolt was unlocked. However, a number of experts claim that this retarder insert in this system either did not fulfill its function at all, or had only a slight effect on the operation of automation.
In the later models of the Thompson submachine gun, created already during the Second World War and put into service under the designations M1 and M1A1, this insert is missing and this did not affect the performance of the weapon's automation. In addition, if the insert was placed incorrectly during the assembly of the weapon, then the submachine gun did not work at all. The trigger mechanism is assembled in the trigger frame, allows you to shoot both single shots and bursts. The early models of the Thompsons had a rather complex trigger mechanism in design and manufacture, in which there was a small trigger in the form of a triangular lever inside the bolt, which strikes the striker with the striker at the moment the bolt group arrives in the extreme forward position when interacting with a special protrusion of the receiver. In this case, the fire was fired from an open shutter. The Thompson M1A1 submachine gun instead of a complex mechanism received a simple fixed striker in the shutter mirror. Shooting from M1A1 is also carried out from an open shutter.
The cocking handle is located on the top cover of the receiver. For models M1 and M1A1, the cocking handle is located on the right side of the receiver. The fire mode translator and manual fuse are made in the form of separate levers and are located on the left side of the receiver. Sights consist of a non-adjustable front sight and an adjustable rear sight, including a fixed rear sight with a V-shaped slot and a folding up adjustable diopter rear sight. Model M1A1 received a simple and cheap to manufacture non-adjustable diopter rear sight. Thompson submachine guns could be used with magazines of different capacities. These were both box and drum magazines. Double-row box magazines had a capacity of 20 or 30 rounds and were attached to the weapon with a kind of rail-shaped protrusion on the back of the magazine, with which they were inserted inside the T-shaped cutout in the trigger guard. Drum magazines held 50 or 100 rounds and were attached to the submachine gun in the cutout of the receiver using transverse grooves. Only box magazines could be attached to the M1 and M1A1 models.
In 1940-1944 1387134 Thompson submachine guns of all models were produced: 562511 pcs. - M1928A1; 285480 pcs. - M1; 539143 pcs. - M1A1. Of these, Auto-Ordnance Cogr. made 847,991 Thompsons, and Savage Arms Corr. - 539143. But the simplified models M1 and M1A1, despite all the simplifications of design and production, remained too expensive and not technologically advanced for military weapons, especially in wartime conditions. In addition, the M1 and M1A1 had the same main drawbacks as the previous models - an excessive total mass, as well as a short effective range, along with a significantly sloping bullet trajectory. As a result, Thompson submachine guns never became the mainstay of automatic weapons in the US Army, where submachine guns such as the M3, M3A1, Reising M50 and Reising M55 were used with them.
During the Second World War, Thompsons were used not only by the Americans and their ally, Great Britain, a certain number of these submachine guns were supplied to the USSR under the Lend-Lease program, including as additional equipment for various military equipment, for example, tanks and aircraft . But, despite all its advantages, this weapon did not become very popular in the Red Army, the reason for which is excessive weight, especially with an equipped drum magazine, as well as the use of an American cartridge that was not in service. Ammunition sent from overseas was simply not enough. It is worth noting that the .45 ACP cartridge significantly outperforms the domestic 7.62x25 TT cartridge in terms of the stopping effect of a bullet, which is extremely important in close combat.
In terms of penetrating action, the American cartridge is of course inferior to the domestic one, but not at all as much as some myths describe. After the end of World War II, Thompson submachine guns remained in the US armed forces for a long time. Thompsons were used during both the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Thompson submachine guns were armed with some South Vietnamese army units and military police. Thompsons were used both by US Army units and by reconnaissance and sabotage groups. The FBI used the Thompsons until 1976, when these weapons were declared obsolete and removed from service. Tommy-gans remained in separate police departments until the 1980s. However, with its very advanced age and all its shortcomings, Thompson submachine guns continue to be used sporadically in various hot spots.
Thompson M1921 main features:

Caliber: 11.43×23 (.45 ACP)
Weapon length: 830 mm
Barrel length: 267 mm
Weight without cartridges: 4.7 kg.

Main characteristics of Thompson M1928A1:

Caliber: 11.43×23 (.45 ACP)
Weapon length: 852 mm
Barrel length: 267 mm
Weight without cartridges: 4.9 kg.
Rate of fire: 700 rds / min
Magazine capacity: 20, 30, 50 or 100 rounds

Key features of Thompson M1 and M1A1:

Caliber: 11.43×23 (.45 ACP)
Weapon length: 811 mm
Barrel length: 267 mm
Weight without cartridges: 4.8 kg.
Rate of fire: 700 rds / min
Magazine capacity: 20 or 30 rounds

The M3 submachine gun ("Grease gun") was designed by the design team of General Motors Corp, which included R. Stadler, F. Simson and D. Heide, to replace the difficult-to-manufacture and expensive Thompsons, having a much more technologically advanced and simple design . On December 12, 1942, the M3 submachine gun caliber .45 ACP was put into service under the name "United States Submachine Gun, Cal. .45, M3". Its upgraded version under the designation M3A1 began to be produced in December 1944. The M3 submachine gun in the army was nicknamed "Grease gun" - a grease gun, due to a significant external resemblance to a car grease gun, and also because of the constant need for lubrication to ensure the reliable operation of its components and mechanisms. The handle of the M3 submachine gun housed a small built-in oiler, closed with a screw cap at the bottom of the handle.
About 1,000 M3 submachine guns were produced in 9mm Parabellum. The 9mm version of the M3, designated "U.S. 9 mm S.M.G., equipped with a silencer developed by Bell Laboratories and supplied to the Office of Strategic Services in 1944. Conversion kits were produced to change the caliber from .45 ACP to 9mm Parabellum, they included a 9mm barrel, bolt, recoil spring and magazine receiver adapter. Stores were used from British STEN submachine guns. The M3 submachine gun was used in the infantry, tank units and reconnaissance units of the US Army. 15469 M3A1 assault rifles were produced before the end of World War II.
The automation of the M3 submachine gun works according to the scheme of using blowback recoil. The striker is placed motionless in the shutter mirror. Shooting is carried out from an open shutter. The body of the M3 submachine gun was made by stamping. The barrel was installed in a special clutch, which also served as the front cover of the receiver. The trigger mechanism is located at the bottom of the bolt box and allows only automatic fire. It consists of a trigger with a spring, a trigger rod and a trigger lever. The trigger is connected by a rod to the trigger lever.
The loading mechanism is located in a special box, which is attached from below to the bolt box using a trigger guard. It consists of a charging handle with a spring, a lever and a pusher. One of the most characteristic distinguishing features of the M3 is the cocking handle, cocked by turning back, in the likeness of the Maxim machine gun bolt handle. When the charging handle is pulled back, the lever rotates, and the pusher connected to the lever pulls the bolt back. This cocking system proved to be insufficiently reliable. It was abandoned in the M3A1 model, replacing the rotary cocking handle with a hole in the bolt. To cock the bolt, the shooter hooked his finger on this hole and pulled the bolt back. Also increased the size of the window for the ejection of shells.
A spring-loaded ejection window cover was used as a safety catch, locking the breech in the rear or forward position when it was closed. A reflector is welded to the front of the loading mechanism box. Sights consist of simple non-adjustable front sights and a diopter rear sight. The weapon is equipped with a retractable steel wire shoulder rest. This shoulder rest served several functions. The right rod of the stop, separated from the weapon, could be used as a ramrod, and in the back of the M3A1 shoulder rest there was a bracket to facilitate loading the magazine with cartridges. On later M3A1 submachine guns, a conical flash suppressor was installed.
Initially, it was planned that the M3 could be produced in sufficient quantities to replace the Thompson submachine gun and displace this weapon from front-line units. However, due to unforeseen production delays and the need to correct identified deficiencies, the M3 never replaced the Thompson submachine gun during World War II and Thompsons continued to be purchased until February 1944. A total of 622,163 M3/M3A1 submachine guns were assembled by the end of the war. By this time, more than 1.5 million Thompsons had been produced, exceeding production volumes of the M3 and M3A1 by a factor of about three to one. After the end of the Second World War, this weapon remained for quite a long time in the armed forces. They fought with M3 submachine guns in Korea and Vietnam. In the US tank forces, the M3 submachine gun remained until the early 1980s, and in the infantry until the 1960s. This weapon was also exported. Outside of the United States, the M3 submachine gun was produced unlicensed in China under the designation Type 36. It also served as the basis for the Argentinean P.A.M. submachine guns. 1 and P.A.M. 2.

Key features of the M3

Caliber: 11.43×23 (.45 ACP)
Weapon length: 757/579 mm
Barrel length: 203 mm
Weight without cartridges: 4.1 kg.

