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Maschinenpistole 40
AMaschinenpistole 40made by Erma Werke in 1943 with the stock unfolded
TypeSubmachine gun
Place of originNazi Germany
Service history
In service1939 – 1945 (Nazi Germany)
1940 – present (other countries)
Used bySeeUsers
Wars
Production history
DesignerHeinrich Vollmer
Berthold Geipel
Designed1938
Manufacturer
Unit cost57ℛ︁ℳ︁(1940)
250EURcurrent equivalent
Produced1940–1945 (MP 40)
No.built1,100,000 (estimated)
Variants
  • MP 36
  • MP 38
  • MP 40
  • MP 40/1
  • MP 41
Specifications
Mass3.97 kg (8.75 lb)[2][3]
Length833 mm (32.8 in) stock extended/630 mm (24.8 in) stock folded[4]
Barrellength251 mm (9.9 in)[4]
Cartridge9×19mm Parabellum[4]
ActionStraight blowback,open bolt[3]
Rate of fire500–550 rounds/min[4]
Muzzle velocity400 m/s (1,312 ft/s)[4]
Effective firing range100–200 m (330–660 ft)[3]
Maximum firing range250 m (820 ft)[3]
Feed system32-round detachable boxmagazine,64-round with dual magazines[3]
SightsHooded front blade

TheMP 40(Maschinenpistole 40) is asubmachine gunchambered for the9×19mm Parabellumcartridge. It was developed inNazi Germanyand used extensively by theAxis powersduringWorld War II.

Designed in 1938 byHeinrich Vollmerwith inspiration from its predecessor theMP 38,it was heavily used byinfantrymen(particularlyplatoonandsquadleaders), and byparatroopers,on theEasternandWesternFronts as well asarmoured fighting vehiclecrews.[5][6]Its advanced and modern features made it a favorite among soldiers and popular in countries from various parts of the world after the war. It was often called "Schmeisser" by the Allies, afterHugo Schmeisser,who designed theMP 18,although he was not involved in the design or production of the MP 40. The weapon's other variants included theMP 40/Iand theMP 41.From 1940 to 1945, an estimated 1.1 million were produced byErma Werke.

Development

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MP-40 on display for the Springfield Armory National Historic Site Archives

TheMaschinenpistole 40( "Machine pistol 40" ) descended from its predecessor the MP 38, which was in turn based on theMP 36,a prototype made ofmachinedsteel.[7]The MP 36 was developed independently byErma Werke's Berthold Geipel with funding from theGerman Army.It took design elements fromHeinrich Vollmer's VPM 1930 andEMP.Vollmer then worked on Berthold Geipel's MP 36 and in 1938 submitted a prototype to answer a request from theHeereswaffenamt(Army Weapons Office) for a new submachine gun, which was adopted as MP 38. The MP 38 was a simplification of the MP 36, and the MP 40 was a further simplification of the MP 38, with certain cost-saving alterations, most notably in the more extensive use ofstampedsteel rather than machined parts.[7]

The MP 40 was often called the "Schmeisser" by the Allies, after the weapon designerHugo Schmeisser.Schmeisser had designed theMP 18,which was the first mass-produced submachine gun. He did not, however, have anything to do with the design or development of the MP 40, although he held a patent on the magazine.[8]

Design

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MP-40 front sight and muzzle

The MP 40 submachine guns areopen-bolt,blowback-operatedautomaticarms. The only mode of fire is automatic, but the relatively low rate of fire permits single shots with controlled trigger pulls.[9]The bolt features a telescoping return spring guide which serves as a pneumatic recoil buffer.[9]The cocking handle was permanently attached to the bolt on early MP 38s, but on late-production MP 38s and MP 40s, the bolt handle was made as a separate part.[10]It also serves as a safety by pushing the head of the handle into one of two separate notches above the main opening; this action locks the bolt in either the cocked (rear) or uncocked (forward) position.[10]The absence of this feature on early MP 38s resulted in field expedients such as leather harnesses with a small loop that were used to hold the bolt in the forward position.[11]

The MP 38 receiver was made of machined steel, but this was a time-consuming and expensive process.[12]To save time and materials, and thus increase production, construction of the MP 40 receiver was simplified by usingstampedsteel and electro-spot weldingas much as possible.[12]The MP 38 also features longitudinal grooving on the receiver and bolt, as well as a circular opening on the magazine housing. These features were eliminated on the MP 40.[12]

