Posted on 10/12/2018 4:57:40 AM PDT by w1n1
The German MP40 submachine gun (Schmeisser) was a weapon our Allied Forces feared in World War II.
The MP 40 was a submachine gun chambered for the 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge and an open-bolt, blowback-operated automatic arms.
It was developed in Nazi Germany and used extensively by the Axis powers during the Second World War.
This weapon shot from a standard 32-round box magazine and the caliber was the standard 9x19mm Parabellum.
Manufactured in Germany from 1940-1945, there were roughly 1.1 million of them manufactured.
Weighing just under 9 pounds, this submachine gun was not light. With a cyclic rate of 500-550 rounds per minute, this heavy, quick-firing gun held on target well when fired in fully automatic bursts.
Although the MP 40 was generally reliable, a major weakness was its 32-round magazine. Unlike the double-column, dual-feed magazine insert found on the Thompson M1921-28 variants, the MP 40 used a double-column, single-feed insert.
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. Read the rest of Schmeisser MP-40.
Many German fighter pilots carried them in their cockpits.
It couldn’t have been a bad weapon to use. Many photos of Allies troops shown using them as their personal wep.
It was never a Schmeisser except for the magazine
Had a chance to buy one that was er, not registered. I passed as I had no desire to end up in a Federal Pen....
The first paragraph can’t be true. Everyone knows that 9mm is a useless round. /s
[It couldn’t have been a bad weapon to use. Many photos of Allies troops shown using them as their personal wep.]
My uncle, veteran of the Battle of the Bulge, said they were a good “tank raker”.
God Rest him in peace.
So it's amazing how many state and federal law enforcement agencies (including the FBI) have dumped the 40 cal and gone back to 9mm.
There’s been a lot of debates about sub-machine guns of the World War II period. In my opinion, the best models were the Italian Baretta Model 38, the German MP40 and the Russian PPS.
“So it’s amazing how many state and federal law enforcement agencies (including the FBI) have dumped the 40 cal and gone back to 9mm.”
It’s amazing how many have hired little girls that can’t handle the 40.
The perfect thing for home defense.
Correct the MP40 was not a Schmeisser. I dislike articles that make assumptions. I believe the allies “feared” the 9mm MP40 slightly less that the axis “feared” the variants of the .45 cal. Thompson. In battle any projectile is to be feared.
One item that did engender respect was the German MP42 MG with its high rate of fire. The allies soon developed tactics to contend with it. Another respected weapon was ghe M37/38 88mm artillery piece originally developed ss thean anti-aircraft cannon. The German infantry really disliked the M16 halftrack with its quad 50s. They disliked the Browning .50 MG and it proliferation within the American ground forces.
Good weapon for close quarters combat and room cleaning.
Ah, the star of Frederick Forsyth’s 1970s novel, “The Dogs of War”.
Correct, the lead sentence uses the word “feared.” “Covet” would would have been more accurate.
That didn’t have anything to do with it. A couple of years ago the FBI released its exhaustive multi-year study of sidearms which clearly demonstrated the superiority of the 9. LEO agencies took note.
“That didn’t have anything to do with it. A couple of years ago the FBI released its exhaustive multi-year study of sidearms which clearly demonstrated the superiority of the 9. LEO agencies took note.”
No, that FBI report did not say the 9mm was superior. In fact, that report pointed out the 9mm was only better in few and specific circumstances where multiple shots were needed.
Idiot question, maybe, but what the heck is in all of that mass behind the chamber? Is there a huge block of iron in there to absorb the blow-back?
It sure does look large and heavy for a 9mm machine “pistol”, which is certainly what it looks like.
The Germans rated Ma Deuce as THE most effective weapon in the American arsenal.
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