Main characteristics of M3A1

Caliber: 11.43×23 (.45 ACP), 9×19 (9mm Parabellum)
Weapon length: 757/579 mm
Barrel length: 203 mm
Weight without cartridges: 3.9 kg.
Rate of fire: 450 rds / min
Magazine capacity: 30 rounds

U.S. Marine cipher radio operators who fought in the Pacific theater of operations during World War II were armed with Reising M50 submachine guns in addition to other small arms

The Reising M50 submachine gun was designed and patented in 1940 by American designer Eugene Reising. Harrington & Richardson (H&R) began serial production of these weapons in 1941. In 1942, the US Marine Corps contracted with H&R for their new submachine guns. During the Second World War, the M50 submachine gun was in service with the US Navy, Coast Guard and Marine Corps. Rating M50 was supplied under Lend-Lease to Canada, the USSR, and other states. Reising submachine guns were produced until 1945. After the end of the war, the Reising M60 self-loading carbine for the police and the civilian arms market was developed and produced on its basis. A small-caliber version of this carbine was also produced under the designation M65, which used a 5.6 mm 22LR cartridge. Both had an elongated barrel. The Reising M55 submachine gun differed from the Model 50 in having a side-folding metal stock and the absence of a muzzle brake. The main purpose of the Reising M55 was to arm paratroopers and crews of combat vehicles. The Reising M55, in addition to the main drawbacks, had another one - a weak fixation of the butt in the unfolded position, which is why this weapon did not enjoy a good reputation among paratroopers.
The Reising M50 submachine gun operates on the basis of automation using a semi-free shutter. Shooting is carried out with a closed shutter. In the extreme forward position, the bolt protrusion enters with its protrusion, located in its rear upper part, into the groove of the receiver and warps upwards. During the shot, the shutter begins to move back under the action of the pressure of the powder gases on the bottom of the sleeve. Slowing down its withdrawal is carried out by friction between the protrusion and the surface of the groove of the receiver. When the back of the bolt comes out of the groove, the bolt moves freely to its rearmost position, removing the spent cartridge case with the help of an ejector and a reflector. After that, under the influence of a spring, the bolt sends the next cartridge from the magazine into the chamber and again locks the bore.
The cocking handle is located at the bottom of the forearm of the submachine gun, in front of the magazine receiver. When firing, this handle, which is not rigidly connected to the bolt, remains motionless. The trigger mechanism of the Reising M50 submachine gun is of the trigger type, allows firing with single shots and bursts. The translator-fuse is made in the form of a slider and is located on the right side of the receiver. It has the following provisions: extremely forward "FA" - fire in bursts; medium "SA" - shooting single; extremely rear "SAFE" - fuse. The Reising M50 has a muzzle compensator that reduces weapon toss when firing. The weapon is fed with cartridges from box magazines with a capacity of 20 or 12 rounds. Each submachine gun was supplied with six magazines. The sights of the Reising M50 submachine gun consist of a front sight and an adjustable diopter rear sight that allows for aimed fire at a distance of 50, 100, 200 and 300 yards.
For cleaning and inspection, the Reising submachine gun is disassembled in the following order: separate the magazine by pulling the latch back; separate the stock by unscrewing the connecting screw on the underside of the forearm with a screwdriver; unscrew the butt plate from the receiver; pull back the bolt carrier so that the transverse hole at the front end of the return spring guide rod becomes visible, and insert the end of the mainspring into this hole; separate the magazine receiver from the receiver by pushing out the two wedge-shaped studs holding it with blows on the drift; separate the bolt carrier with the return spring and its guide rod from the receiver; remove the trigger and bolt, for which, holding the weapon upside down over a soft bedding, pull the trigger, after which these parts themselves will fall down. The instructions strongly discouraged disassembling the weapon too often, as this accelerated the wear of its parts, as well as using excessive force during disassembly and confusing parts of different weapons with each other, since they were not interchangeable.
The adoption of the Reising M50 submachine gun was a consequence of the high cost and complexity of the production of Thompson submachine guns. The Reising M50 was more technologically advanced and cost $50 each, while the Thompson submachine gun cost $225. In addition, the Reising M50 was significantly lighter and more maneuverable than the Thompson. In order to find a more technologically advanced, simple in design and manufacture of a submachine gun in the United States, a competition was organized in which the Reising M50 demonstrated a number of advantages and was declared the winner. The high accuracy of Reising's shooting was due to the fact that he fired from a closed bolt, while most submachine guns of that time did not use a trigger trigger and fired from an open bolt. In systems where shooting is carried out from an open bolt, in comparison with those firing from a closed bolt, additional impulses occur when the bolt moves forward, which leads to some displacement of the weapon from the aiming line.
But the M50 submachine gun also had its drawbacks, which in particular include low firepower due to the use of magazines with a capacity of only 20 rounds. The Thompson M1 and M1A1 used not only compact magazines for 20 rounds, but also more spacious ones with a capacity of 30 rounds, not to mention the M1928 and M1928A1, which could be used with magazines for 50 and 100 rounds. The small capacity of the M50 magazine limited the ability to conduct effective automatic fire, which was necessary in close combat, especially in urban clashes. It is worth noting that this weapon was originally developed for the police, it was supposed to be used primarily as a light self-loading carbine with the ability to fire bursts. The Reising M50 submachine gun was used in the Pacific theater of operations during the war.

The main characteristics of the Reising M50:

Caliber: 11.43×23 (.45 ACP)
Weapon length: 880 mm
Barrel length: 275 mm
Weight without cartridges: 3 kg.

Main characteristics of Reising M55:

Caliber: 11.43×23 (.45 ACP)
Weapon length: 780/555 mm
Barrel length: 265 mm
Weight without cartridges: 2.8 kg.
Rate of fire: 500-550 rds / min
Magazine capacity: 20 rounds

The UD M42 submachine gun was designed by Carl Swebilius in 1941-1942. and presented by the American arms company High Standard Manufacturing Company to the US government as a replacement for the expensive and difficult-to-manufacture Thompson submachine guns. The United Defense M42 submachine gun was produced from 1942 to 1945. at the production facilities of High Standard Firearms and Marlin Firearms. Initially, the M42 was developed in two calibers - 9mm Parabellum and .45 ACP, but only the 9mm version was mass-produced, the 11.43mm version was released in only three copies. In total, about 15,000 UD M42 submachine guns were manufactured. One of the features of the M42 are magazines connected in pairs, which was done to speed up reloading.
The automation of the United Defense M42 submachine gun works according to the blowback scheme. Shooting is carried out from an open shutter. The drummer is made as a separate part, actuated by a trigger. The bolt cocking handle, located on the right side of the receiver, is a separate part that does not move with the bolt when firing. On the right side of the weapon, behind the magazine, there is a receiver locking lever. Also on the right is a flag fuse. The submachine gun is fed with cartridges from detachable box magazines with a capacity of 25 rounds. To reduce the time required to reload the weapon, the stores were fastened two by two, necks in opposite directions, bullets to each other. Sights consist of a non-adjustable front sight with the possibility of making lateral corrections and an adjustable, with the help of an adjusting screw on the left side of the weapon, a diopter rear sight.
The United Defense M42 submachine guns were, on the whole, a good weapon for their time, lighter, more maneuverable, more convenient and cheaper than the Thompsons, but at the same time not without their own shortcomings. Magazines made of thin sheet steel tended to warp on impact and fall, resulting in delays in feeding cartridges. When dirt and sand got into the mechanism, there were also delays. The UD M42 was still an expensive weapon compared to such weapons as the British STEN or the Soviet PPS-43, due to the still widely used turn-mill processing of parts in manufacturing, instead of stamping. In addition, the M42 was introduced almost simultaneously with the much more technologically advanced and cheaper to manufacture M3 submachine gun.
The bulk of these weapons went into service with the operatives of the US Office of Strategic Services (Office of Strategic Services) or OSS - the first joint intelligence service of the United States, on the basis of which the CIA was subsequently created. About 2,500 of these weapons were supplied to resistance movements operating in the occupied territories in Europe and China. The UD M42 was used by partisans in France, Italy and Crete. This use of the M42 was justified by the fact that resistance fighters could use captured 9mm Parabellum rounds in their weapons. The UD M42 submachine gun, due to its high cost and not the best reliability, did not become a replacement for Thompson, but showed itself well when used by fighters with a high level of training and resistance forces.