A soldier of theRussian Liberation Armywith an MP 38 in 1943

One feature found on most MP 38 and MP 40 submachine guns is an aluminum, steel, or Margolit (a variation ofBakelite) resting bar under the barrel. This was used to steady the weapon when firing over the side of open-toparmored personnel carrierssuch as theSd.Kfz. 251half-track.A handguard, also made of Margolit, is located between the magazine housing and the Margolit pistol grip.[13]The barrel lacked any form of insulation, which often resulted in burns on the supporting hand if it was incorrectly positioned.[13]The MP 40 also has a forward-folding metal stock, the first for a submachine gun, resulting in a shorter overall weapon when folded.[14]However, this stock design was at times insufficiently durable for hard combat use.[14]

Although the MP 40 was generally reliable, a major weakness was its 32-round magazine.[15]Unlike the double-column, staggered-feed magazine found on theThompson M1921/1928 variants,the MP 40 uses a double-column, single-feed version.[15]The single-feed insert resulted in increased friction against the remaining cartridges moving upwards towards the feed lips, occasionally resulting in feed failures; this problem was exacerbated by the presence of dirt or other debris.[15]Another problem was that the magazine was also sometimes misused as a handhold.[16]This could cause the weapon tomalfunctionwhen hand pressure on the magazine body caused the magazine lips to move out of the line of feed, since the magazine well did not keep the magazine firmly locked.[16]German soldiers were trained to grasp either the handguard on the underside of the weapon or the magazine housing with the supporting hand to avoid feed malfunctions.[16]

Usage

[edit]
U.S. Army Signal Corps instructional video from 1943.

At the outbreak of World War II, the majority of German soldiers carried eitherKarabiner 98krifles or MP 40s, both of which were regarded as the standard weapons of choice for an infantryman.[17]

However, later confrontations with Soviet troops such as theBattle of Stalingrad,where entire enemy units were armed withPPSh-41submachine guns, the Germans found themselves out-gunned in short range urban combat which caused a shift in their tactics, and by the end of the war the MP 40 and its derivatives were sometimes issued to entire assault platoons.[18]Starting in 1943, the German military moved to replace both the Karabiner 98k rifle and MP 40 with the new, revolutionaryStG 44.[18][17]By the end of World War II in 1945, an estimated 1.1 million MP 40s had been produced of all variants.[19]

Post-war use

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During and after the end of World War II, many MP 40s were captured or surrendered (upwards of 200,000) to theAlliesand were then redistributed to the paramilitary and irregular forces of some developing countries.[20]The Norwegian army withdrew the MP 38 from use in 1975 but used the MP 40 for some years more. In particular, the Territorials (Heimevernet) used it until about 1990, when it was replaced by theHeckler & Koch MP5.[11]

Variants

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MP 40/I

[edit]

The MP 40/I (sometimes erroneously calledMP 40/II) was a modified version of the standard MP 40 with a dual side-by-side magazine holder (for a theoretical ammunition total of 64 rounds), designed for special operations troops on theEastern Frontto compensate for the Soviet PPSh-41's larger magazine capacity. However, the design proved unsuccessful due to weight and reliability issues. Authentic versions, in addition to the dual mag magazine well, also have a smaller buttpad and shortened ejector.[21]

MP 41

[edit]
An MP 41 with wooden stock

In 1941, Hugo Schmeisser designed the MP 41, which was, in reality, an MP 40 upper receiver with a lower receiver of anMP 28/IIsubmachine gun. It saw limited service, however, and was issued only toSSand police units in 1944. The MP 41 was also supplied to Germany'sAxis allyRomania.[22]

Later in 1941, rival company Erma Werke suedHaenel,at which Schmeisser was Chief Designer, for patent infringement. Production subsequently ceased on the MP 41.[23][24]

Influence on later weapons

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The MP 38 and MP 40 also directly influenced the design of later weapons, including the SpanishStar Z45,the YugoslavianZastava M56,and the semi-automatic GermanSelbstladebüchse BD 38replica.

Details of the MP 40 have also been adopted in other submachine guns, which otherwise differ significantly from a technical point of view:

  • The designers of the AmericanM3 "Grease Gun"examined BritishSten gunsand captured MP 40s for usable construction details.
  • The folding stock became the model for those on later weapons, such as the SovietPPS-43and the AKS and AKMS versions of theAK-47.
  • The MP 40 magazine can also be used in the BelgianVigneron submachine gun.

Users

[edit]
Simone Segouin,aFrench partisan,posing with an MP 40 in 1944

During World War II, theresistanceand the Allies sometimes captured MP 40s to replace or supplement their own weapons.[25][26][27]The MP 40 was used for several decades following World War II by many countries around the world in armed conflicts. Some found their way into guerrilla groups such as theViet Congor African guerrillas.

