* Type:Submachine Gun
* Operation:automatic
* Caliber and/or ammunition:9 mm Parabellum (9 × 19 mm)
* Length:63 cm (stock folded), 83.3 cm (stock unfolded)
* Barrel length:25 cm
* Unloaded mass:4.03 kg
* Loaded mass:4.7 kg
* Rate of fire:400 to 500 rounds/min
* Magazine:32 rounds
* Effective range:100-200 meters
* Initial speed:380 m/s
The Maschinenpistole 40, commonly called MP40, is a submachine gun, successor to the Maschinenpistole 38 (the numbers corresponding to the last two digits of their respective dates of adoption, during the 20th century). It was designed from the MP38 to reduce the cost of production, as was the MG42 compared to the MG34. Over 1.2 million MP40s and MP38s were produced during World War II.
Allied soldiers nicknamed this weapon "Schmeisser", in reference to the German weapons designer Hugo Schmeisser who was at the origin of the MP18 of the previous conflict. In reality, the MP38 and MP40 were designed by Heinrich Vollmer at the Geipel arms factory in Erfurt (Erfurter Maschinenfabrik Geipel or ERMA). This was based on the MP36, actually developed and produced by Schmeisser. The MP40 was manufactured in the ERMA factories, as well as by the Haenel firm in Suhl and the Steyr firm in Austria, where MP40 production was the largest and continued until October 1944. In total, between 746 000 and 1,100,000 pieces were produced.
At the end of the 1930s, mass production of the MP38 for the Wehrmacht was launched, after its usefulness had been clearly demonstrated during the war in Spain. Its production in large numbers was planned from the start to reduce costs. Vollmer renouncing the heavy and expensive wood, the MP38 became the first weapon in the world to be equipped with a steel clip-on stock. It thus responded well to the requirements of the Wehrmacht for the Blitzkrieg to come.
The manufacture of the MP38 was mainly carried out by shaping, which therefore required both skilled labor and first-class materials. This therefore resulted in additional costs if we wanted to achieve a real quality achievement. Production was subsequently greatly accelerated and facilitated with the introduction of industrial techniques such as sheet metal stamping or spot welding. Despite the standardization of processes, the manufacturing costs of the weapon, now called MP40, nevertheless remained slightly higher than those of the MP38. The savings in terms of raw materials also remained minimal. Nevertheless, production rates could be greatly increased.
The design of the MP38/40 was, compared to the submachine guns built until then, innovative and unconventional. The clip-on steel shoulder plate made the weapon very maneuverable. Bakelite, economical and easier to use, was used for the carcass and the handle to replace wood. The heavy sighting gear contributed to the overall balance of the weapon, making it very manageable. As the weapon only had a "burst" firing position (no fire selector), this was a necessary condition for the shooter to be able after a relatively short time to be equally accurate when shooting. 'one shot at a time.
The MP40 is equipped with a lug called "nose" under the barrel intended to rest on the edge of the bodywork of the vehicles to stabilize the shot (characteristic already observed on certain very old weapons called ramparts). This prevented the recoil of the weapon from sending the shooter back inside the vehicle.
The 32-round magazine was a weak point of the weapon. Inside, the cartridges are stored in two rows, while the supply of the weapon is done in a single file, from the top of the magazine. During the meeting of the two rows into one, it was common for the cartridges to stick together (due to dust) which caused the jamming of the weapon. The innovation made on a later version (MP40/1) where the magazine housing was ribbed did not bring great satisfaction.
A security problem existed at the beginning with the shutter between the magazine and the chamber. It was not possible to lock it, and when hitting the weapon, a cartridge could enter the chamber undesired. The shot could then go off by accident. This deficit was made up by means of a locking device, introduced in series from 1941. Generally, the old MP38 and MP40 were refitted with this device.
During Operation Barbarossa, the encounter with the Soviet PPSh-41 and its 71-round camembert magazine led to the MP40/2 version, equipped with a double reception for stores. After the first magazine had been emptied, it could be removed from its housing with a simple push. Thus, no less than 64 shots could be fired without reloading. However, its complicated construction prevented its mass production.
Hugo Schmeisser designed the MP41 during the war. This weapon consisted of the body and breech of the MP40 (which technically made it virtually identical) and a wooden shoulder plate and firing mechanism of the MP28. The MP41 was mainly produced for export and for police units.
Endowment
The MP38 was first intended for armored vehicle crews, but its maneuverability quickly made it the weapon of all armed formations, even U-Boot crews. With this relatively compact weapon for the time, a small combat unit could develop a relatively large firepower. The MP38/40 is considered the substantial weapon of the German infantry. Thus, in many Hollywood productions, this weapon is overrepresented among German soldiers in comparison with historical facts. MP40s were usually issued to squad leaders and platoon leaders, while the rest of the troop fought with Mauser Karabiner 98k. In the fall of 1939, during the attack on Poland, the Wehrmacht was allocated 8773 MP38s. Until the introduction of the MP40, no less than 40,000 units had been produced.
Each weapon has six magazines. For this purpose, each soldier had two pouches of three magazines, one on the right and one on the left. The tools necessary for loading the magazines were in a small additional bag on the left cartridge belt. In very specific cases, the MP40 was also accompanied by a silencer.
Combat behavior
Its maximum range reaches 200 meters. Its moderate rate of fire of 400 to 500 rounds per minute made it more controllable than some other similar weapons. It was equipped with a folding metal stock. The absence of a guard at the level of the front handle (in fact the magazine) was its main fault. Soldiers often burned their hands after heavy fire.
With an effective range of a hundred meters, it had an undeniable advantage over the American Thompson, whose range barely exceeded fifty meters. On the other hand, it was rather overtaken by Soviet submachine guns such as the PPSh-41 or the PPS-43, chambered in a faster caliber carrying further. While on the Western Front the Americans tended to prefer the MP40 to their Thompson, the Germans used Soviet PPSh-41s on the Eastern Front.
Imitations
The MP40 served as the model for many later weapons, including automatic submachine guns. Note among these:
* The Swedish Carl Gustav M/45 (from 1945)
* The Yugoslav Zastava M56 (from 1956)
* The German automatic BD-38 (from 2005)
* For the construction of the American M3A1 Grease gun (from 1942), certain constructive details were taken from both the MP40 and the British Sten.
On the other hand, the weapons that the Allies sent to the various resistance groups in occupied Europe were often finalized so that they could use the ammunition of the MP40 (9 mm Parabellum) taken from the enemy. This was particularly the case with the Sten or the American United Defense M42.
After the Second World War the MP40 served in Palestine, where a large quantity of weapons taken from the enemy were stored in the arsenals of the future Israeli army. Until 1956, the MP40 was the official weapon of Israeli paratroopers. In 1999, during the war in Kosovo, many copies of these genuine antiques surprisingly reappeared.