Main characteristics

Caliber: 9×19 (9mm Parabellum)
Weapon length: 820 mm
Barrel length: 279 mm
Weight without cartridges: 4.1 kg.
Rate of fire: 900 rds / min

Steyr-Solothurn S1-100 is one of the best submachine guns created between the two world wars, characterized by excellent workmanship and surface finish, the quality of the materials used in the production, high reliability, very solid service life, easy handling and care, excellent shooting accuracy, both single shots and bursts. The creator of this wonderful weapon is the famous German designer Louis Stange, who is the author of a very extraordinary automatic rifle FG42. In 1919, a design team led by Stange at Rheinmetall designed a submachine gun under the designation MP.19. However, due to the restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles, this weapon was not put into mass production and remained unclaimed until 1929, when the small Swiss Wafenfabrik Solothurn was bought by Rheinmetall. It was there that the documentation on small arms was sent in order to circumvent the Versailles restrictions. Other developments transferred to the Wafenfabrik Solothurn factory included the MP.19, which was subjected to minor changes. Further, as a result of the merger of Wafenfabrik Solothurn with the famous Austrian company Steyr, a new joint venture, Steyr-Solothurn Waffen AG, appeared. After that, the weapons designed in Germany and produced in Austria entered the market.
Automation works according to the scheme with a free shutter. The trigger mechanism allows firing bursts and single shots from an open bolt. The cocking handle is located on the right side of the weapon. The fire mode selector, located on the left side of the weapon, on the forearm, is a horizontally shifting lever on a steel plate. The receiver was made by milling from solid steel blanks. The receiver cover is hinged up and forward, like the Russian AKS-74U. The barrel closes a round perforated casing that protects the shooter's hands from burns when touching a red-hot barrel in the event of prolonged firing. On the left side of the front of the casing there is a mount for a bayonet-knife. The stock with a butt and a semi-pistol grip was made of walnut. The buttstock houses a return spring connected to the bolt with a long rod, which is a very non-standard solution in this class of weapon. Cartridges are fed from box magazines with a two-row arrangement of cartridges. The store is attached to the weapon on the left, horizontally. In the neck of the store there is a special device for equipping the store with cartridges from their clips. To equip the store in this way, it was necessary to attach it to the groove of the neck from below, and a clip with cartridges was placed in the corresponding upper groove, after which the cartridges were manually pressed from top to bottom into the store. In total, four clips were needed to fully equip the store. The sector sight of this submachine gun allows you to conduct aimed shooting at a distance of 100 to 500 meters.
In 1930, a modified MP.19 submachine gun designed by Louis Stange, named Steyr-Solothurn S1-100 and using 9mm Steyr cartridges, entered service with the Austrian police under the designation Steyr MP.30. In 1935, the S1-100 under the designation MP.35 was adopted by the Austrian army. The MP.35 used powerful 9mm Mauser Export cartridges. In addition, Steyr-Solothurn has been exported to various countries around the world, including Europe, Asia and South America. This weapon was produced in various calibers for different countries and customers, for example, chambered for 9mm Parabellum and 7.65mm Parabellum - for Portugal, under 7.63 × 25 Mauser - for China and Japan, and under the famous American cartridge .45 ACP - for South American countries. Before the outbreak of World War II, after the Anschluss of Austria, the S1-100 submachine gun began to be produced by Steyr, where its production continued until 1942. The German Ordnance Department did not miss the chance to take advantage of such a successful trophy as the Steyr-Solothurn S1-100, which were converted to standard German 9mm Parabellum cartridges. Such submachine guns were used in the Wehrmacht as a weapon of a limited standard, along with other captured firearms and weapons produced in the occupied territories. The S1-100 chambered for 9mm Parabellum was designated MP.34(ö) in Germany.

Main characteristics

Caliber: 9x19 (9mm Parabellum), 9x23 (9mm Steyr), 7.63x25 Mauser, 9x25 (9mm Mauser Export), 7.65x22 (7.65mm Parabellum)
Weapon length: 820 mm
Barrel length: 208 mm
Weight without cartridges: 4 kg.
Rate of fire: 450-500 rds / min
Magazine capacity: 32 rounds

The Austen submachine gun was designed based on the design of the English STEN during World War II and was in service from 1942 to 1944. The name Austen comes from the words Australia and STEN, respectively. Work on the modernization of the English STEN was carried out by engineer W. Riddell, who made several significant changes to the design. The Austen submachine gun combined the best qualities of STEN, such as the simplicity and low cost of mass production, which requires the presence of the simplest stamping equipment at enterprises, without the need for highly skilled labor, as well as the compactness, lightness and convenience of the weapon itself, which is comparable in combat qualities to much more expensive samples of that time. Plus, elements borrowed from the German MP.38 were added to the Austen design, such as a return spring in a telescopic casing, a drummer as a separate part, and a simple steel stock folding down. For better controllability of the weapon during firing, a front grip has been added. Automation works according to the scheme with a free shutter. The trigger mechanism allows firing bursts and single shots from an open bolt. The return spring is housed in its own telescopic casing, similar to the German MP.40 submachine gun. The cocking handle is located on the right side of the receiver. Protection against an accidental shot is carried out by placing the cocking handle in a special cutout when the bolt is in the rear position. The fire mode translator is made in the form of a horizontally shifting button, like the STEN. Austen is equipped with a folding wire stock. Under the window for ejection of spent cartridges is placed the front handle to hold the weapon. Sights consist of an open non-adjustable front sight and a simple diopter non-adjustable rear sight. In addition to the standard one, a version of this submachine gun with an integrated silencer was produced, used by the Australian special forces "Z Special Forces". In total, about 19,900 copies of Austen were produced at Diecasters Ltd and W.J. Carmichael & Co. However, this submachine gun was not very popular, due to the lower reliability of the automation in conditions of pollution and lack of long-term care than the Owen submachine gun, also created and produced in Australia. In addition, the number of Austen supplied to the troops was clearly insufficient, which was compensated by large quantities of English STEN and American Thompson towards the end of the war.

Main characteristics

Caliber: 9×19 (9mm Parabellum)
Weapon length: 732/552 mm
Barrel length: 200 mm
Weight without cartridges: 4 kg.
Rate of fire: 500 rds/min
Magazine capacity: 30 rounds

The armed forces of the dominions of the British Empire, and in particular Australia, in the initial period of hostilities faced a serious shortage of modern small arms, since after the start of the war with Japan in the Pacific and the capture of many islands by Japanese troops, Australia was deprived of arms supplies from the metropolis. It was necessary to urgently establish our own production of modern models, and in particular submachine guns. The solution in this situation was the submachine gun of the Australian Army Lieutenant Evelyn Owen. The first sample of this weapon was presented in November 1941. The Owen submachine gun was adopted in 1942 under the designation Owen Machine Carbine Mk 1. In 1943, the production of a variant with a wooden butt instead of a metal frame was launched, which received the designation Mk 2. Owen submachine guns were widely used by the Australian armed forces in World War II, Korean and Vietnam Wars. They have shown themselves to be reliable in all operating conditions and easy to maintain and handle weapons. However, there were also a number of shortcomings. The weapon turned out to be bulky and not comfortable to carry due to the upper location of the store, in addition, for the same reason, the view of the line of fire was reduced, besides, the weapon had a lot of weight. At the same time, the mass of the submachine gun and the low rate of fire made it well controlled during bursts of fire, and the compensator reduced the withdrawal of the weapon. In general, this submachine gun, despite its shortcomings, was in service with the Australian army after the war. The automation of the Owen submachine gun works according to the blowback scheme. The barrel is made quick-detachable, fixed by a latch located in the upper front part of the cylindrical receiver. To minimize the removal of weapons as a result of recoil during firing, the barrel is equipped with a compensator. The trigger mechanism allows firing bursts and single shots from an open bolt. The cocking handle is located at the rear of the receiver and is separated from the bolt, which prevents dirt from entering the receiver through the slot for the cocking handle. Cartridges are fed from box magazines attached to the weapon from above. The window for ejection of spent cartridges is located at the bottom of the receiver, in front of the trigger guard. The Qwen submachine gun in the Mk 2 variant is equipped with a wooden stock, all variants have wooden pistol grips. Sights in view of the upper location of the magazine are shifted to the left, consist of an open unregulated front sight and a simple diopter unregulated rear sight. In total, from 1941 to 1945. about 50,000 Owens were produced at John Lysaght Pty Ltd. The release of these weapons continued until the autumn of 1945. Since 1955, Owen submachine guns, after factory repairs, were again delivered to the troops, where they were used until the mid-1960s.

Main characteristics

Caliber: 9×19 (9mm Parabellum)
Weapon length: 813 mm
Barrel length: 245 mm
Weight without cartridges: 4.2 kg.
Rate of fire: 700 rds / min
Magazine capacity: 32 rounds

The F1 submachine gun was created based on the design of the English Sterling L2A3 in order to replace the obsolete Owen submachine gun in the Australian armed forces. The F1 was adopted and manufactured by Lithgow Small Arms Factory from 1962 until the late 1980s. The weapon is made according to a linear scheme - the place of emphasis of the butt in the shoulder of the shooter is on the same line with the central axis of the bore. Automation works according to the scheme with a free shutter. The receiver with a perforated barrel shroud has a cylindrical shape. The cocking handle, located on the left side of the weapon, is connected to a cover that closes the groove in the bolt box. During firing, the handle remains stationary. Cartridges are fed from box magazines attached to the weapon through a neck located on top. The window for ejection of spent cartridges is located at the bottom of the receiver, in front of the trigger guard. The submachine gun is equipped with a wooden butt, the fire control pistol grip is the same as that of the Belgian FN FAL assault rifle. The fuse translator is located above the trigger guard, on the left side of the weapon. Sights in view of the upper location of the store are shifted to the left, consist of an open front sight and a folding diopter rear sight. On the right side of the barrel casing there are protrusions for attaching a bayonet-knife.