Its operators have included:

Civilian ownership in the United States

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During theAllied occupation of Germanystarting in 1945, U.S. servicemen shipped home thousands of captured firearms aswar trophies,[55]including MP 40s. This practice required proper registration of automatic weapons in accordance with theNational Firearms Actbefore they could be imported, but this was curtailed later in the occupation, meaning a relatively small number of civilian-transferable original German MP 40s remain in circulation and are valued at around $20,000-37,500 as of 2021, with some selling for almost $50,000.[56]

After the commercial importation of complete machine guns was banned by theGun Control Act of 1968,MP 40parts kits(the disassembled parts of the gun excluding the receiver tube) were imported and reassembled onto receivers manufactured in the United States by Charles Erb, Wilson Arms, and others.[57]These remanufactured legally transferable machine guns, colloquially called "tube guns", are (depending on quality of construction and condition) generally valued at 50-75% of the price of original German MP 40s, as they do not have their historical background.[58]As such, they are commonly used for recreational range shooting and WW2historical reenactments,because the associated wear and tear (within reasonable limits) will not significantly diminish their value, as it would on original collectible examples. Manufacture of new tube guns ceased following the passage of theFirearm Owners Protection Actin 1986.

There are severalsemi-automaticvariants and cosmetic replicas of the MP 40 available for civilian ownership in the U.S. Beginning in 2014, American Tactical Imports began importing an MP 40 replica manufactured byGerman Sporting Guns GmbHchambered in.22LR,[59]and since 2016 has also imported a pistol variant chambered in9mm.[60]The.22LR variant features an all-metal construction with period-accurate Bakelite furniture, a folding stock, and a faux-suppressorto meet barrel length import requirements. The 9mm variant is classified as a pistol and therefore does not ship with a folding stock. Both variants areclosed-bolt,blowback-operated semi-automatic firearms that vary substantially from originally manufactured MP 40s in internal operation, making them more of an affordable cosmetic replica than a faithful reproduction. Neither of the GSG-manufactured variants are compatible with originally manufactured MP 40 parts and magazines.[citation needed]

See also

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References

[edit]
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  2. ^Hogg 2001,p. 16.
  3. ^abcdeFowler 2005,p. 98.
  4. ^abcdeMyatt & Ridefort 1992,p. 107.
  5. ^Archived atGhostarchiveand theWayback Machine:"MP 40 - Role & Tactics".YouTube.
  6. ^"MP40 Sub Machine Gun | ParaData".www.paradata.org.uk.Retrieved27 March2021.
  7. ^abde Quesada 2014,p. 13.
  8. ^Rottman 2012,p. 9.
  9. ^abPeterson 2011,p. 314.
  10. ^abBishop 2002,p. 259.
  11. ^abWorld Guns.
  12. ^abcde Quesada 2014,p. 17.
  13. ^abHobart 1975,pp. 95–98.
  14. ^abHogg & Weeks 1977,p. 90.
  15. ^abcHogg & Weeks 1977,p. 33.
  16. ^abcDunlap 1966,pp. 80–81.
  17. ^abNeil 2015,p. 65.
  18. ^abPriestley & Cavatore 2014,pp. 105–108.
  19. ^Willbanks 2004,p. 82.
  20. ^Ingram 2001,p. 75.
  21. ^The WW2 Double-Magazine MP40/I
  22. ^Axworthy 1991,p. 42.
  23. ^"MP41".Imperial War Museums.Retrieved5 July2020.
  24. ^"MP.41 Schmeisser".Modern Firearms.27 October 2010.Retrieved5 July2020.
  25. ^abSakaida, Henry (20 May 2003). Hook, Christa (ed.).Heroines of the Soviet Union 1941-45.Bloomsbury Publishing.p. 59.ISBN1841765988.
  26. ^abCornish, Nik (20 June 2014). Karachtchouk, Andrei (ed.).Soviet Partisan 1941-45.Bloomsbury Publishing.p. 29.ISBN9781472801456.
  27. ^Weckstein, Leon (2011).200,000 Heroes: Italian Partisans and the American OSS in WWII.Hellgate Press. p. 233.ISBN9781555716981.
  28. ^Windrow, Martin (1997).The Algerian War, 1954-62.Men-at Arms 312. London:Osprey Publishing.pp. 10&37.ISBN978-1-85532-658-3.
  29. ^abcdefde Quesada 2014,p. 66.
  30. ^abde Quesada 2014,p. 64.
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  55. ^"Chapter XVIII: The Occupation Troops".history.army.mil.Retrieved5 January2018.
  56. ^"Lot 1566: German - MP 40".www.rockislandauction.com.Retrieved19 March2021.
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Sources

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