Main characteristics

Caliber: 9×19 (9mm Parabellum)
Weapon length: 714 mm
Barrel length: 200 mm
Weight without cartridges: 3.2 kg.
Rate of fire: 600 rds / min
Magazine capacity: 34 rounds

The Lanchester Mk.1 submachine gun was based on the design of the German Schmeisser MP.28 submachine gun with only minor differences. The author of the Mk.1 is George H. Lanchester, who quickly developed this weapon for the British armed forces, who needed as many modern small arms as possible to counter the Wehrmacht and repel a possible German invasion of England. The release of this submachine gun was carried out by Sterling Engineering Co until 1945.
Automation works according to the scheme with a free shutter. The trigger mechanism allows firing bursts and single shots from an open bolt. The cocking handle is located on the right side of the weapon. The fire mode translator is located in front of the trigger. Protection against an accidental shot was carried out by introducing the cocking handle into the L-shaped groove of the receiver cutout when the bolt was in its rearmost position. The receiver and the perforated barrel casing are tubular, connected to the stock by a hinge assembly. The stock is modeled after the English SMLE rifle, with a characteristic neck. The bayonet-knife mount in the lower front of the barrel casing is also borrowed from these rifles. Cartridges are fed from box magazines with a two-row arrangement of cartridges. The store is attached to the weapon on the left, horizontally. The neck of the store was made of bronze. Sights allow you to conduct aimed shooting at a distance of 100 to 600 meters.
Lanchester did not become a mass submachine gun of the British army, the reason for which was the appearance of the STEN submachine gun, which was much cheaper and easier to manufacture. As a result, the STEN submachine gun was destined to become one of the most recognizable examples of small arms from the Second World War, and the Lanchester Mk.1 was adopted by the Royal Navy of Great Britain. In addition to the standard Mk.1, its simplified version was also produced under the designation Mk.1 *, without a fire mode translator and equipped with a simple flip-over entirely, allowing aimed fire at 100 and 200 yards. In total, about 100,000 Lanchester submachine guns were produced.

Main characteristics

Caliber: 9×19 (9mm Parabellum)
Weapon length: 851 mm
Barrel length: 201 mm
Weight without cartridges: 4.4 kg.
Rate of fire: 600 rds / min
Magazine capacity: 50 rounds

The STEN submachine gun was designed in 1941 in response to the huge need that the British troops had after the evacuation from Dunkirk for small arms in general and submachine guns in particular. The name STEN consists of the first letters of the names of the designers R.V. Shepard and H.J. Turpin, and the manufacturing company - Enfield arsenal. In England, this weapon also carried the designation 9mm STEN machine carbine. The STEN submachine gun gradually entered the armed forces of the British Empire, increasingly replacing traditional bolt-action rifles and submachine guns of foreign systems. The leadership of the armed forces of the empire was never able to appreciate the promise of submachine guns, preferring traditional SMLE rifles, which were certainly excellent in their class of weapons, surpassing many analogues, but hopelessly outdated during the First World War. Of course, progressive-minded officers tried to change the situation, they could not cope with the conservative majority. So the War Department in 1938, just on the eve of the war, rejected the idea of ​​BSA to produce the American Thompson submachine gun in the United Kingdom.
Conservatives in the department considered these weapons to be gangster and not required by the armed forces of the empire ... Quote from the refusal: "The British army is not interested in gangster weapons." Such naive jingoistic patriotism and the imperial grandeur of officials led to the fact that at the beginning of World War II, British soldiers faced the firepower of the German Wehrmacht, which was armed with, although not large enough, but nevertheless a solid number of submachine guns. No rifles and heavy machine guns could match the firepower of this type of weapon in close combat, especially in urban battles. As a result, the War Department began to take action to correct the situation, which was not in favor of Britain, by purchasing American Thompsons. However, the purchased submachine guns were, to put it mildly, not enough. So in 1940, about 107,500 copies were delivered to the army ... After the defeat in Europe and the hasty evacuation from Dunkirk with the loss of a huge amount of weapons and equipment, the British were forced to organize their own production of submachine guns on their territory, since sea convoys at that time constantly were successfully attacked by Kriegsmarine submariners.
However, no suitable pistol cartridge was produced in England and the choice fell on the German 9mm Parabellum. This cartridge was chosen because it was already produced in the UK as a commercial cartridge, and also because of its optimal performance, and in view of the possibility of using captured ammunition. The Lanchester Mk.1 submachine gun was complex and expensive to manufacture, which required a lot of time and skilled workers. The problem was solved by the employees of the RSAF arsenal in the city of Enfield - R. Sheppard and G. Tarpin offered a submachine gun of their own design, extremely unusual, looking like a pair of welded cuttings from water pipes with a shutter and a magazine. In terms of layout, the weapon resembled the same Lanchester Mk.1, but was radically different from it in everything else. Sheppard and Tarpin's design made very extensive use of stamping, in fact, to produce most of the weapon's parts. Which eventually made it possible to organize production not only at weapons factories, but also wherever there was primitive equipment for stamping production. In January 1941, the mass production of STEN submachine guns was launched.
Automation works according to the scheme with a free shutter. The trigger mechanism allows firing bursts and single shots from an open bolt. The cylindrical receiver and barrel casing were made of steel sheet. The cocking handle is located on the right side of the weapon. When the shutter is in the rear position, the weapon can be put on the fuse by inserting the handle into a special cutout in the receiver. The fire mode translator is made in the form of a horizontally moving button. Cartridges are fed from box magazines with a two-row arrangement of cartridges. The store is attached to the weapon on the left, horizontally. STEN submachine guns were supplied as a rule with metal welded tubular butts or skeleton-type wire butts, although there were also options with wooden butts. The simplest sights consist of non-adjustable front sights and rear sights, sighted at a distance of 100 yards.
The STEN Mark 1 submachine gun was produced since 1941 and was distinguished by the presence of a folding front handle, wooden parts and a compensator. Mark II, or Mk.II, was produced from 1942 to 1944. no longer has a front handle and compensator. The most obvious difference of this modification is a steel wire butt, curved in the form of a rifle stock, however, Mark II were also supplied with tubular butts. The neck of the magazine is made rotating around the central axis of the weapon, turning by 90 °, which was done to protect against dirt entering the receiver in the stowed position, with the magazine removed. The trunks, which had from 6 to 4 rifling, were connected to the receiver by a thread. The first combat use of this weapon took place during the famous failed amphibious landing of English commandos with the support of Churchill tanks near the city of Dieppe, in August 1942. Mark II was used by the armed forces of Great Britain until the end of the war, and in addition by the partisans and the French underground. In total, about 3,500,000 Mark II submachine guns were produced.
At first, the STEN troops were not taken seriously, he was nicknamed "the plumber's dream." So the commandos who used Thompson submachine guns before, with their formidable reputation as gangster weapons, seeing the new English submachine gun spoke about him something like this: “It must have been made by a drunk plumber apprentice in his free time what was at hand." However, it was simple and cheap to manufacture, and the same easy-to-handle weapon, light, convenient and compact, which was especially noticeable on the march. The STEN was no less effective on the battlefield than the much more expensive submachine guns of the time. Of course, STEN also had a number of disadvantages. So, when firing from new samples, with parts that have not yet been used, there were cases of jamming of the weapon during firing in automatic mode in such a way that the shooter had to wait until the cartridges in the magazine ran out, since releasing the trigger did not lead to setting the cocking of the shutter to whispered. But after shooting a couple of stores, this drawback no longer manifested itself. This was typical for STEN early release.
Of course, this submachine gun did not have very high firing accuracy, especially in automatic mode, unlike the Thompsons supplied to Britain. But the STEN's biggest problem was its two-row magazines, with the rearrangement of cartridges in one row, due to which there were most of the delays in firing. The soldiers quickly found a solution to the problem with stores, equipping them not with 32 rounds of ammunition, but with 28 - 29. The enterprises that produced most of these submachine guns are RSAF, BSA, ROF in England, and the Long Branch arsenal in Canada, as well as CAA in New Zealand. The production of these weapons has grown steadily. Total from 1941 to 1945. in the UK, Canada and New Zealand, about 3,750,000 copies of all STEN variants were produced.

Main characteristics of STEN Mark 1 (STEN Mk.I)

Caliber: 9×19 (9mm Parabellum)
Weapon length: 845 mm
Barrel length: 198 mm
Weight without cartridges: 3.3 kg.

Magazine capacity: 32 rounds

Main characteristics of STEN Mark 2 (STEN Mk.II)

Caliber: 9×19 (9mm Parabellum)
Weapon length: 762 mm
Barrel length: 197 mm
Weight without cartridges: 2.8 kg.
Rate of fire: 540 rds / min
Magazine capacity: 32 rounds

The STEN Mk.IIS submachine gun was designed to equip British commando fighters and conduct sabotage operations behind enemy lines. This weapon is based on the STEN Mk.II. The Mk.IIS submachine gun has a short barrel that covers an integrated silencer (silent-flameless firing device). Shooting was carried out with special cartridges, equipped with a heavy bullet with a subsonic muzzle velocity that does not create a shock wave. Other differences from the prototype are a lightweight shutter and a shortened reciprocating mainspring. Shooting from this submachine gun was carried out mainly with single shots, and the use of automatic mode and fire in bursts, as instructed, was allowed only in extreme cases, since this disabled the silencer. The maximum effective range is 150 yards, but this weapon was used, of course, at much closer distances. In total, about several thousand Mk.IIS were produced, supplied to the special forces of England and Canada, and in addition, a certain amount was transferred to France to the local resistance movement.

Main characteristics

Caliber: 9×19 (9mm Parabellum)
Weapon length: 900 mm
Barrel length: 90 mm
Weight without cartridges: 3.5 kg.
Rate of fire: 540 rds / min
Magazine capacity: 32 rounds

The STEN Mark 3 (Mk.III) submachine gun was produced from 1943 to 1944. Distinctive features of this option are very high manufacturability, a non-perforated barrel casing that hid almost its entire length, the receiver was made as a single piece with the barrel casing, a safety stop in front of the window for ejection of spent cartridges, a fixed magazine neck welded to the receiver, as well as same tubular steel butt. Most of these weapons were supplied to British paratroopers, in addition, there were supplies to partisan movements in many occupied European countries.

Main characteristics

Caliber: 9×19 (9mm Parabellum)
Weapon length: 762 mm
Barrel length: 197 mm
Weight without cartridges: 3.2 kg.
Rate of fire: 540 rds / min
Magazine capacity: 32 rounds

The STEN Mark 4 submachine gun was designed for the British commandos, who needed a compact and light weapon, discreet and easy to carry in concealed enemy territory. In 1943, based on the STEN Mk.II design, the STEN Mark 4 (Mk.IV) compact submachine gun was created and produced in a limited number of approximately 2000 copies in two versions - Mk.IVA and Mk.IVB. The Mk.IVA submachine gun was equipped with a wooden pistol grip, a folding metal butt and had a short barrel with a flash hider. The Mk.IVA model was equipped with a silencer in 1944 and was supplied to MI-5 military intelligence units, as well as SAS fighters. The Mk.IVB submachine gun received a folding shoulder rest and pistol grip in a different configuration, a shorter barrel and a trigger mechanism with several design changes.

Main characteristics

Caliber: 9×19 (9mm Parabellum)
Weapon length: 622/445 mm
Barrel length: 98 mm
Weight without cartridges: 3.5 kg.

Magazine capacity: 32 rounds

The turn in the course of hostilities in favor of the Allies made it possible for England to move from quantity to quality in relation to the production of small arms. In 1944, a new version of the STEN submachine gun, the Mark 5 (Mk.V), was created. This modification differed from the earlier ones in the presence of a wooden butt with a metal butt plate and a pistol grip for controlling fire, a wooden front grip, a mount on the barrel for attaching a bayonet No. 7 Mk.I or No. Mk 1. Later, in June 1945, the Mk.V began to be produced in a simplified version without a front handle. STEN Mark 5 submachine guns were primarily supplied to elite troops such as commandos and paratroopers. For the first time, this weapon was used in combat during the failed Arnhem airborne operation of 1944, when for 8 days the paratroopers fought fierce battles with German tank and infantry units, suffering heavy losses, eventually retreating across the Rhine River, without achieving their goals. In the course of combat use, the fighters received complaints about the front handle, in the field they simply removed it. As mentioned above, the Mark 5 was subsequently produced without this grip. But if such problems could be solved in the field and in production in the shortest possible time, then the main problem of all STEN submachine guns remained unresolved. As before, there were delays due to the fault of the stores - the weakest link in this, no doubt, in general, a very successful weapon for its time.

Main characteristics

Caliber: 9×19 (9mm Parabellum)
Weapon length: 762 mm
Barrel length: 198 mm
Weight without cartridges: 3.9 kg.
Rate of fire: 575 rds / min
Magazine capacity: 32 rounds

The Star SI-35, RU-35 and TN-35 submachine guns were developed by the Spanish company Bonifacio Echeverria S.A., known under the brand name Star, and introduced in 1935. The weapons had a complex automation design, and most of their steel parts were made using turning and milling operations, which as a result caused the high cost of these samples. The difference between the above submachine guns was only the rate of fire: 300/700 (SI-35), 300 (RU-35), 700 (TN-35) rds / min. Automation works according to the scheme with a semi-free shutter. The shutter itself consists of two parts. At an early stage of the shutter rollback, its speed is reduced by a special larva, which connects the combat larva of the shutter to the receiver for a short period of time. The trigger mechanism allows firing bursts and single shots from an open bolt. The weapon is equipped with a fire rate retarder, the control lever of which is located on the left side of the receiver. The firing mode translator is located on the left side of the weapon, behind it is the control lever for the rate of fire retarder. The cocking handle is located on the right side of the receiver. The receiver and the perforated casing of the cylindrical barrel were made by milling from solid steel blanks. The barrel shroud has a muzzle brake-compensator with a mount for a bayonet-knife. The stock is made of wood. Cartridges were fed from straight box-shaped double-row magazines. On the left side, the stores have longitudinal holes to control the consumption of ammunition during firing. This solution has a significant drawback - in combat conditions, dirt quickly fills through these holes in the magazine body, which immediately causes delays in firing. Sector sight allows you to conduct aimed shooting at a distance of 50 to 1000 meters.

Main characteristics

Caliber: 9×23 (9mm Largo)
Weapon length: 900 mm
Barrel length: 270 mm
Weight without cartridges: 3.7 kg.
Rate of fire: 300/700 (SI-35), 300 (RU-35), 700 (TN-35) rds/min
Magazine capacity: 10, 30 or 40 rounds

The Star Z-45 submachine gun was designed by the Spanish gunsmiths of the Bonifacio Echeverria S.A. company, presented on the arms market under the Star brand, based on the famous German MP.40 by the end of World War II and was adopted by the Spanish army. The Z-45 was used by the Spanish armed forces almost until the end of the 20th century, and was also sold for export to Asia and South America. The Star Z-45 uses the powerful 9mm Largo pistol cartridge. Automation works according to the scheme with a free shutter. The trigger mechanism allows firing bursts and single shots from an open bolt. The translator of the fire modes is the degree of pressing the trigger: fully squeeze the trigger - shooting in a burst, a short squeeze of not full speed - a single shot. The return spring, like the MP.40, is equipped with its own telescopic casing that protects it from dirt. The cocking handle is located on the right side of the weapon. The fuse is an L-shaped cutout in the bolt box, into which the cocking handle is inserted when the bolt is in the rear position. In addition, the cocking handle is movable in the transverse plane and when it is recessed, the shutter is blocked. Unlike the MP.40, the Star Z-45 submachine gun has a perforated barrel cover, which prevents burns to the shooter's hands during long-term firing. The receiver and barrel casing are made cylindrical. The handguard and pistol grip fire control were made of wood. The weapon has a downward-folding steel stock, similar in design to the MP.40. Cartridges are fed from direct box magazines with a two-row arrangement of cartridges with their exit also in two rows. A different design of the magazine with a two-row exit eliminated the delays in firing when the magazine was dirty, which was one of the main problems of the MP.40. Sights consist of a front sight protected by a namushnik and a flip rear sight, which allows aimed shooting at 100 and 200 meters. In the manufacture of steel parts of weapons, in addition to the shutter, stamping was widely used. In general, the Z-45 was made with high quality and has a fairly high reliability, in the absence of some of the shortcomings of its prototype.

Main characteristics

Caliber: 9×23 (9mm Largo)
Weapon length: 840/580 mm
Barrel length: 190 mm
Weight without cartridges: 3.9 kg.
Rate of fire: 450 rds / min
Magazine capacity: 10 or 30 rounds

The Beretta M1918 submachine gun is based on the Villar-Perosa M1915 and was adopted by the Italian army at the end of World War I. Unlike the Villar-Perosa, which is actually a unit support weapon, the Beretta M1918 submachine gun is already an infantryman's individual weapon, like the Bergmann-Schmeisser MP.18. After the end of the war, the Beretta M1918 was exported, mainly to South America, and continued to serve in the Italian armed forces. Automation works according to the scheme with a semi-free shutter. Reducing the shutter speed at the beginning of its stroke when fired occurred by sliding the cocking handle along the slope of the front of the groove in the receiver. The trigger mechanism allows firing only in bursts, from an open bolt. The cocking handle is located on the right side of the weapon. The rifle-type stock was made of walnut. To feed the weapon with cartridges, box magazines attached from above were used. The spent cartridges were extracted downwards through the corresponding window in the receiver. The window itself had a protective casing to prevent contact of the extracted cartridges with the shooter's hand supporting the weapon. For hand-to-hand combat, the weapon is equipped with an integral folding needle bayonet mounted on the muzzle of the barrel.

Main characteristics

Caliber: 9×19 (9mm Glisenti)
Weapon length: 850 mm
Barrel length: 318 mm
Weight without cartridges: 3.3 kg.
Rate of fire: 900 rds / min
Magazine capacity: 25 rounds

In 1935, the Italian gunsmith Tulio Marengoni, who worked as the chief designer of Pietro Beretta, based on the design of the German Bergmann submachine gun and worked on its improvement for three years, created his Beretta Modello 1938A submachine gun, which belongs to the best examples of Italian small arms from the Second World War. world war. This submachine gun used 9mm Parabellum cartridges, as well as reinforced, specially designed for it, M38 cartridges with a muzzle velocity of 450 m / s. The automation of this weapon works according to the scheme with a blowback. A feature of the Modello 1938A was the trigger mechanism with two triggers. The front was used for firing single shots, the rear - for firing bursts. USM shock type. The cocking handle is equipped with a dust shield. The barrel is closed with a perforated cylindrical casing with a muzzle brake-compensator in the front part, which reduces the withdrawal of the weapon and the recoil force during firing. The safety lever is located on the receiver, on the left side of the weapon. Cartridges are fed from box-shaped double-row magazines with a capacity of 10 to 40 rounds. The rifle-type stock was made of wood. Sector sight allows you to conduct aimed shooting up to 500 meters. Beretta produced the 1938A submachine guns from 1938-1950. in three versions. The first of these was produced in small batches from January 1938. It is distinguished by oval holes in the barrel casing, which had a large diameter. The muzzle brake compensator is made with two symmetrical windows in its upper part. In the front lower part of the barrel casing there is a bayonet mount. The second option is distinguished by a large number of holes of smaller diameter in the barrel casing. The third option was developed in accordance with the specifications of the Ministry of "Italian Africa", taking into account the peculiarities of combat in the desert. This weapon received a fixed drummer, a muzzle brake-compensator of a new design and a window for extracting spent cartridges of a different configuration. This option was most widely used in the German airborne troops in World War II. In Italy itself, the Beretta Modello 1938A submachine gun was in service with the front-line units of the army, while in the rear units there were mostly outdated models. In significant quantities, the 1938A submachine gun was purchased for the Wehrmacht in Italy from 1940 to 1942, was in service with the Wehrmacht and the Romanian armed forces. In the Wehrmacht, the 1938A was identified as the MP.739(i).

Main characteristics

Caliber: 9×19 (9mm Parabellum)
Weapon length: 946 mm
Barrel length: 315 mm
Weight without cartridges: 4.2 kg.
Rate of fire: 600 rds / min
Magazine capacity: 10, 20, 30 or 40 rounds

The Beretta Modello 1938/42 submachine gun combines the best qualities of the Modello 1938A and the experimental Beretta mod.1, also designed by Tulio Marengoni, in which stamping was used for the first time in Italian small arms in the manufacture of the main parts of the weapon. Externally, the main difference between the model 1938/42 and 1938A is the absence of a barrel shroud. The barrel itself was shortened from 315 to 231 mm and has deep longitudinal cooling ribs, as well as a slot-like compensator with two holes. Automation Modello 1938/42 works according to the scheme with a blowback. The shock-type trigger mechanism allows firing single shots and bursts. USM is equipped with two triggers. The front was used for firing single shots, the rear - for firing bursts. The striker is stationary. The safety lever is located on the receiver, on the left side of the weapon. The dust cover of the cocking handle was made by stamping instead of milling. Cartridges are fed from box-shaped double-row magazines with a capacity of 20 or 40 rounds. The magazine opening in pattern 1938/42 is not covered by the front of the wooden stock as in 1938A. Fully reversible sights allow for aimed shooting at distances of 100 and 200 meters. The Beretta Modello 1938/42 submachine gun was used by the Italian armed forces during the final stage of hostilities in North Africa, as well as in Sicily, in battles with American troops. After the occupation of the northern regions of Italy by German troops in 1943, the production of Modello 1938/42 was already carried out for the German armed forces, mainly the troops of Field Marshal Kesselring, and also the 1st and 2nd parachute divisions of the Luftwaffe. For the German troops, the Beretta company produced about 20,000 copies of model 1938/42 submachine guns every month. Further improvement was also carried out in relation to the simplification and reduction in the cost of production, carried out in 1943-1944. under the control of the invaders. So in 1943, a new modification of the M38 / 43 was created, the barrel of which no longer had cooling fins. In the next 1944, two more modifications appeared: M38 / 44, characterized by the absence of a recoil spring guide tube and a shortened bolt; M38/44 mod.2 with folding metal stock.

Main characteristics

Caliber: 9×19 (9mm Parabellum)
Weapon length: 800 mm
Barrel length: 231 mm
Weight without cartridges: 3.2 kg.
Rate of fire: 550 rds / min
Magazine capacity: 20 or 40 rounds

The FNAB 43 submachine gun was developed by the Italian company Fabbrica Nazionale d "Armi di Brescia (National Arms Factory in Brescia). The first prototype was assembled in 1942, and mass production was carried out in 1943-1944. The design of this submachine gun and its production technology was too expensive, especially in wartime, as a result of which the FNAB 43 submachine guns were made about 7000 copies. in the Hungarian submachine gun Kiraly 39M. The trigger mechanism allows firing bursts and single shots from an open bolt. The cylindrical casing of the barrel is made as a single piece with a slotted compensator with a slope of the front wall, similar to the Soviet PPSh-41, which effectively reduces tossing the weapon when firing. The icons of the fire modes are placed on the receiver, on the left side. The magazine receiver in this submachine gun is made folding forward, which is done for the convenience of carrying weapons in the stowed position. The weapon is fed with cartridges from double-row box magazines from the Beretta Modello 1938/42 submachine gun from Beretta. The FNAB 43 is equipped with a downward-folding metal stock, similar in design to that of the German MP.38 and MP.40. Sights are not adjustable. These weapons were used by the armed formations of the Italian Social Republic (Republic of Salo) and German troops in the fight against partisans in Northern Italy during the occupation of this part of the country in 1943-1944.

Main characteristics

Caliber: 9×19 (9mm Parabellum)
Weapon length: 790/525 mm
Barrel length: 200 mm
Weight without cartridges: 3.7 kg.
Rate of fire: 400 rds / min
Magazine capacity: 10, 20, 32 or 40 rounds

The Type 100 submachine gun, designed by Kijiro Nambu, referred to by many as Japan's John Browning, was adopted by the Imperial Japanese Army in 1940 after army field trials in 1939. Type 100 was developed in accordance with the tactical and technical assignment of the Army Ordnance Department of 1935. Automation works according to the scheme with a free shutter. The trigger mechanism allows firing only in bursts. The fire is conducted from an open shutter. The weapon is fed with cartridges from box-shaped double-row magazines attached to the weapon on the left. The receiver and the perforated barrel casing are made tubular. The wooden stock has a stock with a semi-pistol grip. During the Second World War, two modifications of the Type 100 were created. For the Airborne Forces, they designed a variant with a butt folding to the right on a hinge. For the infantry, a variant with wire bipods was produced. Based on the study of combat experience gained during the use of the Type 100, a number of changes were made to the design of the submachine gun in 1944. The rate of fire was increased from 450 to 800 rounds per minute, the open sector sight was replaced with a diopter, a compensator and a tide were added to the barrel casing for attaching a bayonet from an infantry rifle. The Type100 proved to be an effective weapon in the hands of the Marine Corps of the Imperial Navy during the fighting in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. However, it did not become a mass weapon in the armed forces of the Great Japanese Empire, only a few tens of thousands of these submachine guns were produced, including those released at the Kakuro and Nagoya arsenals, which was extremely insufficient to significantly increase the firepower of infantry units on the battlefield.

Main characteristics

Caliber: 8×22 (8mm Nambu)
Weapon length: 900 mm
Barrel length: 228 mm
Weight without cartridges: 3.4 kg.
Rate of fire: 800 rds / min
Magazine capacity: 30 rounds

The Second World War left in memory not only the tragic events and the death of millions of people. The conflict pushed forward the development of technology. Some designs have become revolutionary, and almost all can be found in museums.

But there are weapons, with minor changes, that are still in use today. A single MG-42 machine gun, a visiting card of the Wehrmacht. Adopted by the troops as the main type of infantry support weapon in 1942, it is still relevant today due to the qualities described below.

History of creation

The First World War showed that a new, powerful player appeared on the battlefield - a machine gun. The first samples of machine guns were bulky and heavy. They showed themselves well in defense, but it was difficult to go on the attack with a 60-kilogram colossus.

The difference between light and heavy machine guns, as well as models for equipment, led to confusion and problems with personnel. The Germans unraveled this tangle quickly and witty. In the 1930s, the development of a single combined-arms machine gun began, which led to the creation and adoption by commissions of the MG-34.

The resulting car was extremely successful.

Excellent characteristics with a relatively low weight, the ability to install on the machine and in turrets and caponiers made this machine gun indispensable for the Wehrmacht.

However, there were also serious shortcomings. The price of a machine gun was 327 marks, while the Volkswagen Beetle was sold at a price of 990 marks.

Many parts were created by milling, which increased the time of creation and increased the cost. Checking on the battlefields also revealed structural defects.

Parts fitted to each other were afraid of dirt, there were problems with excessive complexity in assembling and disassembling and replacing parts. However, even before the adoption of the MG-34 into service, work began on the creation of a more technologically advanced model, which became known as the MG-42.

The design of the new machine gun

An order for a new machine gun was immediately received by several German design bureaus. Best of all, the designers of Rheinmetall coped with the task. The designers made numerous changes to the scheme, among which the most important were the following:

• replacement of milling with stamping for a number of parts;
• replacement of connections on screws with riveting or soldering;
• cost reduction due to the use of lower quality metal;
• reduction of parts by 200 pieces;
• change of butt from wooden to plastic.

The mechanics of the machine gun is based on the recoil of the barrel with a short stroke. Shooting began with cocking a long bolt handle, with the ability to put on the fuse if necessary.

The percussion mechanism consisted of a reciprocating mainspring. The rear sear provided a shot. Pressing the trigger lowered the sear nose, the spring straightened and sent the shutter. The shutter, in turn, removed the cartridge from the tape and sent it to the chamber. The shot was fired in the open position of the shutter.

The locking of the barrel is provided by two rollers in the combat larva. It was quite a revolutionary decision. Details not only ensure smooth shooting, but also reduce friction. The trigger mechanism is installed in the pistol grip, there is also a safety catch.

It was possible to conduct only automatic fire.

Aiming was carried out through an open sight, consisting of a front sight and a rear sight. The scale was broken in steps of 100 meters, with the possibility of firing from 200 to 2000 meters. The collar of the aiming bar moved with a click. It could be exhibited with closed eyes or in complete darkness.

The barrel is cooled from overheating with the help of air masses. The casing is in the form of a rectangle, with large cutouts along the body. On the one hand, I made a hole for a quick change of the barrel.

According to the recommendations of the engineers, this part had to be changed every 150 shots to prevent overheating. The main advantage of the MG-42, and at the same time the main headache is the rate of fire. 1200 rounds per minute guaranteed and quickly killed the barrel.

The second number of the calculation carried a set of interchangeable barrels and an asbestos mitten so as not to burn his hand. The machine gunner carried out the replacement of an overheated barrel in an average of 5-8 seconds. The charter prescribed to shoot in short bursts of no more than 250 rounds for the safety of the barrel. Experienced fighters could fire bursts of 3-5 shots.

Comparative characteristics of the MG-42

A complete picture of the weapon can be obtained by looking at the closest competitors. At this time, the most common infantry light machine guns were the English Bran and the Soviet DP-27.

• the mass index of the MG-42 is the largest, 12.6 kg, while the Englishman weighs 11.5 kg, and the DP - 10.6 kg;
• the length of the weapon is 121.9 cm, that of Bran and DP is 115 cm and 127.2 cm, respectively;
• the bullet flies out of the barrel at a speed of 750 m / s, for analogues 745 and 840 m / s;
• rate of fire 1200 rounds per minute, English model 660, Soviet 600;
• ammunition from a tape packed in a "snail" for 50 or from a box for 250 rounds, Bran with a magazine for 30, the DP has a disk for 47 rounds;
• cartridges, respectively, 7.92x57 for MG-42, 7.7x56 (.303) for Bran and 7.62x53R for DP.

The analysis shows that against the background of competitors, the German MG-42 is superior in many respects to analogues of the opposing countries. Coupled with cheapness and good ergonomics, this made the German a formidable opponent both tactically, on the battlefield, and in the strategic battle of economies.

Application on the battlefield

After testing prototypes in the winter of 1941-1942, the sample was taken into service under the marking MG-42. The appearance did not go unnoticed, Soviet intelligence drew conclusions about the ending resources of Germany, not suspecting that the Germans had developed a greatly simplified and cheaper machine gun before the war.

The troops liked the new weapon. The machine gun immediately had several nicknames, mainly associated with a circular saw. The sound of the firing machine was indeed reminiscent of a woodworking machine.

The Allies MG-42 received an ominous nickname - "widowmaker". The gloomy name did not prevent the use of a formidable weapon as a trophy, despite the provision on the surrender of captured weapons to special detachments.

The fire of German machine guns created a continuous barrier, through which it was almost impossible for the enemy infantry to break through.

Only during the change of the trunk it was possible to make dashes or maneuvers. This factor caused severe psychological damage to those who had to storm the positions of the MG-42.

Produced since the autumn of 1942, the MG-42 faithfully served its owners until April-May 1945. After the end of the war, many units of these weapons were in service with underground gangs, as well as in the countries of the "third world".

Stopping the production of machine guns

After the collapse of Nazi Germany, the production of machine guns was stopped. The Allies dealt with the legacy of victory, one of which, of course, was the development of German gunsmiths to improve the MG-42.

Literally a few years later, work on the improvement of the German machine gun, and on the creation of prototypes in Western countries, continued.

The design turned out to be so successful that this machine gun is still in service with the Bundeswehr, although it has been upgraded to the NATO standard 7.62x51 mm cartridge. Now it is under a new name - MG-3. In addition to Germany, this machine gun is used in some European countries as the main one.

Footprint in culture

The Second World War was widely reflected in the artistic culture. The image of a German soldier trying to conquer the world for his Fuhrer is known in all corners of the Earth.

Not a single serious film or book could ignore the topic of the MG-42.

The ruthless "saw", firing both at the soldiers going on the attack and at civilians, is found in hundreds of artistic descriptions of the past war.

If you remove emotions, then there will remain a wonderful example of weapons, a machine gun, which served as the progenitor of the direction of single machine guns, which is still in use.

Video

A submachine gun is an individual manual automatic small arms of continuous fire, using a pistol cartridge for firing. An extremely unfortunate name should be noted, since this type of weapon has nothing to do with a pistol or a machine gun. Most likely, it is a kind of machine gun (automatic carbine, assault rifle). Thus, a submachine gun should be defined as an automatic weapon that fires continuously with pistol cartridges, while not falling into the class of pistols in terms of mass and overall characteristics.

In English-speaking countries, especially in the United States, the submachine gun is called the "Submachine Gun" (SMG) in the sense of "a lighter version of the machine gun." In the countries of the British Commonwealth, submachine guns were called “automatic carbines” (Machine Carbine) for a long time. In German-speaking countries, the term "Machinenpistole" (MP) is used, i.e. - Automatic pistol. In French, for this class of weapon, either the term “Pistolet mitrailleur” (PM), which means a submachine gun, or a diminutive version of the word machine gun is used - “Mitraillette, i.e. Literally, gunner. In Spanish, the terms "Subfusil" are used - literally friend. In Czech and Slovak - "Samopal".

The submachine gun arose during the First World War, almost simultaneously in several countries at once. By that time, automatic machine gun fire had already shown its high efficiency. However, being ideal for the defense of fortifications, they were not suitable for active offensive operations. The idea of ​​creating a lighter weapon of the same type, which could be carried and effectively used in battle by one person, led to the emergence of three new types of weapons at once: a light machine gun, an automatic rifle, and, in fact, a submachine gun.

In Italy, in 1918, on the basis of the Villar-Perosa M-1915 double-barreled light machine gun chambered for the Glisenti pistol cartridge (9 × 20 mm), the Beretta M-1918 submachine gun of the Tulio Marengoni system was created. At the same time, the MP-18 submachine gun began to be produced in Germany. In 1916-1918. in the USA, the Thompson submachine gun was developed, which became widespread and loudly famous as a weapon of gangsters and the police.

In the interwar period, the development of weapons took place in two ways. The first was that the submachine gun was recognized as a powerful auxiliary fire weapon, an infantry support weapon in combat at the closest distances - up to 200 m - that is, a kind of light machine gun. Weapons created in this direction were usually equipped with long barrels, often with the ability to quickly change them during combat, bipods for greater stability when conducting automatic fire, high-capacity magazines and sights graduated up to 500 or even up to 1,000 meters, calculated on the possibility of conducting "harassing" fire on a group target. An example of such a weapon is the Suomi submachine gun, adopted by the Finnish army in 1931. In Czechoslovakia, the ZK-383 was also introduced as an infantry support weapon, as evidenced by the presence of a bipod and a quick-change barrel.

The second approach was to recognize the submachine gun as a kind of more powerful version of the pistol, suitable for replacing it in the arsenal of command personnel directly involved in hostilities, fighters of the "second line", as well as various kinds of auxiliary units and subunits. So it was, for example, in the Red Army, where the Degtyarev submachine gun was adopted.

The practice of using a submachine gun in military conflicts of that time refuted both ways of the design approach. The submachine gun turned out to be a powerful and effective fire weapon for infantry, but only at close combat distances and provided that this weapon was used by a sufficiently large number of shooters.

The period of World War II was the peak of the development of the submachine gun as an army weapon. In fact, only during this period, submachine guns were used by the infantry of a number of armies as the main weapon. The models of weapons created at that time were produced in millions of units, they were armed with entire military units, which required radical changes in the technology of their production.

It is important to note that the mass distribution of the submachine gun during the war was not due to any of their outstanding fighting qualities. The mass character was explained by the achieved manufacturability and low cost of production, thanks to the use of stamp-welded parts and a general simplification of the design. This made submachine guns the most suitable for the role of wartime weapons - inexpensive, not requiring scarce strategic resources for their production and produced in a mass series, albeit not with high combat and operational qualities.

Thus, the combination of low cost, due to the primitive design and high manufacturability, which opened up opportunities for large-scale production, with acceptable fighting qualities, primarily manifested in close combat and due to the high rate of fire, made the submachine gun one of the main types of weapons of the Second World War. world war.

Among the weapons released during the war, submachine guns of Great Britain, Germany, the USSR and the USA stand out.

English "STEN" in fact, was a simplified version of the German MP-28, made from tubular blanks and stamped parts - only the barrel and bolt required relatively complex machining. Some batches of weapons even had cast aluminum bronze breechblocks. Its production cost only 5 dollars 20 cents. Therefore, more than 4 million of them were released, despite the fact that STEN did not shine with combat qualities.

The German MP-38 submachine gun was adopted shortly before the start of the war and was intended to equip paratroopers, tankers and motorized infantry. Its cost was 57 marks. A simplified general army version - "MP 40", in which the receiver was not milled from a forging, but rolled from a steel sheet with a welded seam - already cost only 40 marks. At the same time, the Mauser-98k rifle was valued at 70 marks. Of the positive characteristics, these submachine guns had only one - a low rate of fire. All other tactical and technical data remained beyond perfection. An uncomfortable folding shoulder rest, which allowed a strong backlash in the joints, relatively primitive sights and a short barrel, combined with the not the best ballistics of a rather weak cartridge, limited their scope to combat at the closest distances, even “according to the passport” - no more than 200 m. However, it should It should also be noted that in Germany submachine guns did not belong to the main armament, but were considered auxiliary.

Most of the details of the Soviet PPSh (Shpagin submachine gun) were made by stamping on low-power press equipment that was available at almost any industrial enterprise, and the rest, except for the barrel (unified along the channel with a three-line rifle) - mainly by turning or rough milling. The cost of the PPSh was 142 rubles against 500 rubles for the cost of the Mosin rifle. The high rate of fire gave the weapon the nickname "ammo eater". But despite this, by the end of the war, almost 55% of the soldiers of the Red Army were armed with PPSh.

In the United States, the submachine gun was considered as an auxiliary weapon. In the army, it was a Thompson submachine gun, in the navy and in the Marine Corps - M-3 and Reising. Moreover, submachine guns were used to arm, as a rule, command staff, drivers, gunners, armored vehicle crews, paratroopers, as well as all kinds of auxiliary units and special forces. In the infantry, they were also available as an aid to combat at close range, but in small numbers.

Estimated number of submachine guns, samples of which were used in the war in the context of some countries (in thousand units)

Captured weapons and submachine guns transferred by the allied countries to each other were not taken into account.

Thanks to the cinema, the Red Army and the Wehrmacht have earned at least two symbolic types of weapons. For Germany, this was the MP 38/40 submachine gun, and for the Soviet Union - PPSh. These two PPs are incredibly similar, but at the same time completely different. This raises a logical question, whose weapon was still better?

"Schmeiser" for the elite

The history of the MP 38/40 began long before World War II. The legendary submachine gun was the result of a deep modernization of the VMP1925 submachine gun, created back in 1925. The weapon was developed by the German gunsmith Heinrich Volmer. When Nazi Germany began to rebuild its army for the future campaign of conquest, its command remembered the importance of submachine guns as a very promising type of weapon in the coming war. It was then that the MP 38/40 appeared. The automatic baptism of fire took place in Spain. Subsequently, the machine gun was finalized by another German gunsmith - Hugo Schmeisser, in whose honor, in fact, he earned the "affectionate" name in the Soviet troops.

Despite the fact that the MP 38/40 is firmly rooted in popular culture as perhaps the only weapon of the Wehrmacht soldiers, in practice this was not at all the case. The main weapon of the German ground forces was the Mauser 98k rifle. The ratio of rifles and mentioned PPs in the troops was approximately 1 to 10 (where 1 is MP 38/40). The submachine gun was used for the most part by sabotage, landing, assault units, as well as crews of combat vehicles and security units.

"I blinded you from what was"

Before World War II, the Red Army already had its own submachine gun. However, he had a number of shortcomings, primarily preventing him from becoming truly massive. As a result, in 1940, the party instructed to develop, on the basis of an existing PPD, a submachine gun similar in design, but at the same time adapted for mass production. The task of the gunsmiths was to “not drop” the performance characteristics of the weapon, but at the same time make the machine quite cheap. The legendary PPSh was adopted on December 21, 1940.

Unlike the Wehrmacht troops, the PPSh from the very beginning claimed to be a truly massive weapon for the ground forces. By the way, it was the experience of Soviet submachine gunners during the Second World War that proved the undeniable advantage of infantry fully armed with automatic weapons. By the end of the war, about 55% of all soldiers were armed with this type of weapon.

From love to hate

The main drawback of the MP 38/40 was the ammunition chosen for the machine gun. The cartridge of caliber 9 × 19 mm Parabellum had, to put it mildly, “doubtful” ballistic qualities. The bullet had a small muzzle velocity. Due to the large area of ​​frontal resistance, it could not step above 400 m / s. This, in turn, had a negative impact on the effective firing range.

The second major drawback of the MP 38/40 was the weapon's ergonomics. She was far from the best. Added a fly in the ointment and a butt. On the one hand, the folding stock made the weapon very compact, which is quite practical. However, the Schmeiser butt hinge quickly wore out, and this negatively affected the accuracy of shooting with aimed fire. Finally, the Wehrmacht soldiers simply hated their machine gun for the banal lack of a barrel casing. It was impossible to grab it with a hand without a glove after shooting.

But the MP 38/40 was still a good weapon. The machine gun had a simple and reliable design (it was in no way inferior to the Soviet PPSh). Many shortcomings were "smoothed out" by subsequent modifications during the war years. Schmeisser was used in different countries of the world until the 70s of the XX century.

Weapons of Victory

For a number of characteristics, the PPSh outperformed its competitor from Germany. The effective firing range aspired to 200 meters versus 100-120 for the MP 38/40. The machine had much better ergonomics, although it weighed more - 5.3 kg versus 4.8 kg in the case of equipped ammunition, and was far from being so compact. In terms of rate of fire, the Soviet machine gun also beat its "colleague" - 1000 rounds per minute against 600-900 rounds. The weapon should be praised for the huge capacity of the selector (drum) magazine of 71 rounds. It was also easier to clean!

Of course, the Soviet machine gun had its drawbacks. These include the difficult replacement of the store, an insufficiently reliable fuse and an increased risk of an arbitrary shot of a weapon in the event of a fall on a hard surface. In the dark, the PPSh was much easier to identify by its characteristic triple muzzle flash. Finally, it was very noisy. A fighter, located on the side of the machine gunner, 2-3 meters away, could earn a ruptured eardrum.